Trailer

01: All about Wood

Before you start a woodworking project, whether it's a picture frame or a table, you need to know the medium you're working with. How do you know which wood to use and when? What's the difference between particle board and plywood? What does hard" and "soft" wood even mean? What's the difference between wood that's plain sawn versus wood that's quarter sawn? How does lumber go from a tree to the individual plank you use for the job? How do you calculate board feet to make sure you purchase the right amount of material for your project? In this lesson, you'll come away with answers to these and other questions about wood. By the end, you'll have the knowledge to make more informed and economically-sound shopping decisions-and better, more professional woodworking projects."

88 min

02: Mastering Mortise-and-Tenon Joints

Mortise-and-tenon joints are commonly used in everyday tables and chairs of all sizes, which means it's important for the structural integrity of your project that you make your mortise-and-tenon joints correctly. With help from Mr. Vondriska, you'll learn tips and tricks to get your joints to the right size using a variety of tools so you can adapt to what you have in your workshop. You'll learn what it takes to get a plunge router set up to accurately cut mortises and explore how to use a bench-top mortiser to cut square holes into a piece of hardwood. You'll also look at how to use drill presses and router tables to produce accurate tenons. With all the insights in this lecture, you'll be able to make accurately fitting joints that stand up to the test of time.

72 min

03: Must-Have Furniture-Making Skills, Part 1

If you're going to make furniture like chairs and tables, there's some core information that you'll need to have to ensure your projects come out strong and looking good. Here, you'll tackle the must-have furniture-making skills needed to work ably with your skill level and the tools you have in your workshop. In the first of two lessons on these critical skills, you'll dive into topics including joinery, mortise-and-tenon joints, and loose tenons. Sidestepping a core project, this lesson focuses instead on practicing these skills using pieces of wood you might have just lying around. By watching these skills in action, and practicing them, you'll find yourself more than able to tackle making your own furniture like a master woodworker.

79 min

04: Must-Have Furniture-Making Skills, Part 2

In this engaging lesson on must-have furniture-making skills, turn to topics like tapered legs (both two-sided and four-sided). Mr. Vondriska then moves on to skills involving mitered and non-mitered corners, and talks about right ways to compose a solid wood tabletop that's smooth and flat. And when it comes to furniture making, gluing is just as important as joinery. You'll explore how to glue pieces edge to edge so they stick, stay flat, and look great. With all the many skills you'll cover in this lesson, you'll be able to customize them to fit your particular experience level-as well as the woodworking tools you have around you. With just a little patience and practice, there's no excuse for not being able to make your own furniture.

104 min

05: Build a Sofa Table

Your project in this lesson: a mission-style sofa table made from quarter-sawn oak that's held together by 24 mortise-and-tenon joints. Mr. Vondriska shows you ways to tackle the process of making a sofa table, from choosing the right wood to applying the last coats of stain. Along the way, you'll learn tips like these: Yellow glue dries faster than white glue and is easier to sand. Cut slats from an edge of 6/4 wood to get a quarter-sawn appearance. When using a table saw, build your dado head to slightly exceed the length of your tenon. Drill oversized holes in your shelf support to allow for the wood's seasonal expansion and contraction. Remove your table's top and shelf before you apply finish.

123 min

06: Chair-Making Essentials

It's true that a lot of woodworkers, even seasoned ones, are challenged by making chairs. Because there are few pieces of furniture in a house that have to tolerate stress like a chair, it's essential that the joinery is the best it can possibly be. Here, examine the essentials of chair making, with a focus on offset mortise-and-tenon joints (as there are 24 such joints that go into the chair you'll learn how to make). Additional features you'll create include a handhold that makes it easy to move the chair around, and book-matched back slats made of walnut. Plus, you'll get more help from an expert upholsterer who shows you all sorts of accessible tips and tricks for making attractive, professional slip-seats for your chair.

135 min

07: Beautiful Bedside Table

In this lesson, your project is a beautiful bedside table made of white oak that includes distinct features that will test your woodworking skills, including a full-extension drawer, leg and rail construction with mortise-and-tenon joinery throughout, two shelves that provide a unique opportunity to work with the expansion and contraction of solid wood, and a shelf bracket that's dadoed into the table legs. Mr. Vondriska takes you step by step through the process of making this table, instilling in you the confidence and knowledge to tackle a second table entirely on your own-because, of course, you'll need another table for the other side of your bed.

78 min

08: Handkerchief Table

Also known as drop-leaf tables, handkerchief tables may look complex. But with the tips you'll learn in this lesson, you'll be able to successfully complete one of these tables in your own workshop. One of the tasks you'll focus on is the joinery required to create the table's signature drop-leaf: a rule joint made with a match set of router bits specifically for drop-leaf tables. Other details you'll learn to make include the gate leg that swings not on a mechanical hinge, but a hinge you'll create using a dado head on a table saw; tapered legs that give the table a more delicate look; mortise-and-tenon joints at both 90- and 45-degree angles; and more. Never built a drop-leaf table before? Mr. Vondriska walks you through all the geometry and cool woodworking techniques you need.

161 min

09: Design and Shape Cabriole Legs

Join guest instructor David Munkittrick for a helpful, accessible look at how to design and build a classic style of leg-known for its s-curve and rounded foot-that goes all the way back to ancient Egypt and China. Like most complex woodworking projects, there are many ways you can go about shaping a cabriole leg, but Mr. Munkittrick simplifies the process so you can find the way that works best for you. Using a basic two-dimensional template, you'll built a Queen Anne-style cabriole leg that's 2-3/4 inches thick and 24 inches long. And the best part: Aside from a cabinet-maker's rasp, you won't have to spend lots of money on special tools to make this iconic leg. With just a little practice, you'll be surprised at how easy it is to make a cabriole leg of your own.

60 min

10: Finishing Essentials

Nervous about finishing a woodworking project you've spent so much time and work on? No need to worry. In this lesson on the essentials of finishing projects, Mr. Vondriska teaches you what he's learned about finishing from his own mistakes. The goal: to give you the confidence level you need to finish your projects the right way-the first time. What finish should you use? What are the best tools for applying them? How do you avoid honey-like layers of finish that never want to dry? What are the benefits of lacquer, varnish, and urethane? What's the difference between natural bristles and synthetic bristles on particular types of finishing products (whether man-made or water-based)? Whether you're finishing a chair, a side table, or a picture frame, learn how to give your projects the great finale they deserve.

97 min

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Trailer

01: All about Wood

02: Mastering Mortise-and-Tenon Joints

03: Must-Have Furniture-Making Skills, Part 1

04: Must-Have Furniture-Making Skills, Part 2

05: Build a Sofa Table

06: Chair-Making Essentials

07: Beautiful Bedside Table

08: Handkerchief Table

09: Design and Shape Cabriole Legs

10: Finishing Essentials

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How to Build Your Own Furniture

Trailer

01: All about Wood

02: Mastering Mortise-and-Tenon Joints

03: Must-Have Furniture-Making Skills, Part 1

04: Must-Have Furniture-Making Skills, Part 2

05: Build a Sofa Table

06: Chair-Making Essentials

07: Beautiful Bedside Table

08: Handkerchief Table

09: Design and Shape Cabriole Legs

10: Finishing Essentials

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