While browsing the Wood Magazine website recently, I stumbled upon a fantastic free plan for a battery organizer. It’s a straightforward and super practical project, perfect for getting your workshop a bit more organized. Plus, I’ve got a growing list of free project plan sites I love to share with fellow woodworkers—so keep an eye out for more ideas like this!

This battery organizer is as simple as it gets. After finishing mine, I mounted it on the pegboard in my garage, and it’s been a game-changer for keeping my batteries easy to find and neatly stored. The best part? You can build it in just a few hours with minimal materials.

For the clear acrylic divider sections, I picked up a piece at a hobby store for a great price. It added a clean, polished look to the final piece without breaking the bank.

I’ve also made a video showing how I built mine, so be sure to check that out below. If you decide to make one for your shop or garage, I’d love to hear about your experience—or even see some photos of your version!

Happy woodworking!

Materials

For the lumber on this I was lucky and had some scrap hardwood that I was able to use.  For the rest of the project I was able to build this with only one board.  I made mine out of pine.  For the front of the project I picked up some plexi-glass from a hobby store and cut it down to size using my table saw.

• (1)  1″ x 3″ x 8′ Board (you might be able to squeak this out with a 6′ board, but it’ll be close)
• (1)  1/4″ x 1′ x 1′ piece of hardwood (will cut down to less than 1 foot)
• (1)  1/8″ x 7″ x 8″ plexi-glass

Milling & Assembly

	After cutting all of my boards according to the plan.  I cut a slot on each end board to allow the battery to come out easily.  For mine I used a 2″ forstner bit on my drill press.  It worked pretty well, but you could certainly used a band saw, scroll saw, etc. to get this done.
	Next was the glue up.  For this I made sure that I had my back and bottom already cut.  I used the back as a guide to line up my battery slots.  However, since I didn’t want any glue to make its way to the back board I covered it with wax paper.
	I worked my way through each board by gluing and then shooting brad nails into the bottom.  I could have used screws for this, but since all board stock was only 1/2″ I decided brads were the way to go.
	After gluing and putting in brads on the bottom shelf, I then clamped up the rest of the dividers until the glue set up.
	After everything was glued up, I attached the front of the organizer with a clear plexiglass that I cut to size on my table saw.  Before inserting the screws I pre-drilled all of my holes using a 7/64″ drill bit.  I used #6 – 1/2″ screws to secure the front.  The plan originally called for #8 screws, but my plexiglass was cracking a little too much and I decided to go with #6.
	After attaching the front I then attached the back by using glue and brads.  Attaching the brads was easier as I had pre-marked where the battery dividers were on the back of the backer board.
	Here it is.  The completed project.  This really is a pretty easy one.  You can build this in a few hours.  I completed mine by drilling holes in the top of the back board and hung it on a peg board in my garage.

Finishing

Not a lot to finishing this (this one is going in the garage folks).  In fact I chose to just sand lightly the sides and back, and not apply any finish.

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I absolutely hate sawdust! It’s my biggest nemesis when I’m woodworking. Seriously, I can’t stand it! I’ve installed some very basic sawdust removal tubes in some of my power tools, which helps with the larger debris. But the kind I loathe the most is that fine, powdery sawdust. It coats everything and seems to get everywhere, especially when I’m doing heavy-duty sanding.

To tackle this issue, I’ve finally decided to build a benchtop sanding table to help reduce the mess. The basic design is just a box, measuring 5 inches in height, 23-1/2 inches long, and 17-1/2 inches wide.

