Fine Woodworking magazine has launched its first annual Furniture Build-Off, a contest challenging readers to make the best piece of furniture they can from a single board. The three prizewinners will receive a total of $15,000 worth of tools from Delta and Porter-Cable.

Click here  for the complete contest rules and an entry form.

Entrants must use the equivalent of a maple board 10 ft. long x 10 in. wide x 2 in. thick, Entrants can use a collection of smaller boards if they can’t find a single large one, provided they use no more than 17 board feet in total. The maple can be hard or soft, figured or not, and finished pieces may be stained or dyed. Metal parts are confined to hardware only.

“Picture a single maple plank,” says FWW editor Asa Christiana. “It could be curly, birds-eye, or perfectly clear and white. What would you make with it? A table? A chair? Maybe a small cabinet with doors or drawers? Would you bandsaw it into bookmatched panels, or stain some of it for contrast?” He added: “In the hands of a craftsman, one board has a thousand possible lives. Unlock one.”

Entries must be submitted by May 1, 2008. Here’s how the judging will work:

Once projects are completed, contestants will upload front-view, side-view, and top-view images to a special Web site. A panel of FWW editors and contributors will review all projects and select 24 finalists. These will be posted on FineWoodworking.com, where visitors to the site can vote for their favorite pieces.

First, second and third place finishers will be announced at the International Woodworking Fair in Atlanta, Ga., on August 20, 2008. The three winners will also have their work displayed at the show.

The first-place winner will take home a complete shop full of Delta and Porter-Cable tools, including a 14 in. bandsaw, laser drill press, 1-1/2 hp dust collector, an 8 in. jointer, 3-hp shaper and a 3 hp left tilt Unisaw. The prize is valued at more than $9,000.

The second-place finisher will receive a prize package of Delta tools worth more than $4,000. The third-place finisher will receive a package of Porter-Cable power tools valued at more than $2,000.