• Woodworking is a traditional craft, and your skills will improve as you learn new trickswood image by Marvin Gerste from Fotolia.com
  
  Beginners face many obstacles when starting woodwork. Whether you make furniture, sculptures or are doing some DIY, the way you approach a design and use the wood and tools will affect how the product looks. It is a big undertaking, but if you apply a few tips, tricks and jigs to your woodwork, your basic skills will improve. That in turn will build your confidence and the quality of your work.
  
  

Cutting Plywood

• Plywood is primarily used to make furniture. A common problem is chipping that occurs when plywood is cut. Minimize chipping by cutting along the length of the wood instead of crossing the grain. Choose the correct blade for the job. To create a clean cut, score the line you wish to follow with a utility knife and place masking tape over it before sawing. This will prevent small chips from pulling away. If you are drilling a hole in plywood, use a router fitted with a straight bit (drill head) to keep the area clean.
  
  

Jig-Squaring Blocks

• According to Woodzone, squaring corners of wood together is difficult, especially when glue is drying. It recommends using a square jig. This is a wooden 'L' frame that enables you to align two pieces wood at a 90-degree angle to give a perfect corner. Glue or nail two scrap pieces of wood together to make your own disposable jig-squaring block.
  
  

Use a Push Block

• A push block is a safety device that you can use to prevent your fingers slipping under a blade when you are steadying wood. Make your own push block by attaching a handle on one side of a flat piece of scrap wood. Hold the handle and place the edge of the scrap piece of wood aligned with the blade of your saw, on top of the wood you want to cut. Now you can steady the wood close to the blade without risking injury to your fingers.
  
  

Finishing

• The expert website Wood Work Web supplies free eBooks including a guide to wood-finishing techniques. A trick to consider to paint dowel more smoothly is to cut a 'V' shape out of your foam brush. The foam brush will then fit more closely around the circular edge of the dowel and give a cleaner finish. Alternatively, if you are sanding intricate edges in a fretwork design, instead of missing tight corners with large bits of sandpaper, use a nail file to get into the small areas. When it comes to applying oil, fill a small tray with oil. Submerge the fretwork in the tray for an all-over coat. Tip the remaining oil back into the bottle to avoid waste.