My name is Stephen Scott Johnson and welcome to my woodworking and crafts tutorial website. I’m a southern boy, raised on sweet tea and Jesus. Yes, that is a picture of me above with the great Amicalola Falls in the background. No, my face doesn’t have swirls. Those are just artistic effects.
I hope you will join with me as I share woodworking tutorials and tips inspired by my Southern Heritage and upbringing. The South is a beautiful place to live and raise a family. I’ve been here for 50 years now, and still loving it. Look for some southern traditions and tidbits mixed in with my blog posts and woodworking tutorials.
As a country boy, I’ve learned to be self-sufficient. I’ve been a woodworker and DIYer for over 25 years now. It’s amazing what you can do with just a little determination.
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” William Faulkner
If something here seems to be a huckleberry above your persimmon (as my grandmother used to say), please don’t give up. Keep asking questions. Keep at it. Below every article or tutorial is the comments field. Think of the comments field as the front porch. Growing up, I used to sit with my grandma (we called her Nanny) on her front porch. We talked about a lot of stuff on that porch. So, please ask questions or share your knowledge for the good of the group.
Some Quick Facts About Me:
- Grew up on 7 acres in Upatoi, Georgia. In the country, of course.
- Currently live in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Engineer by trade — I’m a ramblin’ wreck from Georgia Tech. Graduated 1992.
- I have a lovely wife and two awesome kids.
- I love woodworking, writing, going to church, and many, many outdoor activities.
- Outdoor grilling and barbecuing are also on my top 5 list of things to do.
- Love Jesus
Why I pursue woodworking and other DIY projects. I live a busy life, you live a busy life. We all need a diversion from time to time. I love finding ways to release my God-given, creative talents. Crafts and woodworking projects have afforded me a unique way to share my life with others and invent something new. As a result, I continually reinvent myself. So this site is about me showing and providing ways you can do the same thing.
“My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.” Hank Aaron
What do I hope to accomplish with this website? I mainly want to help you discover the rewards and joys of woodworking projects and crafts. I want to help you discover a craft or woodworking hobby that will enrich your life and the lives of those you love and serve. One of the best ways to learn is to jump in and start doing it. Hopefully, I’ll remove some of the walls and barriers you think may be holding you back from making stuff. It’s easier than ever to jump into a DIY hobby, even with a few basic tools.
“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.” Mark Twain
I’m just an average guy. A maker. A tinkerer. I’m not a master craftsman or fine woodworker. Someday I hope to achieve that status, but right now, I just want to jump in there and make stuff. This is something we can all do!
If you would like to contact me and schedule a time to talk, I’m usually available in the evening hours. Just click here.
Please consider joining our community of makers and sharing your knowledge and experience. You can also follow me on Facebook or Pinterest or YouTube.
Thanks,
Stephen Johnson
Are you starting up a new shop? Want to work safer in your shop? To help you answer these questions I've put together a 2-part checklist -- Home Shop Safety & Tool Checklist.
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love your cutting board. would it work to make table top 52″ by 52″. or would it warp.
I’m pretty sure you could apply the same principle to a table of that size. Might want the boards to be a little thicker. Depending on how you construct the table top, you might want to add some cross members on the ends on the underside. Again, it all depends on how you would design your table and how you attach the top to the bottom support structure. Another step you can do to minimize warping is look at the grain pattern of the boards being glued together and alternate the grain pattern between each board. Hope that helps.
Hi, checked out your antler ring tutorial and will definitely be trying this out and also thought it worth mentioning that I don’t know about America but in the UK you can get segments of antler very cheap in most pet shops as dog chews/treats/whatever.
Thanks for the comment. I see those too in the pet stores here and they seem to come in different price ranges. But yes, that’s another source for getting antler. I’ve tried these for making whistles and pens, but they do tend to be antler pieces that have more of the spongy material inside. It all depends on what you want to make and if you’ll be attaching anything to the antler. For pen turning, I try to look for antler that’s fairly straight and very solid all the way through. Making rings from antler works pretty well, because you normally drill all the softer, spongy stuff out and you’re left with the harder antler near the outside surface. Good luck if you try to make a ring!
I saw your video making coffee scoop. To eliminate dimple from forstner bit, in other projects, I use two bits of same size. Start the hole with one thentake the second bit, file off the spur and then finish drilling. The bottom of the hole will be smooth
Thanks for the tip!
Just discovered your site! Thank you for putting all these fun DIY projects! God bless your hands and creativity!
Thanks for the comment! Glad you like the projects!
Love the simple steps and I detail in making a your coffee scoop. I’m planning on making several for Christmas gifts. Thank you!
Thanks for the comment! Good luck on making the coffee scoops. They will make a great Christmas gift.
Hello Stephen my husband passed away a few years ago leaving me with some deer antlers. I am not the type to do carving. But would like some things carved from his antlers to give to his nieces and nephews as a Christmas gift in his memory. I am wondering if you can help or know of someone in the Memphis tn area that carves.
Sorry to hear about your husband passing away. I don’t do much antler carving, but I do make writing pens. It’s labor intensive, so I charge a little more when working with antler. The antlers need to be at least 1 inch in diameter. Use my Contact link and we can talk back and forth through email. Christmas is coming up fast. Thanks!
Hi, I liked the design of your campfire chair and being a non-woodworker it seemed worth a try. I needed a low chair to sit by the fireplace and read. Since the thickness of the pine wood was not obvious from the plans, I used the best I had- ¾ inch plywood; I was faithful to the plans except for the tenon cutout, which was smaller to fit the plywood. I’ve been told that plywood is stronger than the same thickness of pine. I tested it on carpet, being safety minded, and the thing cracked and broke right away under my 167 lb weight. How discouraging. Then after calling wood supply places, I couldn’t find anything 12 ” wide (actually 11″ and something??) by 5/4″ or 1.5″ thick. Where do I get such things? I don’t speak woodshop lingo and never took shop in my high school in Birmingham AL! Thanks and stay safe.
