There is so much to learn when it comes to woodworking, and it can seem like a huge challenge. There are so many woodsmith tips and techniques out there, and it can be difficult to filter through the good ones and the not so good ones. Here we have compiled a few tips that we think will help you out a lot in your woodwork shop. These are things that are often overlooked, and if corrected, can greatly enhance the quality of your work, while helping you to avoid injury.

Make Sure Your Table Saw Is At 90 Degrees

This is one of those things that you cannot just eyeball. There are a couple of ways to test this. First you can get a square and set it next to your blade to see if there is any gap between the square and the blade. If you don’t have a square, or if you want to double check, there is another method. Take a piece of wood that is at least 2 inches thick and cut it on your table saw. Next you take the two pieces of wood, flip one of them upside down, and then put them back together at the cut. Make sure to do this on a level surface. If there is any gap showing, then you have a saw blade that is not at 90 degrees! You will need to adjust your blade and keep running this test until you get it just right.

Workbench Height

If you are constantly getting a sore back when you are woodworking, you may need to adjust your workbench height. The typical workbench is three feet high, but that may be too low if you are above average height. Remember when it comes to things like this it is definitely not a “one size fits all” situation. Adjust the height to where it works best for you, and pay no attention to what anyone else says about the correct height. This is one of those old woodsmith tips that will save you a lot of pain in the long run.

Protect Your Eyes

This one should go without saying, but some people like to tempt fate anyway. You should always wear eye protection in the shop. I get in the habit of wearing my safety glasses at all times. That way I never forget to put them on when doing a cut. This might be overkill, but just be sure to always put your glasses on when doing any task that involves flying wood pieces.

Protect Your Ears Too!

Everyone knows that you need to wear eye protection in the shop, but many people do not give consideration to their ears. A woodsmith shop is a seriously noisy place at times, and that can cause major damage to your hearing. It is a very good idea to get some hearing protection in the form of ear plugs or ear muffs. It may seem uncomfortable at first, but you will get used to it. Trust me, a little discomfort from wearing the protection is much better than a life of Tinnitus or other hearing disorders. Make sure your ears are protected!

I hope these woodsmith tips are informative and useful to you. If you follow my directions, you should be much safer and more productive in your wood shop!

Author Bio: Jim F. Clark is a woodworking teacher and creator of the Woodworking Book website.

Category: Arts and Crafts
Keywords: woodsmith tips, woodworking, wood shop