Rex Krueger

Early Access Video: Flat in Five Steps

Added 2023-02-04 12:00:59 +0000 UTC

Friends:

You know what isn't covered enough? Plain old stock prep. It might not be as glamorous as joinery, but your joints won't work unless the wood is straight and square. Flattening lumber by hand isn't hard, but you need a systematic approach.

Here are my 5 can't miss steps: 1.) Flatten a face. 2.) Remove twist. 3.) Square one edge. 4.) Mark a thickness line around the board. 5.) Plane the opposite face down to your line.

It's taken me years to really dial it in, but this method has made me a stock-prep machine. (Of course, I bet many of you mastered this skill ages ago, but a refresher never hurts.)

Nate and I are extra-proud of this video. We did a bunch of tricks with the editing to communicate maximum information. We really hope you like it.

Next week: sliding dovetails with NO special tools.

--Rex