Woodworking Projects
Build SomethingWorth Keeping.
BenchRoot projects are organized around measured drawings, material choices and a clear build sequence — from the first cut through final assembly.
- Drawings
- To scale
- Cut lists
- Part by part
- Sequence
- Step by step
Choose What to Build
Eight families of furniture.
Every project belongs to a family that shares its proportions, joinery and wood choices. Pick the kind of piece you want in your home or shop.
- F.01
Cherry
Tables
Coffee, dining, side and hall tables
- F.02
White oak
Shelves & Storage
Floating shelves, bookcases, wall racks
- F.03
Ash
Benches
Entry, garden and trestle benches
- F.04
Maple & plywood
Cabinets
Wall, base and display cabinets
- F.05
Walnut
Desks
Writing and standing desks
F.06
Bedroom Furniture
Nightstands, dressers, bed frames
F.07
Workshop Builds
Workbenches, sawhorses, tool storage
F.08
Outdoor Projects
Planters, garden benches, chairs
Featured Project · P-01
Walnut Coffee Table.
Four tapered legs, a mortise-and-tenon frame and a solid top held with wooden buttons — the build that turns a first-year woodworker into a furniture maker.
P-01 · Walnut Coffee Table
- Sheet
- 1 of 4
- Units
- Inches
- Rev.
- A
Project Library
The plan archive.
Each project is drawn as a sheet set: scaled views, one headline skill and the species it is designed around.
- P-02
Floating Shelves
Key skill: Drilling true for hidden rods
- Level
- Beginner
- Wood
- White oak
- Size
- 36 × 10 × 1⅜ in
- P-03
Workbench
Key skill: Laminating a flat top
- Level
- Intermediate
- Wood
- Hard maple
- Size
- 72 × 24 × 34 in
- P-04
Trestle Dining Table
Key skill: Wedged through-tenons
- Level
- Advanced
- Wood
- Cherry
- Size
- 84 × 38 × 30 in
- P-05
Writing Desk
Key skill: Fitting a drawer
- Level
- Intermediate
- Wood
- White oak & walnut
- Size
- 48 × 24 × 30 in
- P-06
Entry Bench
Key skill: Through-tenon and wedge
- Level
- Intermediate
- Wood
- Ash
- Size
- 48 × 15 × 18 in
- P-07
Wall Cabinet
Key skill: Frame-and-panel doors
- Level
- Advanced
- Wood
- Maple & plywood
- Size
- 24 × 10 × 30 in
Build by Skill Level
Three folders. One ladder.
Each level introduces the skills the next one assumes. Start in the first folder and every project after it will feel within reach.
- 01 · Beginner
First Builds
Square cuts, screws and glue, a drill used with care. Small pieces you can finish in a weekend.
Floating ShelvesWhite oak
Teaches: Drilling true for hidden rods
Simple BenchPoplar
Teaches: Square cuts and screwed joints
Tool RackPine
Teaches: Layout and repeat cuts
- 02 · Intermediate
Furniture Joinery
Mortises, tenons and flat, square stock. Pieces with a frame, a top and a finish that lasts.
Walnut Coffee TableBlack walnut
Teaches: Mortise and tenon
WorkbenchHard maple
Teaches: Laminating and flattening
Writing DeskWhite oak & walnut
Teaches: Fitting a drawer
- 03 · Advanced
Heirloom Work
Large glue-ups, hand-cut joints and doors that hang true. Plans that reward patience.
Trestle Dining TableCherry
Teaches: Wedged through-tenons
Wall CabinetMaple & plywood
Teaches: Frame-and-panel doors
Blanket ChestCherry
Teaches: Hand-cut dovetails
Anatomy of a Project
From Drawing to Final Assembly.
BenchRoot project pages are planned in eight parts. Here they are, keyed to the walnut coffee table pulled apart on the drawing board.
Overview
What you are building, the skills it teaches and the time it asks for.
Materials
Species, rough board footage and every piece of hardware.
