From Jim Barry of Gander, Newfoundland, Canada jim@woodworkersworkshop.com come a few nice projects. Jim's comments accompany his photos.
"The Valentine's Day gift was for my wife, and the ladder I built for her last week. As usual, no plans for these,,, I saw them in a picture."
"This project was made from 10 feet of 2x4 pine and 9 feet of 1x6 pine. The angle of the ladder body is 32 degrees with a 3 degree flare at the bottom. Hardware included 5 1-1/2" strap hinges. The finish is Golden Oak with 2 coats of polyurethane semi gloss. The hardest part was getting the dados correct for the steps (treads). They have to be cut at a 32 degree angle on a 3 degree offset. Getting the 3 degree offset to be in the right direction is the most difficult part. If not done correctly, when you install the treads, a gap will appear in the dado joint.
This projects can easily be constructed in weekend.
I made this valence from a picture
in a magazine. It's made from #1 grade 3/4" pine - not that
difficult a project, really. The hardest part was coming up with
an appealing scroll work in the middle. At the time I made this I
didn't have a scrollsaw, but then again it would not have worked
on the scroll saw anyway...to big a project. And I didn't have a
coping saw either. Just a jigsaw and a normal width cutting
blade. I didn't know at the time they made thin kerf blades for
tight circles. The front is all one piece and when the spindles
were added one of the pins on the ends of the spindles had to be
cut. I had to spread the bars apart and it got really tedious
towards the center of the scroll work. At one point I heard a
cracking sound, oh so slight, and stopped right there. But I got
it all together. The stain is a Minwax Cherry I think. Its been a
while since I made this one. The unit hangs in place using
keyhole plates like those used in railing construction. Great
hardware for flush mounting anything.
"The pie safe is another "eyeball" project, one of the first one's I made when I started out wood working. Everything is made with 3/4 #2 pine. The original pic called for tin punch inserts but since we were just starting out, I decided to use 1/4 ply which my wife enhanced with her stencil work.
The top is 3 pieces of pine biscuit joined. The 2" cove molding under the top I made on the table saw. I couldn't buy it that size so I did a bit of research then went about cutting one. I setup a fence on a 45 deg on the TS and passed it over the blade, adjusting the blade height higher with each pass.
I've since learned there are many amazing coves that can be made with the TS and probably will never buy the factory stuff again. I took the hammer and a chain to the project next, to give it some "character". I covered the whole project in a dark walnut stain and the panels were covered with a golden oak stain. Then a coat of polyurethane.
And lastly, I put it in the kitchen and filled it with food!"
"Another 'eyeball' project. The construction started with the bottom. I used some scrap 1x5 strapping l. I sketched in the arch for the bow and started cutting. Next I took some 2x8 for the middle and top "shelves". The bottom or stern of the boat was made with a piece of 2x10. The sides flare out about 5 degrees to give it some resemblance to a boat. I used a jig saw to cut out the stern of the boat where a motor would be mounted 'if the thing could actually float'.
Next came the sides. I used
1/4" ply which presented a bit of a problem when it came to
bending. At that time I wasn't too familiar with steam techniques
or kerf relief cuts. So, when all else fails...use brute force!
Hey, it worked.
Next came the 'gunnels' of the boat, or 'rails' called by some people. Again, not being proficient with steam bending, I only had 1x5 strapping to work with. I didn't feel like going out and buying more wood since to this point everything was made from scrap (trying to keep a theme going here). I ripped the stuff in half giving me 5/16 x 5 inch strapping that, when bent, went very easy.
I capped off the bow with a piece of roof flashing and a piece of pine to hold the front bow together (added insurance).
For the paddles, I bought some 1x8. I sketched out what I thought looked like a paddle and started cuttin'. Rounded off the edges with a 1/2 cove and the project was a done deal. A couple coats of paint and polyurethane and it was ready. The only thing I never thought about was shrinkage. The boat was made in my garage shop during the winter. Once the project got indoors the strapping that made up the bottom reduced by 3/16 inch. It left gaps but hey, so what, I still think it looks good.
But this boat definitely won't float."
"My
wife has had an old steamer trunk since before I met her, but
it's in rough shape. Since I love a challenge and always wanted
to make a steamer trunk, I decided to buy a package from Rockler
that included plans and a hardware kit. This was one of the few
times I actually used plans to build something. Now I know why I
would rather just look at a picture and go make it. That's the
real challenge! 
As for joinery, all the panels fit into 5/16" dado cuts - my first time at it. The corners are each made of two pieces of oak mitered together and joined with 1/2" splines - another first for me. The panels that hold the straps in place are 3/4" oak tenoned to fit the 5/16" dados on the rails and stiles. I cut yet another 3/4" dado around the inside of the trunk for an oak ledge that holds the removable tray.
The lid turned out to be the challenge, mainly because the plans weren't very accurate. I cut the curved ribs with a jig saw, and mortised the ends of the ribs into the front and back pieces. I confess to a few mistakes here, but it's amazing what what you can cover up when you try. ;-)
The hardware kit, including the plans, cost about $100.00 by the time I got it, with the exchange rate, custom duties and shipping."
"My first woodworking project! I took the plan of the bird (supposed to be a Canada Goose) from an old computergraphics program, traced out the segments onto 3/4" pine and cut it out on the scroll saw. I rounded off the edges and then started experimenting with stains. After staining, I then glued it all back together and gave it a coat of polyurethane. Tip: I put a sample stain of each on a long stick of pine, and put a second coat of the same stain on 1/2 of it (darker). It makes a great reference which I have used over and over again. I even experimented combining stains (interesting outcomes)".
"Found this plan in an old magazine my dad gave me. Since the phone is in the kitchen and everything is oak, so too the telephone cabinet. I cut out the curves on the scroll saw and with the help of my table saw (Ryobi BT3000) it came together pretty quickly. Even the Drawer is solid oak. I ripped 3/4 oak down to 1/4 for the sides and bottom. The only pet peeve is the phone doesn't sit well in its cradle due to the cord. Next time I would put a notch where the cord hangs off to better accomodate it, and another on the opposite side for balance of style. A bit of sanding, a couple coates of polyurethane and voila!"
Check out Jim's Woodworking site to at: http://www.woodchuckcanuck.com/
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