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  • HandoutHandout 1: Supply & Shopping List

    Handout 1: Supply & Shopping List ### Intermediate Woodworking: Joinery and Furniture Basics

    okay. before we cut anything we need to talk about what's in your cart. i'm splitting this into budget and nice-to-have because i don't think you need to spend a fortune to start, but there's a few spots where the cheap version will actually cost you more later. i'll flag those.

    Tools — Budget Tier

    • circular saw with a straightedge or guide rail. you don't need a table saw for this class. i know that surprises people.
    • drill/driver, corded or a decent battery one
    • pocket-hole jig — this is the one place i'm going to push you toward spending a little more. the $20 jigs fight you the whole time because the holes don't line up. get one in the $60–80 range. i bought the cheap one my first year and fought it for months before i figured out the jig was the problem, not me.
    • doweling jig, same story as above. spend the extra $30 up front.
    • clamps — at least four, 24 inch bar clamps are the most useful size. don't skimp here either. cheap clamps slip right when you need them to hold.
    • combination square and a tape measure. measure everything, trust nothing, including your own last cut.
    • random orbit sander, and sandpaper 80 through 220 grit. we'll talk more about this in the finishing handout, but don't buy just 220. you need the low grits too.

    Tools — Nice to Have

    • second pocket-hole jig or a jig with more clamp capacity, if you get into this
    • a jointer plane or block plane, for cleaning up edges by hand
    • a second drill, so you're not swapping bits mid-glue-up
    • a shop vac, your garage floor will thank you

    Materials — Budget Tier

    • pine or poplar for practice joints and your first project. pine's soft, cheap, forgiving. also easy to split if you overtighten a screw, so go easy on the driver clutch, we'll cover that in class.
    • wood glue, standard yellow carpenter's glue, one bottle
    • pocket-hole screws, coarse thread for softwood
    • wood dowels, if your jig didn't come with any

    Materials — Nice to Have

    • hardwood like oak or maple, once you're comfortable and want something that'll last generations instead of one move
    • a can of pre-stain conditioner, especially if you're using pine — it helps with blotching, which is honestly still my weak spot. i'll show you what's worked for me.

    Where to shop

    For lumber, a real lumberyard will treat you better than a big box store on selection and on straightness — check a board down its length before you buy it, sighting down the edge like a rifle. If a lumberyard isn't convenient, Home Depot or Lowe's will do fine for pine and poplar for this class. For hardware and jigs, Costco runs deep on some brands if you catch the right week, otherwise a woodworking specialty store or a good online order.

    One note on the garage: if you're storing lumber out there over winter, our air out here is dry and it swings with temperature, so don't buy your wood weeks ahead and let it sit unless you have to. Buy closer to when you're building.

    Bring what you've got to session one, even if it's mismatched. We'll sort out gaps together. Don't go buy the whole list and then decide you hate this hobby.

  • HandoutHandout 2: Joinery & Settings Cheat Sheet

    Handout 2: Joinery & Settings Cheat Sheet

    keep this one in your toolbox. i still glance at mine.

    Pocket Holes

    • jig setting = material thickness. 3/4" stock, set the jig to 3/4". check the collar every time you switch board thickness, don't assume it's still right from last week.
    • screw length: 1-1/4" for 3/4" material, 1" for anything thinner. too long and you'll blow through the other side.
    • drill clutch: back it off for pine and other softwoods. i split a board once because i had the driver cranked like i was working oak. pine is soft. treat it that way.
    • clamp before you screw, don't let the screw do the clamping. it'll pull the joint tight but it can also shift your alignment if the pieces aren't already snug.

    Doweling

    • jig quality matters more than technique. if your holes won't line up no matter what you do, it's probably not you. i fought a cheap jig for months before i figured that out. spend the $30-40 for a decent one.
    • standard dowel size: 3/8" for most furniture joints, 1/4" for smaller stuff like drawer parts.
    • depth: drill holes about 1/16" deeper than half the dowel length, on both sides, so there's room for glue to pool instead of hydraulic-locking the joint.
    • dry fit first. always. every time. even when you're sure.

    Glue-Ups

    • glue open time drops fast in a hot garage. above 85 degrees or so, wood glue can start setting before your clamps are on. do glue-ups early morning, or move inside if you can.
    • clamp pressure: snug is enough. you want a thin, even squeeze-out line, not glue pouring off the joint. over-clamping starves the joint of glue.
    • wipe squeeze-out with a damp rag right away or it'll seal the wood under it and you'll see a blotchy spot when you finish. ask me how i know.
    • dry fit the whole assembly before glue touches anything. check for square with a tape measure corner to corner, not just a speed square on one joint. both diagonals equal means it's square.

