Use your table saw to make one of these fun DIY projects
You’ve wanted a table saw for as long as you can remember. Now that you finally have one you can start to tackle larger projects that, maybe, you could only do with a table saw. Woodworking is a fine art and craft done by men and women who love the smell of sawdust, the sound of cutting wood, and the color only wood stain can create. Read on to start on some small and easy table saw projects.
1. Build a Bench
The idea of a beautiful wooden bench to sit on, indoors or outdoors, is something friends and family can enjoy for many years to follow. Creating a sturdy, layered design can be easy with the help of the internet and a hardware store. Coming home to something that you’ve created and built with your hands, won’t feel too shabby either. Benches take a little while longer than some of the other projects to start with, but with a table saw, you can tackle the more significant projects as well as the smaller ones too.
2. All Kinds of Racks
When researching table saw projects online, you get a lot of “rack” projects. Some are easy, and others range up to challenging, but either way, there are a lot of rack options to create. These racks include a wine rack, shoe rack, coat rack, and a spice rack. Of course, there are others, but time-sensitive racks may not last long (does anyone really want to make a CD rack anymore?), so the list above will help get through some “rack” projects while giving you comfort that there will be even more racks to follow, if you so choose to create them.
Wine racks will make an excellent gift for someone, especially those who appreciate wine more than others. Choosing a stain to match a person’s inside interior could be the best way to go, but the designs are not hard to come by.
The shoe rack seems like a no-brainer, especially if you have more than one person in your home. Organization is vital: the more people living with you, the more shoes you’re going to have. Plus, if you make it yourself, you can customize the design and size to fit into a neat place, and match the room to your liking.
While most homes get built with coat closets now, there are a lot of homes left needing a place to hang up your coats. Constructing a coat rack with hooks lets your guests be able to see hang up their coats and still feel like a guest in your house.
A spice rack is always useful for the cook in the family, having spices organized and easy to find a nice way to say, “Hey, I appreciate you.”
3. Tool Bench
A tool bench is handy to have, especially if you like tools and crafting with your table saw. Once the tool bench is built, you are able to organize the bench in the manner of your choosing.
4. Book Shelf
Some people still love books to hold in their hands or are required to have hard copies of a class book. Wouldn’t it be nice if they had someplace to put the books after they were done with them? A bookshelf is an excellent project to give as a gift, especially to a reader. It’s not as straightforward or small as a spice rack, but it could be a medium-sized project, started far enough away from the gift-giving season, could be a nice addition to someone’s gift pile.
5. Chest
Everyone needs something to put stuff in. Whether it is a hope chest or a storage chest, making a chest project can be go-to for those who are more organized in your life.
6. Cupboard Doors
Just because you have cupboards already, doesn’t mean you like their doors. Different types of table saws come with a variety of blades and accessories, and you can angle some new cupboard doors to make your kitchen unique.
7. Cupboards
Maybe now that you have new cupboard doors, you’ll want some new cabinets to go with them. Finding designs on the internet is great, but this is going to be a more advanced project due to the length of cupboards and the weight they will have to hold up once they are on your walls. Make sure you have a little more experience under your belt before tackling new cupboards. Your walls will thank you.
8. Wooden Games
Outdoor and life-size games are a big hit among the summer picnic crowd. Creating cornhole boards could be useful and straightforward. Having people play with the boards you made on your own could give you extra enjoyment too.
9. A Standing Planter
Gardening is great, flowers are pretty to look at, and fresh vegetables and herbs are fantastic. Making standing planters to place around your backyard will help keep the ground animals away (groundhogs and bunnies) and help your back not have to bend over quite as much. It’s also a great way to prevent weeds.
10. A Standing Cabinet
Like the cupboards, a sanding cabinet that will hold things is a more advanced project but no less fun to build. With your table saw and its accessories you can create a corner cabinet to fit in your family room, or a china cabinet for your dining room. Either way, a job well done and will come from people who get to put stuff on and in them.
Any of these projects are a sure way to help you learn how to use your table saw, and will give you a chance to practice your woodworking safety tips.
Resources — Family Handyman, Instructables, The Spruce Crafts
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