Carpentry and Woodworking - Prepare yourself...

Hi,

I am new to this game and was hoping that someone could give me advice on preparing timber and what different techniques and tools you could use.

So for example, if I had a plank of wood, which was as rough as you like, no square edges etc... how would I go about getting some sections of timber from it which are perfectly square and straight??

I'm aware that you can big Planner/Thicknesses to do the job very accurately, but what alternative methods (and cheaper) could I use?

Also, if you know any good websites with this kind of info (or a link in this one), please post them too.

Cheers.

To use rough sawn wood, use a scrub plane or planer to flatten one side and a jointer or jointing plane to flatten one edge. From here you would next flatten the other side parallel with a plane or planer, then rip the other edge on a table saw to make it parallel and flat. Then finish up by planing to the thickness and quality you want and joint the edge clean and smooth and parallel.

Here is a good source of books on woodworking.

http://www.taunton.com/store/index_fwbv.asp

Hope this helps.