From our Woodworking Academy_Squaring a Board_Page 1



		*ISSUE ARCHIVES*

	*NOV/DEC 2000* Volume 43 / Issue 2 IN THIS ISSUE Project Articles Grandfather Clock, Part 2 Toy Crane Chess Set *DEPARTMENTS* Ask Smitty Owner’s Gallery Letters from Owners Academy Notes Six easy steps to squaring a board Find A Shopsmith Woodworking Academy Near You Service Pointers Safety Tips Dust Collection It Shouldn’t be an Option! *SURF’S UP* Three New Accessories for Your MARK V Specials & Online Catalog Links Worth Visiting Find A Shopsmith MARK V Demo Near You *FREE FROM SHOPSMITH* Free Woodworking Tips Request Accessory Catalog Request MARK V Video Request MARK V Information Package *FEEDBACK* Subscribe/Renew Contacting Shopsmith Copyright 2000. Shopsmith, Inc. All Rights Reserved


	Academy Notes & Tips


	From the Shopsmith Woodworking Academy Six easy steps to square a board


	Face it. The majority of the wood for sale at home centers or lumber yards is less than perfectly squared. Ready-to-use, squared lumber may be available at some locations, but only at a high, premium price that could scare you nearly to death.


	As a result -- and considering the fact that the best first step in virtually all projects is to square your lumber and cut your project components to size -- the Shopsmith Woodworking Academy Instructors offer the following six steps for success in this squaring process. Master these and all your future results are bound to be more professional-looking and a lot more satisfying, as well.


	1. If you’ve purchased rough, unsurfaced or uneven lumber, use a Thickness Planer to surface the two opposing sides to a uniform thickness. The results on many projects are often negatively affected by assuming that all the lumber coming out of the same pile is of a uniform thickness. This is often NOT the case.


	2. Use your Jointer to joint one edge of your stock. When doing this, set your depth-of-cut to take no more than 1/16-inch in a pass. Keep taking light passes until the edge is straight and true.

3. Using your Table Saw, place the freshly jointed edge of your stock against your rip fence and rip your stock to within 1/16-inch of your desired finished dimension.