Projects of Don Owen

These projects come from Don Owen, dowen@sawhorseworkshop.com of Mt. Pleasant, Texas, USA. Don comments on his projects below.

"I built these for a customer who collects shot glasses from all around the world. Each display holds 112 shot glasses, some regular shot glasses and some tall shot glasses. If you look closely in the middle of the 2 displays you can see the end piece the holds the glass for the display on the left, that slides from right-to-left to enclose the display to keep dust off the shot glasses. They are made from White Oak, stained in Golden Oak and finished with Deft Lacquer."

"Here is my latest creation,,, a tri-fold screen made from white oak and finished with deep red-mahogany lacquer. It is set-up to display 8x10 pictures. The matte is rose parchment to highlight and contrast the mahogany, and the hinges are brass."

"I built this folding Adirondak Chair for our patio. They have wheels on the rear legs for easy movement, the foot stool pulls-out like a drawer, and they fold-up for easy storage. Made from Pressure Trearted Southern Yellow Pine and finished with Spar Polyurethane. I purchased the plans from Leichtung Workshops, the plans are rather unique in that they come with full size templates that require no measurements, just trace and cut. Step-by-Step instructions, materials list, and easy-to-follow cutting list are included. To order these plans, call 1-800-321-6840."

"This is an End Table I made out of Oak, finished with Mahogony stain and High Gloss Polyurethane. I got the idea and general plans from the December 2002 issue of Workbench Magazine. The article was about a Shaker Style Table complete with plans, tips for turning the pedestal on a router table, and finishing it using Aniline Dye. I followed the basics of the plan, but improvised here and there. I didn't turn the pedestal...instead I bought a 21" French Country leg from Rockler, turned it upside down and added the arched legs you see here using a sliding dovetail joint. The drawers are mounted so they can be opened from either side of the table - they just slide on L-shaped rails."

"This is an Arbor I built for my wife. It is called that because you can actually build it in a weekend. The plans are fairly simple and the end result is a great looking Arbor. The plans come with add-ons to the main Arbor such as a bench seat, a gate and side fencing if you are so inclined to "punch it up". I made this Arbor out of Pressure Treated Southern Yellow Pine, with no finish."

"This is a picture of a Noah's Ark Beanie Baby Holder. It is made out of pine and just painted to suit individual tastes. The plans call for a shingled roof, but I didn't think that was safe for children, so I used a piece of siding instead."

"This is a Toy Bi-Plane I built for my Grandson for Christmas 2001. It is made entirely out of Oak. The main body and wings are finished with clear gloss poly, and the wheels, propeller and engine cowling are stained in Walnut for definition. This was a fun project and it only took a couple of days to complete."

"This is a Mailbox I made for my mother-in-law for Christmas 2001. She wanted something "different" and hers old mailbox was in pretty bad shape."

"This is a picture of one of the Curio/Grandfather Clocks I made for our kids and their wives for Christmas 2001. It is made entirely of Oak, stand 6' tall, is 12-3/4" wide and 14-1/4" deep. The three glass shelves are adjustable, there are 54 possible adjustments (every 1/2"). The clock itself is battery operated and the crown is made as one piece so it can be lifted off for access to replace the battery or adjust the time. I made all the moldings myself (man, what a challenge that was) and the scroll work on the top and bottom are also my design. The clocks are finished in Golden Oak with 4 coats of wipe-on poly with a light sanding between each coat. This was a real challenging project and the kids loved them."

"This is a Home Golf Center I made for my son and have made for several of my golfing buddies and some of their friends who saw it. One is a picture of it with clubs and other golf stuff, and the other is without the clubs and stuff."

"I have some diagrams including a layout of a full sheet (4'x8') x ¾" Birch MDF plywood (you can use ¾' plywood, but Birch has a great "look" and to works best for me). The diagram has all the "cuts" and you can get everything out of this sheet except the flooring, which I used ½" plywood for that. This cut pattern ensures that the grain of the wood is consistent throughout the project. You will also need some Birch Banding for the edges of the plywood. I also use 2x4's for corner supports (12) under the flooring, 4 of which I put "levelers" in so you can level the golf center if you put it on a hard surface.  You will need to secure the top shelf, but I drilled holes for the other shelves so they can be adjustable, similar to a bookcase shelf. You will also need some carpet to cover the plywood floor. The "Bag Props" are cutout on a band saw or scroll saw to give the curves and the notch, which fit in the sidepieces. I also used buttons to conceal the screws and I used biscuits to secure the top shelf to the shelve sides and back. I hope this will help, it is a fun project. Good Luck, let me know if you have any other questions."

"My first attempt at making a Gun Cabinet. I made it out of pine and stained it in Early American. Sorry about the picture, the cabinet doesn't lean, it is straight."

"This is a Rocking Horse I made for my grandson for his very first Christmas. I am happy to report that he just loves it. He was 13 months old Christmas and it was the great to see his eyes light-up when he saw it. We have to help him rock it, but he never seems to want to get off of it."

"This is an "L-Shaped" Bar I built for my Mother in-law. It is made out of oak using the mortise/tenon, biscuit joinery, and pocket joinery techniques (128 pockets) and flat panel construction. It was a fun project to build and my Mother in-law just loves it. It is stained Golden Oak and I used a wipe-on polyurethane to finish it out (that stuff is great)."

You can visit Don's site, The Sawhorse Workshop, by clicking here: www.sawhorseworkshop.com

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