With the modernization and technology hitting our lives, no preference is given to practical knowledge. During the 80’s period, many of the secondary schools had the woodworking session along with their regular studies. But with time, only academics and degree are given importance. This has led to low or no practical knowledge.
Who doesn’t love to receive all the ready-made gifts? Still, there are some basic woodworking skills that you must know. We are emphasizing the term ‘basic’! We got a few queries on this lately, so here you go.
Learning Woodworking: Basic Woodworking Skills Every Man Should Know
Fortunately, the woodworking skills and tips are no more a secret! So, even if you have missed on your woodshop classes, don’t worry! We will help you with understanding the basic wood skills. They are given as below:
1. You should know the type of wood you are working on.
Not all the woods have the same orientation, so the first step before getting started with the wood project is to understand the nature of the wood. All the growing trees have ring formation on them, so you need to learn this pattern first. This ring formation can make the cutting trickier for you.
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With this study, you can also know how the wood expands or contracts during a particular season.
2. Understand how to work with a Hand Plane
This is something which has to be learned by yourself, as most of the tools does not include the explanation on the hand plane. But getting your hand easily on the hand plane requires right guidance and hours of practice. To understand this, get your hands on an old plane and check How to Use a plane on YouTube. There you will find in detail videos explaining the hand plane working.
3. How to make Lumber
The process of making lumber is easy if you have a table saw and a planer at hand. If you don’t have either of both the tools, it does make the job tough for you.
One point to note – you don’t need any big or costly machine to begin woodworks. In fact, using hand tool is much more fun and reliable than the machine tool.
4. Mortise and the Tenon Joint
Mortise and the Tenon is one of the main woodworking fundamentals. If you know this technique, then you can try out unique designs for many of your projects. In a mortise and tenon joint, one vertical piece is connected with a horizontal wooden piece.
There are different methods of making mortise but go with the standard one. Tenons also require some skills, as you have to run the saw for making four cuts! Straight cuts. Your job doesn’t end there, both the pieces of mortise and tenon must join together to form a firm fit.
5. Sharpen the cutting tools
There is no point in using dull wood tools. You must know how to sharpen up the cutting tools, chisel, and saw as and when you need to do it badly. By continuously using the same dull tool, you are not only wasting your energy but also reducing the life of the tool itself.
So, if you don’t know do this, then learn it as it will come as a great help to you.
6. Dovetail Joints
If you are planning to make a wooden box, then knowing how to make a dovetail joint will do wonders. In this, wedge-shaped tails are created on one side of the wood, and a corresponding locking design is made on the other joining wood.
With this joint, you can prevent the slipping of the wood pieces joined with each other.
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7. Doing the finishing of the Wood surface
This is the easiest of all, isn’t it? Well, you still need some skills to get the finishing done rightly.
Finishing gives a complete look at the project you have created. It enhances the look as well as protect the quality of the wood. There are many finishing liquids available in the market so that you can select your favorite one among them. They also in varying colors, so you can try out different colors too.
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This is our compilation for Learning Woodworking: Basic Woodworking Skills. Hope you guys enjoyed reading this and found it helpful for getting your hands on the wood. Follow us on Michael Austin Jacobs for more cool updates and other DIYs.