What prompted you to write a book like Ridiculously Simple Furniture Projects?
There are other simple furniture books out there, but the projects are clunky and outdated. There are advanced books with great-looking furniture, but you need a workshop with $10,000 worth of tools to build them. Ridiculously Simple Furniture Projects contains 40 projects that are attractive, affordable, functional, and easy to build. The designs are fresh and fun. You can build most with a drill, saw, and basic hand tools. It’s got tons of photos and illustrations to walk you through each project. The text is down to earth—sometimes even humorous. It’s like sitting down with an old friend and having them explain how to build something.

The title of your book is pretty self-explanatory, but why did you decide to create projects that can be completed by a weekend warrior, not necessarily a craftsman?
Professional woodworkers—the ones you watch on the DIY network or see exhibited in galleries—are a creative, talented group, but 95% of those that tackle woodworking do it as a hobby. People build furniture because they like working with their hands. Some use it as an outlet for creative juices, some to save money, others because it’s just who they are. And there’s a huge “seewhatidid” factor.

This is an entry-level book; a confidence builder. Most people—even those who’ve never tackled a woodworking project before—can build the furniture. You can buy all the materials at your local home center or lumberyard and most you can haul home in the backseat of your car. All you need are a few tools, a few hours, and the corner of your garage or basement for most projects.

Where do you find inspiration for your projects?
My radar is constantly on the prowl for new ideas. I was watching one of our daughters on the floor hunched over her laptop and thought, “Wouldn’t a collapsible mini-floor desk be cool?” So I designed one and included it in the book. My wife likes to grow herbs and spices on our deck, so I designed a little herb planter. I was cooking the other day and the cookbook kept flopping closed and getting splattered, so I designed a simple cookbook stand with a “splatter shield.” Sometimes I’ll look at an everyday object—like a kitchen cabinet—and realize it could easily be made into a toy chest or television stand (both are in the book).

And I’m an incessant doodler. One project involves making a chair from a 2 x 3-foot sheet of plywood with only a handful of scraps left over. That took a lot of doodling, but it’s one of the most unique projects in the book.

How did you hone your craft? Was woodworking something that you grew up with or did you pick it up along the way?
I taught school for a couple of years , worked as a carpenter for 15 years, then wound up as an editor for the world’s largest home improvement magazine, The Family Handyman. Working in a school, heading up a carpentry crew, and writing articles all have one thing in common—they involve teaching. And I think I’m pretty good at that. Lots of non-do-it-yourselfers who have browsed through the book have told me they’re gonna give it a shot.

Personally, woodworking is something I gradually and naturally became comfortable with. Whether I was building skateboards as a kid, bookshelves in college, or houses later on, wood was always a logical, friendly material to work with.