Tips for woodwork and furniture making

Press, 10 February 1983, Page 10

Tips for woodwork and furniture making

Many home handymen consider furniture-making and other fine woodworking jobs the preserve of skilled tradesmen but this is not the case by any means. It is largely a matter of patience, using common sense, and following a few basic rules. Here are some of those rules that will enable you to turn out a good job:

Avoid waste. Materials can be expensive, and a wrong cut often means a piece of wood wasted. So after mark-, ing out. always check your measurements' again jus't to make sure. Mark Out with Fine Lines. Use a hard pencil with fine point, and keep it sharp as you work. For really fine lines and accurate work, as in making joints, use a mark-

ing knife, a tool with a chisel-like edge. Use Good Tools. It is much easier to produce good workmanship with good quality tools than cheap ones. Good tools cost more, but last a lot longer. Use a Sanding Block. In rubbing down the work with glasspaper to a fine finish before polishing, always use a sanding block with the

paper — a cork one is best — to get a smooth surface. Always rub in the direction of the grain when using the glasspaper: start with a fairly coarse grade and finish with the finest grade available. Use Your Nail Punch. Nothing mars the appearance of a job more than to see nail heads protruding through a finished surface. Always punch nail heads well below the surface and

fill them with plastic wood or putty — depending on the type of finish to be applied. Various Sizes. Remember that nail punches — or nail sets to give them their correct name — are made in various sizes to suit different nail gauges. Use Correct Screwdriver. Always use the correct screwdriver. Driving in a large-headed screw' with a

small screwdriver damages the screws lot and the blade. It also makes the work harder and more difficult. On the other hand, using a larger screwdriver thannecessary will damage the surface of the work. Always drill pilot holes for screws, and where a number of screws are visible, always dress the heads — that is. have all slots running in the same direction.