You may not know it yet, but you may need woodworking skills later on in life. Although you may not be someone who works in this craft every day, there might be a period in your life when you decide to construct a deck outside, or take on a simple project with your kids. The tips below will assist you in your projects.

Condition your wood with a pre-stain product. This will reduce any blotches in the piece that you create. These applications even out the stain on the wood.

TIP! Pick out the wood that’s right for your project you’re doing. When thinking of work with wood, there are some pieces of wood that aren’t able to handle the stress other woods can.

Test stain in an area that will not be seen or on a scrap piece of wood. This lets you stay away from any sudden surprises when the stain color is not what you expected. Different woods can affect stains differently. Sometimes wildly different. Testing first is the best way to know what something will look like.

A great tool for setting crosscut guides is a stair gauge. All you need to do is affix them to a square and then affirm that it is set as you would like the angles to be. From there, make note of the notches. If you place them on the tongue you’re using for your carpenter square, that combo is a good crosscut guide for your circular saw.

Understand your budget’s limitations. When it comes to woodworking, it is easy to get lost in the project without a grasp on reality. You’re excited to get started only to find out that halfway through you’re not able to afford continuing. Do the math before you start, and you can avoid an unpleasant surprise.

Gel Stains

Gel stains are great for staining furniture pieces. Liquid stains have a tendency to run but gel stains will stay in place better, without running. Also, gel stains are thick and their pigment stays consistent.

If you have loose interior door hinges to work on, you may be able to just use a golf tee to help. Just take the door off the hinges and tap the golf tee into the offending screw hole. Cut the part of the tees that do not fit into the screw holes before putting the door back in its frame. The golf tee fills the hole and provides additional material to hold the screw.

TIP! Get a handle on how a wood takes to staining prior to choosing a wood for a project. Paint grade wood is considered a lower quality wood, if you buy stain grade it means that the grain of the wood will be more attractive when stained.

Be certain you use the right nail size for any project. If the nail is too large, you could end up with split wood. Nails that are too small won’t hold the pieces together. You should know what size you need to get the job done.

Be on the lookout for free wood sources. Businesses will have leftover pallets, and construction areas may have scrap wood they don’t need. You can also get a lot of good ideas online.

Wear sturdy footwear whenever you are working on your wood projects. When you are working with wood there are all sorts of hazardous objects that can land on the floor. You want to make sure your feet are protected in case you kick something or step on any nails. The shoes must be tough enough to endure your work environment.

TIP! Your grip can use some extra spring. A spring clamp may be useful sometimes, but only if you can use more than one hand.

After reading this article, hopefully you better understand woodworking. This definitely helps because most everyone works with wood at some point during their life. Use the knowledge you acquired here to expand your woodworking options.