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I decided to use my router table to form all the grooves, rabbets and dadoes in this project, but you could also do all the machining with a table saw and dado blade. Feel free to modify the positions of the dadoes shown in the Drawings to create spacing that suits your needs best.

Start construction by cutting all the parts to size as specified in the Material List. Then install a 1/2″-diameter straight bit in the router table. Raise the bit to 1/4″ and set the fence so the back of the bit is flush with the fence facings. Rout a 1/2″-wide x 1/4″-deep rabbet in each end of the tray sides to capture the front and back pieces. Next, cut the 1/2″-wide x 1/4″-deep dadoes in the tray sides for the cross and rear dividers. Be sure to remember that the tray sides are mirror opposites of each other.

Milling More Grooves, Dadoes

Switch to a 1/4″ straight bit, set its height to 1/4″ and position the fence 1/4″ away from the back of the bit. Go ahead and mill a groove for the tray’s bottom panel along the inside faces of the tray sides, front and back, along the full length of these parts.

You can use the same bit at the same height to rout the four dadoes in the tray front and cross divider that will hold the silverware dividers. I found it helpful to tape these two pieces together with their ends aligned so I could rout both parts at the same time. It ensures that the dadoes will line up with one another correctly when the tray is assembled.

Now, gather the four silverware dividers so you can draw a large radius on the top edge of each to mark their recessed cutouts. To lay these out, first draw a centerline across the width of each divider, and mark the center point of these lines (it establishes the apex of the curve).

Open a compass to 4-1/2″ then set up for drawing each curve. I just drew a line on my workbench, aligned it with the centerline on each silverware divider, and used the bench layout line to locate the point of my compass for drawing the radius. Cut the recesses out at your band saw, and sand the curves smooth.

Assembling the Tray, Adding Optional Parts

Sand all the parts you’ve made so far up to 180-grit. Then assemble the tray, applying glue to the corner rabbets, bottom grooves and dadoes for the cross divider. I used a band clamp to hold the parts securely. When you tighten it, be careful that the tray remains square; its diagonal measurements should match. I didn’t glue the silverware dividers or rear divider in place so those can be removed if my storage needs change. After the glue dried, I simply top-coated the tray with wipe-on poly to match the knife block.

One option for filling the tray’s rear compartment is with a steak knife holder. Making it is simple: I just cut 1/2″-deep kerfs for the knife blades across the face of a 3/4″ x 5″ x 6-3/4″ piece of scrap walnut. I spaced the knife-blade slots 3/4″ apart, with this spacing centered on the slots. The steak knife holder fits the tray if the rear divider is removed.

Not all steak knives will be long enough to fill the area that’s left for their handles beside the knife block. So, I cut a 3/4″ x 1″ x 5″ filler block and placed that behind the ends of the handles to prevent the knives from sliding out of their blade slots.

Click Here to Download the Drawings and Materials List.

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The two-level design I’ve come up with here is relatively easy to build and offers a wide range of customization options. The dividers are made from a combination of 1/2″- and 3/4″-thick solid walnut and mounted on a 1/4″-thick Baltic birch plywood base. But you can choose just about any species of wood, mix and match multiple species or even use Baltic birch plywood for all the parts, if you like.

Cutting the Parts

Look at the the Drawings and Material List to familiarize yourself with the knife block’s design and pieces. Start construction by ripping enough 2-1/4″-wide stock to make the bottom inside and outside dividers.

Then rip 1-3/8″-wide pieces for the top dividers and handle rest. Crosscut the bottom dividers, top dividers and handle rest parts 1/4″ longer than necessary for now.

Shaping the Dividers and Rest

Face-glue three pairs of bottom inside dividers together, and do the same for the two handle rest parts. Carefully align their edges and ends flush. When the glue dries, unclamp and crosscut the parts to final length.

Now grab your compass to lay out a 1-5/16″ radius on the sides of the top dividers and a 3-3/4″ radius on the sides of the bottom dividers. Then, use a band saw or jigsaw to cut just outside the layout line on each divider.

I clamped the top dividers into a single group and did the same for the bottom dividers so I could sand their curves to the layout lines all at once. Next, use a hand plane, file or sanding block to shape a slight radius on the top of the handle rest. When that’s done, sand all the knife block parts to 180-grit.

Assembling the Knife Block

Cut the plywood base to size as well as seven spacers for the top and bottom dividers from 1/4″-thick scrap. Place the bottom dividers upside down and insert spacers between them, aligning the back ends of all pieces. The spacers are narrower than the dividers to prevent them from contacting the base when the dividers are installed.

Clamp the dividers and spacers together. Apply a thin layer of glue to the bottom edges of the dividers only. Then flip the divider-and-spacer assembly over and clamp it to the base.

When that glue-up dries, remove the clamps and spacers. Repeat the assembly process to install the top dividers. Glue and mount the handle rest to the base where it best suits the handles of your knives.

Finally, lightly sand all surfaces with 220-grit paper and apply a wipe-on poly finish to all surfaces. It will be foodsafe once the finish completely cures.

Click Here to Download the Drawings and Materials List.

