Entering the World of Woodworking

Have you ever noticed an elegant piece of woodworking? Ever wondered how these fine pieces were created? Woodworking has inevitably made a name to every household. From table to chairs, cabinets and shelves, most of the homeowners prefer to have these furnishings made from wood.

A lot of homeowners as well furniture enthusiasts are very creative and open-minded enough to learn more about woodworking. This is not a surprise though, because the basics of woodworking are practically very easy. Along with the proper tools and enough knowledge, you are surely on your way to learning a whole lot more about woodworking. The first things to learn are the basic terms that are used in woodworking. As they say, before you walk the walk in woodworking, you have to be able to talk the talk. Here are some of the most common woodworking terms.

• Bevel- Bevel is the angled cut through a piece of wood. In most cases, beveled edges and beveled ends are mostly used to give a more decorative and more softened appearance to elements in pieces of furniture. A bevel gauge is used to measure and mark beveled edges.

• Butt joints- These are easy, but weak techniques in joining two boards together by simply using glue and then pressing the two flat surfaces together. Gluing an end to an adjoining flat surface also often makes these butt joints.

• Biscuits- These are small, flat lozenge-shaped dowels intended for edges or corner jointing. Wood biscuits are placed into slots that are created with the use of a biscuit joiner.

• Biscuit Joint- This is a butt joined that is reinforced with lozenge-shaped wooden biscuits. Most of these biscuits are made from compressed wood- particularly birch. When the biscuits are tightly firmed together in the biscuit slot, it creates a tight and durable joint.

• Bookmatched- This is the term used in veneering, where sequential pieces of veneers from a flitch are arranged side by side. When done properly, a bookmatch will resemble a precise mirror image of the opposite side. Flitch is a group of veneer slices that are stacked in a sequence—matching the similar sequence in which they are cut.

• Burl- Burls are those irregular growths and bulges that are formed on trunks and roots of trees as well. Because of its spectacularly patterned veneers, burls are highly sought after. An example of this is the burled walnut.

• Caul- Often made from scrap wood, a caul is a pad that is used as a spacer in between clamp jaws and the item that is being clamped. It distributes pressure and at the same time prevents clamp jaws from forming unwanted imprints on the wood.

• Chamfer- This is used in removing sharp corners of a section of the wood, producing a beveled, smooth edge.

• Dovetail joinery and Dovetail joint- These are widely used and respected techniques that are used to join two boards, in which alternating slots and protrusions that are snugly fitted together, thus increasing the gluing area. A dovetail joinery develops a joint is difficult to pull apart, even without the presence of glue. In woodworking, this is regarded as one of the most durable and reliable forms of wood joinery.

• Fixture- This is a woodworking aid that controls the tools and locates the work-piece for added accuracy and safety. It is somewhat similar with a jig in terms of function. The only difference is that fixtures are mostly stationary aids, braces or supports, while jigs are designed to move or slide when in use.

• Grain- The alignment, the size, as well as the color of the wood fibers in a piece of lumber is called grain. This grain creates those distinctive and highly contrasted patterns on the surfaces of the boards.

• Hardwood- This is generally the wood that is produced from broad-leafed trees. Most common hardwoods are ash, poplar, and oak. For more elegant and exotic hardwoods, there are some that are available in specialty wood providers.

• Joinery- This is the process where two pieces of wood are joined together with the use of wood joints in various forms. Dovetail joinery are the commonly used joinery in fine woodworking. Other forms of joinery are the mortise and tenon joinery, the biscuit joinery, spline joints, lap joints, etc.

• Kerf- This is the groove that is left in a board when being cut by a saw blade.

• Laminate- This is the process of gluing together layered materials. In general construction, this mostly refers to the plastic or manmade material that are glued to a wood to form a durable yet protective surface. Examples of this are the kitchen countertops. In fine woodworking, several layers of wood that are thinly sliced may be joined together forming a wooden laminate, that may be placed in a bending forms to create a curved but wooden surface.

• MDF- This is a medium-density fiberboard. This is a special type of sheet materials that are characterized by finely sanded, smooth finish. It comes with a wide array of thickness. It is suitable for basic household construction projects, as well as cabinet making. This is most commonly used in fine woodworking to build templates, mock-ups, fixtures, and jigs.

• Miter- This is the woodworking joint that is created when two wooden boards are cut at a certain angle to one another, the most common of which is the forty five-degree miters. A miter gauge is used to aid in making small cuts of the table saw. A miter jig is timely useful as well.

• Mortise-and-tenon-joint— This is a joinery approach wherein the cut end—the tenon—from one board perfectly fits into the corresponding opening—the mortise—of another. This is the most common and the most reliable form of any wood joinery.

• Mortise- This is an opening that is drilled, chiseled, or even routed into a certain board, to receive the end of an intersecting board. This is also the opening that receives the tenon in the classic mortise-and-tenon joint.

• Kiln-dried- This is a seasoned lumber or timber that has long been dried in the kiln, thus lowering the moisture content of the lumber for about ten percent.

• Rabbet- This is a rectangular, stepped cut along the edges on a particular section of the wood.

• Rail- This is the lower or upper horizontal member of a panel or door.

• Shim- This is a thin, wooden wedge that is often used for leveling or bracing another pieces of woods.

• Squeeze out- These are beads of drops of glue that are forced out of the joint, especially when pressure is applied.

• Splines- These are pieces of woods that fit in the mating grooves that are cut into two pieces of wood. An example of this is the corners of some picture frames that are oftentimes reinforced with the decorative spline joints.

• Stile- This is the vertical member in a door or panel.

