The whole category in one page.
CHECK MOISTURE CONTENT BEFORE USING TIMBER, BECAUSE WOOD THAT IS NOT DRY MOVES AFTER THE PIECE IS MADE
Splits, warping, failed joints and doors that stop closing all trace back to it. Design to allow movement across the grain, and let timber acclimatise to where the piece will live.
TIME YOUR OPERATIONS, ESPECIALLY SANDING AND FINISHING
They consume far more time than anyone estimates and they are routinely omitted from quotes, which is where the margin disappears.
CONFIRM THE DESIGN WITH A DRAWING AND THE FINISH WITH A SAMPLE ON THE ACTUAL TIMBER
Verbal descriptions of furniture are interpreted differently by everyone, and the same finish looks different on different wood.
MEASURE AT SEVERAL POINTS AND BUILD TO THE SMALLEST DIMENSION, WITH SCRIBING MARGIN
Openings are rarely square, and units built to exact dimensions cannot be fitted.
CHECK THAT THE FINISHED PIECE WILL PHYSICALLY FIT THROUGH THE DOOR — AT THE POINT OF TAKING THE ORDER
RIVING KNIVES, GUARDS AND PUSH STICKS ARE NOT OPTIONAL, AND NOBODY ADJUSTS A MACHINE THAT IS NOT ISOLATED
Woodworking machinery causes amputations instantly and permanently. Extract dust at source, because it causes lasting lung damage and it is a fire risk in accumulation.
STORE OILY FINISHING RAGS IN A SEALED METAL CONTAINER OR SPREAD THEM FLAT, SINCE SOME CURING OILS GENERATE ENOUGH HEAT TO IGNITE WITHOUT ANY FLAME
INSPECT SURFACES IN RAKING LIGHT BEFORE FINISHING, AND REMOVE EVERY TRACE OF GLUE, BECAUSE BOTH SHOW THROUGH AFTERWARDS
AND ALWAYS FIX TALL UNITS TO THE WALL, BECAUSE FURNITURE THAT TIPS HAS KILLED CHILDREN
