9 Ways to be a better carpenter
Taking on a carpentry project can quickly feel overwhelming. Trying to become a professional carpenter, whether working for yourself, or for someone else, requires some basic knowledge and practice. Since starting my Custom Renovation and Custom Home Building Company in 2020, I have learned a lot of simple habits that make carpentry more efficient and effective. Whether you are taking on a DIY project, or starting a career as a carpenter, these are 10 tips to have you looking like a pro from the start.
1. BE HERE, NOW.
I heard this saying from a 35+year carpenter and it always stuck with me because it was so simple and so crucial to hear. It means to limit your distractions, and focus only on what you are doing. One of the most dangerous things about carpentry is using tools that cut. Whether you are using a skill saw, miter saw, planer, or router, there are more ways to hurt yourself than you can even think of. The most important thing you can do is be locked in to the task at hand, and ignore everything else. A quick head turn, a phone notification, or even music in your ears, can cause distraction and lead to a serious or fatal injury. This goes for tools like hammers, drills, pry bars, and other shop tools. Each of these tools have their own inherent danger when misused or used while being distracted. Think texting while driving. It’s seems innocent, until you’re in a car accident. Be here, now.
2. Safety is more important than speed.
Most people are excited and ready to get to work on that next project. They want to move quickly and get to the end so they can see what they have built. But, it’s hard to see what you built if you can’t see, or if you never finished building it because you had to go to the hospital when that 2x4 whacked you in the back of the head. Slow down, put on the proper Ansi approved safety gear, and then get to work. Ear protection, eye protection, and gloves are the big three. Unfortunately, they are also the most overlooked safety items when on a construction site.
Carpentry is notorious for the loud cutting sounds and can damage your hearing over time. It can also damage your hearing quickly if it’s really loud enough. You may not lose all of your hearing, but you could lose the ability to hear certain tone ranges or levels if your ear drums are damaged. Ear plugs or over ear protection is the way to go and should be used at all times that you are using power tools and often hand tools like hammers.
Eye protection is extremely important as well and will prevent a serious immediate injury. Make sure you are wearing Ansi approved safety glasses and or goggles if you wear prescription lenses. Not all eyewear is created equally. Ansi approved safety glasses can mean the difference between needing a new pair of eyewear and needing emergency surgery to your eye. The best type of eyewear will provide protection from nail punctures or sharp objects that project towards your eye. They will also provide side coverage that protects your eyes from anything that could impact you from a side angle. Goggles are often the best case because they will also provide protection from dust. There are plenty of reasons to complain about eyewear that fogs, or gets scratched and makes it harder to see. None of those reasons are better than preventing a long term serious eye injury.
Gloves are another important item. They aren’t always necessary, but they are highly encouraged. Find a pair that has some cut protection and are thick enough to protect your hands in the case of an errant saw blade or tool scrape. There are lots of different types of gloves for different applications. Find the ones that fit you and fit the task. Gloves can also prevent damage from liquids and other hazardous materials that can burn or damage your skin.
Other safety items for carpenters could include masks with filters, OSHA approved hard hats, OSHA approved boots, appropriate work pants and shirts. The safer you are, the more work you can get done and be proud of, and the less money you will spend on hospital bills. Take the extra few minutes, and spend the extra few dollars to protect yourself on a daily basis. Safety is cool and will immediately make you a better carpenter. Your spouse, children, boss, clients, and insurance companies will all appreciate it.
Ok, now for some tips that are a little more interesting.
3. Select the best lumber you can find, and that the project can afford.
The best way to immediately become a better carpenter is to use the best possible material for the project. This means taking some extra time on the front end of a project to hand select your materials. It’s so much easier and efficient to work with good material. You’ll spend less time picking out the material up front than you would fighting it on the project. Trying to twist, straighten, plane, and re-cut wood on a job is way more time consuming than just picking out good material at the lumber yard from the beginning. Check each piece of lumber for signs of wane (edges of wood cut close to the edge of the tree where it rounds and turns to bark) cracks, twists, and bows. Select only the straightest, cleanest, and best overall pieces of wood from the lot. Purchase the highest grade that your project can afford. Every project can’t afford the No. 1 Premium Select Wood, but you can select the best options from the grade of lumber available to you in your price range. Straight, flat, square wood will make your project go more smoothly and anyone working with you, or your client will appreciate how your attention to detail makes their jobs easier and the project turn out with that level of high quality.