• Tenon- This is the male part of the mortise-and-tenon- joint. The end of its board is cut to a definite shape and size, then inserted into the opening in a second board. Exposed tenons pass al the way to the second boards so that its ends are exposed.

• Tung oil- This is the natural oil that is extracted from the seeds of Chinese tung trees. A common and versatile wood finish that further accentuates and highlights the color and the grain of the wood.

• Veneers- These are thinly sliced woods that are used in high-quality decorative woodworking. In furniture making, poplars and some other less- expensive hardwood can be veneered with some decoratively grain or even exotic wood for a more elegant and impressive appearance. The wood in which the veneer is joined is called substrate. Glue, as well as a vacuum-press process, is most used in fine veneers.

The above-mentioned terms are some of the most commonly used terms in woodworking. It is very important for you to learn about the basic terms in woodworking so you will not have a hard time embracing the world of this fine and creative activity.

However, aside from knowing the basic terminologies of woodworking, another thing to consider is learning the basic tools and materials to be used. With all the materials available, beginners tend to get too confused to understand what tools they should be using. Here are some of the basic tools of woodworking that are useful and beneficial on the long run of your woodworking activity.

• Drills- Start with a proper 3/8” corded drill. Along with a screwdriver, you can use it to finish a number of tasks. As beginners, it is not best advised to start off with the cordless drills. They are convenient but then they are more expensive compared to the other conventional drills.

• Circular Saws- These are used to trim or saw down plywood. They are also perfect for the basic 2” x 4”s cuts. Generally, most woodworking plans require these sets of circular saws.

• Finishing Sander­- They are the ones used in creating a smooth surface for finishing and painting. Using it to round over rough edges can also be applied.

• Jig Saw- Jig saws, especially the hand held ones, are perfect for cutting curves as well as rough outlines.

• Table Saw- The best table saws are the ones that come equipped with a good powerful motor. This is to prevent the blade from stalling when it is ripping wood, which can sometimes lead to burning some of your works. The fence is as important as well. Make sure you have the ones with the decent length and the proper lock down tight without movement.

• Router- This is a tool that is used in cutting a profile into to the edges of pieces of woods. It can also be used to cut some special profiles and moldings. Together with a pilot bit, the router can be used in trimming plastic laminates and it can also cut parts from templates. Routers have two versions; the plunge version and the fixed versions. The plunge routers are the ones whose springs are loaded on its based and they can be pushed down into a work piece, especially if special cuts are to be done. When buying routers, take note of the bit size. Buy the ½” plunge routers with decent amounts of power. Purchase the top quality router bit. In this case, the more expensive the bits are, the better. Inexpensive router bits are most often made from lower quality, thus ground for less precise tolerances.

• Band Saw- They are used for cutting distinct curves and shapes. They are also useful for re-sawing lumber as well as cutting boards from logs.

• Compound Miter Saw- This is similar with a table saw, only they are easier to use.

• Biscuit Joiner- They are the perfect tools for joining pieces of wood. This tool cuts small slots on both sides of a joint and a biscuit is then inserted to hold the parts together. This tool is efficient enough to speed up your project’s assembly.

• Belt Sanders- They are used for rapid smoothing of lumbers. They are also great helps for shaping objects and parts.

• Drill Press- This is used for drilling consistent holes in woods but the limited depth makes them less useful for woodworking over metalworking. They are best used when you are dealing with small parts.

Now that you have fully learned the basic terminologies, as well as the basic tools for woodworking, you are now on your way to have an ultimate experience of this well-loved activity. Identify what wood working you will be dealing with. Remember, that because we are dealing here with woods, the chances of having a lot of options is very high. Here is a simple guide as to what types of woodworking projects is right for you.

• Chairs and Seating

• Office Furnishings

• Shelving and Storage

• Tables

• Accent Pieces

• Bed and Bath

Another thing to consider when having woodworking is the proper safety measures. Since you will be dealing with materials that can be dangerous in some ways, it is most crucial to have your working spaces equipped with the proper safety materials. This way, you will not have to worry about your safety while doing some woodworking. Some of the safety things for your safe workshop are:

• First-Aid Kits- Always have these things handy in your working spaces. The kits must include antiseptic wipes, bandages, scissors, gauze, tweezers, and a cold- pack. You can either purchase these kits on a set, or you can put them all together by yourself. Whichever way, they should be present in your working areas.

• Eye Protections- It is best advised to have your working areas equipped with the proper eye protections. They must be placed on hard-to-miss areas with respect to power tools—like on drill press tables—as a reminder that these eyes protections should be worn.

• Ear Protections- These are important, especially when you are using power tools that have a decibel that is above average. There are eye protections that have built-in ear protections available in some shops. However, if you can find one, you can always go for earmuff style protectors, or even the ordinary earplugs.

• Particle Masks- These ones are used to avoid pollutants and dusts from entering into your system. Sawdust from woods is known to cause health risks so you have to be careful about it. These particle masks are inexpensive, disposable and available in bulk packages, so you can have an ample supply all the time.

• Smoke Detectors- They should be present in your work places and checked periodically, using their test buttons. This is to make sure that they are properly working and fully operational. To ensure that your detectors have adequate battery powers, change the batteries at least twice a year.

• Fire Extinguishers- Always keep them charged. See to it that your fire extinguishers are rated with the “A, B and the C” approval. This is the indicator that tells what categories of fire the extinguisher falls into—standard combustible, flammable gases, and liquids and electrical fires.

Knowing all the basics is indeed very important. Always remember that woodworking is difficult at first. But once you get the hang of it, you will be surprised of how enjoyable it can be.