Cut List
Each part with its finished size and the board it comes from.
Measured Drawings
Elevations, plan and sections, each at a stated scale.
Build Sequence
The order of work, so every step sets up the next.
Joinery Details
Enlarged views of each joint, with fit and layout notes.
Assembly
Dry fit, glue-up order, clamping and checking for square.
Finishing
Surface preparation and a finish schedule, coat by coat.
Project Planning
Measure Twice. Plan Once.
A cut list tells you what to make; a stock layout tells you what to buy. Plan both before the first board meets the saw.
| Ref | Part | Qty | T × W × L (in) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Top (glued from 4 boards) | 1 | 1 × 22 × 42 | Grain runs long |
| B | Leg | 4 | 1¾ × 1¾ × 16 | Taper inside faces |
| C | Long apron | 2 | ¾ × 3½ × 40½ | 1″ tenon each end |
| D | Short apron | 2 | ¾ × 3½ × 20½ | 1″ tenon each end |
| E | Stretcher | 2 | 1 × 1½ × 20½ | Low, side to side |
| F | Button | 8 | ¾ × 1 × 1½ | Holds top, allows movement |
| ≈ 10½ bd ft net · buy ≈ 13 bd ft of walnut with 25% waste allowance | ||||
Layouts leave room for snipe, checks and a clean first cut. Hatched areas are offcuts.
Board-foot and cut-list calculators are available in BenchRoot's workshop calculators. Open the calculators
The library
Projects by section.
Beginner projects
- Beginner Wood Carving Patterns: A Heart Token and a SongbirdTwo beginner wood carving patterns drawn to size on a grid: a heart token carved on the end of a stick and a 4 in songbird, with blanks, cuts and holds.
- Beginner Woodworking Projects: An Order for Your First Eight BuildsBeginner woodworking projects in an order that adds one skill at a time: eight published plans in four stages, the steps each build follows, and early mistakes.
- Cool Woodworking Projects: Distinctive Builds and What Each One AsksCool woodworking projects grouped by what makes each distinctive — a visible joint, a machined shape, a carved surface, geometry — and what each needs.
- Scroll Saw Projects for Beginners: A Cloud Plaque and a Slot OrnamentTwo scroll saw projects for beginners, outside cuts only: an 8 in cloud plaque of broad arcs and a two-disc ornament that slots together, with drawings.
- Woodworking Projects for Kids: Supervised Builds and Which Tools FitWoodworking projects for kids under adult supervision: the adult's role, which tools Scouting America allows at each level, and published projects to adapt.
Furniture
- Bench Plans: A Solid-Wood Bench with Slab EndsWood bench plans for an indoor 42 × 14 × 18 in bench: two slab ends, a dadoed stretcher, cleats and a top screwed through slotted holes so it can move.
- Bookshelf Plans: A 36 × 72 in Plywood Bookcase with Fixed ShelvesBookcase plans for a 36 × 12 × 72 in plywood bookcase: dadoed fixed shelves, a rabbeted back, a kick, a measured drawing, cut list and anchoring to the wall.
- Desk Plans: A 48 × 24 in Plywood Panel DeskDesk plans for a 48 × 24 × 30 in plywood desk: panel sides, a back panel and front rail in dadoes, a doubled top with hardwood edging, drawing and cut list.
- Floating Shelf Plans: A Hollow Shelf on a Hidden Wall CleatFloating shelf plans: a 36 × 8 × 2 in hollow shelf that slides over a hidden wooden cleat screwed to the wall, with drawing, cut list and fitting steps.
- Furniture Making: How Wooden Furniture Is Designed, Built and SizedHow woodworking furniture is made: the stages of a build, tables, cases, seats and beds, wood movement, joints, regulated furniture and sizing tools.
- Advanced Woodworking Projects: What Makes a Project Harder, and the Next Step UpWhat makes advanced woodworking projects harder — joint count, size, movement, fitted doors and drawers — and a ladder through BenchRoot's plans by level.