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I’m sharing this dining table that I designed and built for my home eight years ago. I chose it because it’s a rare example of a project that if I wouldn’t change at all if I were to build it again (something I almost never say about past projects). After enjoying countless meals and games around it, I can say I have no regrets.

There are several things I like about it. First, I like the style — it’s inspired by the furniture that came out of the Danish Modern design movement. It’s clean and features a few simple details that make it unique, including the slightly curved side edges on the top, the undercut deep bevels on the ends and the legs that feature tapered inside faces and a 1″ radius on the outside faces.

Second, I like the size. The top dimensions are 30-1/2″ x 61″, which is smaller than most typical dining tables. I needed this table to fit in a small space and yet have enough room for my four family members. The size is also consistent with many Danish Modern dining tables.

This table also features an extension mechanism, so it can be expanded to be 2 ft. longer to accommodate a couple guests. This is the third reason I enjoyed this project. It taught me a new skill. It was the first time I installed such a mechanism, and that was an interesting challenge.

Please keep your project photos and descriptions coming in! We’re really enjoying seeing them — and so will other readers when they’re posted to our website soon!

Dan Cary, Woodworker’s Journal

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Wood is harvested and cut into chunks or billets that are roughly the size of a spoon. Then material is removed, first with an axe followed by knives to reveal the finished spoon. You could just grab a piece of wood and a knife and start carving until you end up with a spoon, but you’ll get much better and consistent results when you have a deliberate plan.

Carving Learned Best in Person

I recently spent the day with Erik Vevang, a builder and wood carver in Minneapolis. He and his wife Michele teach traditional Scandinavian carving techniques. I’ve carved a few spoons before, but my knowledge for those spoon projects came from books. It’s amazing how much faster and more effectively you learn, especially handcraft skills, when you are taught in person by someone with skill and experience.

It’s easiest to carve “green” wood, which is wood that is freshly cut and still has a lot of moisture content. This means you’ll be carving wood that is from your local area. In my neck of the woods, birch and fruit woods are most commonly used for carving spoons.

Erik first taught me several basic carving techniques. Each technique or grip is effective for different applications. Some are better for removing larger amounts of wood and others are intended for more delicate and detailed cuts. We practiced those techniques by carving a set of chopsticks. After all, how difficult could it be to carve two straight sticks? The first one wasn’t too difficult. The trick is making a second one that matches the first. If you’re new to carving, I recommend this exercise.

Axe First, Then Knives

Then we moved on to carving a spoon. Erik traces a template of the spoon style he is making on the wood billet. He uses an axe to roughly carve the top view spoon shape. Then he draws the side view and location of the crank or bend in the spoon and carves to those layout lines. At this point he is done with the axe and has a spoon blank. Making these controlled cuts requires a small, sharp axe. He grips the axe near its head and uses short strokes to increase control. An easier way to cut out a spoon blank is with a band saw, but that’s not the sloyd way.

Erik follows a similar order of operations with the knife as he did with the axe, starting by carving the top view outline of the spoon. From there he moves to dishing out the bowl with a hook knife. It’s easiest to carve the bowl by working from the edges toward the middle. Next, he works on shaping the handle and back of the bowl. When he gets to the point that he feels the spoon is done, he sets it aside to dry for a couple of weeks. He returns to the dry spoon to make the final finishing cuts. It’s hard to remove a lot of material when carving dry wood, but it’s easier to make crisp and clean finish cuts at this point.

Erik’s style is to leave the crisp knife facets on the surface of the spoon. Others prefer to sand the surface smooth. You may also choose to paint the handle. The final step is to apply a simple wipe-on food-safe finish to the spoon, such as walnut oil, salad bowl oil, mineral oil or linseed oil.

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In this case, we visited Vevang Studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to learn about traditional hand tools and carving techniques used to make a wooden spoon. Erik Vevang demonstrates how to properly and safely use a few carving knives to make a beautiful and useful spoon.

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But take heart: there’s a simple solution for both the tabletop and legs. Timber-Link pine and maple slabs, available from Rockler, come in both live edge and straightedged pieces that are ready to assemble and finish right out of the package.

Pre-drilled pocket screw holes make the top as easy to build as applying glue and screwing the slab sections together. The number of pieces you buy determines the top’s width, and you can cut it to any length you prefer.

Arrange the 2″-thick live edge and center sections for a pleasing grain pattern — there will be some variation, especially if you order online and can’t handpick the pieces.

Mark the boards order, then spread glue on their mating edges and assemble with 2-1/2″ pocket screws. When the joints dry, remove the edge bark with a scraper, drawknife or chisel and sand the surfaces up to 180-grit.

Then apply your choice of finish. I used wipe-on urethane for my table.

Rockler offers several styles and sizes of painted or unpainted welded-steel leg sets that simply fasten to your new tabletop with lag screws. Then voilà, you’re done. There’s no faster way to build a custom on-trend table than this!

Hard-to-Find Hardware:

Pine Timber-Link Slab, Edge Piece, 6′ Long x 2″ Thick x 5-8″ Wide (2) #63608
Pine Timber-Link Slab, Center Piece, 6′ Long x 2″ Thick x 8″ Wide (2) #64197
28″ H V-Shaped Welded Steel Table Leg Set, Black (1) #66014

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