Look at the Material List to find the exact dimension of the steps, risers and supports. You will also find a diagram that demonstrates the best way to get the various components of the dog steps cut out of those 12″-wide pieces. I used a crosscut sled to make my parts. It adds safety to the crosscutting process, and mine has a stop that lets me make repetitive cuts (such as for the risers, pieces 2) quickly and accurately.

I’d like to offer one more piece of advice about cutting plywood on a table saw: a saw blade designed to cut plywood, with 60 to 80 teeth, will give you the best results. A combination blade (40 teeth) will do the job too, but a plywood blade will cut more smoothly and with less splintering along the edges.

With all of your parts now cut to size, it’s time to break out your router and router table for some joinery work.

Dadoes, Grooves and Rabbets

I decided to use dadoes, grooves and rabbets as the connective joinery for this project. They all make assembling these doggie steps easy, and the glued up joints are extremely sturdy. All the joint cuts are 1/4″ deep. I could have formed them on my table saw with a dado blade, but my preference — especially on a project this size — is to plow those joints using a handheld router and my router table.

Curiously, 3/4″ plywood rarely if ever measures a full 3/4″ thick. For that reason, I made use of a router bit for undersized plywood. It cuts 23/32″ channels and made dadoes and grooves that fit the thickness of my plywood really well. Find the locations for all the joinery in the Drawings. All of the dadoes and grooves, except two, can be made on your full-sized router table.

The dadoes that capture the risers in the second and bottom steps must be made with a handheld router guided along a straightedge. Take your time, mark out the joints carefully and then plow the dadoes, grooves and rabbets. As they are only 1/4″ deep, you can make them in a single pass with a mid-size router. When you have completed the joinery cuts, you have one more routing task to take on.

At the end of the bottom step, form a radius on the two exposed corners (see the Drawings). At the advice of my coworkers, I tried out Rockler’s Corner Radius Routing Template in the 1-1/4″ size. I was a little unsure but it worked great!

Putting It All Together

With the machining all done, there were two tasks that needed to be completed before I moved onto assembling the project with glue and clamps. As the saying goes, “Work smarter, not faster,” and it is way easier to sand all of these panels before they are put together. I got out my random-orbit sander and sanded each piece, starting at 100-grit and finishing at 180-grit. Next, I dry-fitted the entire project together without glue. This is a critical step to any assembly, even a modest one like this. I found I needed to trim my end supports to fit just a bit better, so this was time well spent. (Smarter, not faster!) I was now confident that all of the parts were correctly made and they fit together, so I could start with the glue and clamps. (There is no reversing glue!)

I started out my glue-up by joining pieces 6, 5 and 3. It was a very manageable subassembly, making it easy to clamp the parts securely. A rule of thumb when gluing and clamping is to always check to be sure the parts are square to one another. After the glue had cured, I continued to glue and clamp parts together in more subassemblies. When all the parts are together, remove any glue squeeze-out and then gently break the edges with sandpaper.

You’re nearly done, but the next step is applying a finish. The choice of product is entirely up to you, but I decided to paint the vertical surfaces one color and the horizontal surfaces another. My selection was General Finishes Blue Moon and Antique White Milk Paints. You could use a clear finish like shellac or polyurethane, but don’t use a penetrating oil — the self adhesive treads will not stick to an oiled surface.

What treads, you ask? Well, I added adhesive-backed non-slip “Puppy Treads” I found on Amazon. These will help provide solid footing, especially for older dogs. I removed the backing, pressed the treads in place and trimmed them to fit.

Even More Features

This version of dog steps is sized for an average-height sofa. We have technical drawings for a taller “bed sized” set of steps online, in our “More on the Web” offerings for this issue. You can, of course, customize your version by adjusting the sizes of the vertical components (pieces 2, 5, 6 and 7). On both versions, there are open spaces to store toys, brushes and maybe even a leash. Really talented dog owners might even be able to train their pooches to “put away” their toys. (If you manage that, send us a video!)

This project was a great time in the shop and fun to build. It gave my router a workout and will be a useful gift for a dog-owning friend that will receive it.