Here are a few other tips to consider when dealing with sawdust:

1. Use a Dust Collector: If you have access to a dust collection system, connect it to your power tools. This will significantly reduce the amount of sawdust that escapes into your workspace.
2. Wear a Mask: Fine sawdust can be harmful if inhaled. Always wear a dust mask or respirator when sanding or working with materials that produce a lot of dust.
3. Clean Regularly: Keep your workspace clean by vacuuming or sweeping up sawdust frequently. This prevents it from accumulating and becoming a bigger mess.
4. Minimize Dust Creation: When sanding, use finer grits and techniques that produce less dust. Also, consider using a sanding sponge or foam block for a more controlled approach.
5. Contain the Dust: Create a designated sanding area with plastic sheeting or tarps to help contain sawdust. This makes it easier to clean up afterward and keeps the rest of your workshop cleaner

Materials

For the lumber I used 3/4″ Plywood.  I had enough scrap pieces to put the whole thing together.  If you were buying new it would require nothing more than a 2′ x 4′ piece of plywood.  For the top I used a 1/4″ tempered pegboard that I picked up at Lowe’s.  The top will be cut down to 17-1/2 x 23″ and placed into the top of the box that will have a 1/4″ rabbit cut into it.  Although I lucky enough to use scrap for most of my lumber, I still could have easily built this entire project for under $30.

• (1)  3/4″ x 2′ x 4′ Plywood
• (1)  1/4″ x 2′ x 2′ Pegboard
• (1)  Universal Dust Port (I got mine from Amazon)
• (1)  3/4” Universal Rubber Bumpers (I got mine from Amazon)

Milling & Assembly

	I started by cutting the top of the sanding table.  I used 3/16″ thick pegboard.  In hindsight I think I would have preferred 1/4″ thick pegboard.  The table has just a little bit of give to it.  I think that extra 1/16″ would have shored it up.  I cut the pegboard 17-1/2″ x 23″ using my tablesaw.
	Next up was the sides of the box.  I was lucky enough to have scrap plywood to finish this project.  I cut all of the sides to a width of 5″ first so it would be consistent.  Then I cut the sides to a finished length of 5″ x 23-1/2″ and the front and back to a finished length of 5″ x 17-1/2″
	For the joints of the boards I cut a rabbit joint on the two side boards.  I cut a 1/2″ wide x 3/16″ (the width of the pegboard) deep rabbit.  After I finished the top of the boards, I then went back and cut another rabbit joint that was 3/4″ wide and x 1/2″ deep.  This will allow the front and back boards to fit into the sides to make a solid joint.  I used my router table to cut the deep end of the rabbit and finished the width on my table saw.
	After I had all of my sides cut, I then cut a hole for the dust collector port to be attached too.  The width of the port I’m using is 2″.  I could have simply used a jigsaw to cut this opening.  I had a 1-1/2″ Forstner bit and I figured that was big enough.
	To hold the box together I used wood glue along all of the joints.
	To help make the joints even stronger I used (3) 1-1/4″ screws on all the sides of the box.
	After the box was together, I then cut a baffle.  The baffle is really important to the air flow of the table.  First it reduces the amount of space that has to be suctioned in half thus creating a higher suction.  Secondly it helps to distribute the air flow across the top of the table evenly.
	To make the baffle I custom cut the length and width to box.  I went from the top of back to the bottom of the front to get my length.  You’ll want to make this a little snug as you need to get this as air tight as possible from the bottom and sides.To help make this more air tight I ran a thick bead of glue along the sides of the baffle.  If I had some caulking it would have been better, but this seems to work pretty well too.
	I attached the top of the table by pre-drilling all of my holes into the top.  I then slightly countersunk a 1″ screw in all four sides of the table.
	To help reduce the table from sliding around I installed a 3/4” Universal Rubber Bumpers on all four sides of the table.
	I installed the Universal Dust Port over the hole that I cut previously.
	Here is the completed table.  I tested it out and it seems pretty solid.

Finishing

Not a lot to finishing this one.  I did attach rubber bumpers to the bottom of the box.  That’s really a must as any sander is going to vibrate this box like crazy.

I also made a bench dog cleat hybrid that I could insert into the table.  I can use this to help keep objects steady as their being sanded.

