It is a wonderful thing to identify and nurture your love of woodworking. It is a lot of fun and a few tips can get you going in the right direction. Continue reading and learning about this activity, and expect many hours of enjoyment as you do.
Make your own sanding blocks. Use a scrap of 3/4″ plywood to cut six blocks, one for each sandpaper grit you need. Cut them to 2.5″ by 4.75″. Use spray adhesive on both the cork tile square and your blocks. Cut the sandpaper with a utility knife to better fit your block. After spraying adhesive on a sheet of sandpaper, place it on the block face of each cork. Use a utility knife to trim the sandpaper around the edge of the block. Label each block.
Before you commit stain to wood, it is usually a good idea to test out the stain in an unseen area of the wood first. Testing first will give you an idea of how the stain will look on a real piece. You’ll get no unwelcome surprises later. Wood is pretty unpredictable, so doing this small test can help you avoid any errors.
Test an area or scrap wood before using a stain. This makes sure that you won’t run into any surprises. It is important to avoid mistakes to save time and money.
What kind of budget do you have available? Many times you might think on a grand scale, but in reality you don’t have the money to complete the project. You’re excited to get started only to find out that halfway through you’re not able to afford continuing. Before taking anything on, know what you’re getting into.
Tin Snips
If you need to buy or rent tools, include that cost in your budget. It’s easy to just overlook things because you’re thinking of the cost of lumber and that’s all. If your project does indeed require extra tools you don’t have on hand, it can break your budget if you don’t plan for them.
If you use laminate to finish a project, use some tin snips so you trim the laminate. These can cut the laminate that you use to the appropriate size. Buying tin snips meant to be used just for this purpose can keep them at the desired sharpness.
Before gluing your project together, you should try dry fitting first to make sure the pieces fit together properly. If you attempt to readjust the pieces once glued together, you risk damage to your project. Dry-fits help you see what components go in what locations.
If you have interior doors that are starting to come loose, you can easily remedy this problem with golf tee. Remove the the door and the hinges from the door frame and gently tap a golf tee into each screw hole. Cut the excess, then put the door back on. The golf tee will help the screw bite into something.
Whenever you’re thinking of cutting a piece of wood that’s narrow, don’t try to use your fingers to guide it. Instead, use a long, thin strip of wood to push the piece through the saw. This keeps your fingers safe, which of course are vital for living as well as the continuation of your wood working projects.
Perfection is never the goal when you are creating your own wood-worked items. They are your own personal creations which gives them special character. You get better with practice, and the suggestions above will go a long way to help you as you advance in your field of woodworking.