Click Here to Download the Drawings and Materials List.

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The stand is inspired by Danish Modern design, a style of Scandinavian influence that came into popularity after World War II. Focusing on form and function, the simplicity of the designs lent themselves to production-style woodworking. That made Danish Modern furniture affordable as well as trendy. Teak was the primary species of wood used in those 1950s-era pieces, and its mid-range hue and pleasing figure were a key component in the popularity of the style. I used black walnut with a clear, natural finish for this plant stand, and I think it makes a worthy substitute for expensive teak.

Getting Started

Start out by selecting your lumber. For this project, plainsawn lumber will produce the best look. When choosing your stock, try to avoid cathedral-grained boards. Instead, look for figure with a good bit of movement that runs the length of the piece. The leg on the left in the image at left is a perfect example of the type of figure I’m suggesting.

You can go ahead and cut all six pieces of stock to the dimensions found in the Material List. Check to be sure that all all of the stock is surfaced to the exact same thickness, as this will make your joints fit properly.

From the pieces you’ve cut, grab the two supports (pieces 2) and step over to your table saw. These parts will connect with a half-lap or cross-lap joint. That’s where you cut two notches that fit together as shown. While the concept of this joint is very simple, cutting it to fit perfectly takes a bit of concentration. Here’s how I do it. First, I use some scrap material to set up the cut. It should be the exact same width and thickness as your project pieces, but it doesn’t need to be as long. One good method to form a cross-lap joint is to use a dado blade. In this case, with just one joint to make, I decided to simply use my combination blade and nibble away the waste. That helped me cut the width of the notches to their exact width — I could sneak right up to it. It’s also critical to cut the notches to the correct depth. And while you are testing that depth, remember that every adjustment in blade height will be doubled, because it affects both pieces of wood.

Once I had the setup dialed in on scrap, I was ready to cut the real thing. Notice that I clamped the pieces together and formed both notches at the same time. Refine the cuts with a file, if needed. When the notches slip together well, set these parts aside for now, and move onto the legs (pieces 1). You will stay on the table saw for these next steps.

Shaping the Legs

You have already cut the legs to length and width, so now you need to form their inside tapers. There are two tapers on each leg — a longer one on the lower part of the leg and a shorter taper on the upper section. As I indicated earlier, I prefer to form these tapers using a table saw.

Rockler’s taper jig is just the ticket for this task. It is adjustable, and you can make repeatable cuts as needed on each leg. A shop-made taper jig will, of course, work just fine if you prefer to go that route. If neither of those options float your boat, you can make the tapers using a band saw and sand the saw marks away later.

Use the Drawings to lay out the tapers on each leg. Then set up the taper jig to form one of the two tapers (the jig makes this very easy to do). Cut this taper on all four legs, then reset the jig for the second taper and repeat the process. Take a moment to sand away any saw marks that are left behind, and you are ready to make some more joinery.

Loose Tenons Create Rock-solid Joinery

The supports are joined to the legs with loose tenons. Now, if you are fortunate enough to have a Festool Domino, go grab that machine and get busy. But if that’s not an option, you will need a different method. This planter is designed to hold up a really large pot full of dirt, and that pot and plant will be heavy. I used Rockler’s Beadlock® loose tenon system because it is easy to use, affordable and produces super-strong joints.

Set up the Beadlock drilling jig with the 3/8″ guide, and use a 3/8″ drill bit (I prefer a bradpoint bit) to form the mortises in the supports and legs. The two-step drilling technique creates a specially shaped mortise that pairs perfectly with the Beadlock tenon stock. Center the mortises on the ends of the supports and at the center of the untapered area on the leg’s inner edges. Drill all eight mortises 1″ deep for 2″-long tenons.

