Getting ready for next year

On one of the coldest and snowiest weekends of December I spent the better part of the day looking through old wood working clippings to decide on a list of projects to keep me busy next year.

I have literally hundreds of articles from shop tips to furniture that have been sitting around for a couple of years. Some of the furniture - big, tall and deep entertainment centers - have waited so long to be built that they have passed out of fashion. Many of the others are more established designs for furniture or helpful suggestions for jigs and equipment for wood working.

Here is my ambitious list of twenty projects for 2008:

Redwood Garden Arbor
Quarter Sawn Oak “Lazy Lawyer” Revolving Bookcase
Rolling Out feed Cabinet/Planer Cabinet
Ebony and Curly Maple Veneered Chess Board
Cocobolo Table
Western red cedar bird feeder
Hypertufa Trough
Lathe Turning Storage Center
Tape Dispenser
Portable Mini-Lathe Base
Router Bit Cabinet
Set-up and Stop Block
Panel cutting Sled
Walnut Classic Column Bookends
Turned Rustic Birdhouse
Chip carved basswood Christmas stars
Routed picture frames
Walnut maple and oak Keepsake Box
Bamboo, purple heart and cherry Sushi tray
Cherry turned scoop

The list could be embarrassing at the end of the year if I have done little. This is just like writing down a New Year's resolution hoping that you can actually keep the commitment. But I like the mixture of types of projects: woods that I have never used and types of woodworking - intarsia and veneering - that will be new to me. Some have been specially chosen by my wife and some will be destined to be gifts to friends and family. All will be products from my newly organized work shop at the lake. It is exciting to look forward to getting started.

That is, after I finish the "Unfinished Projects" from 2007.