How to Woodcraft
- 1). Build your library before you build a project. Start at the local library and check out magazines and books that feature beginner woodworking ideas. Find two or three magazines you like and begin subscriptions. Read everything you can about safety precautions when building, ways to cut costs and simple handyman tools. This is a primary education you can do for yourself.
- 2). Enthusiastic inspiration sometimes puts the cart before the horse. Don't spend lots of money buying tools at the beginning of your love affair with building. You will spend too much money and may not purchase exactly what you need. Decide what works for you. Hammers, for instance, seem generic but they are different lengths and have different weighted heads; some are made for tacking, others are made for roofing. Wait and ask the advice of experts. Buy tools when you are certain that you need them for a specific project.
- 3). Check out woodworking courses in your town. Often community or vocational colleges offer beginning woodworking classes. They also have the tools you need and can borrow while you are in class. The instructors will be a wealth of information when you start to amass your own tools. Find a lumberyard such as Lowe's or Home Depot for classes. They offer excellent advice on many projects.
- 4). Begin to build in a structured environment, rather than on your own, where you will also learn valuable safety tips. Learn the best way to keep all of your fingers and both eyes at the end of a woodworking project. Do not skip this part of learning how to become a woodworker.
- 5). Purchase a sturdy wood bench. Find it at a swap meet or buy it from an on-line auction. Love the extra nicks and dings that give it authenticity when you start to make your own simple project. Begin a rudimentary toolbox of simple household tools. Find a beginner project in a magazine or as suggested by a more knowledgeable woodworker. Make a practical toolbox with a handle to lug your tools to class or to a friend's house. Learn to measure twice and cut once, which is the perfect mantra for all builders.