Video m3CqH4DjVlI

[00:00] There are things in woodworking that you just sort of pick up along the way. Things that no one ever talks about because they're just so ingrained that they've become second nature. Well, today I'm sharing 15 woodworking basics that I think every woodworker should know. So let's kick it off with number one.

[00:14] We've all brought home lumber that seemed perfectly straight at the store, only to find it warped and twisted a few days later. Inevitably, wood will want to move as it reacts to changes in its environment. Wood will want to swell when it's hot and humid,

[00:27] whereas it will want to contract and shrink when it's cold and dry. And this is a cycle that will repeat season after season. There are a couple things we as woodworkers can do to help control the seasonal movement.

[00:41] Number one is to allow the wood to have room to move in our builds. For example, when fastening down a tabletop, you'll often see the use of knee clips or figure-eight fasteners. This will allow the tabletop to expand and contract without restriction.

[00:54] Otherwise, if you screw it down too tight, the table is likely to crack over time. Another thing that helps control the cycle of expansion and contraction is to apply a finish to the wood. By sealing it on all sides, it helps to minimize the exchange of moisture with the ambient air and therefore stabilizes the wood.

[01:10] So just remember to finish every side of the project, even the ones that no one will see. Butt joints are weak. Yes, butt joints. If you've ever tried to glue end grain to face grain, it probably didn't hold up for very long.

[01:23] Edge to edge glue-ups on the other hand, like cutting boards or tabletops, are super solid. Glue alone is plenty strong to make a long-lasting joint and no mechanical fasteners are required. But when it comes to butt joints, glue just won't cut it.

[01:37] You'll want to use some sort of mechanical fastener to strengthen the joint, like pocket screws, dowels, or even biscuits. Or if you prefer, you can try some more advanced joinery methods like finger joints or even dovetails.

[01:50] you'll end up with a much stronger joint that won't be an epic fail. So 2x4s aren't actually 2 inches by 4 inches. They're actually 1.5 by 3.5.

[02:02] Now there's probably a whole history lesson I could give you on why 2x4s aren't actually 2x4s anymore. They used to be at one point, but not today. But we still use those nominal dimensions because the rough board was actually a 2x4,

[02:15] but then it's been planed and smoothed down to its final dimensions. So while the final dimensions are a lot smaller, we still use the nominal dimensions as a reference. Now this will apply to pretty much all the finished lumber that you'll buy. A 1x anything is actually 3 quarters thick, whereas a 2x8, for example, is only 7 1 quarter inches wide.

[02:34] So just keep in mind the nominal versus the actual dimensions when planning out your project. Next up, understanding how to calculate bored feet. Unlike softwoods that are sold with 2x4s and 2x6s, hardwood is sold by the bored foot.

[02:47] board foot, and this typically applies to rough lumber. When you go to a lumber yard, they'll typically have a list price for every species they have, and the price will be listed in board foot. For example, $6 for a board foot of maple. Unlike softwoods where you buy a

[03:01] 2x4 but you only get a 1.5x3.5, when you buy hardwoods, you'll actually get what you're paying for. Now the math is actually quite simple once you understand how it works. One board foot is 1 foot wide by 1 foot and an inch thick So 12x12x1 That a board foot So if you want to calculate for this board for example 36 inches long 8 wide and 1 tall It becomes a little complicated when you don have exact feet right

[03:33] So there's a simple formula to easily calculate it. Just convert everything to inches. So 36 by 8 by 1, we already have it in inches, multiply that all together and divide it by 144. And you'll have the number of board feet.

[03:46] So in this case, 36 by 8 by 1, that's 288 divided by 144, we have exactly two board feet. So if you're wondering what two board feet look like, this is it.

[04:00] And that's how you calculate board feet. Safety matters. No one wants to lose a finger or an eye, right? so tie back that hair, roll up those sleeves, and leave your jewelry in the house.

[04:12] And generally speaking, don't wear gloves while operating large tools with spinning blades. I take shop safety very seriously, not only the physical dangers like a table saw, but also those invisible dangers that you don't necessarily see.

[04:26] That's why you'll always see me wearing earmuffs or noise-canceling headphones to protect my hearing, Safety glasses to protect my eyes, and a dust mask to protect my lungs. I like to wear a P100 respirator like this one,

[04:40] but a disposable N95 mask like this one will do the job too. And by the way, you can get a sweet deal on safety glasses like these ones at Princess Auto. I think these were like $3.

[04:52] And of course, always be mindful of what you're doing. If it doesn't feel safe, it probably isn't. So don't do it. Speaking of safety, let's talk about the table saw for a second. The table saw is great for making all sorts of cuts, but there is one type of cut in particular

[05:07] that you never want to make on a table saw, and that's cross-cutting against the fence. This applies just as well for a 2x4 as it does supply wood. You want to avoid cutting a long, thin piece with the short side up against the fence.

[05:19] If you try to cut a board like this against the fence, there's a very good chance the board might twist and bind, causing kickback. the off cut will come shooting back at you or worse. Instead you can use a miter gauge or a

[05:31] cross cut sled to make this cut safely. Or just use your miter saw. That's basically what it's made for. As the old adage says, measure twice, cut one. It may sound really basic but when you're dealing

[05:45] with expensive hardwoods making a mistake can be costly. What I like to do is measure, then make a a marking and draw my line using a square. Then I'll measure again to the line to make sure I got the dimension just right. Measure twice, cut once. Oh and another tip, always

[06:02] buy a little extra lumber for any project that you're making in case you do make a mistake you'll have a little extra on hand. Another mistake some of us make when starting out is forgetting to account for the saw blade's kerf. And what I mean is that when you make

[06:17] your first cut from the miter saw or the table saw, you may be inclined to line up that blade right on your line. But that's a mistake. If you cut it that way, you'll end up too short on your measurements. Instead, the goal should be to line up the

[06:29] very tips of your blade with the outside of that line. That way, if you measured 18 inches you end up with 18 inches After I measured my cut I like to make an X on the waist side of the line so I know which side of the line my blade needs to be on Do it this way and you get much more precise cuts

[06:53] A router can be a really loud and intimidating tool to use, especially if you've never used one before. But there are simple feed direction rules to follow in order to use them safely. When you're When you're holding your router in hand with the bit facing downwards, the bit will spin in a clockwise direction, as is often indicated on the router's base plate.

