Benchtop Woodworker:Layout and Measurements

Pencil Pointers
^{Use a harder than avarage pencil like a #4h when laying out cuts and joinery.it will stay sharp much longer and make a more percise mark.}

Cleaner cut with a Knife Score
^{When laying out cuts in plywood, score the lines with a utility knife. The sawblade is less likely to lift the veneer, chipping and tearing it. The resulting cleaner cut is particularly noticeable when cutting dadoes in plywood.}

Figuring The Radius Of An Arc

^{Every once and a while you must lay out an arc
( Part of the circumference of a circle) Knowing only the length and height of the arc.To calculate the radius, add the square of half the length (or L) to the square of the height (H), Then Divide the sum by twice the height. thats to say.}

^{If, for example, you must lay out an arc
that is 96 inches from end
to end and 36 inches high}

The answer, 50, is the radius of the arc.

Caps from jars spraycans and more
^{laying out circles or arcs on woodstock sometimes is not easy, so try using caps off of old spray cans, bottle caps, jars ect.}

Aluminum For Templates
^{Is there a project that you like to make over and over again, but requires special designs or shapes? instead of making a template over and over again, try using aluminum flashing to make your template, it lasts longer than wood and lays flat on your work. you can buy it at your local hardwarestore and is not that expensive.}

Paper Patterns
^{If you need to trace a paper pattern several times, apply cheap, wide masking tape to the back side before cutting it out. The rienforced pattern will be much stiffer and more durable.}