Are you ready to begin a new hobby? Have you been looking for an exciting yet unusual way to spend your leisure time? You might want to consider woodworking.
Woodworking is a really fun pastime and is sure to appeal to anyone who enjoys being creative and loves to work with their hands. However, it can be difficult to know where to get started when working with wood. It may seem a little daunting for a complete beginner, but with these five tips, you’ll find it easier than you imagined to get started on your first ever project.
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Create Your Woodworking Setup
When you’re a woodworking beginner, you don’t need to make a complicated woodworking workshop. All you need to a space that is dedicated to your hobby. If you have a shed or garage, that would be an ideal place to work, but even if you don’t you can simply create a corner of your patio or backyard that is ideal to begin work.
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Learn About Measurements
You won’t be successful at any woodworking project until you know about measurements. You’ll need to know how to measure accurately so that you can cut wood to the right size every time. This isn’t always as easy as it seems since sometimes you’ll need to use complicated measurements like 15 9/16”. You need to know how to read your tape measure in order to find these measurements accurately. You’ll also need to know about lumber measurements and which sizes of wood you’ll be able to buy. Lumber comes in a number of dimensions so you’ll need to know what measurements like 2×12 or 1×2 means so that you can get the right size of lumber for your project.
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Choose Straight Boards
The next tip is to choose the straightest wooden boards that you can find. It can be difficult to spot when boards are warped or bowed, however if you make a mistake when buying lumber it will really affect the outcome of your work. Hold the boards vertically and look down them to see if you spot any bending or bowing. This will help you to achieve the best possible result.
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Learn How to Use Your Tools
There are some tools which a beginner woodworker really needs and you also need to know how to use them properly. When you visit the hardware store, you’ll no doubt be baffled by the array of woodworking tools that you see but rest assured that you won’t need all of them at first. It’s best to start off with the absolute basics and become very confident at working with them before you progress to something more complex. Stick with simple hand tools to start with, as well as simple power tools like a cordless drill and a jig saw. Watch some YouTube video tutorials to help you learn how to use the tools properly, especially when it comes to power tools, and always review the safety guide and manual for the tools that you own. A couple of sawhorses and a vise would also be a great investment and will make every woodworking project a lot easier.
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Sand Down The Wood
Finally, our fifth tip is to prepare the wood surface before you begin work. This will make a lot of difference when you need to paint, stain and finish the wood. Sanding down your wood is the very best way to prepare the surface to receive its finish. Do as much sanding as possible before you cut the wood and start building with it. When the wood is in entire pieces, it will be much quicker and easier to sand than when it is in smaller pieces. This will save you a lot of time and effort when finishing your project.
Follow these five expert tips when beginning your first woodworking project and you’ll find that it’s easier than you imagined to get to grips with your new hobby. Although woodworking may not be the easiest hobby to get started with, it is certainly one of the most rewarding, and when you’ve mastered the basics you’ll be ready to progress to something more complex and more exciting.
