The Importance of Choosing the Right Woodworking Plans
If you are a beginner at woodworking you are about to start having some fun! I say, "Having some fun" because, if you choose the right woodworking project for a beginner and the right set of woodworking plans, your chances of success will be very high and you will wind up with a very useful and beautiful object that you created yourself.
You also will learn a few of the basics of carpentry on your very first project that you will be able to use on all your future projects.
One of the very first things anyone interested in woodworking needs to learn is how to read a tape measure.
Of course, reading a tape measure is very easy when you are reading feet or inches because they are spelled out for you on the tape when you pull it out.
What I am talking about is reading the fractions between the inches.
You will need to learn what all the marks are between zero and one inch.
The marks between all the other inch marks are exactly the same as the ones between zero and one inch.
If you look at a tape measure you will see that the biggest or longest line between the inch marks is right in the center.
That is the ½ (half inch) mark.
The second biggest or longest lines (there are 2 of them) are the "quarters".
There is the ¼ (one quarter) line and the ¾ (three quarter) line.
Then there are the "eighths".
There is a line for 1/8 between 0 and ¼ and the 3/8 line between ¼ and ½.
There is also a 5/8 line between ½ and ¾ and a 7/8 line between ¾ and 1 inch.
Then there are the sixteenths lines.
The best way to figure those out are by converting the eighths fractions to sixteenths and adding or subtracting one depending on what the measurement is.
For example 3/8 is converted to 6/16 when you double the top and bottom numbers and if you are reading one mark less than that the correct measurement is 5/16 or five sixteenths of an inch.
Also if you were reading one mark more than 3/8 it would be 7/16.
Learning the basics of woodworking works the same as learning how to read a tape between zero and one inch.
Once you learn the fractions between zero and one inch those same fractions will work between all the other inch marks on your tape measure.
Once you learn the basics of woodworking you can use the same lessons with every future project.
The next basic thing to learn when it comes to woodworking is planning.
If you want to really improve your chances of success you will want to start with a great set of plans for your project.
Every expert woodworker will always start by drawing a set of plans so they will be able to figure out a shopping list for materials and whether they have all the right tools to complete the job.
Now, as a rookie or beginner at woodworking you do not need to draw a set of plans because there are plenty of resources out there for you to acquire them.
You will just have to be careful with choosing a set of plans.
The set of woodworking plans you choose will need to be easy to follow, accurate, detailed and complete.
It would also be helpful if they didn't cost you a bundle, right? So I would suggest that you turn to the internet and look for a set of plans from an expert that has plenty of testimonials on their website.
If you find a website that looks like it put together well and it over delivers on what you really need for a reasonable price AND it has some contact information from the creators of the plans in case you have some questions then that is a good place to start.
And remember, if you are a beginner you should start with a project that is for beginners and once you have created several simple objects it will be time to move up to a project that is a little more complicated.
In no time at all you will be building some beautiful and well crafted furniture for your home and saving a lot of money on home furnishings.
You also will learn a few of the basics of carpentry on your very first project that you will be able to use on all your future projects.
One of the very first things anyone interested in woodworking needs to learn is how to read a tape measure.
Of course, reading a tape measure is very easy when you are reading feet or inches because they are spelled out for you on the tape when you pull it out.
What I am talking about is reading the fractions between the inches.
You will need to learn what all the marks are between zero and one inch.
The marks between all the other inch marks are exactly the same as the ones between zero and one inch.
If you look at a tape measure you will see that the biggest or longest line between the inch marks is right in the center.
That is the ½ (half inch) mark.
The second biggest or longest lines (there are 2 of them) are the "quarters".
There is the ¼ (one quarter) line and the ¾ (three quarter) line.
Then there are the "eighths".
There is a line for 1/8 between 0 and ¼ and the 3/8 line between ¼ and ½.
There is also a 5/8 line between ½ and ¾ and a 7/8 line between ¾ and 1 inch.
Then there are the sixteenths lines.
The best way to figure those out are by converting the eighths fractions to sixteenths and adding or subtracting one depending on what the measurement is.
For example 3/8 is converted to 6/16 when you double the top and bottom numbers and if you are reading one mark less than that the correct measurement is 5/16 or five sixteenths of an inch.
Also if you were reading one mark more than 3/8 it would be 7/16.
Learning the basics of woodworking works the same as learning how to read a tape between zero and one inch.
Once you learn the fractions between zero and one inch those same fractions will work between all the other inch marks on your tape measure.
Once you learn the basics of woodworking you can use the same lessons with every future project.
The next basic thing to learn when it comes to woodworking is planning.
If you want to really improve your chances of success you will want to start with a great set of plans for your project.
Every expert woodworker will always start by drawing a set of plans so they will be able to figure out a shopping list for materials and whether they have all the right tools to complete the job.
Now, as a rookie or beginner at woodworking you do not need to draw a set of plans because there are plenty of resources out there for you to acquire them.
You will just have to be careful with choosing a set of plans.
The set of woodworking plans you choose will need to be easy to follow, accurate, detailed and complete.
It would also be helpful if they didn't cost you a bundle, right? So I would suggest that you turn to the internet and look for a set of plans from an expert that has plenty of testimonials on their website.
If you find a website that looks like it put together well and it over delivers on what you really need for a reasonable price AND it has some contact information from the creators of the plans in case you have some questions then that is a good place to start.
And remember, if you are a beginner you should start with a project that is for beginners and once you have created several simple objects it will be time to move up to a project that is a little more complicated.
In no time at all you will be building some beautiful and well crafted furniture for your home and saving a lot of money on home furnishings.