- Bed Frame Plans: A Knock-Down Platform Bed Sized to Your MattressWoodworking bed frame plans for a platform bed sized from your measured mattress: bolted knock-down rails, ledgers, a centre rail on legs, slats and a cut list.
- Built-in Bookcase Plans: A Plywood Case on a Base, with a Scribed Face FrameBuilt in bookcase plans: a 30 × 12 × 84 in plywood case on a levelled base, fixed to the wall by a hanging rail, with a face frame scribed to the wall.
- Cabinet Plans: A Plywood Cabinet with Sliding DoorsWood cabinet plans for a 32 × 16 × 34 in plywood cabinet with two sliding doors in grooves — no hinges or slides — with drawing, cut list and door maths.
- Coffee Table Plans: A Leg-and-Apron Coffee Table and Side TableA woodworking coffee table plan, 42 × 22 × 17 in, with a matching side table: measured drawing, cut list, mortise-and-tenon joinery and a top that can move.
- Stool Plans: A Four-Legged Wooden Stool with StretchersWood stool plans for a 14 × 14 × 18 in four-legged stool: mortise-and-tenon aprons and staggered stretchers, a buttoned seat, measured drawing and cut list.
- Table Plans: A Knock-Down Trestle TableTable plans for a 60 × 30 × 30 in knock-down trestle table: mortise-and-tenon trestles, a stretcher bolted in place, measured drawing and cut list.
- Dining Table Plans: A 72 × 36 in Leg-and-Apron TableA dining table woodworking plan, 72 × 36 × 30 in: measured drawing, cut list, mortise-and-tenon base, a centre rail and a solid top buttoned on so it can move.
Shop projects and jigs
- Bar Clamp Projects: Pipe-Clamp Rails and Cambered CaulsTwo original bar clamp glue-up jigs for flat panels: notched rails that hold pipe clamps at fixed stations, and cambered cauls with a 1/16 in crown.
- Clamp Projects: A Clamping Square and Hooked Clamp PadsTwo original clamping jigs for assembly: a plywood clamping square with clamp slots and hooked clamp pads, for cases, frames and large wood projects.
- DIY Track Saw: A Shop-Made Saw Track and a Sheet-Cutting PlatformTwo complete builds for straight sheet cuts with an ordinary circular saw: a 60 in hardboard-and-plywood track trimmed by the saw, and a 2 × 4 platform.
- Dust Collection Projects: A Drill Press Dust TableA measured drill press table with a dust pickup for a shop vacuum hose, with drawing, cut list and steps — and why BenchRoot gives no DIY cyclone plans.
- Glue-Up Project: An Edge-Grain Cutting BoardA complete glue-up build: an edge-grain cutting board from eight strips, with cut list, glue choice, dry run, alternating clamps, the wait and a finish.
- Hand Tool Woodworking Projects: Six Published Builds and the Kit Each NeedsHand tool woodworking projects: six published BenchRoot builds whose plans can be made with hand tools alone, the tools each names and the level it states.
- Homemade Wood Stain: What Works, and a Sample-Board ProjectWhat the Forest Products Laboratory documents about homemade stains — iron and tannin, the retired Madison formula — and how to make a sample board.
- Homemade Woodworking Tools: Winding Sticks and a Wedge-Locked Marking GaugeHomemade woodworking tools to make by hand: a pair of winding sticks for checking twist and a wedge-locked marking gauge, with drawings, cut lists and steps.
- Live-Edge Projects: A Serving Board and Bookends From Slab OffcutsTwo complete live-edge builds from slab offcuts — a serving board and a pair of bookends — with cut lists, drawings, moisture checks and what a live edge needs.
- Mallet Plans: A Laminated Joiner's Mallet with a Tapered HandleWood mallet plans for a joiner's mallet: a three-layer maple head with faces angled 5°, a tapered ash handle that tightens in use, drawing, cut list and steps.