Once the mortises have been formed, there is one more important machining step that needs to be done: shaping the edges of the legs. Step over to your router table and chuck a 3/4″-radius roundover bit into the router. Most of these bits will have a guide bearing mounted to the top of the bit. Raise the bit so the cutting edges are 1/2″ up from the top of the table. It is important to measure to the top of the cutter, not the bearing. Next, align the router table fence with the forward rim of the guide bearing; using a straightedge will help to do this accurately. By setting the bit and fence in this fashion, you will create what some folks call a “fingernail arc” on the edges of the stock. It is a gentle arc, not a full roundover. The fingernail arc is a vintage Danish Modern detail. Test the setup on scrap lumber to confirm the cut, then machine the leg edges. The outside (un-tapered) edges of the legs are easy to do. Move the stock past the bit in a smooth motion at a moderate pace. The tapered edges of the legs, however, require a bit more focus. Only shape the angled areas, leaving the mortised area on each leg (where the supports will join the legs) alone.

The final bit of shaping on the legs will form the fingernail arc onto their top ends. As this is end grain, you will need to rout carefully. Clamp two legs back-to-back. Then use a backer board to reduce tearout. Push the ends slowly through the cutter. If the wood burns a little, you can sand that off later, but you need to avoid tearout.

With that task done, it’s time for the most exciting process in every woodworking project: sanding! I recommend sanding to 220-grit.

Remember those supports you made at the beginning of this task? Grab them, the Beadlock tenons and the legs and get ready to assemble the plant stand. There is one critical thing to keep in mind during this glue-up stage, and that is the orientation of the notches on the supports. To say it simply, one notch must point up and the other down. That way, the cross-lap joint will fit together and complete the base. Glue the legs and supports up in pairs, minding those notch orientations. When the glue cures, glue and clamp the cross-lap joint. Remove any glue squeeze-out.

I recommend that you now give the whole project a 320-grit hand sanding. Watco Natural oil finish is perfect for this project. Apply at least three coats, letting the finish cure between coats. One great thing about this finish is if the plant stand gets some water on it and needs a touch-up, just clean the surfaces and apply another coat of the oil. It’s as simple as that!

Now all you need to do is find a pot, a bag of potting soil and a plant that befits this large, beautiful wooden planter.

Click Here to Download the Drawings and Materials List.

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Twenty-plus years ago, my first attempt at a “workbench” was a modest affair. It was an oversized table I made from 2x lumber and a doubled-up layer of 3/4″ MDF for the top It took a beating for a lot of years and helped me build many projects until I finally retired it. I traded up — or so I thought — for an expensive prefab bench that has never really been heavy enough not to skitter along the floor when I’m hand-planing or wrestling large assemblies on it. And it’s had a wide tool tray down the middle that I would gladly have traded for a more flat benchtop instead. So I’ve been musing about building a workbench that had more heft and a better top.

Making the Legs

Prepare enough 3/4″- and 1-1/2″-thick stock for the first six parts of the Material. (If you can’t get thick lumber, you could laminate what you need from 3/4″ stock for the centers of the legs and stretchers.) Even though we’ll start by making the legs, you’ll gain efficiency in the surfacing process by including stock for the long stretchers now, too.

Rip and crosscut blanks for the inner and outer leg workpieces. Leave them about 1/8″ overly wide for now. Make up four leg blocking pieces, too. Arrange the dimensions of the leg blocking so their long grain follows the 3-3/4″ dimension; that way it will align with the long grain of the other leg parts.

The tops of the legs and the long top stretchers connect in bridle joints at the top corners of the bench’s base assembly. In a similar way, the long bottom stretchers engage the legs in mortise-and-tenon joints, where the inner portion of these stretchers form a tenon that fits between the leg blocking and the inner leg laminations. To keep the center opening of the bridle joints and the mortises consistent when assembling the legs, make up a pair of 4″-wide x 6″-long spacers from scrap 1-1/2″-thick stock. Surface these spacers 1/32″ or so thinner than the inner leg and stretcher laminations, and wrap their bench made by hand-tool guru Rob Cosman. His design, faces and edges with wide strips of painter’s or packing tape to prevent glue from sticking to them. Then glue and clamp two outer legs, an inner leg and a blocking piece together with these spacers installed to create the first leg. When the clamps are in place, give the leg an hour or so for the glue to set before sliding the spacers out of their openings so you can reuse them to glue and clamp each of the other three legs together. When the spacers come out, carefully clean away any glue squeeze-out from these openings before the glue hardens.

