taku

Over two years ago, I made a simple sharpening guide using a single caster and magnets, mainly for Japanese plane blades. Some people who built it mentioned that the blade could slip during sharpening. I hadn’t experienced that myself, but I can understand how it might happen depending on the pressure and technique. This time, I placed two casters side by side and added more magnets to improve the holding power. The result is a much stronger grip. The blade can still be repositioned to adjust the sharpening angle, but I didn’t notice any slipping during normal sharpening. I tested the improved guide with a Western-style plane blade, followed by a test cut. The results were good, and I also confirmed that it works with Japanese plane blades. It’s simply a sharpening aid, but I like how easily it can be made with just a few materials. Note: I used super glue in the video, but epoxy adhesive may be a better option for long-term durability.

I’ve made various types of phone stands over the years, but this time I tried something new—a folding stand that opens like a small easel using two wooden panels. I wanted to keep the wood as thin as possible, but that meant the barrel hinges wouldn’t fit entirely within the thickness of the panels. So I decided to drill the hinge holes all the way through. I used barrel hinges that stop opening at approximately 90 degrees. The finished stand can hold a phone both vertically and horizontally, and even supports a larger tablet. I used acacia laminated wood and finished it with beeswax.

At first glance, this joint looks complicated, and it’s hard to imagine how the pieces fit together. But by making the same cuts on both pieces, you can create this unusual joint. This is a variation of the Double End Grain Joint, a type of joinery featured in George Nakashima’s book The Soul of a Tree. I’ve made this joint before for box corners, but this time I tried adapting it into a flat, L-shaped corner joint. This joint requires more precision than it might seem, so I did most of the cutting with power tools and then used hand tools, including chisels, to fine-tune the fit. The thin tips are also very fragile, so I left the pieces longer during assembly and trimmed off the excess after gluing to achieve a clean finish.

Sometimes when I repurpose furniture, I come across boards with biscuit joint slots left in them, making those sections difficult to reuse. This time, I decided to find a new purpose for one of those scrap pieces. If you often watch woodworking videos, you may have seen this before. It’s a towel holder that uses a marble to hold the towel in place. The curved groove can be cut with a miter saw, making it relatively easy to build. I also tried a slightly different approach to mounting it on the wall. I cut the head off a screw, threaded it into the back of the holder, and then screwed the other end into the wall. Since screws alone won’t hold securely in drywall, I left enough length for the screw to reach the wooden stud behind it. Depending on the mounting surface and conditions, heavy-duty double-sided tape might also be an option.

Thank you as always for watching my videos☺️ I’ve just uploaded a new video to YouTube! This time, I’ve put together six woodworking ideas featuring unique wooden mechanisms that might inspire you to try them yourself. Each project has a different mechanism, making for an interesting collection. I hope you’ll enjoy watching it when you have some free time!

You’ve probably seen scenes in anime or movies where inserting a secret key reveals a hidden drawer. I’ve always been fascinated by mechanisms like that. I’ve wanted to build furniture with a hidden drawer someday, so this time I decided to prototype just the mechanism. I used a wooden spring latch that relies on the flexibility of a thin piece of wood. The drawer locks automatically when closed and unlocks when a pin is inserted into a small hole on the side. I also used repelling magnets at the back to make the drawer pop out slightly when released. The prototype turned out quite well. My favorite part is the satisfying “click” when the wooden spring catches as the drawer closes. It’s a simple mechanism, but I think it could be useful for all sorts of other projects too.

Even when I think I’ve marked everything accurately, the dowel holes somehow end up misaligned. If you’ve done much woodworking, you’ve probably experienced this too. There are many ways to transfer dowel hole positions, but when I happened to notice a plastic sheet I had on hand, I wondered if it might work for this, so I gave it a try. The plastic sheet I used is 0.3mm thick. It’s thin and transparent, making alignment easy to check, and it has a good amount of flexibility. Another advantage is that it can be reused instead of being thrown away after just one use. I considered adding a positioning guide, but this time I kept things simple by aligning the sheet with a reference edge and securing it with masking tape. As you can see in the video, the joint came together neatly with almost no misalignment.

While browsing social media, I came across a 3D-printed sanding block with a dial for adjusting sandpaper tension. I was impressed that something like this could be made with a 3D printer, but I naturally wanted to try making a wooden version. So I adapted the idea into my own design. I tried to keep the construction as simple as possible. After building it, I realized that this dial mechanism could potentially be used in other projects as well. Finally, I tested it by sanding some wood. The narrow shape makes it easier to see the area being sanded, and I found it particularly useful for detailed work.

I came up with another marking gauge design and decided to give it a try. Many marking gauges that use a ruler have two separate pieces that clamp the ruler in place. This time, I made a simpler design using a threaded insert, a washer, and a single wing bolt. I wasn’t sure if one bolt would provide enough holding force, but positioning it close to the ruler and adjusting the groove depth gave me a secure hold. The embedded magnets also help prevent the ruler from falling out and make fine adjustments smoother. I also cut the opposite side at 45°, allowing the tool to mark 45° lines. Although I left this step out of the video, I made the ruler groove using a method I’ve shown before: attaching sandpaper to a ruler and sliding it along a guide.

I came up with a new design for a wooden phone stand. Many two-piece phone stands have a fixed viewing angle, but I wondered if I could make one adjustable by gluing thin wooden strips in an alternating pattern and interlocking them like a finger joint. I used nine strips to create a piece approximately 80 mm wide. During the build, I realized I needed space for a charging cable. I considered making the center gap wider, but instead, I drilled a round opening to accommodate a USB-C cable. Another option would be to use a strip approximately 13 mm wide in the center. My biggest concern was whether the stand would hold its angle. Fortunately, this construction method creates a very tight-fitting joint, and the angle stays in place even with a phone resting on it.