- Miter Saw Projects: A Mitred Picture Frame and a Splayed SleeveTwo miter saw projects with every dimension given: a mitred 5 × 7 in picture frame cut at 45°, and a four-sided splayed sleeve cut with compound miters.
- Miter Saw Station Plans: A Plywood Base with Level WingsA DIY miter saw station: the saw screwed to a 72 in plywood base, as DEWALT's manual allows, with wings set level with its table, all sized to your own saw.
- Table Saw Projects: Shop Jigs from the Saw ManualsThe first projects for a saw are the jigs that keep hands clear: push sticks, push blocks, featherboards and auxiliary fences built to the makers' patterns.
- Tool Chest Plans: A Plywood Chest with a Supported LidWood tool chest plans for a 30 × 16 × 15 in plywood chest: screwed corners, a hinged lid on a rated lid support, end handles and a cut list in your plywood's t.
- Woodworking Kits: What a Project Kit Holds, How to Judge One, and Kit or PlanWoodworking kits explained: what a project kit holds, what to check before buying one, rules for children's kits, and the published plans to build next.
- Woodworking Projects by Tool: From the Tools You Own to What You Can BuildWoodworking projects by tool: start from what you own — hand tools, a saw and drill, a table saw, router, band saw, lathe or CNC — and find its builds.
- Workbench Plans: A 2×4 and Plywood Bench Built to Your HeightWoodworking bench plans for a 60 × 24 in workbench from 2×4s and plywood, at the height you choose: drawing, cut list in terms of your plywood, bolts and steps.
- Workshop Setup Projects: A Scale Layout Kit and an Offcut BinTwo workshop setup projects with drawings: a scale layout kit for planning a woodshop layout on paper, and a floor-standing plywood offcut bin with a cut list.
- Band Saw Projects: A Drawer Box and a Circle JigTwo measured bandsaw projects: a one-drawer box cut from one 6 × 4 × 3 in block, and a circle-cutting jig, with drawings, cut lists, blade and saw needs.
- Box Joint Jig Projects: A Fixed Jig and an Adjustable Jig, MeasuredTwo measured box joint jig plans for a miter gauge: a fixed jig for 1/4 in fingers and an adjustable jig with swappable faces, with cut lists and steps.
- DIY Router Table: A Benchtop Table for Fence Work, and the Shop Projects FamilyA DIY router table for fence work: a laminated plywood top for a purchased insert plate on a box base clamped to a bench, the cut list, steps and its limits.
- Dovetail Projects: A Dovetailed Box and a Dovetail MarkerTwo complete dovetail builds with dimensions and cut lists: a through-dovetailed box with a lift-off lid and hidden bottom groove, and a 1:6 and 1:8 marker.
- Intarsia Projects: A Compass Tile and a Mountain PanelTwo original intarsia woodworking projects: a 6 in compass tile of eight triangles and an 8 × 6 in mountain-and-sun panel, with numbered pieces and drawings.
- Japanese Joinery Project: A Kumiko Lattice PanelA complete Japanese joinery build: a 9-1/2 in lattice panel with corner half laps and a grid of half-lapped strips housed in the frame, with a cut list.
- Router Projects: A Dado Guide and a Flattening SledTwo shop builds for a handheld router, in full: a T-square dado guide that marks its own cut line, and a sled that flattens slabs up to 22 × 32 in.
- Router Table Projects: A Split Fence With Dust PortA shop-made split fence for a router table, built in full with a dust box and adjustable faces, and what to weigh before building a router lift yourself.
- Table Saw Sled Plans: Building a Crosscut SledTwo published sled plans compared — a crosscut sled and a dado sled — with how to fit one to your saw and the safety rules the plans leave out.
Outdoor projects
- Birdhouse Plans: A Cedar Nest Box for House Wrens and ChickadeesBirdhouse woodworking plans for a cedar nest box sized for house wrens and black-capped chickadees, built to NestWatch's features: drawing, cut list and steps.
