Build Tool for Secret Santa

I'd like to build something out of mostly a nice wood like cherry or curly maple. If it has metal parts I would need to be able to get them at your average hardware store, unless it was some sort of kit.

Any ideas?

Is your boss big into computers and humor? It's not a tool, but I built something for my brother and he loves it.

Picture a wood frame about 16x16 shaped like the apple computer logo. Before assembly, insert 9 wood dowels horizontally inside, evenly spaced with 9 sliding wood beads on each one. Sand it up, hit it with natural oil, and put a picture hanger on the back so it can be hung on the wall.

Apple Laptop Computer. It's an Abacus. My brother loved it. I made mine out of cherry.

Just an idea~

Scott

A useful tool for a woodworker is a circular saw cutoff board. Take a piece of plywood or 1x8, attach a perfectly straight guide piece to the face of it at one side, leaving a little more width than the distance from the table (or shoe, or whatever you call it) of the circular saw to the blade. The first time the saw is run along the guide piece, it cuts the board to exactly that width. Leave that cut to your boss so it will be exact for his saw. Any perfectly straight cut can then be made by laying the edge of the board on the line.

Use fancy woods and figure out a way to attach some hold-downs, or throw in a couple of C-clamps and a couple of pinch clamps.

I'll bet he doesn't already have one.

Merry xmas, Stan