ALWAYS Do This To Your CARPENTRY + WOODWORKING Projects! (How to SQUARE UP Cabinets/Floors/Walls...)
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ALWAYS Do This To Your CARPENTRY + WOODWORKING Projects! (How to SQUARE UP Cabinets/Floors/Walls...)
Understanding "squareness" is one of the most important parts of becoming a good carpenter or woodworker. This short video from The Honest Carpenter will explain what "square" means in carpentry and construction, how we determine if something is square, and how we keep it square!
As I mentioned in my "Plumb, Level, Square" video, the word "square" in construction simply means two lines, components or objects are sitting at a perfect 90-degrees to one another.
Building things square is massively important in carpentry, because elements built out of square will impact later phases of work that are built upon the first.
To determine square for very small objects like little boxes, you can just slide a TRY SQUARE into an interior corner and make sure both legs of the tool are touching the material evenly.
For anything slightly larger like a cabinet, it's better to "pull diagonals" or "pull corners" to see if something is square.
Hook your tape measure onto one corner and pull to the opposite outside corner--note the measurement. Now pull from the other corner on the same side to the other opposite corner, and note that measurement. If the numbers are different, then your box is OUT OF SQUARE!
One corner is probably squeezed in, meaning that the other corner on that end is being pushed out. Rack the box back into shape and pull corners again until the numbers match up.
On very large structures like floors and walls, it's best to use the 3-4-5 METHOD. Pull three feet on one leg of the structure and make a mark at 3'. Then pull 4' out the other leg and make a mark. Now measure the distance between the two marks. If it's 5', then your structure is square. If it's not 5', then your structure is out of square--shift it into the right shape.
Once you have an object squared up, brace it by shooting a scrap piece of wood across two adjacent legs, locking the shape into place until glue dries, or your finished building!
Thanks for watching!
The Honest Carpenter - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
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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?!)
Me too! Although I AM 70 😂
My age exactly.@@franceswatts4001
As an amateur with woodworker, i typically feel overpowered with the entire arrangement th-cam.com/users/postUgkxrYREG3-7f1Aqk9ams3ZESRNzGnfdUtyQ . 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!
So it's good to be square. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
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!
Awesome to hear, Joshua! Thanks for watching, and work safe 🙂
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.
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.
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.
Unfortunately not too many high schools have wood shop anymore!
@@robertsheward9336 I know! It's beyond sad...
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.😊
@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 🤔.
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.
Thanks SC! That’s pretty much exactly how I learned, so I’m really glad it comes through that way 🙂
Same here! I never thought of using a 3-4-5 right triangle like that. Thanks!
I learned much of this from my great grandfather and the rest from my grandfather. Always good to pass on knowledge.
This is what we were taught in engineering too and other uses stuff that carries over to woodworking too
one of the most important video on youtube in the woodworking channel area. thanks.
The success of any project begins with and grows from an application of “Basics” Great video topic and illustrations - well done!
Thanks for these “101” videos. So many DYI content produces assume viewers already have this basic knowledge. 👍🇺🇸
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.
The Best Teachers are not the ones that know the most, but the ones that cause the most to know. Great job.
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.
Again I learn something new.
You keep your videos coming, and I'll be watching them. 😊
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.
Nice! 👍 A
This is one of the most important things in most any kind of construction/building/fabricating etc..
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
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.
that sounds really cool! my pappy was never close to me (he lived in another country) so I admire your Grandpa's effort 👍
I have been looking for a straightforward video like this for forever! Thank you!!!
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!
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.
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.
Thanks John! Been wanting to make this one for a while 🙂
Ethan you are a genius. This is so important and you showed how it can be done easily.
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.
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.
I like how you called it the pythagorean theorem of right triangles.
Pythagoras is my homeboy
This was some really good and useful information. Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks John!
Thank you for recording and posting this valuable educational video.
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!
All these methods is good for sheet metal projects,pipe fitting,plumbing even guitar making
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.
Very good explanation for starting DIY-ers. I have recently started down a rabbit hole: from researching to replace my aging makita rotary hammer and b&d drill, to watching carpentry videos. Seems like a great place to start. Thank you!
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.
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.
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.
@@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.
@@brucea550 is the gravel compacted, or will it settle a little?
@@jeffburtonnottheracecardriver compacted, always!
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.
Square and Plumb...a framers motto.
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.
All very good points, Dwayne, especially how mated mis-cuts will compound!
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
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
I’ve needed a video like this for a year. Thank you.
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!
That’s the explanation I was looking for, Dave 😆
Clear. Concise. Thorough. I hope every new woodworker sees and heeds this video.
going to school, learning all that math stuff... and NEVER thougt about a handy thing like 3-4-5 .... THNX!!!
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.)
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!
