How To Learn Woodworking
Woodworking as a hobby or business is an excellent outlet for your creativity.
Woodworking provides immense satisfaction through the creation of tangible objects. Learning about woodworking can be daunting at first unless the learning process is broken down into steps.
When starting out, woodworking can be learned by taking classes at a local high school or community college. You will need to find the time to attend these classes. The classes typically include a practical component so you can work on a project as skills are learned. These classes introduce you to a variety of tools typically used in woodworking.
The secret to learning woodworking
Having said this, many woodworkers are self-taught. The secret to learning woodworking is to learn and understand the basics and begin to create small projects.
These projects can initially include basic woodworking joints using dimensioned wood purchased at a wood supplier or box store. Once your skills develop, the joinery can become more advanced. Examples of simple joinery are dowel joints and rabbet joints. Advanced joinery would be mortise and tenon joints and dovetail joints. Mistakes will be made initially, but it is through these mistakes that woodworking is sometimes best learned.
There are many books and magazines available today which cover all aspects of woodworking. Books can be general in nature or can discuss specific woodworking skills. Magazines typically cover one technique and provide projects for you to work on. The projects often include detailed plans.
There are generally two types of woodworking in use today. The first type involves the exclusive use of machinery and power tools whereas in the second type hand tools dominate. Exclusive use of machinery is typically seen in higher volume furniture production environments. The use of hand tools in woodworking is a growing trend as it has many benefits including minimal noise and next to no dust creation. With smaller living spaces today and the need for quiet; woodworking with hand tools often makes sense.
The use of machinery and power tools is however often necessary in the initial stages of a project. This stage would be the preparation of the boards and components of the project. Although the wood in a project can be prepared by hand, it can be tedious and very time-consuming.
New type of woodworking
For this reason, there exists a new type of woodworking called hybrid woodworking involving a combination of power tools and hand tools. The power tools are used in the early stages of a project to prepare and surface boards. Hand tools are then used to create the necessary joinery and to continue to shape the boards into components of the furniture being created. Finer, detail work is best performed using hand tools such as chisels and small back saws.
Woodworking is a vast subject and the skills are typically acquired over many years of practice in creating furniture. However, learning the basic concepts can speed this process up considerably. Fewer errors are likely to be made if certain woodworking concepts are understood early on. A common issue novice woodworkers face is the lack of understanding of wood movement. Wood moves while it is drying and expands when subject to a humid environment. If an allowance for wood movement is not provided for during the construction of furniture, the furniture can begin to slowly self-destruct since wood is inherently not dimensionally stable. This is just one concept which is important to grasp early on.
To learn all about woodworking
To learn all about woodworking through an online woodworking course, please visit Teds Woodworking Projects for Beginners.
The author, Ted Mcgrath, through 25 years of woodworking experience; has developed a comprehensive online woodworking course available at Official website by Ted .
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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