Woodworking 101: Techniques and Everyday Projects

The heart of every woodworking shop is the table saw. This lesson will make you a table saw pro, able to get the most out of this amazing piece of machinery. First, learn how to ensure your saw is set up accurately with the blade parallel to the miter gauge slot and the fence, and perpendicular to the table for perfectly straight cuts every time. Learn which products are best for lubricating your table top-and which ingredient you should avoid at all costs. Next, hone techniques for half lap joints, finger joints, and dovetail sockets, reinforce a mitered joint with a spline, and even discover a trick for cove cutting with a table saw.

If you do not have friends or family members who are woodworkers, it can be difficult to know which power tools are the best investment for your shop. These two lessons are ones you will reference again and again when you are preparing to make a purchase. In the first lesson, get tips and tricks for four tools that bring versatility to your shop: routers, belt sanders, jig saws, and the multi-tool. Among the tutorials in this lesson: comparing fixed base vs. plunge base routers, selecting the correct blade for your jig saw, and how to transform a handheld belt sander into a stationary one so you can keep both hands on your project.

Continue to maximize the potential of your power tools and get valuable purchasing advice from a master woodworker. Dive into the many applications for a biscuit joiner, including how to reinforce 45-degree cuts and join narrow pieces. See slow-motion footage of random orbit sanders to gain a deeper understanding of how they work. Explore the benefits of having a circular saw over a dedicated track saw, learn how to convert a circular saw into a track saw if you would rather not purchase two tools. Finally, get expert advice on selecting the right saw blades for your project.

If you are only using your band saw to cut big, gentle curves and flat stock for furniture work, you are not getting the most from this tool. In this lesson, each aspect of using the band saw is covered step by step, making it easy for you to follow along and incorporate new skills into your woodworking. After reviewing proper setup and maintenance, dig into novel uses for this versatile tool, including cutting perfect circles, resawing beautiful book matches, pad cutting multiples, and cutting non-traditional materials like antlers, gemstone composite, and more.

Many woodworkers are not aware of just how versatile a router table can be. Become a more educated consumer by gaining a better understanding of the inner workings of a router table. Then, follow along with your instructor as you build a handsome wooden box. Along the way, you will learn about the golden proportion, router lifts, lock miter joints, routing for inlay strips, cutting miters, splining corners, and even using the router table as a jointer.

Many woodworkers are not aware of just how versatile a router table can be. Become a more educated consumer by gaining a better understanding of the inner workings of a router table. Then, follow along with your instructor as you build a handsome wooden box. Along the way, you will learn about the golden proportion, router lifts, lock miter joints, routing for inlay strips, cutting miters, splining corners, and even using the router table as a jointer.

A sturdy finished product depends on the right glue. But given the wide variety of adhesives available on the market today, it can be daunting to choose the right glue for your projects. In this lesson, explore the benefits of many types of glue, from common white glue to gap-filling epoxy. Follow the history of hide glue, which was common in pre-WWII furniture and remains the glue of choice for wooden musical instrument makers. Compare and contrast seams created in the same material with different glues. Finally, learn all about glue's partner: the clamp. Explore light and heavy duty clamps, including homemade lightweight clamps made from PVC pipe and an amazing demonstration of clamping an irregularly shaped object using a vacuum bag.

A seasoned woodworker is one who has found ways to make their work as efficient as possible, and shop-made helpers are one of the main reasons for this efficiency. In this step-by-step tutorial, George Vondriska teaches you how to build and use a variety of essential woodworking jigs, fixtures and everyday helpers to make your job in the workshop simpler, safer, and less stressful. He first discusses important tips for choosing the materials you'll utilize for your jigs, highlights some hardware that you should always have on hand for jig building, and then walks you through the building process. From push sticks to router guides to cross-cut sleds, this lesson has guides for building them all.

Much like a master chef has mise en place to ensure that every ingredient and tool needed for a meal is easily accessible, a woodworker is only as efficient as their workshop is organized. Complete three projects that promote a clean and organized workshop: a shorts and sheet goods rack for organizing your wood, a small cabinet that uses dados (grooves) to allow for modular drawers, and a rolling storage unit with a place for everything from large tools to small glue bottles.

Many of the most useful projects in woodworking are ones that you will keep in your own workshop. In this lesson, watch as your instructor builds two projects: a shop storage cabinet with an acrylic glass front and pegboard back, and a table saw miter sled that makes accurate 45-degree cuts quick and easy. In addition to providing you with storage, the cabinet project will teach you about case joinery, making door frames, using Euro hinges, and more.

Craft a unique gift that can be handed down from generation to generation. Get comprehensive project instructions for six family-friendly games: from a small tic-tac-toe board made with beautiful contrasting woods to a fun bean bag toss game for your next backyard barbecue. And you will learn great woodworking skills along the way, such as cutting perfect circles, gluing up panels, making and using a router template for repetitive cuts, and other skills that will make your shop time more productive, and more enjoyable.

Explore outdoor applications for woodworking while building two planters to add beauty and seating to your deck, patio, or yard. Outdoor projects may not require all the finesse of indoor furniture making, but you will find that your cabinet and furniture making skills carry over nicely. You'll learn how to guarantee uniform length when crosscutting multiple pieces, and find tips for getting symmetrical part lay out, the correct glue, material, and fasteners for outdoor projects, and lots more. The bench planter and modular planter are quick projects that are simple enough to do with kids.

Build a useful piece of furniture with an interesting design twist. The base of this desk is two sawhorses, which gives it a warehouse" look. In this project lesson, build a sturdy sawhorse desk from red oak with handsome black walnut banding. You'll learn to accurately cut and assemble the angles required for the sawhorse base, accurately crosscut large pieces of plywood, add banding to mask the edges, and many other useful skills that will carry over to future projects. When you're done, you'll have a piece of utilitarian furniture that you will be proud to use daily."