One of the things that distinguishes amateur woodworking from serious projects is sanding. If you’re willing to spend some time smoothing the edges, a do-it-yourselfer can make decent looking bookshelves without getting into any fancy joinery tricks. Sanding is also a prerequisite if you want to paint your project and have it not look like yard sale junk. But sanding is a huge time drain, and it’s hard not to blame a guy for skipping it. A new piece of hardware is intended to eliminate that step without diminishing the final product: The ominously named Final Cut blade sands cuts automatically as they’re made. The heavy-duty table saw blade has discs of sandpaper affixed to either side so that it power-sands as it slices (replacement sanding discs are available without the blade). Not only does that leave users with clean pieces of freshly cut work, it also allegedly cuts down on “kick-back,” the dangerous moments in which a board is pushed backward when it hits the saw incorrectly. Looking over sample cuts made on moulding, solid wood, laminated sheets and composition board, it’s hard to believe they came straight off a table saw. At $75 per blade, the FC isn’t cheap, but it’s not much more than high-end discs made by Ridgid and Craftsman — and that difference will seem pretty trivial if woodworkers suddenly find their projects taking far less time than they once did.

Serving trays are not just for butlers carrying silver spoons or grandma’s turkey during the holidays — and you don’t have to wait until your bridal shower to get one that’s showy. Transform a simple moment into a gracious one by using this rectangular Towle Silversmiths tray ($50) to serve your guests iced tea on a hot summer day. Use this hand-hammered copper tray ($169) to serve wine for two. Trays can also be used as decorative accent pieces that express your personality and tastes. Besides, who’d want to put a bowl of popcorn on top of the Bianca Governess (pictured) or Bernardo Conquistador tray, inspired by archival imagery and created by a family in Southern France ($175 each)? And you wouldn’t want to place anything on this pricey limited-edition tray made of exotic zebra wood, quilted birdseye maple, wenge and African mahogany ($1,680). This wooden tray features a reproduction of John Ross Key’s 1914 oil painting of the North Lawn of the White House, with lush red and pink peonies in full bloom ($38). This lacquered tray ($110) features a painting of Singapore’s famed Esplanade from the collection of the National Archives of Singapore. The “Heart Tray” ($95) is a piece of art. It is made of fused iridized glass and is signed by the artist, and though it looks delicate, it is food safe. This retro tray ($50) would work propped up on a midcentury dining buffet. This vintage piece ($18) is suitable for hanging on the wall, as is this charming antique bar tray ($25). Consider these collectibles: the Coca-Cola 1953 Menu Girl serving tray ($39), the Century Bottle Beer tip tray ($385)and this 1926 serving tray ($150).

In less than ten years, CowParade fever has spread worldwide. Arguably the largest public art event in the world, CowParade has been staged since 1999 in more than 50 cities, including New York, London, Tokyo, Mexico City and Paris. The cows feature themes and artwork specific to the host city. After the cows are displayed in public places – such as train stations, parks – they are herded up and taken to auction. A substantial portion of the proceeds are donated to charity. Last month, Chinese officials put out a call for artists proposals for 2009 CowParade Taipei. You could even call CowParade a social mooovement for change. If you want to own a piece of this phenomenon, visit the CowParade store, a virtual mooseum where you can purchase ceramic figurine replicas of cows from official CowParade events. They can work as home décor accent pieces, gifts or just for fun. Check out Cowputer Girl ($40) featured in CowParade Instanbul 2007, Moo Moo in a Tu Tu ($23) from CowParade Las Vegas 2002 and Alphadite, Goddess of Shopping, from CowParade Manchester, England, 2004 ($27, pictured). The kitchen collection features 100% De Vaca ($23). Vaca De La Independencia ($27) would make a fetching centerpiece on your Fourth of July table. The Moo Potter ($112) is a large-scale piece of whimsical folk art that you could display in a den or sunroom. The cow is covered in hand-painted tea pots, cups and plates — she even wears tea cup earrings. For the art lover, the Moogritte ($66). For martial arts enthusiasts, Sam-Moo-Rai ($36). Create your own cow art with this set ($19). This affiliated site (scroll down) carries some of the most amooosing figurines, including Citizen Kow (Harrisburg, Penn.), Cowlumbus (Barcelona), Bovina at the Ice Cowpades (Houston), Cowbunga, Dude (Denver) and Cowbot (Boston).