This time, I made a 4-digit combination lock. Adding a lock to a box is easy enough with commercially available hardware, but I’ve always wanted to try making this type of combination lock mechanism myself. I used PVC pipe along with wooden components, taking strength into consideration. You can set your own 4-digit combination when making the lock. Of course, it doesn’t offer the security of a real safe, but I think it turned out to be a fun and playful project.

Thank you as always for watching my videos☺️ I’ve just uploaded a new video to YouTube. This time, I’ve selected 20 woodworking joint projects from the videos I’ve shared over roughly the past year and brought them together in one compilation. From original ideas to more traditional joints, the video features a variety of techniques using both power tools and hand tools. I hope you enjoy watching it on my YouTube channel!

You’ve probably seen stylish furniture doors that open downward. With the right hardware, they’re actually surprisingly easy to make. I used drop hinges, which allow the open door to sit almost flush with the bottom panel of the cabinet, making it easier to put things in and take them out. Since a door that drops open too quickly can be dangerous, a soft-down stay is often used to slow down the opening motion. In this video, I demonstrate how to install these fittings on a simple wooden box. By making it a little wider and lower, I think this design could also be used to create a stylish TV cabinet or similar furniture.

This time, I replaced the worn wooden body of a small, commercially made hand plane. Normally, a wooden plane body is made from a single block of wood, but for a plane this small, you can also make it by gluing separate pieces together. I set the blade bed angle to 40°. The angle of the opposite face is largely a matter of personal preference, and I chose 75°. I’ve been using another plane made with the same method for a while without any problems, so I believe that joining the pieces with CA glue is practical enough for a plane of this size. I reused the original screw-type hardware to secure the blade, but a wooden wedge would also work. Sharpening such a small blade can be tricky, so I use a simple sharpening guide made from bearings, a bolt, and nuts. It’s easy to make and works well, so I recommend giving it a try.

I’ve made a wooden box that opens into a heart shape before, and sometimes it’s fun to experiment with unusual shapes. With Halloween just around the corner, I decided to make a miniature coffin-shaped wooden box. I’ve never really had a close look at a real coffin, so the shape is simply based on my imagination. The process was almost the same as making my usual wooden boxes, using the same barrel hinges and magnets. This project made me realize that with a little creativity, almost any shape could become a box. Finally, I filled it with chocolates and candies. It turned out even cuter than I expected, and I’m really happy with the result. Material: African Mahogany

I’ve always wanted to make a wooden phone speaker that works without electricity, so I finally gave it a try. It’s a very simple design made by stacking five pieces of 15mm-thick wood. Unfortunately, due to copyright restrictions, I can’t demonstrate the difference in sound using music in this video. But from listening to it myself, I’d say the sound feels about 30% louder. One of the great things about this simple design is how easily you can customize its shape and appearance. I wanted to give mine a more refined look, so I used a router to create tapered openings. However, you could make a similar speaker using mu

These days, machines can handle much of the work in woodworking, but when I go too long without using hand tools, I can feel my skills getting rusty. Whenever I return to working by hand after a while, I really notice the difference. That’s why I think it’s important to regularly make time for hand tools. I hope you enjoy this video, including the unique sounds of working with hand tools.

I came up with a new marking gauge design featuring a wooden cam-lock mechanism, so I decided to give it a try. First, I needed to make a groove for the ruler. By attaching sandpaper to one side of the ruler and sliding the wood along a guide, I could create a groove that fits the ruler perfectly. I also embedded magnets to prevent the ruler from slipping out and to make fine adjustments easier. I initially made the cam slightly oversized, then gradually sanded it down until I achieved just the right clamping force. I was especially happy that it made the exact clicking sound I was aiming for when released. Although this was just a prototype, it worked even better than I expected and felt perfectly practical to use. I’ve made many different marking gauges over the years, but it seems there’s still room for more new ideas!

If you’re new to woodworking, you may sometimes wonder how to cut a precise rectangular opening for installing hardware or fittings. A router is a great tool for this, but making an accurate cut freehand can be difficult. That’s where a template comes in. Once you’ve made a template, you can use it to cut the same opening accurately again and again. It’s a useful technique for everyone from beginners to professionals, even without a CNC machine. For this project, I used thin boards, so I glued an additional layer underneath to increase the thickness and durability. If you’re using thicker material, a single layer may be enough. With a bearing-guided flush-trim router bit, you can follow the template without damaging it, allowing you to reuse it for future projects. If clamps can’t reach the area you’re working on, double-sided tape or the masking tape and super glue trick can also be effective ways to secure the template.

A plug cutter is normally used to make wooden plugs, but this time I used scrap wood to create the components for a wooden hinge. I first drilled the pivot holes, then used the plug cutter to cut around them. Working in this order helped me achieve more accurate hole positioning. I connected the wooden plugs with a pin to create a hinge. This type of hinge has no protruding hardware and very little play in its movement. Similar pivot mechanisms are also used in wooden boxes, and I had been interested in exploring other applications for this design. This time, I used the hinge to make a sanding block. Magnets hold it closed, allowing the sandpaper to be stretched tightly and securely in place. Replacing the sandpaper is also easy. Sometimes, using a familiar tool in a slightly different way can open up new possibilities.