When I was a child (many years ago) girls were not allowed to take the class called "Shop" in high school. That was where one would have learned all the basics of carpentry and tool use. So now at almost 70, I am trying to learn all of what was withheld from me then. Thus, I LOVE that your videos are very basic and cover proper tool use, tricks, safety issues. This one in particular about "squareness" was fantastic precisely because it did not assume a lot of prior knowledge. Thank you and keep it up. I am working my way through all your old videos and look forward to new ones. (How much do we love the internet?!)

@franceswatts4001

Ай бұрын

Me too! Although I AM 70 😂

@marykayryan7891

Ай бұрын

My age exactly.@@franceswatts4001

As an amateur with woodworker, i typically feel overpowered with the entire arrangement kzread.infoUgkxrYREG3-7f1Aqk9ams3ZESRNzGnfdUtyQ . Be that as it may, this arrangements drove me through with much clarity and effortlessness woodplans. Works i now work like a genius. That is great!

I love your channel. Im a seventh grade science teacher who lives in a wooden house built in the 30s. Not enough spending cash to pay a pro properly so Im a DIY’er by necessity. Ive learned a ton from your youtube channel. From one educator to another: bravo!

@TheHonestCarpenter

2 жыл бұрын

Awesome to hear, Joshua! Thanks for watching, and work safe 🙂

@brentiers

2 жыл бұрын

The proper use of the internet for an autodidact has made schools almost completely useless. There are some exceptions, but if you're not after a piece of paper that tells the world how smart you are you can learn anything online.

Thanks, I knew all about the 3-4-5 triangle, but never thought of using it like that. I also like the trick about nailing a temporary brace once you have it square. Really great content; there are a lot of flashier wood working videos with big sponsors making a lot of money off of them, but yours always feels like I am learning something from someone on an actually job site. The minute I see a new video from you I always watch it. Great job.

@TheHonestCarpenter

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks SC! That’s pretty much exactly how I learned, so I’m really glad it comes through that way 🙂

@markfischer6850

2 жыл бұрын

Same here! I never thought of using a 3-4-5 right triangle like that. Thanks!

@timan2039

2 жыл бұрын

I learned much of this from my great grandfather and the rest from my grandfather. Always good to pass on knowledge.

@McEddModzHD49854

2 жыл бұрын

This is what we were taught in engineering too and other uses stuff that carries over to woodworking too

I remember high school wood shop teacher who taught us that ,"if you can make a true square " you can build anything correctly! He was so right! One of the first lessons we learned was how to make a perfect square. Our teacher graded us aggressively! Lol! He also taught us how to correctly use a "speed square " and all its features! These two things alone has helped me tremendously throughout my life.

@robertsheward9336

2 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately not too many high schools have wood shop anymore!

@number1pappy

2 жыл бұрын

@@robertsheward9336 I know! It's beyond sad...

@gwb8445

4 ай бұрын

In the 70's I took wood shop. We made large wooden spanking paddles and walked around school swatting other students. We drilled holes in the paddle so it stung more!😮 Nothing square about them.😊

@number1pappy

4 ай бұрын

@gwb8445 lol! Yeah, we as students were not allowed to make paddles. However, the shop teacher did make the vice principal a wood paddle with holes in it, and it had "board of education" engraved on it! It sat on a custom-built holder on the wall behind his desk. Corporal punishment was alive and well in the 80s in Texas, where I grew up. They can say what they will about paddling kids in school, but we never had school shootings, and our Schools were not full of disrespectful entitled punks. We even had student driven pickups with rifles in gun racks in the student parking lot. We even had a school sponsored shooting club. With all that, not one negative incident with guns ever. Makes one wonder what went wrong in society nowadays 🤔.

So it's good to be square. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Well done explanations and illustrations. "Oblique" reference should be "obtuse" in that an oblique angle is an angle that is not a right angle or any multiple of a right angle. Both acute angles and obtuse angles are oblique angles.

@stuckinmygarage6220

Жыл бұрын

Nice! 👍 A

This is definitely an important part of woodworking. My Grandpa was a cabinet maker and before I could build anything I had to build a square box! I finally did after many tries and to a 11 year old that seemed like forever. Tell someone to do this and they think no problem, but believe me it is harder than you think.

@nohomo4774

Жыл бұрын

that sounds really cool! my pappy was never close to me (he lived in another country) so I admire your Grandpa's effort 👍

Very important to check your squareness when building on a foundation. You can pull diagonals, be perfect, but a wall can be bowed. Can happen too once you start stacking your roof and a wall bows out. Every once in a while, check to make sure you're still square, true, and plumb.

