Greg Larson

Coping With Wood Movement

/in /by

Now that we understand the mechanism of wood movement, when it moves, and how much, this lesson will explore how we use this knowledge to recognize when we have a wood movement issue, and more importantly, how we cope with the movement. Once you understand this, it’ll be easy for you to create strong, long lasting woodworking projects that will last a very long time. It is strongly recommended that you do the required reading prior to watching the video…

Before diving into how we cope with wood movement, please watch the first video to review some of the concepts in the previous lessons…

Associated Reading:  Understanding Wood, Chapter 7

Video length: 16 min, 0 sec

Video length: 27 min, 32 sec

 

 

Greg Larson

Moisture and Wood

/in /by

 

In this lesson, we will start to explore how moisture works in wood; how it gains and loses moisture in relation to environmental humidity. We also begin to explore how and why wood is dried before we use it. This is a very important and fundamental lesson to understand as it sets the stage for the remaining lessons in this course. It is strongly recommended that you do the required reading prior to watching the video…

Handouts: You can view and/or download several important handouts by clicking on the Materials tab above; scroll down to see all of the handouts.

Associated Reading:  Understanding Wood, Chapter 6   :  Modern Cabinetmaking, Pages 186, 198-200,

Video length: 26 min, 44 sec

 

Greg Larson

Figure in Wood

/in /by

 

In this lesson, you will gain a deeper understanding of wood including grain and figure, methods of sawing, and various other properties of wood. It is strongly recommended that you do the required reading prior to watching the video…

Associated Reading:  Understanding Wood, Chapter 2   :  Modern Cabinetmaking, Pages 185-186, 190-191, 196-198, 200-201

Video length: 26 min, 43 sec

Greg Larson

Woodworking Fundamentals

/in /by

Welcome to the WCA Woodworking Fundamentals online training course. In this course, we will explore a number of topics related to planning and building a woodworking project including panel products, adhesives, fasteners, abrasives, basic joinery, cabinet construction methods, and shop drawing reading skills.

To take this course, you must be logged into this website and be in possession of a WCA Individual Membership. If you are not able to access the course, please contact us for help.

Get started by clicking the “Take This Course” button in the upper right. You will be asked to purchase the course, which is free, but you still need to go through the checkout process to access the course. Once we mark the order as Complete, you will get an email notification indicating that you now have access to the course; until then, you won’t have access.

 

Greg Larson

Milling and Machining

/in /by

Welcome to the Milling and Machining online training course. In this course, we’ll talk about the process and tools required for milling rough lumber into a flat, square, and properly dimensioned piece of wood, also called “Milling 4 square”. This is one of the most important woodworking skills you can master because precision work begins with wood that has precise dimensions and is as flat and square as possible.

Prerequisite: Woodworking Fundamentals.

To take this course, you must be logged into this website and be in possession of a WCA Individual Membership. If you are not able to access the course, please contact us for help.

Get started by clicking the “Take This Course” button in the upper right. You will be asked to purchase the course, which is free, but you still need to go through the checkout process to access the course. Once we mark the order as Complete, you will get an email notification indicating that you now have access to the course; until then, you won’t have access.

 

Greg Larson

Layout

/in /by

Associated Reading:  Modern Cabinetmaking, pages 153-165

Layout is a general term for marking your work to indicate where to make a cut, or to indicate the location of joinery, holes, or any machining that needs to be done. As with everything else related to woodworking; the more precise your layout, the higher quality your final product will be. The most common layout tools you’ll use are a square; either fixed or adjustable, a bevel gauge and/or protractor, and a pencil or other marking device. A high quality adjustable square is the most versatile in that it can be used not only to check for square on a part or a machine, but it can accomplish most any layout task with ease.

Watch the video below to learn how to use these tools for a variety of layout tasks, and to check for square (You must watch the video from beginning to end in order to continue with the course):

[ld_video]

Greg Larson

Measuring

/in /by

Associated Reading:  Modern Cabinetmaking, pages 149-153

[ld_video]

Greg Larson

Numbers and Fractional Math

/in /by

In this lesson we’re going back to the basics and talk about numbers including decimals; how we interpret them, rounding up and down, and more. Most importantly, we talk about fractions; what they are and how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. Lastly, we talk about converting fractions to decimals and a little bit about the metric system and converting inches to millimeters and vice versa. We’ll cover more about measuring and the different measurement systems in subsequent lessons.

Greg Larson

Math, Measuring and Layout

/in /by

Welcome to the WCA Math, Measuring, and Layout online training course. A thorough knowledge of math, measuring, and layout skills are a must in order to do high quality work. In this course, we will cover a variety of topics including decimal and fractional math. We also delve into both imperial and metric measuring systems and learn about common measuring tools. Accurate layout skills leads to more accurate work, so we’ll finish by talking about common layout tools and techniques.

To take this course, you must be logged into this website and be in possession of a WCA Individual Membership. If you are not able to access the course, please contact us for help.

Get started by clicking the “Take This Course” button in the upper right. You will be asked to purchase the course, which is free, but you still need to go through the checkout process to access the course. Once we mark the order as Complete, you will get an email notification indicating that you now have access to the course; until then, you won’t have access.

Outside reading is required.  Required reading is assigned from Modern Cabinetmaking. If you want to dive deeper into measurement and layout techniques, another great book is Measure Twice, Cut Once by Jim Tolpin. A very easy read with lots of great information,

 

Greg Larson

Shop Drawings

/in /by