Square a Piece of Lumber

This is a quick and easy way to square a piece of lumber for any household project that you are making. Only people that have operated the machinery, listed below, should attempt this.

Steps

  1. Cut the wood to a rough length with the chop or mitre saw.
  2. Put your piece of wood on a flat table.
  3. Rock the wood back and forth on both sides to see which one rocks least.
  4. Put this face down. Make sure the grain is pointing towards the blade. Joint the wood until the face is flat.
  5. Set the chop to the thickness of the wood you’re cutting. Make sure the grain is pointing away from the machine. Plane the wood until it is the finished thickness.
  6. Find the best edge of the wood. Be sure to keep the face on the fence. Joint the wood with that edge down until it is flat.
  7. Cut the wood on the table saw lengthwise 0.5 mm larger than the finished size.
  8. Use the jointer to remove the saw marks on the edge you just cut on the table saw.
  9. Use the mitre or chop saw to cut one end of the wood square to an edge. Cut the wood to the finished length with the chop saw on the opposite end.

Tips

  • Push the wood through the jointer slowly and steadily.
  • Make sure the width of the board isn’t too wide for the planers maximum width.
  • Make sure your board isn’t less than {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} long to start with.

Warnings

  • Never put your fingers under the wood while using the planer.
  • Never wear loose clothing while operating machinery.
  • Always wear safety glasses while operating machinery.

Things You'll Need

  • wood.
  • table saw.
  • jointer.
  • planer.
  • mitre or chop saw.

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References