Flatten one laminated edge of each leg on your jointer, and run the legs through your planer to flatten the other edge and reduce them to a final width of 4″.

Mark the bench’s four legs for the orientation you want them to be in when the framework is fully assembled. Notice in the Exploded View Drawing on the next page that the bench’s short stretchers (pieces 8) fit into grooves on the inner faces of the legs. These grooves will prevent the short stretchers from twisting out of alignment in the base over time. Cut these 1/4″-deep, 1-1/2″-wide grooves in the legs with a 7/8″-wide dado blade installed in your table saw. Set up for the groove cuts by raising the blade to 1/4″ and positioning the rip fence 1-1/4″ away from the closest face of the blade. Plow each groove into the leg in two passes, flipping the leg end for end between passes. This way, the grooves will be automatically centered on the inner leg faces.

Creating the Stretchers

Before fabricating the upper and lower long stretchers, make sure the thickness of the inner lamination pieces allows them to slide easily into the bridle joints and mortises of the legs. If they don’t, plane the inner stretchers slightly thinner to create a “slip fit” into the legs that doesn’t require pounding in.

Rip the four inner and six outer stretchers about 1/8″ overly wide, and crosscut them to length. Rip and crosscut the pair of narrower shelf supports to final size. Then glue and clamp an inner long stretcher between two outer stretchers to create each long upper stretcher. Make sure the tenons on the ends of these components are 4″ long and their shoulders (formed by the outer stretcher laminations) are even with one another. I used a simple scrap-made jig, which wraps around the inner lamination, to guarantee that the shoulders would align.

Assemble the long lower stretchers by gluing and clamping an outer stretcher, inner stretcher and shelf support together. Here again, the inner stretchers form 4″-long tenons on the ends of these components. Position the shelf supports so their bottom edges are flush with the bottom edges of the outer and inner stretcher laminations.

Assembling the Base

Consider drilling a series of 3/4″-diameter holes into the front face of the front leg opposite the one that’s nearest to the side vise (it’s the right front leg in the Exploded View drawing). These holes can be useful for inserting pegs to help hold up workpieces that are being clamped on-edge in the side vise, for hand-planing edges. Four or five, spaced about 3″ apart, should be sufficient. Bore them on a drill press with a 3/4″-diameter Forstner bit. I drilled mine all the way through the leg so they can stow my collection of hold-downs when I’m not using them. I chamfered the rims of these holes to minimize the chances of them splintering during use.

We’ll attach the legs and short side stretchers with Rockler’s heavy-duty 1/2″ cross-dowel bolts and cross dowels. These bolts also will lock the bridle joints together on one end of the bench as well as secure all four of the mortise-and-tenon joints of the lower stretchers. Mark the cross-dowel bolt locations carefully on the legs, making sure they are exactly centered on the widths of the legs. Locate them 5-3/4″ up from the bottoms of the legs and 2″ down on the legs that will be on the opposite end of the bench from the tail vise (on my bench, these are the left front and back legs). The short upper stretcher closest to the tail vise, however, will need to be positioned 2-1/2″ down from the tops of these legs to allow clearance for the tail vise hardware. So, mark center points for those cross-dowel bolts 4-1/2″ down from the tops of the legs. Drill the cross-dowel bolt holes through the legs.

Next, rip and crosscut the four short stretchers from 1-1/2″-thick stock, and drill them for both the 7/8″-diameter cross dowels and their 1/2″-diameter bolts. Locate the center points of the cross-dowel holes 2-1/4″ in from the part ends.

Dry-assemble the long top and bottom front stretchers and front legs, and clamp this assembly together to close the bridle and mortise-and-tenon joints tightly. Extend the cross-dowel bolt holes through the stretcher tenons of all four joints with a 1/2″ brad-point or twist drill bit, using the bolt holes in the legs as guides. Repeat this process for drilling bolt holes in the long top and bottom back stretchers and back legs.

