In rough carpentry, deciding how to cut into a board is pretty straight forward — measure to length and chop. But for fine woodworking, slicing up a prized piece of lumber is a more refined skill. In this video, professional cabinetmaker and teacher Eric Matson shows how to evaluate rough lumber prior to cutting. First, he identifies and marks with chalk unusable defects in the stock including knots, checks, and sapwood. Then he decides how cut to the board into rough component pieces for maximum yield and beauty. Part of Eric’s goal is to assure that sectioned boards “wrap” the project (i.e. a piece of furniture) in the same sequence they come off the board. This artful attention to the flow and continuity of the wood’s grain increases the quality of the final project. Grain flow is the core objective, but a complete evaluation also includes identifying highly figured parts of a board, which can be used for focal points (drawer fronts, table tops, etc). And if surplus material remains on the board, Eric makes sure he cuts extra spare parts and “set-up” pieces when possible. — Keith (4 Minute Woodworking Video).

Eric Matson is the Director of the Fine Woodworking Program at Rio Grand University. Rio Grande offers a one year certificate program, as well as two year associates and four year college degree programs. Graduates have the skills and knowledge to be productive in custom furniture shops and architectural/cabinet shops. Rio Grande (pronounced rye-oh) is in Southern Ohio.

Dimensioning rough boards by breaking them down into smaller, precisely sized parts is one of the key first steps in any woodworking project. This preliminary process certainly isn’t the most glamorous part of working wood, but virtually every skilled artisan will agree it’s one of the key steps for achieving consistent, high-quality results.

In this video, artisan Eric Matson, who is the Director of the University of Rio Grande’s Fine Woodworking Program, walks us through the same eight steps Eric’s students must master early in their college training. Eric explains how even twisted, cupped, bowed or kinked boards can be quickly and safely broken down into smaller rough parts, which can then be milled to tight tolerances and made ready for jointing and other more refined processes. In part one of this two part series, you’ll learn how to rough cut boards to length, rip to rough width, joint one face flat, and plane both faces to thickness. But there’s more to Eric’s approach than just these basic steps. Eric also shows you how to stay organized and mill parts in batches, and why it’s important to prepare extra parts for set-up, testing, and disaster recovery. His entire approach offers you a comprehensive strategy that will help you achieve the tight tolerances essential for master quality work. — Keith (11 Minute Woodworking Video)

Click here for Part Two, the final segment in this series. Watch steps 5 through 8..

Eric Matson is the Director of the Fine Woodworking Program at Rio Grand University. Rio Grande offers a one year certificate program, as well as two year associates and four year college degree programs. Graduates have the skills and knowledge to be productive in custom furniture shops and architectural/cabinet shops. Rio Grande (pronounced rye-oh) is in Southern Ohio.

This video is the second half of a two part series on the quick, easy, repeatable way to prep rough lumber. In Part One, (view Part One here) instructor and furniture maker Eric Matson demonstrates how he breaks down rough boards , step-by-step, into smaller rough parts. Now, in this final segment, Eric takes us through the last steps of squaring edges and cutting to precise lengths & widths. Along the way we learn tips, tricks, and secrets that help eliminate errors.

If you take away anything from this series, I hope you’ll agree that guaranteeing consistent results only comes with a proven system. Eric shows us his system, the same proven method that Eric says quickly elevates his students’ work to the next level. See if it works for you. (10 Minute Woodworking Video – Part 2 of 2)

Eric Matson is the Director of the Fine Woodworking Program at Rio Grand University. Rio Grande offers a one year certificate program, as well as two year associates and four year college degree programs. Graduates have the skills and knowledge to be productive in custom furniture shops and architectural/cabinet shops. Rio Grande (pronounced rye-oh) is in Southern Ohio.