I haven’t tried plywood for making these chairs. Also, plywood doesn’t hold up too well in the elements. I found the pine boards at my local home improvement store. The dimensions may vary. When you buy lumber from the store it’s usually dried and shrunk some. So an advertised 12 inch by 2 inch board will be slightly less than that. I used spar urethane to finish mine and they have held up well over the past couple years. I keep mine outside all the time. Plywood would probably not do that well unless you used marine grade plywood. But 3/4 inch plywood is probably too thin for these type chairs.
Hi Stephen,
I am planning on building the leopold bench. I noticed that the wood dimesions were 6″,8″ and 10″. I have lots of 2×6’s left over from a deck project and was wondering if the integrity of the bench would be compromised by using 2×6’s for everything. I was also thing about increasing the seat width by using 2 2×6’s. Your thoughts?
Thanks,
Chris
Chris … 2 X 6’s should be plenty strong enough. You will need to adjust the plans a little, but it sounds like you know what to do. I’d say go for it!
In July our church hosts an art camp for 150 children from 2nd through 8th grades. When we open registration camp fills up in an hour to an hour and one half. The kids can choose from over 60 classes. We make everything from easy projects to quite difficult ones. For instance we offer such things as oil painting, barbed wire art, wood burning and much more. Our wood working classes, we offer several, are hugely popular. Making an Adirondack chair is the most popular class. I would like to have the younger children make your campfire chair but I unable to find the link for the instructions to make it. Could you please send the link for the instructions? The video says there are free instructions for the chair.
Thanks for the interest in the chair! Hope you enjoy the instructions I sent you. Sounds like a great work you are doing! God Bless!
Hi Stephen, I was actually just wondering how you go about starting a blog?
It may be easier to respond to me on my email.
Chrsmac@hotmail.com
Thanks for the question! I have responded back to you through email.
You seem pretty handy with wood, but I’d like to offer a couple tips on Cornhole boards. For starters, kind of a cardinal sin to put screws through the top of the board. Always countersink them from the bottom into the top. That way you don’t see them. Second tip, brad nailer is much better than hammer because it reduces risk of dents on the board. I also put 4 screws into my frame to keep it together after the brad nails. You may want to point out that adding a handle in the side makes carrying much easier, and it’s relatively simple. Also, we never use 2x4s. Always use 1×4 furring strips or 1×4 premium whiteboard strips. It looks nicer, and weighs less. You have to be more careful with your screwing and nailing, but the final product is worth it. For finishing, especially if you have painted them, spar urethane provides excellent uv protection and doesn’t have the “yellowing” effect that some people don’t like. It’s a little more expensive, but a 32oz can of Helmsman will more than cover your boards.
Just some food for thought from a guy who makes a whole lotta Cornhole boards.
Hi Stephen,
I live up north of you here in Cartersville, Ga.
I liked your information about cutting boards.
I just started wood working since I was down sized from my job.
Take care and Thank You for all of the great information!
Rick
Thanks for the comment! I’m glad my cutting board info was helpful. Let me know if you have any questions or any suggestions.
Well if God didn’t put this in front of me this morning I don’t have any other decent explanation! So much about your story resonates for me – from the “why” to the “what” and the “how it came to be” — as well as the connectional element of your woodworking and writing.
I am semi-retired early, not from having a decent nest egg but after a lot of losses, continued search for fulfilling “purpose” and later-in-life epiphanies that drive me to LIVE life, not work thru it, I am working more on shedding the conventional wisdom (and anxieties) related to being a responsible, productive, head-of-household who is planning adequately for the future. The future ISN’T a given, but this day WAS given to me, so I want to do the best with it and for it.
So as a life-span developmental psychologist at heart and a curious surveyor of wonders all around me I find myself to be a new blogger and nature-based crafter (who didn’t even know I loved such until I finally “allowed” myself room to play). I do hope that some of my pursuits can generate a little bit of income — largely just to resupply tools and materials, and to support some special causes related to local church missions and the good people of Ukraine suffering a terrible war. But through my own “writing and making” projects, I am also working out plans for providing nature-based therapeutic activities for those affected by various kinds of traumas and losses in life. I got the bug to make wooden spoons about six months ago, got a few little tools a couple months ago and I’ve just been playing around with no real intentions or direction per se. Not the way I’ve ever approached anything new honestly, but it’s been kind of fun to just poke around, kind of like a kid playing with reed boats on a river bank, and not so much like getting schooled and tooled-up for a new hobby. And I’ve made a few little oddball things here and there, despite not knowing anything about what I’m doing!
But this morning, as I was stirring my coffee, I had a legit question about what kind of wood would be best…
and of all of the sites that popped up to answer the way I asked the question, for whatever reason I didn’t go with the top things on search results list. I scrolled down a bit and somewhat randomly picked yours out. And wow. Talk about a perfect landing pad… or maybe I mean LAUNCHING pad!
I know this is ridiculously long, but I just wanted to give you lots of praises (and thanks) for not only delivering some very fine specific content that I’m sure is immensely helpful to many specifically from the woodworking angle, but also for all that you share in just a more general way-to -live-life, way-to-put-yourself-into-something, and way-to-share-with-others and community-building way. I think you truly enable crafting hands and join & feed hearts in what you offer here.
So thank you for all the blessings!
Hey thanks for the comment! Sorry, but just now seeing it. I wish you well on your journey and glad you found my site useful. Thanks again, and God bless!