Woodworking and handyman Columbus GA are both incredibly dexterous skills that require years of practice and even apprenticeship before mastery can be achieved. Some even say that carpentry is really a calling and that you need a certain type of aptitude and hand shape in order to be really good at it. However, the internet has made this skill a bit more accessible to the common man, and any DIY enthusiast can access useful Columbus GA handyman techniques to try out at their next remodel. To demonstrate, we’ve collected a couple of these techniques for you to try out the next time you’re working with wood.
Whitewashing
The whitewashing technique is ideal for staining softwoods like pine with a white finish. This technique allows you to enhance the appearance of your wood without sacrificing its unique grain pattern, and the stain used can easily be applied with a cloth or a light brush. When whitewashing, you can opt to use either an oil-based or a water-based stain, although the most recommended option is water-based stains, because they dry fast, are easy to clean and their odor is not as overpowering as that of regular paint.
Another good tip when it comes to whitewashing is to test the paint you’ll be using on a small pallet of wood before you use it on the actual item that you’ll be whitewashing. After applying the stain to the wood, you should let it sit for at least three minutes before working it with a brush, making sure to accentuate the knot patterns on the wood by driving the stain into the knots.
Butt Joints
Butt joints are very important in Columbus GA handyman, as they ensure the item’s durability and safety, especially when making chairs or tables. Although seemingly tricky, butt joints are actually fairly simple once you know the technique behind them, and woodworkers typically make use of dowels, nails or gussets to make the butt points sturdy.
Dowels: You can join two pieces of wood using dowels by first holding the two blocks that you want to join together and then marking the parts which you intend to drive the dowels through with a pencil, to ensure that the holes you drill are identical to the dowels in size. Then, insert the dowels into the drilled in holes and you’re done!
Gussets: Gussets are those tiny and cute wooden triangles that woodworkers use to attach pieces of wood together. You simply place them on top of the joint to secure the wood together. Apart from gluing them in place, you’ll also need to secure the gussets with nails which can be placed on the ends of the gusset corners.
Nails: Securing a butt joint with nails is one of the simplest and most popular options and that’s mainly because it’s really easy and reliable. All you have to do is drill the nails in using a vise, but not all the way because you want to carefully tap the remaining piece with a few gentle taps to avoid any accidental damage to the wood.