    Measuring (the part everyone rushes)

    • measure twice, cut once is real advice, not just something people say.
    • don't trust your last cut as the reference for your next one. re-measure off the original line or a story stick.
    • a quarter inch off doesn't sand out. i tried once, on a set of table legs. lost an hour learning that. if it's wrong, recut it.

    Sanding Before Finish

    • start at 80 grit, then 120, then 220. don't skip from 80 to stain because you're tired of sanding. the finish shows every scratch the last grit left behind.
    • sand with the grain, always, especially on the last pass.
    • pine blotches easily under stain — a pre-stain conditioner helps, though I'll be honest, getting it perfectly even is still the part I fight with most.

    Screws + Glue Alone

    Fine for a shelf bracket. Not fine for anything that gets sat on, leaned on, or moved around a house for ten years. The joint racks over time and you're re-gluing it every couple years. Use a real joint — pocket hole or dowel — anywhere the piece takes real stress.

    Anyway. Next thing is squaring up your practice joints before we move to the drawer boxes.

  • Worksheet```markdown

    ```markdown # JOINT CHECK — HANDOUT 3 ## Intermediate Woodworking: Joinery and Furniture Basics

    before you glue anything, go through this. every item. dowels and pocket holes are strong joints, but only if the setup was square before the glue went on. glue doesn't fix a bad fit, it just holds the bad fit in place permanently.

    fill this in as you go. don't do it from memory after the fact, that defeats the point.

    ---

    1. before you cut

    • [ ] measured twice, cut once — actually did that, not just said it
    • [ ] marked the good face and good edge on every board
    • [ ] checked the board for square before trusting the factory edge
    • [ ] pencil line, not just a guess where the blade "probably" goes

    note here: ____________________________________________

    ---

    2. dry fit (no glue yet)

    • [ ] all pieces fit together with hand pressure, no mallet needed
    • [ ] joint sits flush — check with a straightedge or your finger, not your eye
    • [ ] frame or box is square — measure both diagonals, they should match
    • [ ] if the diagonals don't match, stop here and figure out why

    diagonal 1: __________ diagonal 2: __________ (these should be equal)

    ---

    3. dowel joints specifically

    • [ ] jig registered off the same reference face on both boards
    • [ ] test holes drilled in scrap first, dowels actually seated
    • [ ] depth stop set — check every hole is the same depth, not just the first one
    • [ ] dowel test-fit dry before glue goes anywhere near it

    I fought a cheap doweling jig for months my first year before I figured out the jig itself was the problem, not me. spent thirty bucks on a better one and the holes just lined up. if yours won't line up after two tries, it might not be you either.

    ---

    4. pocket holes specifically

    • [ ] clutch on the driver backed off — pine splits if you just send it
    • [ ] pilot hole clean, no blowout on the back side
    • [ ] screw length matched to material thickness (check the chart, don't guess)
    • [ ] clamped tight before driving, not relying on the screw to pull it there

    ---

    5. glue-up

    - [ ] clamps out, set to rough width, before glue touches wood - [ ] glue on both surfaces, thin even coat, not a puddle - [ ] squeeze-out wiped with a damp rag before it skins over - [ ] rechecked diagonals after clamping, not just before - [ ] shop temp reasonable — glue sets too fast if it's hot in here. if the garage is pushing 90, we're moving this inside or waiting for morning

    ---

    6. after clamps come off

    - [ ] joint doesn't rock or flex when you press on it - [ ] no gap you can slide a piece of paper into - [ ] sanded and ready for finish — don't skip from 80 grit straight to stain, that's where it shows

    ---

    one honest note: I still can't hand-cut a clean dovetail. that's on my own list. everything on this sheet is the dowel and pocket-hole route, and done right, it holds. I've got a bench in my garage that still wobbles because I skipped step one on this list — never checked square, just eyeballed it. keeping it around on purpose.

    anyway. bring this sheet back next week with your dry-fit checked off before you show me anything glued. ```

  • HandoutHandout 4: Troubleshooting Guide

    Handout 4: Troubleshooting Guide

    Every one of these has happened to me. some more than once. print this out and keep it in your shop, because the fix is usually a lot simpler than the panic.

    ---

    1. joint is wobbly / racks side to side this is almost always a squareness problem, not a strength problem. go back and check your cuts with a square before you blame the glue. my first bench for amy still wobbles because I eyeballed the legs instead of checking them. it's in the garage as a reminder.

