Getting REALLY good at making sawdust and offcuts

[AlwaysLearning]

Hey all.

Over the years, I've made a few bits of furniture (DVD rack, simple wardrobe, etc) working exclusively in chipboard, pine, ply and MDF. None of it has fallen apart yet, but none of it is straight either. Basically, I'd play in the shed for a couple of weeks, then leave it alone for six months until it started calling me again.

I'd never stuck with it long enough to actually develop any real skill.

I'm here to change that.

I'm sick to death of not being able to make a cut that's square in all three planes, so I figure that's probably a good place to start. Would someone kindly point me in the right direction?

Cheers.

Stacy.

[AlexS]

Assuming your tools are OK, (search these forums for info on sharpening and tuning planes) the first thing to learn is to how to make a piece of wood square in all three planes.
Start with a piece of reasonably straight rough-sawn timber. Plane one wide face flat in both planes. As it gets close, reduce the thickness of the shavings. Check it with a straightedge. When you're happy with it, mark it as the face side. You will work from this reference.
Flip the wood on its side in the vice, and plane a narrow face flat. While doing this, you're also trying to make it square to the face side. Check it frequently with a straight edge and try square. When you have it flat and square, mark it as the face edge. This will be your other reference.
Use a marking gauge referenced to the face side to mark the thickness of the wood on both edges and the ends, and plane down to those lines, planing evenly so that this face is square to your face edge. You should find that when you get down to the lines you've marked, you get a thin sliver of wood peeling away. In the same way, mark the width of the wood, referencing it from the face edge, and plane it straight and square. You now have a length of squared wood, hopefully longer than you need.
Holding the stock of your try square against the face side and face edge, use a marking knife to score a line around the piece of wood near one end. With the wood held firmly either in a vice or on a bench hook, use a tenon saw or a Japanese saw to cut along the outside of this line. It's important to get the cut started correctly. Hold the saw with your elbow in line with the cut, and let the saw do the work. If it starts to wander off line vertically you can correct it if you catch it early. Watch that when you do this,you don't over-correct on the side you can't see. If it's not exactly right, you can clean it up with a block plane on a shooting board. You can then measure from this end the length you want to cut the piece to. Mark and cut it the same way.
You won't get it right the first time, but you will with practice. You will also get faster and more accurate.
There are many tricks you will learn along the way, and from here. This is a very basic guide, but it should get you started. Welcome & good luck.

[Grommett]

What a great reply. Oh, by the way, welcome to the forum. You will find so much help and information here, enjoy.

[Christos]

Welcome to the forum. Does not matter how long between breaks the skills do develope.

[AlwaysLearning]

Holy good night! Awesome response AlexS. Thanks muchly. It's a lot more work than I originally thought. Especially since you have to do all that before you even start your project. What on earth have I gotten myself into?

As far as tools go, I'm making do with clamps until I can convince my wife that a vise is an essential purchase (could take a while). I'm also short a shooting board. I've just been using a bench hook and the bench surface with very dodgy results - with this set up I've been having trouble keeping the plane vertical.

Anyway, thanks to all for the welcome and thanks again for the advice.

Cheers.

Stacy.

[munruben]

Alex has pretty well covered it in one. some good advice there. Welcome aboard.

[ToothFairy]

Great advice from Alex!

As one who not so long ago would struggle to even rule a straight line, never mind cut one, I can confirm that skills do develop. Funny but true: I am far better at slicing bread since I worked on my wood-cutting technique! (Maybe you can practise slicing bread to help with your sawing skills )

- Michael

[Christos]

Funny but true: I am far better at slicing bread since I worked on my wood-cutting technique! (Maybe you can practise slicing bread to help with your sawing skills )l

That's puts me at a disadvantage I purchase the pre-sliced version.