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A few weeks back I built a new workbench.  I have an excellent plan that I recommend from Amazon.com.  It includes six different upgrades to the bench.  I really liked the workbench drawers upgrade that is in the plan and I decided to build those and attach to my bench.  I’ll include links to the plan and what I used at the bottom of this post in case you want more information.

Materials

For lumber, I purchased everything I needed at Lowe’s.  The plan called for using MDF for the frame of the shelf.  I’ve only used MDF a couple of times and I’ve never been happy with it.  I wanted to give it another shot, but my opinion still stands.  It’s cheap and easy to handle, but everything about it just feels like Extremely Heavy thick cardboard.  It dings easy, doesn’t hold screws very well, and you just get the feeling that about 1 oz. of water poured on it and the whole thing would swell up and fall apart.  That having been said, I suppose if there was ever a good application for this wood a shop project would be it.  Not a lot of lumber is required for this.  My total cost for the shelf of drawers was approx. $50.

• (1) 3/4″ x 4′ x 8′ MDF
• (3) 1/4″ x 2′ x 4′ Hardwood (You could buy larger pieces and cut down, but I had some scrap I wanted to use)
• (4) 1″ x 4″ x 8′ Pine Boards

Milling & Assembly

	After rough cutting my lumber per the plan.  I then cut grooves that were 1/4″ wide to support the bottom tray of the drawer.  I completed this by doing two passes on my table saw.  Just as accurate and a little faster than pulling out my router table.
	After cutting all of my grooves I then drilled pocket holes into my boards.  I used my Kreg Jig to do this.  The plan calls for cutting a dado on one end and building your drawer that way.  It’s definitely a little prettier to do that, but I chose to make it quicker (this is for a workbench in my garage not my living room).  Another benefit of using pocket holes instead of a dado was that it shortened the length of two boards per drawer by 1″.  Which allowed me enough room to get an extra side on my 8′ pine board.  I saved some money by doing that.
	I completed the assembly of my drawers using pocket hole screws
	Completed Drawer (1 of 3)
	After completing the drawers it’s time to move on to the case.  I cut 1/4″ grooves into the sides (using the same technique that I used for the drawer bottoms) of the MDF case.
	I built the case using glue and 2″ screws.  I also used hard wood strips inserted into the grooves on the sides to support the drawers.
	I completed building the case, and inserted the drawers.  Next up I attached the two top cleats that will be used to hold the case in place on my workbench.  I glued and screwed them in on top, however in hindsight I think it would have been a tighter fit had I screwed it in from the bottom.

Finishing

Not a lot to finishing this one.
I applied one coat of Danish Oil to the drawers (not the case).  I also attached some handles to the drawers.

The post Workbench Drawers – pt. 2 appeared first on WoodLogger.

I’ve had a workbench that I made about 8 years ago.  It was truly a basic workbench.  Four legs and a top.  What I truly want in my shop is a bunch of cabinets with hard counter tops.  Something out of a wood magazine cover shot.  Alas, I don’t have (nor I do really want to spend) the money for something that grandiose.  So I’ve decided to build a new workbench and use the existing workbench as another bench that will go up against a wall in my garage.

For the new bench I wanted something SOLID, and affordable (no sjoberg tabletops here), and something I could actually build in a weekend or two.  I found a pretty good, and affordable workbench design at amazon titled:  Basic Workbench and 6 Ways to Beef it Up: Downloadable Woodworking Plan  I’ll include a picture with a clickable link at the bottom where you can take a look at this if you like.  Amazon has a pretty nice feature that allows you to download plans directly to your computer.  Another nice thing about this plan is it includes six really nice upgrades to the bench and has complete plans for it.  I also built a set of drawers from the plans for the table and I have an entry for that if you want to check out it out here.

