This article is here to teach you a few useful things about woodworking. There are many suggestions in the following article to help you along your way to becoming a woodworker as either a hobby or your job. Keep reading so that you can learn more.

Never stain an entire piece of wood without testing a little part of it first. If you test the stain color first, you will not have any unpleasant surprises. This will go a long way in preventing disappointment.

TIP! Try making sanding blocks that are reusable on your own. Cut six blocks from some plywood that you have laying around for every piece of sandpaper that you use.

When you are cutting narrow pieces of wood, never use your fingers to guide them. Instead, use a long, thin strip of wood to push the piece through the saw. This will help to keep you from cutting off your fingers, which would be a travesty.

Use tin snips to trim laminate for your projects. They will make it easy for you to cut quickly and easily and get the laminate to a size that is usable. Using them only for this laminate also helps keep them sharp.

A stair gauge is a great tool to keep in your shop. Commonly used to scribe stair jacks, it can also be used to attach to your carpenter’s square. This will turn your square in to a circular saw guide. The square will get you wonderfully straight cuts all the time.

TIP! When you work with wood, wear the right shoes or boots. Your work environment will be full of nails, wood pieces and various types of tools.

Learn as much as you can about different woods. Wood varies from type to type. The trees that these woods come from could take the stain differently. Different cuts will have different effects on splintering. The variety of different wood grains is astonishing. All of this will become factors in your woodworking project.

Have some more spring when you’re working with your grip. You might need to use spring clamps, but you may only have one free hand. This isn’t a simple task! There is an easier way. Make sure that all of your clamps are in the proper location before starting. In this way, you will be able to retrieve them with one hand as you need them.

Wear ear protection. The machinery used for woodworking can be very noisy. Exposing your ears to these things for a long time can cause hearing loss. Good headphones or even disposable ear plugs are good ideas. Whatever you select, make sure that they are available when you plan on operating the machines.

TIP! If woodworking is new to you, one of the most important pieces of advice to take is to thoroughly read all plans and instructions before you begin anything. Review them to make sure there isn’t any information missing.

Always look for free wood around your neighborhood. A lot of companies have pallets out back collecting dust, and they will probably give them to you when you have a way to take them. Look online for ideas of what you can make with pallets.

As was stated before, there are many basic ideas that gat get you going on your woodworking project. Fortunately, the tips you have learned here can help you with that. Now you just need to keep exploring and starting to put what you read to use.