Novice Project -- Bookcase

• A bookcase is a project that provides a good introduction to woodworking and furniture building. The bookcase is usually composed of a square or rectangular carcass (the top, bottom, sides and backing) with a number of shelves that sit on pins inserted into the sides. There are numerous plans available, but you can also create your own design. Keep proportions in mind as you design. Books weigh a lot, so you will want to limit the span of the shelves to no more than 36 inches and the overall height of 6 feet.
  
  

Intermediate Project -- Coffee Table

• The dimensions of a coffee table keep a project manageable while exposing you to new woodworking skills. In determining the size of the table top, keep the golden ratio in mind to create pleasing dimensions. This formula takes the measurement of the shortest side, for example 24 inches, and multiplies it by 1.618, giving a length of 38 inches. The height of a coffee table is usually matched to the couch or chair surfaces with which it will be paired, typically between 16- and 18-inches tall . This project requires gluing up parallel boards to build the top and some mortise and tenon joinery to attach the apron and legs.
  
  

Intermediate Project -- Wall Cabinet

• A single wall cabinet with one or two doors is a good introduction to cabinet building. Your joinery skills will need to advance as you build the face frame for the carcass, and then the frame and panel doors. Wall cabinets are sized depending on what will be stored in them. You may want to first attempt a smaller cabinet for a bathroom, to keep your work on a smaller scale. Multiple thicknesses of wood are often found in a single cabinet so your skill with the hand plane or electric planer will be developed as you work on this project.
  
  

Advanced Project -- A Chest of Drawers

• Building and fitting drawers to a cabinet requires a number of woodworking skills that you should develop on simpler projects before attempting an advanced dresser or table project. Dovetail joinery is often employed to assemble the drawers and this joinery requires specialized tools and some practice to produce a quality result. If you decide to replicate a period piece, an even greater inventory of skills is necessary to reproduce the complex decorative adornments found on many pieces.