Post Haste Project: How to Square a Board

Squaring a board is one of the most basic skills a woodworker must have. If you’re not starting with a board that’s square six sides, it’s hard to make a woodworking project that’s square. Check out this Post Haste video to learn, in just over a minute, how to square a board.

Tools used

You’ll see a variety of tools used as you learn how to square a board; jointer, planer, table saw, and miter saw. The video will also help you understand how these tools work together to result in a perfectly square board that’s precisely dimensioned. Once you have this sequence down, you’ll wonder how you got by without it.

The cornerstone

Working with square stock is the cornerstone of any project. Nothing is more frustrating than getting to the assembly step and finding that your parts won’t quite go together or, not matter what you do, you can’t quite get things to come together squarely. This is especially critical any time you make a woodworking project that includes moving parts like doors and drawers.

Start with setting up tools

You’ll have a very hard time getting your board square if your tools are set up well enough to do what you ask them to do. In addition to learning to square a board, make certain that your table saw set up is correct, and look for our video on setting up a miter saw.