@csimet

2 жыл бұрын

Agree. We all know foundations are poured square and plumb! ;) LOL. Some walls of mine are nearly 1" out of plumb over their 7" height. Found that out when I started to frame the concrete walls of my basement. Check everything, more than once, as you go.

@DJtheLoungeLizard

2 жыл бұрын

I haven't found a square wall in my house yet. And every house that I've seen that is over 20 years old is the same. Wood moves. Dirt settles. Concrete will crack or sag slightly (or more). Today all neighborhoods dig dirt and move it out to level areas. Then, bring in dirt to move the houses back up above the street level. Time goes by and the dirt settles, etc.

@brucea550

2 жыл бұрын

@@DJtheLoungeLizard You’re confusing dirt and gravel. Dirt, called overburden, is bulldozed off because it’s not good to have under a slab or foundation. Then gravel is brought in to raise the final grade.

@jeffburtonnottheracecardriver

2 жыл бұрын

@@brucea550 is the gravel compacted, or will it settle a little?

@brucea550

2 жыл бұрын

@@jeffburtonnottheracecardriver compacted, always!

Building small square boxes took me a long time to learn. Tip one, view the video on saw kerfs. Tip two, use a sharp pencil and learn to hold the pencil and mark the boards the exact same way. Use stops on your saw if you can instead of measuring each board or trim to the final length as a group if you can. Check everything along the way. You would be surprised what happens if your blade is not square to the table. A little 1/32 th gap becomes 1/16th when mated to another piece at times. The smaller and more detailed the project, the less forgiving it seems to me. Sometimes it is better to take the lost instead of trying to make it work.

@TheHonestCarpenter

2 жыл бұрын

All very good points, Dwayne, especially how mated mis-cuts will compound!

@keithmarlowe5569

2 жыл бұрын

The slightest deviation in angle grows further apart over distance, and the slightest deviation over short distance sticks out like a sore thumb. Ever see a poor tile job in a shower? An 1/8th inch off on a shower wall does not hide like in a long hallway

@keithmarlowe5569

2 жыл бұрын

And thanks for the tips. I need to upgrade my marking instruments for sure. World of difference between framing lumber and wood for wood working

This carpenter is not just honest, but very intelligent as well and wonderfully articulate. This video explanation would have to be one of the clearest , simplest and most to-the-point that I have ever seen. Thank you sir and so long.

It may see like wasting time to check for squareness, but as you say, it is a time saver in the long run. Great information for new woodworkers and a timely reminder for us old guys!

"If it's not square it'll be leaning like a Tim Burton house" lol!

I really think you are helping people. I wish i could do videos to help people I'm just not good at talking and now that I'm hurt i can't do much anymore. I loved working in construction and figuring out ways to fix things

Great timing, I'm making some boxes that are larger than my normal projects. Good reminders to make sure everything is square from the start.

@TheHonestCarpenter

2 жыл бұрын

Always good to check, Maxx! 😄

I remember our 10th grade math teacher telling us boys we would need this if we ever built a house. After 50yrs of laying out foundations and building everything from coffee tables to nuclear plants I’ve always said this was the most important thing I learned in school.

Oh, one more thing. Thanks for the videos. You cover things that really make a difference. Like the kerf, or the reveal. Freaking light bulb moments.

Great video Ethan! I’ve been a woodworker for nearly 70 years and your point on squareness in “ a gold standard” rule!! Most of my more recent projects have been smaller so squares inside and out work well. The cross brace is very helpful. Love the 3,4,5 method for larger projects. Your points are very important and so we’ll presented. Keep up the great videos! Many thanks!

Your videos have really helped me with my desire to start wood work as a hobby. Growing up I always wanted to help my father (Who was an amazing carpenter) with more technical work. He always wanted me to go to college and have a desk job. I joined the Army instead. lol Sadly, cancer took him recently and I inherited the majority of his tool collection. I've been watching many of your videos while deployed for tips of the trade so I can get better at finish work. Sorry for the depressing comment, just wanted you to know that your content and the way you explain things is incredibly helpful. Cheers.

Again I learn something new. You keep your videos coming, and I'll be watching them. 😊

This was some really good and useful information. Thanks for sharing this.

@TheHonestCarpenter

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks John!

so many woodworking youtuber say to check for square, but none make videos for what to do when it is not square.. tq for making this video.

@TheHonestCarpenter

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks John! Been wanting to make this one for a while 🙂

I didn't know there was a term for pulling corners, but it's something I did a lot when I was a Damage Control Petty Officer - making sure our quick acting water tight doors were square in their frames. Granted, if they weren't, it was a job for the shipyard, not for us... but the idea still was the same. Rather than a tape, we used two strings and measured them. We also made sure the strings touched in the middle to make sure the two diagonals were in the same plane - meaning the door frame (and door - same idea worked) wasn't warped.

