Learning how to become good at woodworking takes time and practice. The following advice is going to help you prepare for taking on this craft. No matter what you’re trying to make with wood, these universal tips are going to get you started. Join in on the fun today, and start seeing what you can create.

Use stair gauges to guide your crosscuts. Clamp them to a carpenter’s square while making sure they line up with the rise and run of your stair jack. After that the notches can be marked. When you combine them on your carpenter’s square’s tongue, they’ll guide your crosscuts for you.

Your workbench height is important. Measure the distance between the floor and your waist to learn the perfect height for your workbench. This technique will ensure your workbench is at the optimum height.

When working with wood, it is important that you have a lot of patience when it comes to the finishing process. This is just as important as the actual woodworking. Things like gluing edges and sanding the wood down take time, and you will only mess things up if you try to rush through this process.

Understand the features of different wood types prior to selecting it for a project that is to be stained. Paint grade wood is lower quality while stain grade wood is of a higher quality. Particleboard and veneer differ from one another. Veneer doesn’t always absorb enough of the stain, and particleboard over-absorbs it. Using the proper wood makes sure that your project ends up the way you’d like it to.

When you are tackling the sanding portion of your woodworking project be sure that you are using the best type of sandpaper. There are many different types available, and using the wrong type can lead to your project being ruined. If you are not sure you are using the right type you can find the correct information online with the click of a few buttons.

Stir, never shake stains and finishes before use. Over time, these settle, so mixing is necessary. Shaking, however, adds bubbles and doesn’t always mix the stain or finish thoroughly. Stirring mixes the products better by evenly mixing in any settlement that occurred during storage. Stains and finishes that are not mixed thoroughly will not apply correctly to the wood you’re staining and are at risk of looking blotchy.

When you need accurate measurements in the 3-foot range, use a drafting square. These are relatively cheap and can be found at any art supply store. They are perfectly straight and extremely accurate. They are less cumbersome than a framing square and are also longer. This will become your go-to tool in your woodworking shop.

Now that you’ve read this advice about woodworking, you’re prepared to put it into practice. Use your skills, and trust in your abilities to make something totally unique. Woodworking isn’t always about uniformity but art instead. So get out there and show the world what you’re made of and what you can make.