Crafts and Activities

Woodworking Tips for Newbies

woodworking tools placed on wooden surface
Written by Sa Bal

The experience of using your hands to build something is truly magical. Woodworking is a great outlet for people who wish to put their creative energy to good use and come up with something they can either use for themselves or sell. However, if you are just, starting, you might face many difficulties. Fortunately, you can use the following woodworking tips to prevent the mistakes from holding you back, making sure you and start on the right foot!

Woodworking Tips For Newbies

Make Your Own Half Pencil

Tracing out on your wood board can be difficult if you do not own a carpenter's pencil.  You need extreme precision when stenciling on your wooden board, and a carpenter’s pencil can help you with that. If you do not have it, there is nothing to worry about. You can make one on your own. All you need is a simple pencil and a belt sander. You might already have both of them right in front of you. Use your belt sander to shave your pencil in half. The flattened side of the pencil will make it exceptionally easy to trace. This is one of the best woodworking tips out there!

Sale
IRWIN Carpenter Pencil, Medium Lead, 6-Piece (66400)
IRWIN Carpenter Pencil, Medium Lead, 6-Piece (66400)
Broad lead makes fine lines for detail drawings or coarse lines on rough surfaces; Oval shape of carpenter pencil won't roll away
$4.99
woodworking tips

Makeshift Mixing Surface

To mix epoxy, you don’t always have to run to get a container. Instead, you can do it on your workbench. Don’t worry, it will not ruin your working station. To make the makeshift mixing surface you need painter's tape. Just tape up a small patch on your workbench and you will be good to go. Make sure that you lay down multiple layers of tape so there are no possibilities of epoxy getting on your table. There are multiple uses for this mixing surface, and you can even mix wood glue and other materials on it. 

Cast Iron Table Saw Protection

Do you want your cast iron table to stay in the best condition possible? Applying paste wax all over it might help you come up with a workstation that is slick enough for material funding. Many times, woodworkers spill glue on their cast iron tables, which often ruins them. This is why it is best that you rub all over your cast iron table and prevent the glue from sticking and ruining it.

Moreover, cast iron tables are very quick to catch rust, and one way to prevent rust is by coating it with paste wax. When starting off your woodwork, use the paste wax, and your cast iron table saw will stay in pristine condition for a long period.

woodworking tips

Keep Using That Glue

Has your wood glue dried up? Do you think it’s too thick to use and you will have to get yourself a new one? Wait! All you need to do is add a little bit of vinegar, and you’ll be good to go. This tip works and comes straight from a famous wood glue company. Unscrew the cap of your wood glue and use a dropper to add one or two drops of vinegar to the solution. Mix it vigorously, and the glue will be as good as new.

Elmer's E7000 Carpenter's Wood Glue, 4 Fl oz
Elmer's E7000 Carpenter's Wood Glue, 4 Fl oz
Great for carpentry and home repairs; Clean up soap and water when glue is wet scrape & sand when glue is dry
$6.70

Safety Comes First

You might not be very well acquainted with using dangerous things such as a saw, which is you must stay highly cautious. There have been far too many incidents where woodworkers have injured themselves while cutting up boards. If you are cutting small things, it is best to first mount the small parts on a piece of wood so that it is easy to cut them and avoid any mishaps.

More importantly, you must stay vigilant when using a cutting blade. Try keeping your hands as far as possible, so you don’t cut yourself by mistake.

Staining Made Easy

Staining takes great tact to master, and beginners might find it too difficult to do it on their own. However, the trick here is that it doesn’t have to be that difficult. If you just take a spray bottle and mix the solution. Doing so will ensure you won’t have to worry about not doing it perfectly. Use the bottle and simply spray the stain on. The spray will cover the crevices, which would have been difficult to cover otherwise.  You can even go over a particular area multiple times and make sure the stain is as perfect as it can get.

If you think that there is an excess of stain, using a piece of cloth would help to remove any excess.

Baby Wipes To The Rescue

Seeing baby wipes on the list might have taken you back but it is a great tip. When you are working in your workshop, it is always a good idea to keep a pack of baby wipes around. There are several places where you can make use of the wipes and get on with your work. If you are a clumsy worker, and always end up making a mess, then this tip can help you clean right away. Baby wipes can clean up almost everything, from paint to grease to spilled glue.

Notepad to Sand pad

Sanding down rough curves can be difficult, but with a simple notebook, you don’t have to worry about that. A small and firm notepad can make it a lot easier for you to sand the curves properly. Beginners struggle with the curves and edges of furniture, if you wrap the sandpaper around the note pad, you won’t have to deal with the hassle when you sand down curves.

Don’t let the difficulties of woodworking intimidate you. It may seem difficult at first, but once you are done building something, the feeling is very rewarding. You don’t have to be perfect the first few times around. Instead, just keep going, and soon enough, you’ll master woodworking using the woodworking tips mentioned here.

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Sa Bal

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