I run into this issue a lot, thank you very much for this video!

The success of any project begins with and grows from an application of “Basics” Great video topic and illustrations - well done!

This is one of the most important things in most any kind of construction/building/fabricating etc..

Thanks for another terrific video. I particularly appreciate how you illustrate the importance of high school math in practical situations. As a former math teacher, I would've loved to use these videos as teaching tools.

@madeinyorkshire2203

2 жыл бұрын

I hope you don't use the descriptor "4 sided diamond" for a parallelogram with your students! 🙈😀

What really helped me up my game with checking my squaring tools was getting a solid Machinist Square 8 x 5-1/8 Inches (200 x 130 mm) DIN 875/1 (Square w/in 20 microns or 0.0007 Inches) for under $30. from Amazon, and then a larger size for checking my T-squares. I've been very much enjoying your videos, you are a very bright young man. Thank you.

one of the most important video on youtube in the woodworking channel area. thanks.

This is great. A good refresher. I’m saving this to show to my 12 year old who is starting to help in the shop and build his own things.

Yes, being straight and square straight from the get-go is really important. Very good tips 👍

I smiled seeing that as I helped both my kids with geometry. Ya the 3-4-5 is the Pythagorean triple which are numbers you memorize for different triangles so if you don't want to use the Pythagorean equation you just memorize those numbers. There are a lot of them but multiples of 3-4-5 is the one every geometry student has to endure (I mean enjoy memorizing). Second, those diagonals take advantage of another geometry property. The diagonals are the same in any quadrilateral which all sides are 90 degrees (in other words, rectangles and squares) You can take a deep dive if you want but I thought it was fun to see Geometry applied in a practical way instead of on a chalkboard. Nice job!

@TheHonestCarpenter

2 жыл бұрын

That’s the explanation I was looking for, Dave 😆

Incredibly well explained - thank you!

James, I always save your videos in my diy folder. They have helped me immensely with various projects on the farm. Thank you and Blessings.

Very clear. Nice job. For anyone that is a beginner, remember, opposite sides must MUST be the same length. Repeatability is key. Making multiple boxes requires the use of stop blocks to ensure lengths are the same. On large cases check the backside for square as well. If you don’t have a tape measure, use 2 sticks long enough to cross on inside of box from opposite inside corners. Put face to face. Mark a line across both on edge were they overlap. Use sticks and check the opposite diagonal corners. If square the lines on each edge should line up. If not adjust as needed.

Great and informative video! I'm about to start a porch build. These tips are right on time! Thanks

Excellent tutorial. Thanks James.

Thank you Thank you Thank you! I have always known how important it is to be precise with squarenes...these tips you provide are great. Keep them coming!

@TheHonestCarpenter

2 жыл бұрын

You’re welcome, Andrea! I’ve been wanting to make this one for a while :)

Thank you for producing these videos!

Excellent, concise presentation.

The Best Teachers are not the ones that know the most, but the ones that cause the most to know. Great job.

Great simple problem explanation and fix. Thanks

This video serves me well as an absolute beginner in wood working. Please keep up the good work!

My first major DIY project was an 8 x 8 garden shed and I was tempted rush ahead with it. When I started with the floor it was out a little bit when I used the diagonal method for confirmation, but I am glad I took the time to get this right. Now almost 10 years later it still looks great.

Excellent! Great example. Thank you.

Clear. Concise. Thorough. I hope every new woodworker sees and heeds this video.

Basic info at an easy to digest pace. Thanks again.

Good informative video about keeping everything square.

Very well done. Every homeowner and DIY-er needs to watch this.

Basic concept but critically important in practice. Thanks

Great video! I’ve done some of the mistakes you mentioned in this video & I like your brace method along with the 3-4-5 technique!! Thanks for sharing

Thank you for recording and posting this valuable educational video.

Great knowledge you are passing on! Thanks

Thank you for this lesson. I really appreciate it! My husband and I have built carts for his power tools and most have the issues you showed. I don’t remember ever checking for squareness and I do remember us cutting things to match, instead of relying on measurements. It’s something so basic but it’s not something we had in mind. Now we know 😁

I have been looking for a straightforward video like this for forever! Thank you!!!

Absolutely brilliant video, very resourceful and knowledgeable many thanks for your clarity and advise 👍

Good practical advice. As in every project, what mistakes you make in the beginning, is what you have to deal with for the rest of it, so thinking through the basics and checking is everything.

Thanks Ethan. Good review.

@TheHonestCarpenter

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching, JHans!

Thanks Ethan. I always enjoy your videos and learn something.

I appreciate this very good advice. I'm always getting out of square. Your videos are always excellent.

Learning so much! Thank you for these videos!