4. Don’t waste the material!
This tip seems like a no brainer, but it’s often overlooked. Select your lumber in lengths that will minimize waste in the form of cutoffs. If you need to cut a piece that is 9 ft and they only have 8 ft or 10 ft lengths in the wood you need, you should get the 10 ft piece and hopefully be able to use the additional 1 ft somewhere. Buying two 8 ft lengths would mean reduced strength because you are splitting the span of the wood and you’ll end up with 7 ft of waste in variable length. Think about the longest lengths you will need to cut across the entire project and try to plan so your cutoffs are lengths that you can use elsewhere on the project, or they are small enough that they can fit in a small trash can. Not only do we want to minimize waste headed to the dump, but we also want to minimize the impact on our forests. Over cutting is bad for the environment and causes the price of lumber to go up because the demand increases as wood is wasted. Even though lumber is a renewable resource, it’s not renewable fast enough to prevent the damaging effects of clear cutting land and with the demand of the housing market, wood prices will continue to rise. Don’t contribute to the unnecessary waste. Take a little time and plan out your material list. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
5. Inspect the material.
Before you cut a piece of wood, take a closer look. Even if you have selected each piece of wood individually, no piece is perfect. Each piece will have a variation or squareness and other characteristics. Check each end of the piece of wood you are cutting with a speed square or framing square. If you need two ends that are square, cut any ends that are not generally 90 degrees. This can be done with a miter saw or a skill saw and a framing square. When you cut everything to 90 degrees, it will fit better and provide good contact and strength for it’s application. You will also want to check for knots, bows and twists. If you inspect each piece of wood before cutting, you may find a better use for it if it has some less than ideal characteristics. For instance, a piece of wood with a big knot in it may be able to be cut in a way that it can be used in two different places and you can eliminate the knot altogether. Another example would be a piece of wood that is 8 ft or longer and starts to bow at one end. You may be able to cut the straightest portion out for your immediate need, and then use the remaining piece as blocking or for an application that is less visible or structural. It’s also important to notice the direction and pattern of the end grain. If you are installing deck boards, you’ll want to lay the decking with the grain shaped like a rainbow. Think frown instead of smile. The wood will eventually curl in the direction of the grain. It’s important that the wood doesn’t cup because it creates a surface where water will stand rather than shed. When water stands on wood, it becomes more susceptible to mildew, rot, discoloration and will deteriorate at a much faster rate. It can also create a tripping hazard. Get some practice inspection different pieces of wood in different applications and projects. The more exposure you get to different types of wood in different uses, the easier it will be to identify material you want to use and where and you will look like a pro if you’re doing this in front of your client or coworkers.
6. Hand pick the straightest pieces for flat surfaces.
If you are framing a wall where cabinetry will go in a kitchen or bathroom, or maybe the wall is going to get a tile backsplash, you’ll want to be working on a flat surface. You’re going to want to use the straightest, longest pieces for wall studs. The best way to check this is by using a 4 ft or 6 ft level going across the wall horizontal. Check in multiple places from the floor to the ceiling. If the level does not sit flat across the studs, you may need to plane some of the studs down, or add furring strips to get a good base for drywall or backer board. When setting cabinetry or laying tile, there is nothing worse than a surface that is wavy. It makes every part of the process take longer with using shims, or floating out the wall to try and get it to sit just right. Drywall can’t hide every imperfection in the walls and when you are using materials that are 8-10 inches or longer across an uneven surface, it will be noticeable very quickly. Setting yourself up, or the trade that is coming in to install the next product, with a really flat surface will earn you some respect and make you look like a pro. Or maybe it will just make your life easier and the final product look better because you won’t have to fight the fun house wall that just never looks straight.
Now that you are dressed for success (and safety), and have a pro level eye for the lumber you are painstakingly selecting, let’s cut some wood.
7. Use a speed Square.
Get yourself a nice solid, metal speed square and get familiar with the markings. This is a multifunctional tool and is a go to for any skilled carpenter. You’ll find yourself moving so much faster and getting better cuts by utilizing this tool to it’s full extent. You can use it to cut consistent 90 degree ends on all of your pieces of wood. You can get quick measurements under 1 ft in length without having to pull out your tape measure. You can also measure and cut different angles quickly without needing a miter saw. You can also draw long straight lines, circles, angles and more, with a little bit of practice. Have the speed square on your tool belt or close to your saw, and you’ll be cutting and looking like a pro in no time.
8. Mark your cutoffs with an X.
A mistake I made a lot was cutting on the wrong side of my line because I didn’t mark it. It meant I cut pieces a little too short or too long and then had to go back and do it again, or I wasted a piece of wood. The surefire way to minimize this is by marking your line on the piece of wood and then putting an X next to the line on the side that you are NOT using. It will also help you notice if you pick up the wrong piece of wood and can’t figure out why it’s too long or too short. You’ll see that X and realize you grabbed the wrong piece, and the correct one is probably still sitting next to the saw.
9. Cut a little long.
For new carpenters, it’s always a good practice to cut your piece a little longer than your measurement. It means you’ll probably need to cut a second time, but it’s better than cutting it too short and wasting a piece of wood. As you gain more experience in cutting, you’ll start to learn your tools and your tendencies better. Some folks measure differently, some cut in different ways. The important thing is that you can always cut a little off, but you can’t add it back. As you’re learning, it’s ok to need to cut a couple times to get the exact fit. You’re practice will develop into a feel, and you will start cutting your lengths more and more accurately as you do more projects. It will take a little bit longer at first, but you are more likely to have a successful and cost efficient project that looks like your plan.
I hope that this was helpful, and that these tips have you feeling more confident in your carpentry projects. If you have any tips or tricks that you think could serve other people trying to develop their carpentry skills, please list them in the comments and help out the broader community.