There are times when you really can learn more than you realized possible. There are many places you can better your skills through additional course or training on-site. When it is about your hobby, you have to find your own education. Keep reading for some useful information on woodworking.

Anytime that you are planning to stain wood, you should be sure to use a high-quality wood conditioner beforehand. A pre-stain conditioner helps keep away any irregularities or blotches in the wood. These conditioners will smooth out the uneven nature of the wood and allow your stain to penetrate evenly.

TIP! Use stair gauges to guide your crosscuts. Clamp them on the carpenter’s square.

Never stain an entire piece of wood without testing a little part of it first. Then, you can stay away from any surprises if the stain looks differently after application. This simple testing tactic lets you counter the unpredictability of wood.

Never use your fingers like a guide. Instead, use a piece of scrap wood to safely push the lumber through your table saw. This will prevent you from loosing a finger or two, which would make working with wood very difficult.

Every shop that does woodworking needs to contain a stair gauge. These can help secure your carpenter’s square. That means your square becomes a circular saw guide. Using the square, you will have perfectly straight cuts every time.

TIP! Never shake a finish or a stain. Only stir them.

Choose correctly-sized nails. Nails that are too big can split the wood. If the nail is too small, it cannot provide enough strength to keep the wood together. The right size nails are crucial for having a successful project.

Find recycled wood. There are several places that use wood and discard scraps that can be useful. Home improvement stores, flooring contractors and other places often have scrap wood. Use this to your advantage to find great pieces of wood to use. This also saves quite a bit of money.

Your work area should be well lighted. You need to be able to accurately measure, which requires great visibility. Not only that, cutting the wood requires sharp tools. If you can see well, you’ll make fewer mistakes.

TIP! Know how much you can spend in order to create a project. A lot of the times your eyes will be larger than your wallet when thinking of a woodworking project.

Enjoying a few drinks and creating something beautiful out of wood may be a great way to spend time away from work. However, if you’re drinking and doing woodworking with tools it can be a terrible idea. Never work on a project when you are drinking alcohol. Don’t use prescription drugs either.

Sanding Blocks

Make your own sanding blocks. Sanding blocks make the task much easier, add control and save you money. Make it yourself with scrap plywood. Check how many different grits of sandpaper you have, and cut an appropriate piece of wood to spray with your favorite adhesive to use with your sandpaper.

TIP! Select an appropriate sort of wood for each project. When it comes to woodworking, some woods can not handle the stresses that other woods can.

Make sure you are double checking your measurements. In fact, it may be a good idea to go over them three times if the materials you’re using are costly. Measuring is where a lot of people make mistakes. Do not cut too short, as this can ruin the integrity of your project.

Everyone needs advice from time to time. Whether you learn how to cook a new dish or learn a new woodworking technique, you can expand your horizons. Your next project will be a snap thanks to these tips.