Beginner - Straight Edges

[sm7]

Hey guys,

I decided recently that I'd like to try and take up woodworking. So I did. Yesterday!.. I went and bought a cheap piece of wood, borrowed some basic tools and started playing around. I sawed some blocks, chiseled some mortises, cut some tenons...all VERY poorly...but I had a great time trying and really enjoyed generally messing around!

Anyway, today I decided that I needed a bench hook and that the best thing to do, given my new found "skill" and hobby, was to build one! So I got some scrap wood, cut it down to pieces and I have what I need. However, the end edges of my guide pieces are not straight. My question is, how can I straighten these out so that when I saw against them, my cuts are straight? I tried sawing again and it was the same, I tried chisel the end off, that didn't work. My next thought was to try and sand it down but I haven't tried this yet as I need to buy some paper. I don't have access to any power tools, nor do I have the budget to spend on anything fancy, so I was just wondering what the best method of straightening out edges by hand is?

Thanks!

 

[AndyT]

The right answer is to make the end cuts straight by sawing straight and square. This takes practice, so don't be put off if you don't get it first time.

I recommend that you mark across the top of the piece of wood you are sawing, using a try-square and a knife then chisel up to the cut, so as to make a channel for the saw to run in. There are different ways of doing this - I recommend you watch some videos to help you. Look for Roy Underhill, Paul Sellers and Richard Maguire for videos that show hand techniques. You need to learn how to reference from one face side and one face edge.

(That aside, I never use the end of my bench hook as a guide any way - so it doesn't actually have to be straight!)

 

[sm7]

Thanks for the reply! I'll get some more bits of the wood marked out tomorrow and practice cutting them down! I'll cut them so that I can also try making mortise and tenon joints in them so I will practice those at the same time! I've got a bit of free time until I start my new job in a couple of weeks and am really enjoying this as a new hobby, even if I do not have a particular reason for starting!

Would sanding the edge down work though? It is maybe 2mm out from face to face of the plank.

 

[Corneel]

No, sanding endgrain is fruitless work. Takes ages and hard to keep anything straight. Pairing off with a chisel might be easier (if the chisel is very sharp). The usual method of correcting the squareness of the end of a stick is to use a plane on a shooting board (google for images).

But learn sawing first. Mark all around with a square. Then saw one corner, then the next, etc. Finally link all the sawcuts together. You'll get a much straighter result.

Next bit of practice is learning to sharpen your chisel. Plenty of advice on this forum.

 

[sm7]

Brilliant, thank you! Great reply. So planing is the proper way to get a straight edge if I'm not cutting properly/using a power tool to cut it clean.

I don't have a plane either, though! They are very expensive from what I've seen in stores. I'm trying to start small and basic as I'm pretty poor at the moment. Graduated my master's last week and waiting to start my job! I'm working with a tenon saw, a set of 3 beveled chisels, a mallet, 2 one hand bar clamps, a very awkward mitre square, a pencil, tape measure and a work mate table, all of which are borrowed apart from the chisels which I purchased. I'm planning on slowly building up my tool collection around what I have borrowed and which if those need replacing first. I really need a better mitre square and a new tenon saw I think as I'm struggling at the moment with the current ones.

 

[heatherw]

You're right, a bench hook is one of the most useful things you can make, and it's so simple. I wish I'd known that the first time I picked up a saw and tried to make a box with no idea what I was doing!

Strictly speaking the ends don't need to be straight, it's more important to mark out the wood that you're cutting with a square on the face and edge, and use the bench hook to support the wood and cut to the line. If you want the ends to be straight for aesthetics, then you'll have to follow the same procedure with them, mark out the line on the face and edge with the square and cut to the line.

 

[MIGNAL]

No but practicing to cut to a line is a good idea. There are a few tips that will help. The first being: relax! Many beginners use a death grip on the handle and 'force' the blade into the wood. Relax and let the (hopefully sharp) saw do the work. I use the pistol grip with the index finger pointing towards the front of the saw blade. May not be necessary but I think that it helps to keep the wrist in line with the forearm. I also tend to use a similar stance to a snooker or pool player - which seems to make sense to me.

 

[Graham Orm]

To learn hand skills watch the Paul Sellers videos on Y Tube. This one shows you how to cut a neat straight line http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2fss7li9p0

 

[Jacob]

Exercises are good- mark up a piece of wood all round at 5mm intervals and try and saw it accurately into a set of dominoes. You should cut to the side of the line so that in theory half the mark is left on the workpiece. Not easy.
It gets better but it may take some time. You might have to look at the saw as well. Just keep at it and be prepared to waste a lot of wood.

 

[sm7]

Thanks a lot for the replies guys. Really appreciate them.

I'm going to get out and practice in a bit once the neighbours are all up etc ha.

My saw is a pretty old tenon saw and isnt that sharp. It cuts fine though so will do for now and ill always have the encouragement that a sharper saw would make it easier.

