Free Plan: 1912 Mission Umbrella Stand
Beveled post tops and four matched sides — the 1912 umbrella stand people assume you bought.
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- PDF plan
- Material & cut list
- Step-by-step
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Download didn't start? Get the plan here.The stand is drawn up. Four matched frames come out clean on a bench that is laid out, not filled.
- A layout guide for a one- or two-car garage or a basement: which tools to buy in what order, and where each one stands so the work flows in one direction.
- What to read first: the layout chapter, then the chapter on tool order. Four mortised frames cured in stages need a bench that stays clear for three days, not another machine.
- A digital guide sold through ClickBank, with a 60-day refund window stated on the vendor's page.
Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Four posts, eight rails, four slats and a bottom panel. That's the whole Mission umbrella stand — 28 inches tall, 10 inches square, with a removable drip pan in the bottom. It tucks in by the front door without eating the floor space a hall tree does.
The detail that sells it is the beveled post tops. One extra setup at the saw, and people assume you bought it. In quarter-sawn oak with a dark oil finish, it builds into a piece you'd be glad to give away — which makes it one of the better gift projects in the shop.
This plan is from 1912, redrawn into a clear cut list, mortise layout, and bevel you can follow start to finish.
Project at a Glance
- Difficulty
- Intermediate (four matched mortised frames, cured in stages)
- Main materials
- Quarter-sawn oak, a removable 6- to 7-inch drip pan, cleat stock for the bottom, glue, dark oil finish
- Build time
- 3 shop days, plus finish
- Tools needed
- Mortising tools, miter saw, coping saw, drill, square, clamps
- Page count
- 8-page PDF
Before you cut:
Clamp all four posts together and lay out the mortises in one pass, so the spacing matches without re-measuring four times. Keep the slats thin (3/8") — bump them to 1/2" and the spacing reads wrong no matter how clean your joints are. No mortise gear yet? Pocket screws will get you there, though the mortised version is what the 1912 plan draws. And plan the glue-up in two stages — two opposite sides first, a full day to cure, then the rails and slats that tie them together.
Here's the thing about this build: there isn't a power tool on it you can't trade for a hand tool. The mortises come off a chisel and mallet, the bevels off a handsaw. That's how the piece was made in 1912.
What the piece does need is a bench you can leave alone for three days while four frames cure, and a place for every tool you reach for in between. That is a layout question, not a tooling question, and most small shops have never answered it.
What the guide actually covers
The eight-foot test
Take an eight-foot board from where the lumber is stored, run it through the saw, and set the offcut down. If you had to move something, open a door or turn the board sideways to get it in, the shop is filled, not laid out. That is the problem this guide is written for, and the umbrella stand is a good first test of it.
The guide covers layout for a one- or two-car garage or a basement, the order the tools go in, and the parts tool reviews skip: lighting, dust, noise and where the lumber lives. It won't tell you which brand to buy, only where the tool belongs.
Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Also worth a look: the technique layer
Woodworking Secrets is a printed book on layout, cutting, joinery and finishing, the part a plan leaves out. The publisher sends it at no charge and you cover the shipping. It ships to US addresses. On the order page there is a box for a trial membership that is already ticked — untick it if you only want the book.
See the book →