    2. pocket screw split the board you overtightened it. pine is soft and if you just send the driver at full clutch, the board cracks right down the joint. back off the clutch a setting or two and stop the second you feel it seat.

    3. dowel holes don't line up first check your jig before you check yourself. I fought a cheap doweling jig for months thinking it was my technique. it was the jig. bought a decent one for $30 and the problem disappeared. buy the tool twice and you paid too much — get the good one first.

    4. glue is setting up before you get clamps on heat. wood glue sets faster than you think once the garage gets warm. do glue-ups early morning, or move inside for that one step. don't try to out-hustle the clock, you'll lose.

    5. two "identical" pieces are actually different lengths measure again before you cut, and measure the piece you already cut, not just the one you're about to. I once had table legs at 17 inches and 17 and a quarter and tried to sand the difference out. you cannot sand out a quarter inch. I recut them. lost an hour to stubbornness. just recut.

    6. panel or board is in the wrong way after glue-up let it dry, then take it apart and start over. I glued a whole cabinet face with the panel backwards, good side in. clamps were already on. it happens. it's not the end of the project, just an extra afternoon.

    7. finish looks blotchy, especially on pine this one still gets me too, so you're not alone. pine takes stain unevenly no matter what. a wood conditioner before stain helps some. what helps more is not skipping grits — going straight from 80 to stain is the biggest reason for blotching. work up through the grits patiently. boring, but it shows if you don't.

    8. joint feels strong now but you're worried about later screws and glue alone hold fine for a while, then the joint racks and you're regluing furniture every couple years. if it's a real furniture piece, use dowels or pocket screws, not just screws and glue. it's the difference between furniture you keep and furniture you keep fixing.

    9. cut edge isn't actually straight trust the square, not your eye. "close enough" cuts compound down the line, every joint after that one is fighting to make up for it. recheck square on every single cut, even the ones that look fine.

    10. you're not sure the tool is the problem or you are usually it's the tool, especially if it's a cheap jig, dull bit, or bargain clamp set. a decent tool used carefully beats a bad tool used perfectly. if something's fighting you every single time, stop blaming your technique and go look at what you're using.

    ---

    anyway. if something on your project doesn't match anything on this list, bring it in next week and we'll look at it together. that's most of what this class is for.

  • podcast_scriptClass podcast — episode 1

    Audio coming soon — show notes below.

    JESS: —wait, say that again, because I don't think people know you can't sand out a quarter inch.

    MATTHEW: you can't. i tried. it was two side table legs, seventeen inches and seventeen and a quarter, and i thought, i'll just sand the long ones down. spent an hour on it. barely moved the number.

    JESS: so what actually happened.

    MATTHEW: i recut them. should've done that from the start. that was my mistake, being stubborn about it.

    JESS: okay so welcome, this is the podcast that goes with Intermediate Woodworking, Joinery and Furniture Basics, I'm Jess, I run the community-ed programs and I make Matthew talk into a microphone once a week whether he wants to or not.

    MATTHEW: i don't mind it.

    JESS: you say that every time like it's a surprise to you.

    MATTHEW: for sure for sure, it's fine. anyway. this class is joinery, which sounds fancier than it is. it's just how two pieces of wood attach to each other so the thing doesn't wobble in five years.

    JESS: which is different from the beginner class how?

    MATTHEW: beginner class you're mostly using screws and glue straight through the face of a board, and that's fine, it holds. this class we get into pocket holes and dowels, so the joint actually resists racking. screws alone, the joint works for a while and then it starts to give, and the whole piece gets loose. you've all sat in a chair that wiggles. that's usually why.

    JESS: give people one thing they can use even if they never sign up.

    MATTHEW: measure twice, cut once, everybody's heard that. i'd add, measure your own last cut too. don't trust it just because you made it five minutes ago. i've grabbed a board i cut myself and been an eighth off from what i meant to do. the wood doesn't know what you intended.

    JESS: brutal.

    MATTHEW: it's not brutal, it's just wood.

    JESS: okay tell the pocket hole story, the one with your son.

    MATTHEW: oh, mark and the cheese.

    JESS: yes.

    MATTHEW: so mark's ten, he wanted to help, and pocket holes are pretty forgiving to learn on, so i gave him a scrap board and the jig and said go for it. he did not stop. he drilled maybe forty holes into one piece of two-by-four. just kept going.

    JESS: forty.

    MATTHEW: i counted. and he held it up and said "look, it's cheese," because it looked like a block of swiss cheese at that point. we kept it. it's on a shelf in the garage. every so often i see it and remember he actually got the technique down by hole number ten, he just liked doing it.

    JESS: that's a good one.

