JCE Woodwork cheat sheet

Hardwood comes from broad-leaved trees (oak, beech, mahogany) and is generally denser; softwood comes from conifers (pine, spruce, fir) and is softer and cheaper.

Seasoning reduces moisture content to roughly 8-12% for indoor furniture; unseasoned timber shrinks, warps, splits and glues poorly.

Nominal versus actual sizes: rough-sawn 50 x 100 mm becomes about 44 x 94 mm after planing; always measure the prepared stock, not the label.

Grain direction rule: cut and plane with the grain (in the direction the fibres lie) to avoid tear-out; reversing the feed direction lifts fibres.

Saw selection: crosscut saw has more, steeper teeth for cutting across grain; rip saw has fewer, chisel-like teeth for cutting along grain.

Joint decision rule: butt joint for low load with fasteners; dowel or biscuit for alignment; mortise-and-tenon or dovetail where racking strength matters.

Dovetail rule: tails on the end grain of one piece, pins on the other; through dovetails for boxes, half-blind dovetails where the joint is hidden at the front.

Abrasive sequence: do not skip more than one grit number; typical progression 80, 120, 180, 240, sanding with the grain before finishing.

Finish rule: sand to about 180-240 grit before film finishes; raise the grain with a damp cloth, let it dry, then sand lightly before staining.

Mark waste side of the line with a pencil or knife; the kerf (blade width) removes material, so cut on the waste side to keep the part to size.

Try square checks 90 degrees; sliding bevel transfers any angle; marking gauge scores a line parallel to a face edge at a set distance.

Winding sticks reveal twist: sight along two straightedges placed across the ends of a board; parallel top edges mean the board is flat.

Face-side and face-edge convention: plane two adjacent faces square first, mark them, and reference every other measurement from them.

Sharpening angle guide: bench chisels and plane irons are typically honed at about 25 degrees primary bevel with a 30 degree micro-bevel.

Kickback prevention on a circular saw or table saw: stand to the side of the blade line, use a riving knife and push stick, never reach over the blade.

Chisel safety: clamp the work, keep both hands behind the cutting edge, and never chisel toward the body or a hand.

Dust and finish safety: wood dust is a respiratory hazard; use extraction and a suitable respirator, and store solvent finishes away from ignition sources.