High School Woodshop Projects And Plans

You would think that for being so involved in woodworking I would have been the ace of my high school woodshop class. Nope, not me! I honestly didn't pay much attention, as a matter of fact, I don't think I ever finished the project I started... a simple footstool.

What I do remember is seeing some pretty amazing high school woodshop projects, especially from the older students. I was especially impressed with all the sweet "Flying V" guitar bodies (not to mention the hair that went with them!) I don't know if schools still allow students to build skateboards and guitar bodies as woodshop projects, but I'm pretty sure that rifle stocks are out nowadays. Here's a short list of some of the more popular high school shop projects I've seen over the years:

    * Cedar Chest
    * Desk Drawer Organizer
    * Speaker Cabinets
    * Chess Board
    * Skateboard Deck
    * Foot Stool
    * Note Pad holder
    * Cutting board
    * Adirondack Chairs - cedar
    * Shoeshine Boxes
    * Wooden Puzzles
    * Guitar Bodies

High school woodshop projects are a rite of passage for many young men and women. There's not much that's more therapeutic than the scent of piles of sawdust, and splinters in your fingers. Something about a handcrafted woodshop project makes folks want to keep them around for years. Even though I never finished my school project, I still have nearly everything I've ever built from wood. Before choosing your high school project, be sure you consider the following:

    * Take the time to check out a bunch of plans, or purchase a good package with lots of woodshop projects in it.
    * See which plans will work for your skill level.
    * Make sure the necessary tool are on hand at the shop or at your home.
    * Will you have enough time to finish? It's hard to get a good grade on a half finished woodshop project.
    * Will you have enough material available, and can you afford to buy enough to finish your project?
    * Do you have a good, clear plan that details all the steps in an understandable way?

If you're a high school woodshop teacher looking for ideas, or a student that just can't decide what to build, let me tell you there are a about a gazillion plans out there. Some are excellent, some are pretty poor, but one thing's for sure - it can take a lot of time to locate the good ones. You can spend a lot of money on woodshop projects and plans, but you really don't have to.

You can get more information about high school woodshop projects, woodworking tool reviews, plan reviews and more at National Woodworking.