Design, Build, and Finish a Woodworking Project
There is a lot more involved in the woodworking process than there might seem at first glance. Most of us skip through each process not really thinking about how each step affects the overall project. This article will teach you how to think through and perform the whole project, from beginning to end.
Contents
Steps
- Choose or design the project you will do. What is the purpose of your project? Fill a need, create something beautiful, or just have fun.
- Get ideas. Ideas can come from anywhere: a discussion, a forum, work, or home.
- Transfer the idea from your mind to paper. Sketch it, then draw it in greater detail as the idea and your decision to make the piece firm up. You can draw them to scale, but you may find that full scale is a more comforting thought when it comes to the dimensions.
- Select and prepare the materials. Some of the things that should be taken into consideration are:
- Aesthetics
- Project location/use
- Material strength
- The mix of materials
- The wood grain
- Bring the materials into the shop and let them acclimate for a couple of weeks.
- Cut all material at least {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} over size and a few inches longer than required.
- Let the material sit overnight. There are many stresses inside a piece of wood but, when sawn, these stresses are relieved. You may not see it right away, but you may be surprised at just how much a piece of wood can move.
- Prepare your equipment. Have your blades and cutting tools sharpened or buy some new ones. Dull cutting tools cause many of the blood letting accidents in the shop.
- Be sure that your equipment is properly maintained and calibrated. Take the time to ensure that your saws are calibrated properly, so you can get that 90 or 45 degree cut exact.
- Make sure that crosscut sleds are exact.
- Give each task your full attention. Never ever work when you are tired or distracted. Missing body parts are not worth it.
- Plan each step before you perform it. As the old saying goes, measure twice and cut once.
- Make sure you cut on the correct side of that inch mark, taking the kerf (the amount removed by your tool) into account.. Otherwise, it is extremely easy to turn a 5 1/4" cut into a 4 3/4" cut.
- Take time with your tools. Do not push them beyond their capability.
- Use the same ruler throughout the project. Minute differences in rulers can cause problems when trying to put a project together.
- Do a dry fit to make sure things line up properly. Do not rush to start gluing things together.
- Make sure your joints are not too tight. Glue will make a tenon expand so it is almost impossible to insert it into its mortise. Making mortise and tenon joints properly takes time and patience. Try cutting a tenon thick and use a rabbet plane to get it to the proper thickness.
- Use clamps as needed, but use them judiciously. Improper use of clamps can rack a project out of square.
- Mask areas to protect them against excess glue.
- Use only the amount of glue required. Make every attempt to limit squeeze-out of excess glue. There is nothing worse than finding dried glue that will not take a stain.
- Remove the tape when the glue reaches a stiff consistency. Don't let the tape get stuck under a layer of rock-hard glue.
- Wait for the glue to dry thoroughly, then finish and stain your project.
- Sand the surface. Use progressively finer grits of sandpaper. Sand the wood until no swirl marks are left. For most furniture, 220 grit is about a fine as you need to go during this step.
- Before applying a stain to your project, test different products and processes on scrap wood of the same type as the project. Perform the complete finish process on a scrap of each type of wood so you will know exactly what the project will look like when complete.
- After determining which product and process looks best, do not skip or change any part of the process used on the scrap, when it comes time to finish the project.
- Small differences in the finishing process can make a drastic change in the look of the complete project.
- Perform a post finish process. Now it is time to really make your project shine, but do not hurry to start this process. Wait until the finish is completely cured before starting. Some products will cure overnight; others take weeks.
- Buff or polish your finish to get the silky smooth look and feel of the project surface. Most people will rub the surface of a project to get an impression of how well the finish was completed. There are many oils, powders, and polishes that will create that mirror finish often desired. Read the different finishing books and brochures to get an understanding of the process.
- Show off your hard work to anyone who will listen. Enjoy the moment.
- Most projects will contain a flaw here and there. Do not point them out when showing off a piece. Most likely, you will be the only one that knows the flaw exists.
Tips
- As the old saying goes, measure twice and cut once.
- Don't get rid of your scraps until the project is complete.
Warnings
- Inattention to the proper maintenance of tools has caused many accidents.
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