Materials

For the lumber I used Kiln Dried Lumber.  For the table top the design gave a really good tip to use a solid core wood door as a top and then put a layer of 1/4″ MDF on top of that.  I was a little apprehensive about this at first.  When I checked out the door it was REALLY solid (and weighs a ton).  It was the same thickness as two sheets of 3/4″ plywood and it cost less.  I was able to get the door and all of my lumber from Lowe’s.  The door was approx. $45, and the lumber was about $45.  My total cost for a new workbench works out to be about $90.  Not to shabby for this solid workbench.

• (1) Solid Core Door 80″ x 30″
• (1) 1/4″ x 4′ x 8′ MDF Hardboard
• (6) 2″ x 4″ x 8′ Pine Boards
• (2) 2″ x 6″ x 8′ Pine Boards

Milling & Assembly

	I built the legs using nothing but 2 x 6’s.  I trimmed the sides down per the plan to get a finished width of 5″.  I notched the bottom and the top to allow the bottom and top frames to set in.
	The bottom frame was built with a cleats around the inside to allow a shelf to sit inset of the frame.  Again I used primarily 2 x 6″ boards trimmed down to a 5″ width and fitted with cleats on the inside.  I used 2 x 2 boards for the cleats.
	I attached the legs to the bottom using 3″ screws and glue.  Should hold pretty well.
	All four legs are attached.  I check for squareness and everything is looking pretty balanced.  Next up is the top frame.
	I attached the top frame to the rest of the table.  I also installed a 3/4″ plank on the bottom cleats.  The plans call for attaching the top to the two middle joists in the top frame.  I did that, but also added a few pocket hole screws on the ends of the table as well.  Everything seems pretty solid.

Finishing

To finish the bench I “broke” the edges with some sandpaper.  I also applied a coat of clear Danish oil to all of the boards (not the top) to help preserve the wood.  One other thing I did was to add some bench dogs at the end of the bench.  I spaced them out approximately 6″ apart.  I picked up a package (4 per package) of Kreg bench dogs that work really well with this.  I’ll include links at the bottom of this page for everything I used to finish this.

The post Workbench appeared first on WoodLogger.

When I started my research on this I found that most plates are 1/2″ in width and most folks would simply buy a 1/2″ piece of hardwood or mdf and trace it and cut it out with a band saw. Sounds simple huh? Unfortunately for my saw it required a 1/8″ thick board. I tried a couple of pieces of hardwood and traced it and cut it out on the bandsaw. What I quickly found out was that 1/8″ hardwood quickly warps itself and it also contracts and expands with climate. It wasn’t a good fix, I was frustrated and almost gave up on the idea. Then it occurred to me to simply buy some Phenolic- Grade material (yeah I had never heard of this stuff either) it’s the same material that store-bought plates are made of. I was able to get the width I needed and I could make several of these bad boys if I needed them.

How I made mine was to start by cutting my material to a length approx. 1/4″ longer and wider than my tablesaw plate. In hind sight I think I could have made it 1/8″ and still been safe. Next I took my table saw plate and used double stick tape and attached it to the material. On my plate there was a small notch on the plate so I had to put my plate upside down on the material. Next I used a trim bit on my router table and simply allowed my plate to be a guide for the trim bit. It worked like a charm. The bit makes an exact copy of my table saw plate.  The next thing I did was cut a 1/2 inch hole into the new plate to give me a way to remove it from the tablesaw.

Last step was to place the new plate on to the tablesaw. I quickly found that I needed to lower my riving plate as far as possible. Then I simply used the fence to help hold the plate in place. I also used a piece of scrapwood to hold the other side and I started the saw and raised the blade until it cut out a slit for the blade to go through.  The whole process probably took me an hour or two to complete.  It was my first time using a trim router bit, but trust me it’s a snap to use.  I would recommend a trim router bit that doesn’t have a length between the blade and the guide.  I had two trim bits, and I noticed one had a pretty big gap between it.  In my case because the board needed to only be 1/8″ I didn’t have a lot of room for error.

I’ve included links below for the material and bits I have used.  Hopefully this helps out..!

      

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