The eight builds in this collection of outdoor projects offer great suggestions for making the most of warmer weather - and finishing expert Bob Flexner tells you how best to keep your outdoor items looking their best.
In "All-Weather Morris Chair," David Thiel shows how you can add this Craftsman classic to your outdoor collection. Made with pine and finished with paint, you can make one of these adjustable Morris chairs in just a day. A "Folding Plant Stand" can be made with less than one sheet of plywood and sets up and breaks down in seconds. Christopher Schwarz combines form and function with an Arts & Crafts-style garden bench, with plenty of room inside for your hoses and garden tools.
In cold climes, it can be a long wait to begin planting. A "Seedling Shelter" - complete with a temperature-activated window opener - can help give your seedlings a jump on the season. "A Picnic of a Build" shows you a classic picnic table that can be made in a day --but looks so nice you might consider it for indoor duties. Christopher Schwarz details his "Old Plane Birdhouse," an easy-to-build birdhouse based on a Marples jack plane large enough to look right on a fence or over a door.
You've built it, so how do you preserve your new outdoor project from the elements? Finishing expert Bob Flexner tells you what you need to know in "Choosing an Exterior Coating." David Thiel's "Garden Swing" is an easy-to-build swing with something extra: its center section pops up to form a built-in table. And Christopher Schwarz combines five 2x4s and a few screws to create a "Japanese Garden Bench" perfect to look over your array of new outdoor projects.
These articles first appeared in Popular Woodworking Magazine. Every issue gives you skill-building techniques for hand tools and power tools, shop tricks you can use right away, great looking projects with step-by-step instructions and more.