Hard work and patience are the two essential qualities that are required to build furniture. The shops and stores can offer you limited options of furniture models and you may be required to compromise with quality, design and price aspects while making your purchase. If you make your own furniture then you can get exactly what you need and require. You will not be required to make any compromises as well. The money you save is another encouraging factor. You can make different kinds of furniture at home including bookshelves, coffee tables, couches, etc. Building the furniture by yourself can also have certain environmental advantages. You can limit the resources that are used in the process to minimum and can avoid wastage. You can reuse some materials which otherwise have gone to the landfills. You can also use a new lumber that has been made by using environmental friendly practices. All these steps will make your project good for environment as well.
Complexity level: Moderately challenging
Resources required
1. Ruler/measuring tape
2. Saw and table saw
3. Hammer
4. Chisels
5. Power drill/screwdriver
6. Router
7. Screwdriver
8. Braces etc. for furniture specific requirements.
Time required: 24 hours
Procedure
1. Take a simple project initially
If you are new at carpentry, then you can start with a simple project and aim at learning the basic skills. You can avoid rounding, grooving, notching or adding anything fancy to the furniture. You can do many mistakes while doing your first project. By taking a simple project you can avoid wasting money and time. The first project is like studying in a carpentry school. While doing it you should emphasize on learning simple things like cutting straight lines, doing accurate measurements, joining two pieces of wood and giving shape to your thought process in the form of furniture.
2. Match your concept with that of your spouse
You and your spouse should have a clear idea of what design will be best for your furniture. Knowing your limitations can be advantageous. The start can be a bit rough and you should not aim at being a perfect craftsman in you first project itself. The carpentry skills get accumulated gradually and each new project contributes towards bringing out a better carpenter in you. In your initial project you can aim at making a furniture that is useful and functional if not beautiful.
3. Get a sample product
You can get the sample photograph of the furniture you want to build. Get the printout of the black and white version of the sample photographs for knowing and writing the exact dimensions and measurements of the furniture which you aim to build. The pictures and snapshots can help you to visualize how the end product would look like and how you will fit the pieces to get the perfect shape of the end product.
4. Arrange all materials and supplies
Get your materials and supplies prearranged before you start the furniture building process. You should have an idea about the amount of wood you would require and the amount of supplies you would need for making your furniture. You should also select the right type of wood for making your furniture. After knowing all your requirements, you can purchase the materials from a hardware store near you. You can purchase the materials based on the quality requirements and the budget considerations.
5. Get more knowledge and information by reading a book or by searching online
The plan you have made and the photo printout that you have obtained might not be able to provide you the knowledge of carrying out the specifics of the job, like attaching two joints. The measuring techniques and the cutting strategies that you are using might also be imperfect. The furniture building process might involve use of power tools and you might be new at using them. You can get more information about using the power tools by reading the owners manual. You can get all the necessary information and precise details of woodworking and carpentry from a book or by searching for the information online on web.
6. Measure twice and cut once
You should remember that by making furniture yourself you can be saving around 50 percent of the cost involved. You can avoid any wastage of time and money by carrying out the carpentry process in a slow manner. You should not rush the process at any point of time. You can also think of the the steps and visualize them before cutting. After cutting the pieces you can label them. This will help in their clear identification and will also avoid mistakes like cutting of already cut wood.
7. Do not buy new tools unnecessarily
The most common mistake that is done by most people when they initiate the carpentry process is that they go tool crazy and buy every new tool and machine that is available for carpentry purposes. You can save money by borrowing the tools or by using the old tools that you already have. Once you are sure that you have the necessary skills for taking the furniture building process to completion, you can buy yourself the essential power tools which an be used for initial level furniture making like miter saw, electric drill, sanding machine and circular saw.
8. Admit your mistakes
This can be a bit hard for those who do have a different disposition and do not like to admit mistakes. While making furniture you can make mistakes and the mistakes can be more if the project is the initial one. For the casual observer, the mistakes will not be easily noticed but the builder will know the project in detail and will know every place on the furniture that has errors. You should aim at completing the project and not at making a perfect work or craftsmanship.
9. Have a partner
You can invite a friend, a relative or a family member who has interest in carpentry, has spare time on his/her hands and can built the furniture along with you. Carpentry can be done in a better way with a partner. The process requires an extra set of hands which can aid the process. Your partner can be of help in scenarios like holding the other end of measuring tape while measuring, holding the wood when it gets cut, etc. You can have a deal with your partner or can also start a household community for sharing household jobs with your friends.
10. Add finishing touch to the manufactured furniture
Do not skip any important step like varnishing of coats or passing over the sanding that can be necessary. Do not rush for obtaining the final product. Undertake all the measures that are necessary for adding the finishing touch to the product. Give proper attention to all the parts of the process. The more number of projects you do, the lower will be the manufacturing costs. You can also buy second hand furniture for reducing costs but by manufacturing the product yourself, you will get a better finished product.
Things to watch out for
1. You should measure twice before cutting once.
2. Use screws of appropriate length at all places. Too long screws can stick out from unwanted places.
3. Do labeling of pieces to avoid mistakes.
4. Use carpentry equipment with caution and wear protective clothing while using power tools.
