Truing Up a Framing Square
After having a discussion about the inaccuracies of framing squares with a viewer, I decided to demonstrate how to true up your framing square and make it exactly 90 degrees. I hope you enjoy the show and find it informative.
My first ever hand cut dado is...not great
Make a small kerf with a knife and a chisel, saw in that.
Look up Paul Sellers on YouTube, he has great hand tools videos.
If you're doing this with hand tools don't underestimate the importance of sharp chisels. From your description I don't think they're nearly sharp enough.
Bosch 4100 Table Saw Manual
The saw blade provided on this tool has a carbide-tipped kerf width of .128” and a plate (body) thickness that is .086” thick. When looking for a replacement blade, select one with dimensions close to the original blade.
You must select a blade with a kerf width of .092” or more and a plate (body) thickness .088” or less
To reduce the risk of injury, do not use extra thin kerf saw blades. The kerf of the blade
must be wider than .092”. Extra thin kerf saw blades (less than .092”) may cause the work piece to bind against the riving knife during cutting.
To reduce the risk of injury, do not use saw blades made with a thick body plate. If the
replacement saw blade's plate thickness is greater than .088”, the riving knife would not properly serve as an aid to reduce kickback. The replacement blade's plate thickness must be less than .088”.
Make a Simple Bench Hook from Wood Scraps — The Family Handyman
A bench hook minimizes the need for vises or clamps, allows you to make quick cuts and the more sophisticated hooks make quick miters easy. We modified our simple bench so that hooks stop fence is shorter than the platform to help prevent tear-out on your work piece.
Finish Nailer Tips | Family Handyman
18-gauge brad nailer
If you plan to buy only one trim nailer, this is the size to get. I use mine more than all my others combined. It’s perfect for standard trim, furniture making and odd jobs around the shop. Models that shoot brads up to 1-1/4- in. are common, but I strongly recommend spending a few bucks more for a gun that can handle brads up to 2 in. long. Name-brand 2-in. guns start under $100.
Use nails before screws
I always found it difficult to keep parts aligned when screwing cabinets together. Then I discovered that a couple of shots with my finish nailer or brad nailer will keep the parts aligned while I drill pilot holes and drive screws for strong joints.
Invisible nail holes with a pinner
Pins are tiny and headless, so they’re hard to see even before you fill them. Afterward, nobody but you will know they’re there.
Nail before you clamp
With a coat of slippery glue, parts will slide out of alignment while you’re desperately trying to clamp them. My solution is to tack the parts together with a couple of nails. That keeps the parts aligned while I apply serious pressure with clamps.
No stud? No problem
Studs aren’t always located where we need them. When I need to nail trim where there’s no stud, I dab some construction adhesive on the back of the trim and then drive nails into the drywall at 45-degree angles. That holds the trim tight against the wall while the adhesive cures. This “trap nailing” technique works fine with brad nailers and even better with finish nailers.
