End-of-Summer 2020 Member Projects

The Summer of Sawdust as St. James is now over. Despite Covid, there was a remarkable amount of woodworking activity taking place in St. James. Here are the final entries shared by members. (And we know, there is a LOT more being done . . . we’ve got to get you over this shyness.) Here … Read more

Community Service Flag Case Project Wrapup

Skilled Hands Coming Together to Support Veterans   by Wayne Kruger July 16, 2020 marked a very special day when two of our local community organizations came together to support Veterans. On that day, fourteen handmade memorial flag cases were turned over by the newly formed group St. James Woodworkers to the Richard H. Stewart … Read more

Almost-Summer 2020 Member Projects

The official, by-the-calendar start of summer is still more than a week away (though our heat and humidity say otherwise), but the Summer of Sawdust as St. James is underway! If you didn’t see the post of member projects from early 2020 take a look. Here are what other members have been up to of … Read more

Early 2020 Member Projects …

The time Covid has required members to be sequestered away in their shops has resulted in some amazing projects. Here are a few that members passed along, with a few pre-Covid projects thrown in for inspiration. (Project photos shown below in no particular order . . .)                 … Read more

Making Plantation Shutters

I recently completed a project making interior Plantation Shutters for our home.  It was an interesting project completed over a several-month period, through which I learned a lot and developed some new skills.  With the high cost of purchasing fabricated shutters, it’s a very cost-effective alternative that I’d like to share with the group. This … Read more

Appreciation for the First SJ Woodworkers Flag Case

The Beverly National Cemetery in New Jersey is one of many cemeteries around the country that is reserved exclusively for veterans and their spouses. The flag for which you made the beautiful case was used at my maternal grandfather’s funeral in 1963. It was draped over the coffin as it was being taken from the … Read more

Making an Adirondack Chair

After I did show-and-tell for an Adirondack chair at the February 2020 meeting, a few people asked about plans. A link to a Popular Woodworking article from 2005 that walks through the construction and provides drawings follows. This a straightforward project, and a useful result — something to sit in, with nice flat arms for … Read more

Viola (Violin) Cribbage Board

My wife plays the viola (which is similar to a violin) and I play Cribbage, so I thought, let’s take the two passions and combine them! I created the violin cribbage board using photos, my wife’s violin and her input during the design process. The first thing I did was to select the woods used … Read more

Tenfold Quality by ‘Cheaping Out’

Our lake house has a quite large fireplace that demanded a quite large mantel. I found one in an online store that would work, fit the style of the house, and work. It cost $350 in unfinished poplar (was hollow, with applied crown moulding). If finished, in a sprayed-on cherry color, the price shot to … Read more