Woodworking 101: A Beginner's Guide to Woodworking

Projects will often refer to a board end, edge and face. While identification can vary depending on how a board is cut at the lumber mill, in the case of a typical piece of 2-by-4 lumber: 

• The ends are the surfaces at either end of the board length.
• The edges are the narrow surfaces running the length of the board.
  
• The faces are the wider surfaces running the length of the board.

The way you cut a board has a lot to do with how a finished product looks, the way the wood grain appears, and even the tools and techniques you use.

• A crosscut is one of the most basic cuts. It runs across the grain of the wood. When you cut a board to a particular length, you’re typically making a crosscut.
  
• A rip cut is another standard cut. It runs along the wood grain. When you make a rip cut on a board you’re typically cutting along the board’s length to reduce its width.
  
• A square cut is a cut at a 90-degree angle to the edge of the board.
  
• A miter cut creates an angle other than 90 degrees relative to the edge of the board.
  
• A bevel cut creates an angle other than 90 degrees relative to the face of the board.

You’ll see lumber listed with nominal and actual measurements. 

• The nominal measurement for a board, for example a 2-by-4, indicates the dimensions of the board before being dried and planed smooth. 
  
• The board dimensions after drying and planing are smaller. The actual measurements of a nominal 2-by-4 are 1-1/2 inches by 3-1/2 inches.

Check out our lumber guide for more information on lumber sizing, grading and wood types.

Pocket holes conceals screws in wood joints. You drill a pocket hole into one board at an angle and then drive a pocket hole screw through the hole and into a second board. 

Pocket holes can create strong joints without visible screws and a pocket hole jig makes them very easy to create precisely. See our pocket hole joinery article for tips and instructions.

Routing shapes or cuts a pattern into a piece of wood. Routing can create ornate edges for moulding or decorative grooves on the face of a wood component. Routing can also create grooves or recesses to connect other wood or hardware components. 

You’ll use a router fitted with a router bit to shape the wood and create the grooves. Different bits create different looks, profiles and recesses.

Clamps are crucial for holding boards in place for safer and more accurate cutting. They’re also useful for holding components together when allowing glue to set.

Regardless of your experience level, you need the right safety gear for the tool you’re using and the work you’re doing. For nearly any project, you’ll need eye protection, but you may also need hearing protection (such as when using a power saw) and a respirator (such as for cutting or sanding wood).

In some cases, you may need a shop vacuum configured with a dust collection adapter or you may want to invest in a dedicated dust collector.

Before adding a finish to a woodworking project, you’ll need to ensure the surfaces of the wood are smooth so they’ll take the stain and protective finish evenly. In many cases you’ll make several sanding passes — each with a finer grit sandpaper — to create a perfectly smooth surface.

You can hand sand with sandpaper, or for quicker work on large projects, you can use a power sander. A random orbit sander is a good choice for a novice woodworker. The random action helps minimize noticeable swirls and scratches. Other types work well for some applications as well; take a look at our power sander guide to see your options.

Chances are good you'll need several saws. Each type has specific benefits for woodworking.

• Hand saws are simple to use and you can use them anywhere. You can find basic hand saws for straight cuts as well as miter boxes that let you use a hand saw to cut accurate angles.
  
• Circular saws are highly portable power saws that are relatively easy to set up and use. With a proper saw guide, you can quickly make straight cuts and miter cuts with minimal effort. Most models allow you to adjust the blade to make bevel cuts as well.
  
• Miter saws are benchtop tools. They can be portable, but require a table or platform and need more setup than a circular saw. These power saws let you make very precise, repetitive straight and miter cuts quickly and easily. Compound miter saws allow you to make a miter and bevel cut in a single pass.
  
• Table saws are perfect for quickly making accurate cross cuts, rip cuts and, with a miter gauge that positions the work piece at a specific angle relative to the blade, miter cuts.
  
• Jig saws are useful for making curved cuts. High maneuverability and a narrow blade let you use them to cut detailed designs from a piece of wood.

Take a look at our saw buying guides to find the best one for your work:

• Hand saw guide
  
• Circular saw and blade guide
  
• Miter saw guide
  
• Table saw guide
  

A square lets you mark and make accurate cuts, particularly if you need to quickly mark a 90-degree cut. A rafter or speed square can be especially useful. It’s relatively small and easy to work with and you can use it to mark cuts at different angles. When properly clamped, you can use it as a quick cutting guide for a circular saw.

Jigs and woodworking accessories let you use your tools more efficiently. Whether you’re a novice or experienced woodworker, a good selection of jigs and accessories will make your work easier and more accurate. From jigs that let you quickly drill pocket holes to drilling guides that let you drill straight holes to saw guides that help you use a circular saw precisely, you can find an accessory to help you create your project.

Once you get familiar with woodworking, these tools can make the work easier and let you take on new, more complex projects.

• Routers create ornate edges for moulding, decorative grooves on the face of a piece of wood or recesses that receive other parts of the assembly. You’ll use a router fitted with a router bit to shape the wood.
  
• Woodworking chisels shape and carve wood. You can find chisels that let you do detailed sculpting and chisels that let you quickly remove a lot of material.
  
• Hand planes and handheld power planers quickly shave away material from wood to create a smooth, flat surface and reduce the thickness of a board. Hand planers work well for small boards or surfaces. Once you have a dedicated wood shop and are working with larger wood components, you may want to invest in a benchtop power planer.
  
• Jointers are stationary tools that trim a board to create flat surfaces and 90-degree angles from one surface to another. For example, a jointer can create a perfect right angle from the face of a board to the end of the board. Known as truing the board, this makes it easier to create clean, square joints.
  
• Joiners or biscuit joiners have blades that cut notches in boards to receive biscuits, small oval-shaped flanges that align two wood components for clean joining. The biscuits also add strength to the joint.
  
• Wood lathes turns a piece of wood at a very high speed to let you use chisels and gouges to shape and carve it into intricate designs. You might use a lathe to create table legs, wooden bowls, candlesticks and more.
  

• Build a Box: This simple, inexpensive project will give you practice with some fundamental woodworking skills, including cutting, gluing, clamping and sanding.
  
• Easy 1-Board Birdhouse: In addition to creating a home to attract birds to your landscape, this project will give you experience working with a miter saw and wood-boring bits.
  
• Picture Shelves: This beginner project creates simple shelves you can use to display pictures, artwork and more. It’ll also give you experience working with a square and countersinking screws to conceal the screw heads.