    MATTHEW: he was proud of it. i wasn't going to throw out the cheese.

    JESS: so session one, what are people actually doing.

    MATTHEW: first night we're not building anything fancy. i want everybody comfortable with a pocket-hole jig and a doweling jig, same two joints we just talked about, before we touch a project. i'll cut one, then hand you the tool. i'd rather you mess up on scrap than on the piece you're taking home.

    JESS: and you're not requiring a big shop setup for this.

    MATTHEW: no. people think they need a two thousand dollar shop to build real furniture and that's not true. circular saw, a straightedge, a drill, decent clamps, the pocket-hole jig. that covers most of what we're building this course. i will say, buy the decent jig the first time. i went cheap on my first doweling jig and fought it for months before i figured out the jig itself was the problem, not me. spent thirty bucks on a better one and it just worked.

    JESS: buy the tool twice, you paid too much.

    MATTHEW: exactly that.

    JESS: what's next session.

    MATTHEW: next time we're building actual joints into a test piece, a small frame, so you leave with something in your hands, not just holes in scrap. and we'll talk about clamp time and glue, because if your garage runs hot like mine does in July, the glue sets up faster than you think and you're fighting the clock.

    JESS: any homework before then?

    MATTHEW: just show up with safety glasses if you've got them, i've got extras if not. and think about what you actually want to build by the end of the course. doesn't have to be fancy. i'm not a design guy, i build square and solid, so if you've got a plan you like, bring a picture of it and we'll work from that.

    JESS: love it. okay, that's the episode—Matthew, help me put these mic stands away before you go.

    MATTHEW: yep. grab that cable too.

  • podcast_scriptClass podcast — episode 2

    Audio coming soon — show notes below.

    JESS: —okay but that's the part I want people to hear, because you say it so fast every time, "measure everything, trust nothing," like it's nothing.

    MATTHEW: it's not nothing. it's the whole class basically.

    JESS: for the podcast people who didn't make session one — we're two sessions into intermediate joinery and furniture basics. last time was mortise and tenon, right?

    MATTHEW: mortise and tenon, and everybody's jigs got set up. this week was dowel joints. cutting them, drilling for them, gluing them up square.

    JESS: and you have opinions about dowels.

    MATTHEW: for sure for sure. i think people default to pocket screws or just screws and glue because it's fast, and that's fine for a while. but a doweled joint doesn't rack the same way over time. screws and glue holds until it doesn't. dowels hold.

    JESS: you told a story tonight, actually, before I hit record — tell it again for the mic.

    MATTHEW: oh, the drawer thing. yeah. my neighbor shellie, a few years back, her kitchen drawer kept falling apart. it had those little metal staples holding the box together, from the factory. i said i'd take a look.

    JESS: and "take a look" turned into.

    MATTHEW: turned into rebuilding the whole drawer box. i pulled the staples, cut new dowel joints for the corners, glued it up properly. took me an evening. she tried to pay me and i just kind of changed the subject and grabbed my stuff and left.

    JESS: you do that a lot, I've noticed. the leaving-before-they-can-pay-you thing.

    MATTHEW: i mean, it wasn't a big job. anyway — the point of telling it is that staples and glue are what a lot of furniture actually comes with from the store, and that's why it falls apart in three years. dowels are stronger than people think, and they're not hard once you've got a jig that actually works.

    JESS: which is a good segue, because you have a whole thing about jigs.

    MATTHEW: buy the decent one the first time. i had a cheap doweling jig my first year and i fought it for months, thought i was the problem. holes never lined up. turned out the jig itself was junk, the bushings weren't true. bought a better one for thirty bucks more and the problem just disappeared.

    JESS: so that's the tip, right? for anyone listening who isn't even in the class.

    MATTHEW: yeah — if you're buying a doweling jig, or honestly any jig, spend the extra twenty or thirty dollars up front. you'll pay for the cheap one twice, once when you buy it and once when you replace it. i'd rather own fewer good things than a drawer full of stuff that's almost right.

    JESS: what did people actually build tonight?

    MATTHEW: everybody did a practice joint first, scrap to scrap, dowels only, no glue yet, just to check their spacing and depth. then we glued up a small frame. corner joints, the kind you'd use for a picture frame or a small cabinet face. next week those turn into drawer boxes.

    JESS: how'd it go.

    MATTHEW: pretty good. one guy's dowels were about a sixteenth off center and he wanted to just force it together with clamps. i had him back off and redrill. you can't clamp your way out of bad spacing, you'll crack the piece or the joint will be under stress forever and fail later.

    JESS: that sounds like a specific memory.

