5 Rules For Beginning Woodworkers

Woodworking is a necessary thing for modern society. Woodworking is used in every home, nearly every business, and it can be done by almost anyone. It can be a fantastic and rewarding hobby, or it can easily be turned into a business. I’m going to give you what I believe are the top 5 rules for beginning woodworkers. 

Rule #1 “Measure twice, cut once”. It’s an oldie, but a goodie. If you had a dad or grandpa that taught you anything about working with wood you have probably heard that phrase said before. There is a reason for it, being sure of your measurements can save you time, headaches, and materials. All of which are very valuable to everyone. There is no worse feeling as a carpenter than cutting a piece and realizing you’ve cut it short, that just cost you money because that piece can no longer be used in it’s intended place. Make sure you are pulling your tape measure correctly, you’re marking correctly, and you are lining your blade up correctly. A mistake at any of these steps can cause problems when you go to fit your piece in place. 

Rule #2 “ Have a Plan”. It’s important to have an idea of what you’re building and how it will go together before you begin cutting wood. At the very least draw it out on some paper, take into account the thickness of the pieces you’re using. You should create a materials list and then a subsequent cut list to organize your order of operations. Then understand you may have to make changes on the fly. But if you don’t have a plan going into  the project there are more opportunities for things to go wrong and for you to end up making too many trips to the hardware store. Have a plan going into the project. 

Rule #3 “Try New Things”. You may be really good at certain things, but you’ll never expand your abilities unless you try new things. Say yes to the new projects, find new types of joinery to use, use different materials, or experiment with new tools and techniques. Trying new things will help you hone your skills, develop new ones, and create new opportunities for more potential projects. Get out of your comfort zone and say yes to the project you have never built before. Take your time and figure out how it all goes together, and learn from the mistakes you make. Each attempt is your chance to learn and get better at something you have not tried before. 

Rule #4 “There is a way, and probably a tool”. There is always a way to get the job done. Sometimes it’s harder to find than others, but it is always there. Better than the way, is the fact that usually there is also a tool that can be used to help solve the problem you have. There is a ton of information on the internet and I would put money on the fact that someone has probably encountered your problem before and someone may have invented a tool for that job specifically. Take advantage of this, I know tools aren’t cheap but if you buy the tool for the job, then the job is helping pay for the tool. Between youtube and google there will definitely be an answer for you out there, find it and complete the job. And if you need to, buy the tool!

Rule #5 “Make the jig”. Jigs are a great way to knock things out quickly. It allows for making repeatable cuts or other tasks easy to do with little to no room for error. Anytime you have to make the same thing more than 3-4 times go ahead and put together a jig to make that process easier. There are two different types of jigs; the store bought pre-made jigs, and the homemade jigs. Most of the time it doesn’t matter which is which. I find that standardized things like concealed hinge placement are easier to pay for the pre-made jigs. While my surfacing jig I made for my palm router works great and it’s just a scrap piece of ¾” plywood. Whether you buy from the store or make it, using a jig is a great way to minimize errors and speed up your process. Make the jig!

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