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I have used poplar, sycamore, maple and aspen - all from the same family but they are very different. For a painted door poplar is probably the optimum wood as it is relatively cheap and takes a finish well. Even if you buy sycamore there is no guarantee it is grown in the UK. For 12 doors I...

Your problem is that pine doesn't take stains very well. The alternate hard and soft grain give a very uneven finish. I used Douglas Fir for a few tables in the past and lacquered them. They look nice but are soft. The best overall timber that will give a close grained look and take abuse...

Beautiful craftsmanship. Do the legs flare out at the top or is it just the camera lens. ?

I've actually made a lot of Louvre doors and they are tricky. You don't have much material to trim if they are oversize. They accumulate dust on the slats so a brush hoovering every now and then is necessary. However, I presume you are going to buy them . Pine tends to wick moisture after a...

Do you not think it will be easier to find a nut rather than changing out the whole abour. ? It looks identical to my American imported DeWalt 746 which I always assumed it had an ACME thread to allow dado blades to be fitted without damaging the threads. I'd say a 5/8" ACME nut will fit - if...

I have a Makita 4350 corded D handle. I absolutely can't fault it . It feels rock solid and about twice as heavy as my old Hitchi. A jigsaw is one tool where weight is an advantage so check the specs before buying.

I would build a sliding router box with eight indexing pins. Don't ask me for plans as I already have a Legacy Mill , an American product bought on impulse at a show of course. With a flat router bit it gives amazingly accurate and smooth results.

Blow me down I could have sworn the sides were about 15 mm. I suggest 12 mm as side rail hinges are 8 mm wide and fit on the sidewall with a little to spare. Multiple dovetails will thin the tails a little - more work of course. Fine boxes are inherited from the Georgian tea caddy era - see...

Full marks for a first attempt. Just to know that there is a difference between 'boxes ' and 'fine boxes '. Your dimensions are a little bulky - try and refine the walls and lid down to about 12 mm . Thinner dovetails would look nicer and let the base into a groove to hide it. Separate lids...

I'd suggest a spiral bit with a bearing to stop the end grain grabbing the bit. Even the 8 mm shanks only have a 30 mm cutting edge so you would have reverse the jig and make two passes. Or go down the 1/2 inch shank route

Things might have been better if they had a little mentoring. Wolfgang came a cropper trying to make half lap joints when all he had to do was stagger the short pieces in the middle like a sandwich. The lady with all the hoops over the bed didn't spot that they were asymmetrical - she repeated...

You should try the Festool MFK 700. No springs - all adjustment is by rotating a very accurate dial. Yes, it costs a fortune but is so satisfying to use. :rolleyes:

Yes, we are at the mercy of the market. For the library project like the one above I would now probably just use panelboard to avoid having to finish it.. The trick is to find a blade in the table saw that will give a chip free cut. I used to use a lot of black ash finished chipboard but that's...

I'm probably showing my age using blockboard as it seems to have completely fallen out of favour. It's made from strips of solid wood with a layer of veneer on each side. It's the most rigid of all the sheet goods and would prevent any bowing of the sides of the cabinets. I see you intend to...

You have a few crucial design decisions to make before starting. Are they going to be painted ? If so you would save £100's by using blockboard instead of Baltic Ply. If you prefer a contemporary Ply look then that's fine but use an acrylic finish to preserve the pale look. At a span of 750...

Honduras Mahogany ? Is that still a thing, :rolleyes:

Just get a standard pressed steel rafter square and run a slot in a piece of walnut to accept it. Use some epoxy sparingly.

I would suggest a 1/4 inch spiral bit with a bottom bearing, They are solid carbide and smoother on laminate worktops. The template would be mounted under the workpiece of course.

Beech is very hard and not easy to stain. You could just use polyurethane which will mellow to a golden colour over the years. As a beginner I might suggest using poplar which can look nice with a varnish and is one of the cheapest hardwoods. Softer woods are a little more forgiving to work but...

You have 40 years experience. unlike the OP. :rolleyes: