Westfarthing Woodworks

50 Woodworking Tips

Copyright
Westfarthing Woodworks LLC 2014
This work may be printed, handed out, linked to, and freely distributed as long as it re-
mains in original form without any deletions, additions, or omissions. Please reference
the source when linking and distributing, and best of luck in all your woodworking ad-
ventures. This booklet and others can be found at westfarthingwoodworks.com
1
If you like this guide...
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2
Table Of Contents
Introduction and Disclaimer Page 4
50 Woodworking Tips Page 5 - Page 23
About The Author Page 24
Useful Resources Page 25

3
Introduction
Woodworking is an interesting hobby for a number of reasons. The one that stands
out for me is how easy it is to pick up, but how there is still always a new aspect or tech-
nique to learn. It is easy for someone to learn one part of woodworking, or to learn how
to make a single project. This is the attraction. Anyone with a little patience and the
willingness to learn can pick up the hobby quickly. However, woodworking has so many
different fields of study, and so many different project styles that there is never a short-
age of information to learn.
One way that I ramped up my woodworking ability very quickly was to study as many
different disciplines as possible by making different projects. Each of these projects has
its own tricks associated with it, and these little pieces of knowledge can be applied to
other areas. Learning the little tricks that make things easier, and learning some of the
lessons that only time and failure can teach, makes a big difference in how a woodworker
progresses. I hope that this guide teaches you many of these lessons, and you walk away
a stronger woodworker.

Disclaimer
This booklet is intended for informational purposes only, and if you choose to do
or perform any of the activities listed within, you are doing so under your own free will
and are responsible for any consequences. Woodworking and wood finishing have some
dangers associated with them, and it is important to learn about and anticipate these
dangers before participating in the activity. I make no assumptions about your abilities,
and I recommend that all beginners do some research on safety precautions and protec-
tive equipment before trying out any aspect of woodworking or wood finishing.
Basic safety precautions include but are not limited to: Safety glasses to protect the
eyes, ear protection for loud noises, a respirator to protect the lungs from harmful chem-
icals, proper clothing that is protective but not restricting or in danger of being caught in
moving machine parts, and having a clean and organized workshop free of slipping and
tripping hazards.
Safety in the shop is your responsibility and yours alone. If you think something is
not safe, do not do it. If you require more education on a piece of equipment, seek it out
and learn before you make a mistake that can cause an injury. Above all be careful and
confident in what you are doing, and treat every tool with respect. I hope you have many
long years enjoying woodworking as a hobby and even a profession. It is my belief that
this can be a lifelong hobby as long as all safety precautions are taken, and awareness is
maintained at all times while in the shop.

4
No. 1
To find the center of any square or rectangular sur-
face, draw lines that connect the corners on a diagonal,
which places two lines on the surface. The intersection of
these lines is the center of the board, and this is a quick
way to place things like drawer pulls, find the centers for
wood turning, or any other time the middle of a surface
needs to be found. Use a ruler to connect the two diago-
nal corners, and draw a line that goes the whole length
of the piece. Then, move the ruler to the other diagonal
corners and do the same thing. The intersection will be
the center, and can be marked with an awl or sharp nail
before drilling or mounting to a lathe center.

No. 2
Test fit glue joints dry before adding glue and clamp-
ing them together. This way, problems can be identified
“Glue covered
before they become glue covered problems, which are problems are
far more sticky, and harder to deal with. A test run only
takes a few minutes, and any issues can be corrected be- harder to solve.”
fore gluing and clamping. Perform the same steps in the
same way that the final glue up will be done, this way
nothing can sneak up and become a surprise. After all
the clamps are in place, and everything worked well, re-
move them and begin the same process again with glue.

No. 3
The best way to get good at woodworking is to just
keep on making things. In the beginning, they may not
be very good, and this is to be expected. Keep working
on the basics and keep making projects. Over time, the
skill level will increase, and the what was once difficult
will become second nature. There are no substitutes for
doing the work. No magic bullet, no DVD course, noth-
ing but hard work.
5
 No. 4
Plan the project well in advance of making it, especial-
ly in the beginning. Seasoned woodworkers have a better
chance of winging it and having the project be successful,
but even they make a plan first. Planning helps eliminate
many if not all of the pitfalls and potential problems that
can arise, because they are identified while they are still
on paper. A problem on paper doesn’t waste materials,
time, or resources, which is why this is the best place to
work everything out. Also, once the bugs are all worked
out, it becomes far easier to be confident in going though
with the project, knowing that most of the hurdles have
been passed.

No. 5
A large compass can be made from a pencil and a
string, and this can be used to mark out large circles for
things like table tops or round windows. It is better to
make a custom compass by putting a nail in one end of a
long skinny piece of wood, and drilling for a pencil on the
other. If a certain diameter table is needed, the nail and
the pencil need to be half that distance apart. Also, a cus-
tom folding compass can be made with two thin pieces
of wood that are bolted at the top, where one end has a
pencil attached and the other has a nail point.

No. 6
The Radius of a circle is half as long as the Diameter,
and the Circumference is the Diameter multiplied by Pi,
or 3.142. The Area of a Circle is the Radius squared and
then multiplied by Pi. Many of these simple arithmetic
formulas will become important in woodworking, espe-
cially when working with circles. It is worth the time to
get familiar with them, so they don’t have to be looked up
when they are needed.

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No. 7
Brad nails from an air nailer are not there to provide
any structural support, they are simply used to clamp
the pieces in place while the glue dries. Even a hundred
brads in a butt joint between two boards will be easier to
pull apart than a few brads and completely cured wood
glue. It is the glue that provides the strength of the joint,
not the brads. Be sure to always use wood glue when
stitching something together, unless screws are going to
be used afterwards.

No. 8
A true rectangle is half the size of a square, meaning
that the long sides are twice the length of the short sides, “The sum of the
and all angles are 90 degrees. Any four sided shape with
all 90 degree angles is also a called rectangle, and if the angles in a
angles are not all 90 degrees then it is a quadrilateral. A
quadrilateral will always have four corners, and the sum
quadrilateral
of the angles will always be 360, no matter what form the will always be
polygon takes. This can be used to plan the angles for
miters when making non square or rectangle shapes that 360.”
do not use the basic 45 degree miter.

No. 9
Use Aliphatic Resin glue for all wood to wood joints,
and be leery of newer and less thoroughly tested glues
until they show more of a track record. Titebond AR
glue in the red bottle is the standard for woodworking
glue, and it has been in use for a very long time. This is
a superior glue to PVA or white glues, and bonds faster,
sets quicker, and has enough open time to get the clamps
set and locked into position. There are other glues for
wood to wood joints, but there is a reason that the major-
ity of woodworkers and cabinet shops in the world use
Titebond. Don’t take chances, use what works and has a
proven track record.
7
 No. 10
For non-wood joints, or for when the wood is very
oily like Cocobolo or Rosewood, use a nice two part ep-
oxy for the joint. Many times oily woods can be tough
to glue, because the oils repel or prevent the glue form
getting into the surface and setting. In the case of these
kinds of woods, there are a couple solutions. The easi-
est for smaller projects is to use epoxy for the adhesive,
which doesn’t have as many issues attaching to the oily
surfaces.

No. 11
If wood glue has to be used for an oily joint like Co-
cobolo, leach the surface first with denatured alcohol
or acetone to remove the oil. This has to be done fairly
quickly, and the joint needs to be glued and clamped im-
mediately after removing the oil. The process is simple,
just wipe the surfaces to be glued with an acetone or al-
cohol soaked rag, and keep wiping until the rag comes off
fairly clean. Fold over the rag to expose new fabric every
few wipes, and once the rag looks clear, the top layer of
oil has been removed. Glue and clamp the boards once
the solvent evaporates in a few minutes, and the joint will
hold.

No. 12
Dispose of solvent rags carefully, because they can
catch fire if left in a trash can or another area with very
limited air circulation. Solvents evaporate fairly quickly
from rags and brushes, though if contained they can gen-
erate heat and catch fire. This happens most commonly
in a trash can, which will most likely also be filled with
papers, wood shavings, scraps, and lots of other highly
flammable materials. This is a recipe for disaster. Dry
out all solvent rags before disposing of them, and make
sure to follow all safety precautions on the solvent can.
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No. 13
Do not store finishing supplies in the garage, or any-
where else that does not have climate control. In areas of
the world that get very hot in the summer or very cold in
the winter, these temperature extremes can destroy fin-
ishes in their containers. The look of the product may
not change at all, but old finishes or weather worn finish-
es can have problems drying when applied. This means
a finish that is always soft, and never really cures. Find
a safe place inside the house like a locked cabinet, and
store all finishing products there. Keep the cans clean
and there will be no smell, and be sure to keep pets and
children away from this area too. A locked cabinet is best,
but even an inside closet can have a lock added.

No. 14
Wear a respirator when finishing, as well as dispos-
able gloves. Even with finishes that do not smell par-
ticularly bad, the solvents are still there in many cases,
and they can cause harm over time. The respirator pro-
tects the lungs from these chemicals, and keeps the over-
whelming majority of them out of the body. Gloves on
the hands are a simple purchase, and they only cost a few
pennies each. A new pair is used every time, and they
keep the chemicals in the finish from entering the body
through the skin. These two items are a must when fin-
ishing, and can be used with other personal protective
equipment for safety.

No. 15
Don’t be afraid to try something. Many times, simply
trying something new or working on something different
can broaden the skills that are already known, and even
strengthen unrelated skills. If a good idea strikes, it is
usually worth giving it a try in the shop with some scrap
wood.
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 No. 16
Keeping a small journal or notebook for woodwork-
ing ideas and notes can be a very useful tool. It doesn’t
have to be anything fancy, though a really cheap booklet
will tend to be treated like something really cheap, which
it should not be. The ideas inside are where the value is,
so invest in a small journal like a Moleskine, which is du-
rable, and a nice piece to store ideas in. When a though
occurs about woodworking, or a new idea, place it inside
the book. This can be a reference for the woodworker for
years and years, and a very valuable tool.

No. 17
Find scrap wood in the local hardwood store for a frac-
tion of the cost. Many if not all hardwood stores will have
a cutoff bin where they keep their pieces that drop from
milling the lumber into sellable pieces. These smaller
pieces cannot be used to make a dresser or desk, but they
are great for smaller projects, and to use as test pieces.
If a new species is going to be used for the first time, it is
worth the effort to acquire a scrap piece to test finishes,
or even the working properties of the wood itself. If you
make rings, small boxes, or other small things, this bin
can save you hundreds of dollars in wood cost every year.

No. 18
When drilling a pilot hole to join two boards, the first
pilot needs to be large enough that the screw can pass
through the hole without needing to be turned with a
screw driver. The purpose of this pilot is to allow the
screw to grab the lower board, and pull the two pieces
together. If the threads are grabbing on both pieces, they
will move as one, and not draw together. The lower pilot
needs to be as large as the inside of the threads, which
allows the center of the screw to pass easily while the
threads grip and hold the wood. This prevents splitting.
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No. 19
Take pictures. Digital cameras have made picture
taking almost free, because the images can be viewed on
a computer instead of printed out. Take as many pic-
tures as possible and from several different angles when
making a project, and it will be easy to refer back to those
images when they are needed. Also, having a wealth of
pictures makes it fun to look back upon past projects.

No. 20
Sharp tools are safer and more effective than dull
tools, and make woodworking easier. A very sharp chisel
or hand plane iron is a wonder to work with. I think many
people make the mistake of buying an edged tool off the
shelf and wonder why it is so difficult to work with when
they get it into the shop. The reason for this is that the
irons are not honed to a very sharp edge when they are
sold. In many cases, these tools end up on a shelf, never
to be used again. Invest in a double sided water stone,
which has a coarse abrasive on one side (800-1000 grit)
and a polishing grit (4000-8000 grit) on the other. A few
quick strokes on the coarse side followed by a few dozen
on the fine side will leave a chisel or plane iron so sharp
that it can be used to shave with. These tools cut better,
smoother, and easier, and are a pleasure to work with.

“Research what
No. 21 your tools are
Instead of buying a new tool, research what the tools
in the shop currently are capable of. For example, a rout- capable of
er can be used as a jointer, and a circle can be cut on a
table saw. A jointer can be used as a planer for stock that before buying
is not too wide, and a chute can be made for a planer that
makes it work as a jointer. Lots of tools have hidden abil-
new tools.”
ities beyond what they are typically sold for, and knowing
the true depth of a tool opens up more opportunities for
woodworking without the expense of buying new tools.
11
 No. 22
The Router is the wood shop magician, and can liter-
ally be used to do almost anything that other shop tools
can. Invest in a book on the versatility of a router as well
as a nice router based on what is read in the book, and
this combination will open doors in woodworking that
many people don’t even know are there. In the begin-
ning, all I had was a router and a band saw, and I made
several electric guitars with only these two main power
tools. The router is truly one of the most versatile tools
in the shop.

No. 23
After the router is purchased, pick up a small rout-
er table or make one in the shop. The advantage of the
router table is that it frees up both hands while working
with a piece, and this allows for safer operation and more
control in many cases. A router table can be made from
scrap plywood, and a fence from the same. The fence can
be clamped into position where it is needed, or threaded
knobs and bolts can be fitted into slots for the clamping
action.

No. 24
Spend some time on the internet and on YouTube
looking at what other people are making as well as for
“People online shop tool tutorials. There are a wonderfully large num-
ber of people on the internet who love nothing more than
want to share to share their information with you. These people may
be selling their books, like I am, but they are also part of
their knowledge the culture that wants to share woodworking skills and
with you.” teach others about the craft. I give away far more infor-
mation between my online articles and videos than I sell
in my books, and this is because I am truly passionate
about woodworking and teaching others about a hobby
that has made such a difference in my life.
12
No. 25
Use a scissors to cut veneer. A very sharp scissor like
a Fiskars or other nice scissor is a great tool for cutting
veneer into shapes for marquetry or inlay. The tool does “Scissors are a
not require learning a new skill, because almost everyone
has used scissors before, and the control is easy to pick
great tool for
up when working with veneer. cutting veneer.”

No. 26
If lots of different colors of veneer are needed, like for
marquetry or wooden ring making, purchase a veneer va-
riety pack or wood species identification pack. These ve-
neer bundles have close to 50 different veneers in them,
across the same number of species. This is a great way
to get several colors of wood to work with, and allows
more choice for projects. The pieces are smaller in size,
around 4” x 9” and the price is very low for all the veneer
that comes in the pack.

No. 27
Invest in a thickness planer if making cabinets, case
goods, laminating wood, or doing any similar style of
project. A thickness planer can be found used for a very
low price, and even a small 12” planer is a great tool to
have in the shop. When a planer is available, boards can
be purchased at standard thicknesses, and then altered
in the shop based on need. Purchasing pieces like this al-
ready thinned is more expensive per piece, because part
of the price is the cost of the machine and the labor for
the wood seller. Buying wood rough sawn is also less ex-
pensive, and the boards can be sent through the planer to
clean up the faces. When gluing boards together, a quick
run through the planer leaves the surface completely flat,
and makes for a far better glue joint. My planer was the
best $200 I ever spent in my shop without exception.

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 No. 28
Pallets can provide a large amount of free wood, but
be careful what they look like. Many pallets are treated
“Oak, Maple with chemicals and pesticides to make them last longer
and other nicer in the outdoors. Look for pallets that do not show evi-
dence of treatment, are light in color (typically meaning
woods are they are newer) and do not have any foul smell. These
are some of the best sources of wood if a retailer throw-
commonly found ing them away allows them to be taken. Oak, Maple, and
other nicer woods are commonly found on these pallets.
on pallets.”

No. 29
Join a woodworking club or organization that meets
at least monthly. There are a number of nice woodwork-
ing clubs around the world, and they can teach a new
woodworker plenty about getting going. They are made
up of people who enjoy woodworking, and in many cases
have spent decades or more perfecting what they enjoy
doing. Most of these people will love nothing more than
to share their talents with anyone interested in learning,
and the membership fees are typically very low.

No. 30
If going somewhere doesn’t sound like fun, look on-
line for a woodworking forum that deals in general wood-
working or a specific aspect that sounds interesting. For
example, there are forums on instrument making, cabi-
net making, tobacco pipe making, and many other spe-
cific woodworking disciplines. People go online and have
written conversations about any and every topic that they
can imagine, and just reading through these forum pages
can reveal quite a lot of free information and techniques.

14
No. 31
Go online to a place like Craigslist or another online
person to person selling source, and find a cheap version
of the item you intend to make. Buy it, bring it to the “Bring a piece
shop, and take it apart. This is a sure fire way of learning
how the piece was made, as well as how to learn elements to the shop and
of construction and technique. Dressers and cabinets are
easy to find for next to nothing on sites like this, and just
take it apart.”
make sure to find one that was made using classic joinery
and glue, not cam locks and dowels.

No. 32
A little glue goes a long way. As long as both surfaces
to be joined are completely covered from edge to edge
and end to end with a thin layer of wet glue, the joint will
adhere very well. Too much glue and it squeezes out all
over the place, and too little means a weak joint or poor
coverage under the joint. This can take a little time to get
the hang of, but as long as a little squeeze out happens,
and there are not puddles of glue left over, the amount of
glue used is most likely in the correct range.

No. 33
Flat surfaces make the best joints. Pieces of wood
that are going to be glued together need to mate well,
which means the surfaces need to touch on the entire
face, rather than in only a few places. A lumpy board
glued to a flat board will only adhere where there is con-
tact between the two pieces. I really bad board will only
contact on 25% or less of the surface, which is a joint that
will be very weak and most likely fail over time. Spend
the time it takes to create a surface that is completely flat,
and mates perfectly with the other surface. This way,
the glue coverage is 100%, the contact is 100% and the
strength of the joint will be as strong as it possibly can.

15
 No. 34
When buying wood, look for pieces that are already
dried. Wet wood will bend, warp, and twist as the mois-
ture escapes, leaving a difficult to work board. Dried lum-
ber has already gone through this process, meaning that
it will stay very close to that same shape even as years
go by. Also, dry wood can be worked with immediately,
where wet wood needs to be seasoned before it can be
used, and this can take time.

No. 35
Hardwood and Softwood have to do with the shape
of the leaves more than the actual density of the wood it-
“Hardwood and self, though most hardwoods are more dense. Trees that
Softwood have have large broad leaves are called hardwoods, while those
with narrow needle shaped leaves are called softwoods.
to do with the Pine, Spruce, and Fir are all softwoods. Oak, Mahogany,
and Maple are all hardwoods. In the case of these six
shape of the mentioned, the density and the category make sense, be-
leaves, not the cause the hardwoods are in fact harder and denser than
the softwoods listed. Balsa on the other hand is the least
density.” dense species of wood, and it is actually classified as a
hardwood, because of the broad leaves on the tree.

No. 36
Making an instrument and making a coffee table
would be the exact same thing if the coffee table had to
sound good in the end. Instruments offer a unique chal-
lenge to a woodworker, because they not only have to
work with structure, they also have to create something
that can move and flex to produce vibrations. Try making
an instrument for a side project, for example and electric
guitar, cigar box guitar, or instrument kit. They can tach
quite a bit about woodworking, as well as paying atten-
tion to more than one detail at a time.

16
No. 37
Use hand applied finishes. Finishes that go on by
hand make an expert finisher out of anyone. These in-
clude oils, shellacs, varnishes, waxes, and mixtures of the
four. Hand finishes go on with a soft clean cloth, and
since they are rubbed on, they leave a flat surface, which
is easy to build upon. The finishes have a classic look
to them, because they have been used for centuries, and
they are available everywhere.

No. 38
Select one finish and become a master at it before
buying dozens of different types. Spend some time fin-
ishing scraps or other cheap sources of wood, and really
get to know what happens when the finish is applied, as
well as how it dries. Oils are the easiest to start with, and
“Master one
boiled linseed oil, and Tru-Oil are some of the best and finish before
most forgiving to work with.
buying dozens
of them.”
No. 39
As a general rule, almost any type of finish will adhere
to almost any other as long as the first layer is completely
cured. Even though this is the case most of the time, it is
still wise to use products that are designed to go together
when finishing. If an oil base stain was used on the piece,
use an oil base top coating to protect it. If water base was
used, pick out a water base clear for the final look. As
finishing manufacturers get better at what they produce,
the type and amount of different finishes available keeps
on getting bigger and bigger. Stick to the basics and keep
products of the same type together. This ensures that the
results will be consistent and that the finish will have the
best chance of lasting a very long time.

17
 No. 40
Save money by re-sawing blanks in the shop rath-
er than buying them already sawn to thickness. Oddly
enough, pieces that are thin tend to cost almost twice as
much per board foot than standard dimensional lumber
from a bin. Save money by buying standard lumber and
sawing it down on a table saw or band saw in the shop. If
the tools are already there, use them and save the money
over paying a premium for someone else to do it.

No. 41
Where possible, make a jig. There is an old joke
about woodworkers, and how it only takes a seasoned
professional a couple seconds to make a perfect cut, but
it takes him several hours to make the jig for that cut. It
almost always makes sense to make a jig when making
several pieces or making several of the same cuts. A jig is
simply a setup that helps make accurate and consistent
woodworking possible by making the process repeatable
every time. Jigs are worth ten fold the amount of time it
takes to make them, as they ensure predictable and ac-
curate results.

No. 42
Make a template. Templates are great for the same
reason that jigs are great. They provide consistency and
repeatability. A template will only produce as good of a
piece as the template itself, so spend the time it takes to
produce a great looking and perfectly functioning tem-
plate. This will ensure that all the pieces made from it
have the best chance of being perfect as well. For projects
where a shape needs to be created, or a pattern needs to
be transferred, having a template really cuts down on the
time it takes to transfer the drawing to the wood. Also,
once a template is made, it stays for life. Invest a little
time now, and the returns will be far greater over time.
18
No. 43
Avoid pieces of wood that are warped, have large
knots (unless this is a design feature that is desired) are
cracked, or have any other defects. In the shop, these
defects will need to be cut off and thrown away or into a
“Start with good
scrap bin. The seller will most likely not deduct much for wood that is free
this drop, so buying it just to throw away makes no sense.
of defects.”

No. 44
Keep a scrap bin in the shop, and save anything that
can possibly be saved. Group the pieces by size, so that
the very small pieces are in their own bin, and the larger
pieces are kept on a shelf or in a stack. When wood from
a previous project is used for a new project, the wood is
essentially free because it did not have to be purchased
again. Working like this allows many more projects to be
made for the same cost, and reduces the amount of cash
that has to be invested into the hobby.

No. 45
Find another project that can be made from smaller
pieces, like the scraps that are being saved, and sell that
project. Many woodworkers have a small item that they
sell to bring in some extra money to cover the expenses
that go along with woodworking. Like any hobby, work-
ing with wood and making things can be a money pit if
not done right. There are endless tools that can be pur-
chased, enough wood to fill the garage, and all of this can
add up quickly. A smaller project that can be made from
inexpensive wood, or even from scrap is a great way to
turn trash into treasure and generate a little income from
the hobby. In my case, I started making wooden rings
from the small scraps I had a long time ago. These rings
are easy to make, cost me nothing, and I can sell them for
$20 or more. Wooden rings with metal cores can sell for
$100 each, and this helps to offset my material cost.
19
 No. 46
Buy the best tool you can for the amount of money
“Buy the best you want to spend, but do not necessarily buy the most
expensive tool. This goes for new as well as used items,
tool you can and can help get the best bang for the buck. For example,
with your it is better to shop around and pick up a slightly used ta-
ble saw for half the price of new than to spend that same
budget, not money on a new saw, which will be at full price. Also,
getting something in the middle of the road now, helps
necessarily the ensure that a new one will not be needed right away, ef-
most expensive fectively making the first investment a complete waste.

tool available.”
No. 47
Name brand doesn’t mean as much as it used to any-
more. With a few notable exceptions, most tool manu-
facturers are tied to the same parent company, and get
many of their parts from the same places. A little inter-
net search will reveal how many high end and low end
tool companies are ran by the same people, and often get
their materials from the same sources. When it comes
to a few pet tools, go for the name brand if it has what
you are looking for. However, the rest can be anything
middle of the road and they will be more than adequate.

No. 48
Square up all stock first before trying to build any-
thing from it. Joints work the best will great fitting piec-
es of wood, and this is not possible with stock that is out
of square. Spend a little time on the front end making
sure the pieces are square and ready to build with, and
the building phase will go far more smoothly. This can
be as simple as a run through the jointer or table saw to
square up the edges, and a pass or two on the planer to
smooth out the faces.

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No. 49
Have patience. Great woodworkers all have one
thing in common. They do not rush through the job, and
they take their time to make sure it is perfect. Over time,
the tendency to rush will become reduced, as long as you
make an effort. Woodworkers like to play with their cre-
ations as quickly as possible sometimes, but it has to wait
until the job is done. Work intelligently, go slowly, and
the piece will be done when it is done, not before.

No. 50
The last and one of the most important tips I can
share is to practice. Whether it is making a small project,
or building a built in book case that fills a 30 foot wall,
take some time and practice the methods before commit-
ting to the actual project. For small things, this can be as
simple as making a prototype, or building a version of the
piece from inexpensive wood. This practice helps identi-
fy problems, and mistakes are less costly than with a one
of a kind board, or an expensive wood species. For larger
projects, building a model is impractical, but practicing
the joinery methods or veneering methods is worth do-
ing on a smaller scale. If the book case will have shelves
with a dado to hold their ends, practice a few dados on
the table saw or with a router before working on the ac-
tual piece. For a large piece, get a handle on the size and
figure out how it is going to break down to get into the
house. Get familiar with the techniques, and then just
apply those same teachings to the actual item. Don’t be
afraid to destroy some scraps and waste a little wood “Practice as
learning something. It is far easier to destroy something
cheap than to build a 30 foot book case in the shop and much as you
wonder how the heck you are going to get it through the
door and into the living room. At this point, even the can, there is no
best looking piece of woodworking was a failure, because
it will never do what it was intended to do.
substitute for it.”

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 Bonus Tip
Above all else, the best way to become a better wood-
worker is to combine learning with action. Become a stu-
dent of the craft, learning as much as possible about it,
and then put those lessons into practice in the shop. A
few minutes a day spent reading and researching can add
up to quite a bit over time, and a true student of wood-
working will learn and practice all they can.
In the world we live in, information is available every-
where, and lots of times that information does not cost
anything. The internet and the library are great resourc-
es for free information about woodworking, and a person
reading and watching videos 24 hours a day could spend
their whole lifetime doing so, and not ever get through
it all. The scope and the depth of woodworking is enor-
mous, because at one time or another almost everything
“The best way to in the known world was made from wood. Try looking
become a better at resources from a long time ago, like older books, and
they will show techniques that are still great, but no lon-
woodworker ger in use because of technological changes. Sometimes
they are gone for a reason, but many times they are bet-
is to combine ter, just not convenient and easy to sell for woodworking
learning with stores.
Also, start building a library of books on woodwork-
action.” ing and wood finishing. These two topics go hand in hand
because almost every piece that you will make will also
have some type of a finish on it. Begin buying one book
a month, or one book every other month, and actually
spend the time reading them. Its a crazy idea, but books
on the shelf mean nothing if they are not read. Look for
places where books are available for less than full price,
like used book stores, garage sales, and books on Amazon
for a discount. These are great places to begin building a
library, and eventually you will have a book that address-
es almost every major focus in the woodworking world.
I know this sounds like a lot of work, and on the face
of it, there really is quite a bit that has to be done in order
to become an expert. However, if you break it down into
smaller pieces, over time it is less imposing. For exam-
ple, if you read for one hour a day, every day for a year,
you will have 365 hours of research and study under your
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belt. In most fields, it requires far less than that before
you are released as fully qualified to do the job. Think
about the impact that 365 hours of research and study
can do for your woodworking ability. If you can team
this up with a good amount of practice in the shop, af-
ter a year you will be a very capable and very intelligent
woodworker. When it is broken down like that, the task
is not as daunting, nor is the idea of becoming a good
woodworker out of reach.
I hope you enjoyed these tips, and hope they help you
become a better woodworker. Remember to practice and
study, and over time you can look forward to getting to
the point where there is nothing you cannot figure out
how to make from wood. It is a fun feeling knowing that
you can make just about anything, and it does not take
long to get there if you put in the time each day.

“Become a student of woodworking, and put those

lessons into practice in the shop. Absorb as much
material as you possibly can, and every little thing
you learn will be another tool that you can use to
produce better and better work.”

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 About The Author
My name is Brian Forbes, and I have been a woodworker and instrument maker for
over fifteen years. My small shop is in Arizona, and I enjoy making acoustic and elec-
tric guitars, tobacco pipes, wooden rings, and many other projects. I have published
two books on woodworking, one on making acoustic guitars, and the other on making
wooden rings. Both of these books are filled with great information, and I encourage you
to take a look for them on Amazon.
In addition to my personal projects, my formal education comes from the furniture
repair, refinishing, and restoration field, where I have taught the craft to several people
during my time as instructor. Many of these craftsmen have gone on to have very suc-
cessful careers in furniture repair. My love of teaching people about woodworking and
finishing led me to publish my books, as well as the encouragement and positive words
from those who I help on a daily basis with woodworking questions via e-mail. If you
ever have a question that you can’t find an answer to, please feel free to e-mail me, and I
will do my very best to help. My e-mail is westfarthingwoodworks@gmail.com

24
 Useful Information
My web site is www.westfarthingwoodworks.com

My books can be found on Amazon by clicking on the pictures on

page 2, they cover acoustic guitar making and wooden ring making.

One of the best places to purchase fine woodworking tools and ma-
terials is Woodcraft, and their web site is www.woodcraft.com

Follow me on Pintrest, www.pintrest.com/wfww

Thank you very much. I hope you enjoy reading this booklet as
much as I have enjoyed writing it.

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