Now drill four holes through each long top stretcher at your drill press for lag screws that will eventually attach the base to the benchtop. Make sure the hole diameter is large enough to allow clearance for the shanks of the lag screws you’ll be using to slide through (my lag screws are 3/8″ in diameter, so the holes were slightly larger). I then counterbored these holes on what will become the bottom faces of the stretchers in order to recess the lag screw heads by 1/2″.

Take some time to sand the legs and long and short stretchers smooth while their faces and edges are still fully accessible. It’s easier to do this now than after assembly. Ease the long edges of the legs and stretchers with roundovers or chamfers to minimize splinters. The top edges of the long top stretchers can remain square, since they’ll butt against the bottom face of the benchtop.

Because the upper short stretcher closest to the tail vise is set down from the tops of the legs to clear the vise hardware, the cross-dowel bolts that secure this stretcher don’t intersect and lock together the bridle joints of the long stretchers above them, as they do on the other end of the bench. Instead, we’ll pin these two bridle joints together with glue and 3/4″ dowels driven into them from the inside faces of the legs. So, dry-assemble the front and back leg/ stretcher assemblies again but spread glue onto the contact surfaces of the two “tail vise” bridle joints. Clamp the assemblies and check their diagonals for square. Now drill a pair of 3/4″ holes 2-1/2″ deep through the glued bridle joints for dowels. Cut two hardwood dowels for each joint, spread glue inside the holes and drive the dowels home with a mallet.

Bring the front and back frame subassemblies together by installing the short stretchers between them. Insert the cross dowels and bolts into their holes, thread them together to engage the hardware and tighten the framework securely.

Let’s finish up some details on the leg bottoms. Rip and crosscut a pair of leg bases to size, and head to the table saw to nibble their top outer corners off at 45 degrees — they’ll be less of a nuisance for your feet this way when standing close to the bench. Invert the workbench base framework so you can attach the leg bases to the bottoms of the legs with pairs of 3″ countersunk lag screws driven through the bases and into the center laminations of the legs.

Now prepare a couple of feet for each base from 3/4″ hardwood stock. Attach the feet to the bottoms of the leg bases, flush with their ends, using glue and 1-1/2″ countersunk screws. Ease the bottom ends and edges of the feet with a 1/4″ roundover bit to prevent them from chipping when the bench is dragged around the shop floor.

Laminating the Top

The 3″-thick core of this bench’s top consists of four laminations of 3/4″ MDF. You’ll need two 4×8 sheets to create the top blank. If you haven’t worked with MDF before, it’s dense and heavy but easy to cut, rout and glue together. The challenge to laminating this top, however, is keeping the ends and edges of the MDF sheets aligned while the glue is acting as a lubricant and you’re tightening the clamps. Here’s the solution to that conundrum. We’ll laminate the top in stages and progressively flush-trim each layer to final size before installing the next layer. That way, the laminations will align perfectly in the end, regardless of whether a little misalignment occurs during each stage of the glue-up process.

Begin by cutting a piece of MDF carefully to 23-1/2″ x 71-1/4″. Cut the second layer 1/4″ oversized in both dimensions. Roll a thin layer of glue over one face of the larger (second) panel, set the smaller panel on top of it and adjust the sheets for an even overhang. Weigh the top layer down with heavy bags of sand, concrete blocks or five-gallon buckets of water (I used ten full buckets). Install clamps around the perimeter of the sheets to squeeze the glue seam tightly together all the way to the panels’ edges.

When the glue fully tacks up — give it a good hour or so — flip the sheets over on a raised work surface, and flushtrim the edges of the larger sheet with a handheld router and piloted flush-trim bit. The bit’s bearing should ride along the smaller sheet for this cut. Once routed, both sheets will be dimensionally identical. Repeat this process two more times, applying the next overly large lamination, then flush-trimming it to match the edges of the stacked core.

Next up, it’s time to lay out and drill a grid of 3/4″-diameter bench dog holes through the top. Where you place them is up to you. (A PDF diagram of my bench’s hole placement is available here.) Here’s a case where you’ll want to drill squarely through the thickness of the top, so install your handheld drill in a portable drilling guide. I used a 6-1/2″-long auger bit with a brad-point tip on it for boring these holes. A typical auger bit with a threaded tip won’t work well in this application, because the bit’s screw threads will plug up with MDF fibers, and then it won’t self-feed and stops cutting. But brad-point auger bits are often available at home centers, or you can find them online. Alternately, you could also opt for a long Forstner or twist bit. When all the holes were drilled, I chamfered their rims with a router to tidy them up.

