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Everyone should learn the basics of carpentry. Basic carpentry skills are helpful if you want to do some light woodworking, and they can also be beneficial if you’re working on DIY home renovation projects. If you’re new to DIY carpentry, avoid starting with complicated projects and instead develop a few basic skills.
By taking the time to master carpentry basics, you can avoid making simple mistakes that result in a lot of wasted time and material. For those of you who are trying to learn carpentry, the following skills will provide the foundation you need to work on a wide range of beginner projects. These include driving nails, drilling holes, measuring and marking, working with saws, and sanding.
Carpentry Basics Include Learning How to Drive Nails
A great first step in carpentry is learning how to use a hammer. It might seem simple, but it actually takes skill and practice to get it right. Without the right technique, you could end up with a lot of bent nails and bruised fingers!
One common mistake beginners make is to swing the hammer as hard as possible. Many people don’t realise that accuracy is far more important than power. Instead of trying to power the nail into the wood, opt for a nice short, straight swing and let the weight of the hammer do most of the work.
Drilling Holes
Drilling holes is another important skill in carpentry basics. You’ll need to practice drilling straight and selecting the right bit for the project. Additionally, you will want to learn how to drive screws with your cordless drill.
Accurate Measuring & Marking
Expert home improvement work requires accuracy. The quality of your finished product can depend heavily on how well you measure and mark your lumber. In many cases, being off by a couple of millimetres can ruin your entire DIY carpentry project. Measuring and marking might seem simple, but it can be trickier than you think. A lot of timber isn’t perfectly square, so you could end up with measurements that don’t match. There are also techniques to learn that can help with making long straight marks on a piece of lumber, and also for marking out perfect angles.
Working With Saws for DIY Carpentry
Learning to cut wood is one of the key basic carpentry skills. A range of hand saws should be a part of your basic carpentry toolkit, but you’ll also want to look into power saws. If you are just starting to learn the basics, the 20V WorxSaw can be a great addition to your tool collection. Circular saws can make a variety of cuts and this one offers a range of features that make it easy to cut accurately.
Sanding
Sanding wood is an important skill in beginner carpentry. You’ll not only need to learn sanding techniques, but you will also how to select the right sandpaper. Sanding by hand can work well for many projects, but if you plan to do a lot of DIY carpentry, you will probably want to invest in a power sander.
A random-orbit sander can be a good place to start for most beginners, but you may also want to look into a finishing sander. Learning how to do carpentry can be great as a hobby and it can also be good for doing repairs and maintaining your home. With the skills we mentioned here, you can get started on your way to becoming a DIY carpentry pro.
Find the tools you need for your next DIY carpentry project at WORX!