Thank you for this awesome video! You're a natural teacher!

All these methods is good for sheet metal projects,pipe fitting,plumbing even guitar making

This is the video that EVERY wood worker or carpenter needs to see. I think this should be the very first thing that someone should know.

Thankyou, Ethan. That was very informative and much appreciated!

Very informative, thanks for sharing your experience with us.

I truly enjoy your videos. You are expert in your trade and even better at explaining it. Keep the videos coming.

This is pure wisdom, thanks a lot for all these tips and wizardry, definitely saves the day

Spot on Ethan, this is brilliant advice on how to do things right (excuse the pun) from the start, and continue to check as you build, to ensure that everything stays square. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience, I really appreciate it.

Great topic!!!!! This should be discussed more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Excellent presentation. We are in the planning stages of an oversized garage. Information couldn’t have come at a better time.

I think it's a great important video! Thanks, beginner DIY'er. Math is so important, it's in everything.( Until this video, I didn't understand the importance of being square in you're work.)

Excellent explanation, you are a talented instructor

I’ve needed a video like this for a year. Thank you.

There's a whole separate level of carpenter that works on old houses that works with "out of square" to make thing "work right." It's kind of amazing to know which references to follow and which references to work around

@TheHonestCarpenter

2 жыл бұрын

Very true, Seth. I’ve lived and worked in two historic neighborhoods. Every remodeling step starts with, “So what’s wrong with THIS room…?”

I used the 3-4-5 method to square up the framing for a shed roof. Made installing the 4x8 sheathing go so much better.

Another great video with excellent informative advice. Thanks.

This is very timely. Having an issue with this in a project right now. Thanks.

Thank you for his video tutorial - your commentary and explanations were clear, simple and compelling. Having just assembled my first ever - test piece - toy chest (slightly out of square) I will employ your ‘squaring’ methodologies next time 👍

Great video of a basic, critical, woodworking premise!

Thanks for these “101” videos. So many DYI content produces assume viewers already have this basic knowledge. 👍🇺🇸

Very informative and useful. Looking forward to the next video. Thank You.

Ethan you are a genius. This is so important and you showed how it can be done easily.

Another great vid Ethan! I recently built an 8’ rectangular storage box (some of my friends called it a coffin 🥴), for the outdoor furniture cushions. I made out like a bandit, with the scraps I got at a lumberyard. They have bins where people dump their planks and trim, sometimes framing is available too! It doesn’t cost anything, but some time and effort. Learning and applying your content has paid off. I recently purchased an air saw a nailer and an air compressor, and might go back and straighten a few things out😝pun intended. Have a great weekend 🍸👊🏻

Awesome video, significant and very well presented topic. Thank you so much.

As a math major and novice woodworker, I loved this video and your use of all the correct terms - plus parallelogram is a great word! I have implemented so many of your lessons, thank you so much for your videos.

Thank you for very useful info on basic squaring-up 4-sided boxes/rectangles. Am using both long 1x2's & 90° (Bessy) clamps on edge. Works waay better than just diagonal measure & 'pounding' one corner in a trial&error method. Thx for all your time & effort in filming, lighting, audio & editing for all us armchair/hobby garage bookshelf, storage box builders.👍👍👍🧑‍🔧🙂🍺

Great explanation of the basics of squareness! I've been using all of these techniques for decades and I can confirm your assertion that keeping things square from the beginning is vital regardless of the size of your project. You have a knack for clearly conveying concepts and relating them to real-world situations. And I bet if you put your mind to it you could probably come up with a credible explanation of the Pythagorean theorem!

Absolutely awesome! I have made all of those mistakes in the past - never again. Sending this to my son in case I failed to teach him all of these techniques and tricks that you just explained so well. 3-4-5 expanded to larger projects and bracing/squaring both the front and back of a deep cabinet are brilliant. I learn something new from you every video.

Nothing better that a squarely built cabinet carcass! Loads of good tips for the impatient like me here :)

so simple but so brilliant

This rule explains so much to me, my mind has blown away. I recently made my first wooden box and encountered this problem and for the life of me couldn’t figure it out. Now I know what went wrong and will use this rule from now on. You are very helpful. Thank you for your videos.

Great video! Keep it up! Your tips are always worth a watch!

Excellent video, very well explained. Totally important.

Great job explaining everything thank you very much

Great advice. Clear information with good visual aid. Thanks!

@TheHonestCarpenter

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, Yippie!

Great channel. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Thanks! I just started DIY woodworking last year and I have learned so much from your videos. I've made the mistakes you described and now I need to incorporate this lesson, some discipline and patience into my work.

Just learned about the 3-4-5 method. Thanks.

I like how you called it the pythagorean theorem of right triangles. Pythagoras is my homeboy