Rip and crosscut the front, back and side edging strips for the benchtop from 3/4″-thick hardwood. The purpose of this edging is to cover and protect the more fragile edges of the MDF core as well as hide them. Arrange the edging for your bench’s top to suit whether you’ll install the shorter side vise on the front left or right corner. (Right-handed users should locate this vise on the left corner, as I did on my bench. Lefties would locate this vise on the front right corner instead.) Then round over the outside corner of the side edging strip that will form the outside back corner of the benchtop, opposite from the side vise. I did this with a 1/4″ roundover bit in a compact router.

The edging strips should be attached to the benchtop core with a mechanical connection, such as biscuits, splines, Dominoes, nails or screws. Glue alone won’t offer enough shear strength for a sturdy connection. I used size 6 x 40 mm Dominoes and glue to install the edging on my bench, insetting the Dominoes 1/2″ in from the top and bottom faces of the core and spacing them about 71⁄2″ inches apart in pairs.

When you unclamp this glue-up, plane, scrape or flush-trim the top and bottom edges of the edging, if needed, to bring them flush with the benchtop faces. Then ease the top and bottom corners of the edging with a 1/4″ roundover bit, or chamfer them, to prevent splinters. At this point, I applied two coats of water-based polyurethane to the bottom face of the benchtop to seal the MDF.

Installing the Vises

To prepare for installing the bench’s tail and side vises, make up two pairs of wooden vise faces for each from 1-1/2″ or 1-3/4″-thick solid stock — it’s okay to laminate thinner stock together to make up these thick faces. For my tail vise, I had enough 8/4 ash lumber on hand to make the tail vise faces from single pieces. For the smaller side vise, however, I glued up 4/4 boards to create blanks for the vice faces instead. Rip and crosscut the four vise faces to final size.

Let’s install the tail vise first. Set one of the two wooden faces against the end of the bench and clamp it in place. Now unbolt and remove the vise’s guide rods and screw/end plate assembly from the cast-iron base piece. Then set the vise’s base against the back of the wooden vise face and center it carefully, widthwise, on the bottom face of the benchtop. Slide the steel rods back into the base in the opposite direction so their flat ends can make contact with the vise face, rather than the threaded ends. Trace around each of them on the back of the vise face to mark the exact position of the three holes (two for the guide rods, one for the vise screw) you need to drill through the vise face. Drill three 1-1/8″-diameter holes through both vise face workpieces at the marked locations. Do this at a drill press, using a stop block clamped to a fence to register the positions of the holes so their placement matches on both vise faces.

Now fasten the inner vise face to the end of the benchtop; I used four 5″ lag screws driven into pilot holes with 1/2″-deep counterbores to recess their hex heads.

If you haven’t done so already, reinstall the guide rods and end plate assembly on the vise’s cast-iron base, and set the base into position on the benchtop, extending the guide rods through the holes in the vise face. Mark center points for each of the base’s mounting holes, drill pilot holes and fasten the base to the benchtop with #12 or even #14 x 2-1/2″ wood screws, if you can find them. Instead of screws, I decided to use washerhead lag bolts with deep threads, for maximum strength.

At this point, I cut large chamfers on the corners of the outer vise face for each vise at my table saw. Slide the outer wood vise face onto the guide rods, and replace the vise’s screw assembly and cast-iron outer plate, attaching them to the guide rods with nuts. Wrap up the installation by securing the outer wood face to the vise’s outer cast-iron plate. I used #14 x 1-3/4″ wood screws here.

Repeat this whole process for installing the side vise on the front edge of the benchtop. For this vise’s smaller hardware, you’ll switch to 7/8″-diameter holes for the vise screw and guide rods instead. I used washerhead lag screws again to mount the vise’s base and #14 x 1-1/2″ wood screws to secure the outer wooden vise face.