    MATTHEW: it is not a specific memory i'm telling on this podcast. moving on.

    JESS: fine, fine. okay, what's next session, sell it to me.

    MATTHEW: next week we build actual drawer boxes using what we did tonight, plus we get into drawer slides, which is its own small headache if you've never installed them. and we start talking finish, a little, because the drawer fronts need to look decent, not just function.

    JESS: finish being the thing you've said before is your weak spot.

    MATTHEW: still is. i can build the box all day. getting an even stain on pine without it blotching, i still fight that one. i'll show what's worked for me and be honest about what hasn't.

    JESS: I appreciate that you just say that instead of pretending.

    MATTHEW: no point pretending, everyone would find out in about four minutes when their board comes out patchy. anyway — bring safety glasses again next week, we're using the drill press more, and if your dowel joint from tonight is still clamped up at home, don't touch it till it's fully cured. give it the full time on the glue bottle, not till it feels dry to your thumb.

    JESS: how long's that, roughly.

    MATTHEW: read the bottle. mine says thirty minutes to handle, twenty four hours to load weight on it. i don't touch mine till the next morning, just to be safe.

    JESS: good place to stop. thanks, Matthew.

    MATTHEW: yep. anyway, next thing is stacking chairs, everybody grab one on your way out.

  • podcast_scriptClass podcast — episode 3

    Audio coming soon — show notes below.

    JESS: —which, okay, I need you to say that part again, because I don't think people believe you the first time.

    MATTHEW: which part.

    JESS: that you don't need a table saw.

    MATTHEW: oh. yeah, that's true. people hear "woodworking class" and picture a garage with like eight machines in it. you don't need eight machines. a circular saw with a straightedge, a drill, a pocket-hole jig, and some clamps will build most of what people actually want built. a bench, a bookshelf, a table.

    JESS: it's very reassuring for people who are, you know, intimidated by tools.

    MATTHEW: for sure for sure. you can talk yourself out of starting anything if you decide you need the two thousand dollar setup first. i didn't have that. i still don't really have that.

    JESS: okay so this week in class you all did dowel joints. how'd that go.

    MATTHEW: pretty good. couple people fought the jig a little, which is normal. i had one where the dowel holes just would not line up, and i want to tell that story because it's basically the whole reason i teach the buy-it-once thing so hard.

    JESS: go for it.

    MATTHEW: so my first year doing this, i bought a cheap doweling jig. like the bottom shelf option. and i fought that thing for months. holes never lined up right, joints always had this little step in them where the two boards didn't sit flush. i figured it was me. i figured i just didn't understand how to use it.

    JESS: it wasn't you.

    MATTHEW: it wasn't me. i finally bought a better one, spent maybe thirty more dollars than the cheap one, and the problem just disappeared. same hands, same guy, different tool. and that was thirty dollars i spent twice, because i already paid for the first jig and then i had to pay again for the one that actually worked.

    JESS: that's such a specific kind of annoying.

    MATTHEW: it's the worst kind. anyway. that's the lesson. buy the decent version the first time, especially for anything with tolerances, anything where two parts have to line up. jigs, drill bits, clamps. cheap glue is fine. cheap jig is not fine.

    JESS: okay, practical tip. give me something somebody listening at home could use tonight, no class required.

    MATTHEW: sure. if you're gluing anything up, check your garage temperature before you start, not after. if it's hot, like ninety degrees hot, your glue is going to start setting before you get the clamps tight. i learned that one summer where i had a whole joint half-clamped and the glue was already grabbing. now i just do glue-ups early morning, before it heats up, or i move inside for a bit.

    JESS: does amy love that.

    MATTHEW: she tolerates it. one project at a time. that's the deal.

    JESS: fair deal. okay, before we wrap, what's next session.

    MATTHEW: pocket holes. and i already know somebody's gonna ask me why we don't just use screws for everything since it's faster, because somebody always asks that.

    JESS: what do you tell them.

    MATTHEW: i tell them screws and glue holds fine for a while, then the joint racks and the whole thing gets wobbly in a couple years. pocket holes are a real joint. they're strong, and honestly they let a regular person build a table in a saturday instead of a table taking a month of saturdays. i don't think that's cheating. i've heard people act like it is. i don't buy it.

    JESS: strong opinion.

    MATTHEW: it's not that strong. it's just correct.

    JESS: (laughing) okay. bring your practice stock, i assume you'll have it cut already.

    MATTHEW: it'll be cut before anybody gets there. always is.

    JESS: love that for us. alright, thanks Matthew.

    MATTHEW: anyway, next thing is getting these clamps put away before somebody trips on them.

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