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WOODWORKING

Chapter 12

MEASUREMENTS AND LAYOUT

Introduction

Okay, so you’ve read your plans, chosen your wood, familiarized yourself with the required joinery,

and purchased all of your building materials. Now, at last, it’s time to cut. Typically, the order in which

you cut your lumber is not important. You are simply cutting out the pieces of your project so that like a

model or a puzzle you can put them together. It’s not some much that you have the right order of the cuts

in mind, as much as it is that you have the right mind to cut in order. That being said, you should always

first think through your project and determine a plan of action. If you are building a cabinet, for instance,

you should consider cutting and assembling the carcass, or cabinet box, first. Then, cut and assemble the

face-frame to fit. After the face-frame has been mounted to the carcass, then you would build your

drawers and cabinet doors.

If you do not know how to measure to the nearest 1/16” take

some time to learn before you get started. Woodworkers have a

golden rule to Measure twice, and cut once. Keep this phrase in

mind at all times while working on your project. If you cannot

measure well, you cannot cut accurately. To measure twice and

cut once means to 1) measure the size of your cut, 2) make a

mark on the wood, and 3) take the wood over to the machine

and measure it again before cutting. Match your measurement to

the plan or the cutting schedule and make sure it is correct.

Then, at last, make your cut.

When measuring, make certain your tape measure fastener (sometimes called a

latch bracket, tang, lip, or metal hook) is securely placed against the edge of the wood.

This marks the beginning of your measurement, or 0”. If it is not firmly against the

wood, your measurement will be off. Also, examine this fastener before you get

started. It should be not be loose. If it is loose, 0” will not be a true 0”. Finally, keep

your tape tight and straight. A loose or angled measurement is longer than a tight and

straight one.

Keys to measuring and layouts:

1. Material List...use it: Using your material list, assemble the raw material together. The raw
   materials are the pieces of lumber or boards from which you will be cutting; the store bought wood.
   Check the lumber for knots, splits, warps, nails, and staples and plan your cuts accordingly. In other
   words, remove the nails and staples, cut around loose knots, cut off splits, and determine if you can
   work with any warps.


2. Cutting Schedule...follow it: Following your cutting schedule, cut each piece of lumber to the
   desired size (i.e. the size written on the schedule). Begin by cutting off the ends of each workpiece.
   This will assure that the end is square. Moreover, often the end of store bought lumber is rough,
   chipped, or damaged. By removing the end, you will save yourself a lot of work during the sanding
   and finishing stage.


3. Determine your Cut...Final cut or Rough cut? Two types of cuts are employed when sizing wood
   for your project, a final cut and a rough cut. A final cut is the last cut you will make to that piece of
   lumber. The size will match the dimensions found on your cutting schedule. A rough cut is made
   slightly larger than the finish size of the workpiece. This is often done to make larger pieces of
   lumber smaller and more manageable, or because the stock will be planed down to size and made
   square. We will discuss squaring wood in the next chapter. For now, remember not to do any final
   cuts on wood yet to go through the squaring process. If you will be squaring your wood, only make
   rough cuts. So, before you begin cutting, decide if your cut will be the final cut or the rough cut.


4. A Simple Mark...No Lines, please: Because you are using machinery, there is no reason to draw
   lines on your wood. Lines are only necessary if freehand cuts are being made and you need to follow
   the lines with your blade, such as cutting curves. Pencil marks are nothing but a nuisance later on
   when sanding and staining. Do not draw lines. Measure the distance of your cut and make a short,

Fastener

Unit III: Project Construction