Call a Buddy to Help You Finish Up

We’re nearly done building this heavy-duty shop fixture! Find a buddy to help you move the now much heavier (thanks to those vises!) inverted benchtop carefully to the shop floor, with scraps of wood underneath it to protect the top surface. Turn the bench’s base framework upside down, and move it into position on the benchtop. Adjust the frame so the top will overhang it evenly on the ends and so the tail vise assembly is carefully centered between the legs. Check to make sure the outermost dog holes are also clear of the long top stretchers and legs. When everything registers, drill pilot holes for 6″ lag screws into the benchtop at the eight screw holes you drilled through the long top stretchers. Drive a lag screw into each hole to attach the framework to the benchtop.

Now, with assistance, flip the bench upright onto its feet. I installed a set of Rockler’s workbench casters to the outside faces of the legs with 1-1/2″ lag screws and washers, following the instructions that come with the caster set. These flip up and down, making the bench easy to move around the shop.

I drilled two bench dog holes all the way down through the thickness of both faces of my tail vise; they align with the outermost rows of bench dog holes on the bench.

With that done, I used the four remaining MDF offcuts from the benchtop as doubled-up sections for the bench’s lower shelf, trimming their corners to wrap around the legs. It was a good way to add more weight to the bench’s undercarriage and put those leftover scraps to good use. However, you could also use a couple layers of 3/4″ plywood if you prefer, or even pieces of 2x dimension lumber. The choice is up to you for completing this utility shelf.

Complete this ambitious build by giving your new workbench several coats of a wipe-on finish. I used satin poly, but an oil/varnish blend such as Watco Danish oil would work great, too. Apply at least three coats to the bench’s top surface. A wipe-on finish will offer some protection against moisture absorption and spills without building to a slippery surface — that’s a no-no for workbench tops. It’s also easy to renew when needed by simply wiping more finish on.

Click Here to Download the Drawings and Materials List.

Hard-to-Find Hardware:

Heavy-Duty Cross Dowel and Bolt (1) #36073
Rockler Workbench Casters, 4 Pack (1) #43501
Rockler Heavy Duty Front Vise (1) #27838
Rockler 12″ Quick Release End Vise (1) #37180
Rockler Portable Drill Guide (1) #52885
Rockler Round Bench Dogs (1) #21868
Rockler 4-1/4″ Hold-Down Clamp (2)#90407

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Download the Drawing.

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Click Here to Download the Drawings and Materials List.

The post Bed Height Dog Stairs Drawings appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

Hybrid Workbench:: A sturdy workbench is essential for precision part-making, assembly and finishing. Our senior editor designed his heavy-duty ash-and-MDF bench with both economy and practicality in mind.

Dog Stairs: Aging or height-challenged canines might appreciate a helpful lift up to the couch or bed. Here’s a project that promises to make those daily climbs a lot easier.

Plant Stand: Cross-laps and Beadlock tenons combine to form a stylish walnut accent piece with Danish Modern influence.

Drill Bit Organizer: Organize that jumble of drill bits and other drill press accessories with this portable shop helper. Magnets ensure that the bit you’re using next will be close at hand and roll-proof.

Shop Talk: Stewart Coffin recalls a lifetime of turning complex geometry into intricate wooden puzzles.

Woodturning: Turn the pins for a rainy-day basement game that’s sure to entertain both the young and young-at-heart. It’s based on our expert’s antique original.

Skill Builder: Miters and bevels are the focus of our fourth installment of a six-part joinery series. They’re the elegant solution for hiding end grain. For some, they’re also a source of consternation during cutting and assembly.

Power Tool Fundamentals: It’s hard to imagine shaping edging profiles, churning out duplicate part shapes or milling dovetails without the help of a router or router table. Our publisher discusses these cornerstone woodworking tools.

Tool Preview: File, hole and burnish cabinet scrapers easier than ever before with a new all-in-one solution.

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The post VIDEO: Installing Heavy Cross Dowels and Bolts appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

The post VIDEO: Cutting Precise Miters appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

The post VIDEO: Why Use an MDF Workbench Top? appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.