[07:11] You want to feed the router against the bit's rotation and will therefore want to go in a counterclockwise direction going around your workpiece. Now if you're writing the inside of a frame, the opposite is true. You want to move the router clockwise.

[07:26] Think of it this way. If this was an individual board, you'd move the router counterclockwise around the edges. But because we're moving from board to board and confined inside, this becomes a clockwise motion.

[07:40] So just remember this for handheld routers. Always go counterclockwise around the outside of a board, but clockwise around any inside edges. When first sitting out in woodworking, you'll most likely have only been exposed to woods like pine and cedar that you see at Home Depot or Lowe's.

[07:55] Home Depot or Lowe's. But as you grow into woodworking, you'll learn that using hardwoods can produce not only better-looking pieces, but also more resilient and longer-lasting. Softwoods, on the one hand, come from trees that have needles and are typically evergreen all year round. Hardwoods,

[08:11] on the other hand, come from trees that have large leaves and typically fall off in the autumn. Unlike softwoods that grow really fast, hardwoods typically grow slowly and therefore produce a harder and more dense wood. Softwoods typically have way more knots than hardwoods do, and for those reasons,

[08:28] hardwoods are typically more expensive than softwoods. Softwood examples include pine, spruce, fir, whereas hardwoods include maple, oak, ash, walnut, and cherry, for example.

[08:44] Speaking of lumber, let's talk about open grain versus closed grain. Now, I'm not going to pretend to be an expert and explain everything about open versus closed grain, but what's important to know is that when making cutting boards or spatulas or any other items that would be used in the kitchen

[08:59] and come in contact with food, you don't want to use open grain woods. A classic example of an open grain wood is oak. Now while oak may be beautiful for millwork or fireplace mantel or furniture,

[09:12] it's definitely not something that you should see in cutting boards. Ashwood is another really good example of an open-grain wood shouldn't be used for cutting boards. Same thing goes for softwoods. Definitely a no-no when it comes to cutting boards. Open-grain woods have almost visible pores that you

[09:27] can see with the naked eye which makes them a poor candidate because they'll soak up moisture like a sponge and become a breeding ground for bacteria. On the other hand, maple, walnut, and cherry are great examples of closed-grain hardwoods that can be used for cutting boards.

[09:42] There are two main types of cut in woodworking. There's the rip cut and the cross cut. The rip a board means you're cutting with the grain usually lengthwise by cutting a wide board into thin strips Cross cutting on the other hand is when you cutting across the wood fibers or across the grain Think of the cut you would usually make at the miter saw when cutting a 2x4 So picture the wood as if it were a broom

[10:05] When cutting lengthwise with the fibers, that's a rip cut. And just like a broom, it requires minimal effort to separate the fibers lengthwise. But if we were to make a crosscut across the fibers, it would require a lot more effort to cut these fibers in half.

[10:20] That's why there are different types of blades for each type of cut. A ripping blade will have fewer teeth and very aggressive teeth and also have deep gullas to help eliminate the sawdust quicker and prevent heat buildup. A crosscut blade will have much finer teeth and a lot more of them in order to try to tear those fibers as cleanly as possible.

[10:37] Now personally, I have no time or patience to be swapping out the blade every time I want to make a different kind of cut. That's why I keep a combination blade pretty much all the time on my table saw. This blade combines the best of both worlds and allows me to make rib cuts and cross cuts

[10:51] and even cut plywood with pretty decent results. When it comes to sanding, there's a process to be followed and it's important to not skip through the grits too quickly. Now I know everybody hates sanding, but if you don't want all those swirl marks in your wood, it's important to follow the process closely.

[11:07] Now there's a simple rule to make sure that you're not skipping too quickly through the grits and that's never increased by more than 50% when you're switching from one grit to the next. So that's why you'll see the grits that I have in my sandpaper cabinet here.

[11:19] I'll typically start at 80 grit for rough lumber, then I'll move up to 120, which is plus 50%, then 180, which is plus another 50%, and finally 220, again moving up 50%.

[11:34] I rarely go any higher up to 320, for example, except when I'm using epoxy or something like that. So what this means is that I have to fully sand my project four times starting with 80 all the way up to 220 until the project is finally ready to apply finish.

[12:03] When using screws, always drill pilot holes first, especially if you drill into the end of a board. You can use pretty much any countersink bit. You can buy a really basic, affordable one that you can find in any big box store like this one,

[12:20] or you can use a premium style bit like this one, which has the countersink just as well, but it also has a no-mar depth stop, which means you'll be drilling through exactly the same depth every time, you won't be over drilling, and you'll always get the perfect countersink.

[12:39] There's nothing worse than ruining a project because you drilled a little too deep and the bit blew out the other side.

[12:54] Ah, that really sucks. But there's a simple trick for this, one I use all the time. Just take a piece of blue tape and then wrap it around your bit at the stopping point. That way you'll know exactly where to stop and you'll always drill to the perfect depth.

[13:10] And I think that makes 15. I'm sure I forgot some really important ones and you'll let me know in the comments down below. Until next time, thanks for watchin', see you soon.