- Outdoor Woodworking Projects: Wood, Water, Fasteners and Four PlansOutdoor woodworking projects that last: heartwood that resists decay, treated lumber, designing so wood dries, fasteners and glue, and four outdoor plans.
- Planter Box Plans: A 30 × 12 in Cedar Planter with a Slatted FloorA DIY wooden planter box in cedar, 30 × 12 × 11 in: two rows of boards on corner posts, a slatted floor on cleats, the cut list, steps and how to keep it dry.
- Adirondack Chair Plans: A Straight-Cut Cedar Chair, MeasuredAdirondack chair plans for a straight-cut cedar chair: rails at 14°, a back at 25°, a measured drawing, cut list, rail layout and assembly order.
- Picnic Table Plans: A 6 ft A-Frame Table with Attached SeatsWood picnic table plans for a 6 ft A-frame table with attached seats: 2×6 and 2×4 lumber, carriage bolts, a measured drawing, frame layout, cut list and steps.
Small projects and gifts
- Christmas Woodworking Projects: A Star Ornament and a Slat TreeTwo Christmas woodworking projects with patterns: a 4 in star ornament laid out with a compass and a spinning slat tree, with stock, times and steps.
- Scrap Wood Projects: A Boot Rack from 2×4s and Pallet Boards, and Door WedgesScrap wood projects sized to offcuts, 2×4s and pallet boards: a boot rack and door wedges, with minimum stock and how to read a pallet's mark.
- Small Woodworking Projects: Bookends and a Desk Riser from One BoardSmall woodworking projects cut from one 48 in 1×6 board: a pair of bookends and a desk riser, with a cutting layout, cut lists, pocket-screw joinery and steps.
- Wood Craft Ideas: A Hexagon Frame, a Plaque, and Where Every Small Project LivesWood craft ideas with measured patterns: a mitred hexagon frame and a chamfered plaque, finishing notes, simple tools, and a map of every small project.
- Wooden Box Plans: A Keepsake Box with Rabbeted Corners and a Lift-Off LidA DIY wooden box plan, 8 × 5 × 3-1/4 in: measured drawing, cut list, rabbeted corners, a floating plywood bottom in a groove and a fitted lift-off lid.
- Wooden Toy Plans: A Set of Unit Blocks, and the Rules for ToysDIY wooden toys done carefully: a 20-piece unit block set with drawing, cut list and steps, and the federal rules on small parts, paint and selling toys.
- Woodworking Projects That Sell: A Key Rack and a Trivet Made in BatchesWoodworking projects that sell are cheap, quick and repeatable: a key rack and a trivet made in batches, with cut lists, yield per board and costing.
Turning and carving projects
- Wood Lathe Projects: A Rolling Pin and a Spurtle, Turned Between CentresTwo wood lathe projects turned between centres: a 2 × 13 in rolling pin and a 12 in spurtle, with measured drawings, blank sizes, speeds and steps.
- Carved Spoon Plans: A 10 in Spoon from a Straight-Grained BlankCarved wooden spoon plans: a 10 in spoon from a dry 10-1/2 × 2 × 3/4 in blank, with its plan, profile and section, the grain along its length, and steps.
- Turned Bowl Plans: A 6 in Wooden Bowl on a FaceplateTurned wooden bowl plans: a 6 in bowl 1-3/4 in high from a dry 6-1/2 in blank on a glued backing block, with its section, arcs, mounting and parting off.
- Wood Carving Projects: A Chip-Carved Rosette and a Relief-Carved LeafTwo wood carving projects with measured patterns: a six-petal chip-carved rosette on a 5 in plaque and a relief-carved leaf panel, with stock, layout and steps.
- Wood Turning Projects: Coasters on a Backing Block and a Set of Drawer KnobsTwo small wood turning projects with measured drawings: 4 in coasters turned on a glued backing block, and four drawer knobs turned from one 10 in blank.
CNC projects
Scroll saw projects
Ready When You Are
From Drawing to Workbench.
Build with a clear plan, understand each joint and know the next step before the saw starts.