What else would you guys recommend as essential to buy/preferably build when starting out?

 

[Carl P]

Do you have a workbench? Also pallets are a good source of wood to practise on.

Cheerio,

Carl

 

[sm7]

At the moment I'm working on a workmate. No, I don't have a proper work bench and as much as I'd love to try and build one there is unfortunately no room in the garage in which I'm currently working and I don't think I'd be able to afford the materials yet

 

[AndyT]

You do need something to sharpen your chisels and at least one plane - I recommend an old Stanley or Record no 4.
Choice of a method of sharpening is up to you. I'll just say that there are many different ones, costing different amounts up front, and they can all work. Have a read through old threads on here to see much much more on this.

 

[sm7]

Brilliant, thanks. A plane is definitely something I need to purchase then.

I finished my bench hook today. It's perfect. Simple and easy but I was proud haha!

 

[xy mosian]

This is going to sound strange. Look at what you are doing, watch the teeth of the saw cut into the wood. Like Golf if you don't look at the ball how can you expect to hit it? I am suprised at the number of people I come across who start a saw cut and just blaze away. Jacob is right, it should be possible to split the line, pencil of course, with the cut. If you can do that it makes cutting joints much easier.
xy

 

[Carl P]

About workbenches, I have very limited space, so my bench is only 4' x 22", tiny by most standards, but I can do most things on it and it is easily the most useful thing I have ever made, I am very far from being an accomplished woodworker, so if I can build one I'm sure you can too. The good thing about building tools is that it's not on show so mistakes and bodges don't matter, and you can always rebuild it when you have more experience. I found 'Making Workbenches' by Sam Allen very useful, especially for someone of my lack of experience, he also deals with what benches are useful for, which was revelatory for me, and some basic techniques. The materials don't need to be expensive, all the wood for mine was reused from various places, and if you're patient vices etc can be very cheap on ebay.

Cheerio,

Carl

 

[rdesign]

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/workb ... nch-in-use

you might find this little portable bench useful when u don't have a workshop that u can get properly set up.
Really like the idea of it and annoyed i still haven't got around to making one.

Goodluck
Rick,

 

[Graham Orm]

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/workbenches/schwarz-workbenches/the-milkmans-workbench-in-use

you might find this little portable bench useful when u don't have a workshop that u can get properly set up.
Really like the idea of it and annoyed i still haven't got around to making one.

Goodluck
Rick,

Enjoyed watching that Rick, the music was fun :wink:

 

[sm7]

Thanks a lot for the reply guys! Really helpful links and recommendations. I'll have to remember these for when I come to build one.

 

[Maverick81]

Hi.
I was in the finance industry for 14 years and took up joinery about 18 months ago.
Job 1 was to clear out the shed at the end of my garden (roughly the size of a double garage). I then bought a bare essential kit.....set of mid-level chisels, a mallet, a hand saw, a tenon saw, a combi square, a ruler & tape measure, a marking gauge and a 18v combi drill.

Pretty soon after this I bought a set of sharpening stones and a honing guide, as non-sharp tools are next to useless....even for practicing. You cant perfect your technique with tools that wont/cant do what you are trying to get them to do. That was another £50.

I then bought a smoothing plane from ebay. Don't buy a new one....they are not as good as the old ones (unless you are talking Lie Nielson/Veritas - their prices will make your eyes water). If its not a Stanley or a Record, leave it alone.
But beware....there is something very addictive and collective about planes.....I had soon acquired a nice collection...
#3
#4 smoothing plane
#4half smoothing plane
#5 jack plane
#5half jack plane
#6 fore plane
a rebate plane
a plough plane
and 2 bull nose planes.
Probably getting on for £200 worth ebaying on planes and a couple of days stripping them down, de-gunking them, truing them up and sharpening them back into life and they are now purring like kittens.

Next thing I think I picked up was an Hitachi jigsaw (to match my drill). I then built workbenches, cupboards and shelving as a workstation to operate from.

I have then added all sorts of bits and bobs (drill bits in several sizes, driver bits etc) as well as other basic workshop tools....spanners, rachet/socket set, allen keys, pliers, levels and a couple of vices etc.
I then bought....
A little 900w Trend router: £90
A Metabo 250 sliding compound mitre saw: £220 from a trade show/exhibition (RRP £300 screwfix)
A 12" Bandsaw - £200 from a guy in Leeds via ebay.
A bench-top morticer and a pilar drill: Another guy via ebay having a clearout - gave him £200 for the pair.
A router table from Rutlands: £100
A 2000w router to go in it: I got from meeting a guy on a motorway layby via placing an wanted add on this forum - £90
A corded drill
A orbital sander
A power planer
A circular saw
Cramps, cramps and more cramps.
Various blades for the bandsaw.
Various router bits for the router.

Well over a grand's worth of stuff just for what I feel is a basic set up.

Funnily enough....I don't actually have a bench hook. D