The first project we are going to look at is a simple cutting board. This is something that everyone can use in the home and it will teach you some good techniques and methods to get you started. The simplest version of a cutting board which is made from a solid piece of stock will introduce you to shaping, cutting and sizing. A more complex version of this project will teach you other techniques such as cutting and gluing individual pieces of wood together while leaving a seamless surface.
Now let’s take a look at a wooden planter box. This is a project which you can use to beautify your home with. This open-faced planter box does not require much in the way of material and can be suited to individual’s specific needs. While this project does not require any advanced techniques you will be learning how to cut wood to exact sizes along with getting an understanding of joints and angles.
For our next project we are going to tackle a wooden wine rack. I remember shop class while I was in school and one of the projects they always had was building a spice rack. While building a wine rack uses some of the same techniques it is a much more interesting project. This project will teach you how to shape wood using a router along with fabricating more complex joints which work as structural elements of the piece. Wine racks are usually intended to be fancy and this introduces you to techniques that are a little more complicated than our first two projects.
The final item we are going to look at is a wooden picture frame. This is a project that will introduce you to working with glass. You will find that many projects you will be considering with either use glass or mirrors and this is an excellent place to start. Fabricating the actual picture frame is not difficult but adding the glass will introduce another level of difficulty for those who are up to the challenge.
In conclusion, the objective of all of these projects is not only to teach you methods and techniques you will need for more complicated projects you decide to attempt but they are also meant for you to have fun with. By finishing these items you will have something that you can show to your family and friends and take pride in what you have been able to accomplish.