Depending upon where you live, now may be the time to start thinking about new birds popping up in your back yard. For homeowners whose bird feeders didn’t survive the harsh-weather season (massive hail destroyed mine last month), plenty of innovative designs await online, from cute models that are completely edible ($18) to this ingenious invention ($65 to $80) with a rolling-grate mechanism that supports the little songbirds you want but rolls over to eject any squirrels trying to get their food. For sleek modern aesthetics, few out there compete with the Architect’s Birdfeeder ($25; pictured), a completely transparent model with multiple selling points: it ships flat, in an inch-high box that saves shipping costs; it assembles with no tools or fasteners, using eight notched pieces that simply slide and lock together; and, well, it looks excellent. Once you’ve selected and mounted your feeder, though, you’ll want to get to know your neighbors. Chronicle Books recently expanded its neat line of bird song guides, in which a built-in audio player matches each bird’s call to an illustration and encyclopedic description, with two titles: The Western and Eastern/Central volumes of The Backyard Birdsong Guide are even better than their predecessors, with a smaller, more backpack-friendly format matching a much lower $25 price tag. If identifying each species becomes so engrossing you become a full-blown birder, you’ll find that some in the hobby are tempted to doubt your rare-bird finds. Put them in their place with a line of small binoculars by Celestron ($67 to $252) that integrates a digital camera into the scope, letting you record each Dark-Eyed Junco and Belted Kingfisher to show Doubting Thomases back home.

Origami is the art of folding paper intricately into decorative shapes, with origins in China and Japan. Not only is it often beautiful, but it can double as way to teach children geometry, sequencing (you have to fold the paper in certain steps) and fractions (they’ll need to know how to figure out a third or half of the paper to follow origami directions). Best of all for parents, origami can be done inside and quietly. A good place to start is with the Origami Fun Kit for Beginners, which includes three books with instructions, 55 different origami projects and 96 sheets of origami paper ($12). If your child is more motivated by specific themes, Origami Corner is worth a visit. The Dinosaur Deluxe Box Kit contains sheets of patterned paper resembling the skin of various dinosaurs, along with practice paper, instructions with diagrams and background scenery for displaying the finished dinosaurs ($7). Other sets focus on insects, sea life, birds and farm animals, along with the classic 1,000 Cranes (according to origami tradition, if you fold 1,000 cranes, like the one pictured, your wish will come true). Children who like playing with dolls will love making as many as 12 dolls with the Kimono Doll Making Kit ($14). Adults who enjoy origami can make their own children’s furniture out of pieces of cardboard, thanks to an innovative website called Foldschool. Here, you’ll find free downloadable instructions on how to make kid-size origami furniture, such as a stool, a chair or a rocker. A lesser-known branch of origami is “towel origami” (no, really, I’m serious.) At Folding Magic, you can order a DVD to show you how to make funny animals out of towels. Some cruise ships leave these cute critters in staterooms as a perk to guests – now you can make your own.

Crafters know that some materials just weren’t meant to be cut with scissors. Make more than a few cuts through cardboard, and your hands will ache; use the wrong shears on fabric, and you’ll ruin both the material and the cutter. A useful new tool from Skil handles those materials and many more. The $50 Power Cutter is advertised for use on most things under 1/4-inch thick (carpet, leather, vinyl flooring, and more), making it more like a delicate-use circular saw than a pair of scissors. It’s easier to steer along curved paths than a utility knife, and in my testing it made clean, splinter-free cuts on some things — like a scratched compact disc — that are notoriously difficult to cut. Hard as it is to believe, there seems to be room at the workbench for a whole new variety of power tool. Happily, the Power Cutter won’t be a power-strip hog: Like the palm-sized iXO2-powered screwdriver ($40), it’s part of a line of Skil products using next-generation lithium ion batteries, which can hold a charge much longer (up to six times as long, Skil says) than the NiCd and NiMH batteries found in most cordless tools, and they can sit for 18 months without losing juice — meaning you’re less likely to be in the middle of a home repair when you discover the tool you need won’t be ready until it has had a few hours to recharge.