Once in a while I like to review a recent issue of Wood Magazine in order to share some projects that I think are interesting. We received the September 2019 issue a few weeks ago and I was impressed. There were a few projects that I thought would be really nice. However, I see that it says to only display until August 9, so hurry up and get a copy if you like any of these projects!

I was instantly intrigued by the blanket chest shown on the cover. I have the Hope Chest that my grandma gave my mom after she was married, but if I didn’t already have one you can bet that I would be adding this to Jay’s project list.

Jay already has a fence for his bandsaw, but if you didn’t I thought this would be a great How To article. The magazine gives you an exploded view of the fence and all of the dimensions. This is made of plywood so you could probably find enough scraps laying around to make it very cheaply. If you don’t have enough scraps you can come over here and get some. We have plenty!

Isn’t that chest gorgeous? The article provides you with an exploded view of the chest, a materials list and even a cutting diagram. They use walnut plywood and three coats of clear satin water-based polyurethane. Beautiful!

If you’re a very newbie beginner when it comes to wood working you might like this article. This is a very simple build that uses scrap pieces of plywood. The only modification that I would do, if this was my design, would be to use either 1/8″ or 1/4″ plywood for the shelves holding the nails. They used 3/4″ plywood for the shelves. To me that means that they wasted valuable space that could have fit at least one more box on each side. Of course, I am a woman and we know that women and power tools don’t mix.

I didn’t capture a picture, but they have a good article on five different ways to slice breadboard ends. If you’re into using breadboards this is the article for you!

Another articles (again, I didn’t capture a picture) shows you how to make a tablesaw sled attachment to make perfect miter cuts.

I added this article because I have a different opinion on kids’ playhouses. My dad built us a playhouse, but he made it large enough that we used it to store the outside furniture in the winter and when we had outgrown it they re-purposed it for a potting shed. My advice would be to consider what you are going to do with the structure once the kids have outgrown it. Looking at this playhouse, I would have outgrown it by the time I was six (I am a bit of a giant). However, having a larger playhouse allowed my sister and I to continue using it for sleeping out in the summer when we had grown out of the ‘Playing House’ phase. This is a lot of money to invest in a child’s toy. Invest wisely.

Have you always wanted a battery-powered Brad Nailer? Does Brad know that you are after him? I always feel bad for Will because he’s ALWAYS the target (“Fire at Will!”), but now Brads are in trouble, too. I better go on to the next article before I get Kerry’d away…

I LOVE this project. I sort of mentioned it to Jay, but I’ll have to remind him that this would be great to have. I don’t need it on slides and I have a different design in mind based on what I store under there, but this would be SOOO nice to pull out in order to see what was in the back. Currently I just half-toss stuff in the back hoping that I can find it again. Definitely not the most organized system, but it’s all that I have right now.

If you decide that you’re going to make the blanket chest, but are worried about how to spray finish it you can put your mind at ease. In the exact same magazine as the blanket chest is an article that makes spray finishing look like a breeze!

Do you know somebody who is graduating from pharmacy school? Or perhaps you have a wood lathe laying around collecting dust? Then this article is for you! This is a wood turning project that is sure to get your gears grinding! (The article refers to this as an “indispensable kitchen accessory,” but I don’t agree… I know a lot of good and mediocre cooks who don’t use a mortar and pestle. Including me. It’s not “indispensable.”)

Once you are finished coating your blanket chest with a spray finish, you can proceed on to this article where you are shown the easy way to clean out your spray gun. After all, you can’t use it if the nozzle is clogged. Believe me! I know what it’s like to have a clogged nozzle and it is not fun!

That pretty much sums up this issue of Wood Magazine. I have skipped some bits, but you’ll have to go buy a copy to find out which ones. I hope that these get your creative juices flowing, or at least show you that this magazine is for woodworkers of all levels. There are some frivolous (and very “dispensable”) projects, along with some really neat utilitarian items. You just never know what’s going to be waiting for you on these pages.