You’re welcome, Andrea! I’ve been wanting to make this one for a while :)
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.
Excellent, concise presentation.
You described my diy problem solving process on every project I’ve ever built to a tee
I've learned more from TH-cam on DIY than I could have on my own. Content like yours literally has saved me hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
Thank you, CF! I’m so glad it’s helpful 😄
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.
Always good to check, Maxx! 😄
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.
I hope you don't use the descriptor "4 sided diamond" for a parallelogram with your students! 🙈😀
I like the way you have explained things in layman's terms. Easy to understand, to follow, and to duplicate in the field. Thanks.
Thanks Ethan, my woodworking will be much better now.
Always love when trigonometry we teach to kids is practically used!!!
Thanks Ethan. I always enjoy your videos and learn something.
Oh man I am learning THANK YOU SO MUCH I Started this “woodworking “ after I retired and AGAIN THANKS TO YOU (I AM LEARNING SIMPLE TAKE YOUR TIME DON’T GET EXCITED SO DOWN THINGS) LOL
OMG I cannot be more grateful hearing this segment. Thank you applying this concept so well!!!!!
Thank you, Veronica! 😄
Thanks Ethan. Good review.
Thanks for watching, JHans!
Thanks. Basics can't be repeated (or reworded) too often.
I truly enjoy your videos. You are expert in your trade and even better at explaining it. Keep the videos coming.
Thank you for this video. Sometimes the little things are the biggest pain in the ass.
Thank you for this awesome video! You're a natural teacher!
Nothing better that a squarely built cabinet carcass! Loads of good tips for the impatient like me here :)
Great topic!!!!! This should be discussed more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is pure wisdom, thanks a lot for all these tips and wizardry, definitely saves the day
Excellent! Reminds me of my old carpenter friend's adage... "Framing IS finish".
That’s a great quote, dock! Everybody’s job down the line will become easier or more hellish depending on how good the framer is. 😁
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.
One of my favorite kinds of videos to watch are finish carpenters fixing all of the mistakes of the builders and/or time. Just a slight settling of the foundation can make a HUGE difference when it comes to placing trim. I've seen some old houses with HORRIBLE issues. Try to put in cabinetry that goes almost up to the ceiling when the ceiling is way off kilter. It's an art to make it work.
This has always been a lingering question in my mind. When the structure is out of square and out of level do you match the lines of the house to continue the illusion that it's consistent or do you go with plumb, level, and square despite the fact that it'll be glaringly obvious.
Very informative and useful. Looking forward to the next video. Thank You.
Very well done. Every homeowner and DIY-er needs to watch this.
Basic info at an easy to digest pace. Thanks again.
The 3 4 5 method of square is my choice rather than measuring the diagonals. This is always and informative and well done show.
I’m a picture framer and agree totally. If a picture frame is out of square, it goes in the garage. Great video.
You mean garbage?
@@Bunny2086 yes, darn auto correct.
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
Very true, Seth. I’ve lived and worked in two historic neighborhoods. Every remodeling step starts with, “So what’s wrong with THIS room…?”
"If it's not square it'll be leaning like a Tim Burton house" lol!
The simplest things are always the most important.
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.
Great refresher of a very important basic task! Thank you very much!!!
Thanks Chris! I’m trying to deep dive a lot of the basics this year 🙂
@@TheHonestCarpenter I’m looking forward then to your upcoming videos that will be touching all these important points … thx again
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 😁
Outstanding.
Howdy from the great Republic of Texas
Ethan you never disappoint. Awesome video. Really appreciate it.
Thank you, Arash! I appreciate the support 😄
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.
Thanks for the solid explanation. Fought a small pig house for hours. Till I realized my cheap chopsaw had slipped out of square. Got it done but had to recut some of the main structure supports. Thankfully the pigs did not mind.
This is really a great video , no it's not a hot or flashy topic. But you said it. Its the 1st basic to everything you build. 90% of the projects that I've had trouble making this was the problem and normally it starts out small and just grows and grows as you get further along in your project. It's the rule for how your tools should be set up , how you should try to mill your lumber. Taking the extra time to check everything saves time and headaches.
Great video of a basic, critical, woodworking premise!
Like a Tim Burton house. Too clever. What keeps me watching
😁👻🏡
Nice 👍🏼. A^2+B^2=C^2. Where C is the hypotenuse of the triangle. Setting the equation = to C means Taking the Square Root of the sum of the squares of the other sides.
We're Aussies and bought and live in an old house in France. I swear the builder used the French version of 3-4-5 which is 3.25 - 4.82 - 6.07! 🤣 Everything is out of square and rhomboid! Got to tell you, it made things challenging when we installed square cabinets in the kitchen! Thank goodness for trim mouldings or cornices to hide the gaps. Love your channel and am learning a heap 🙌
Whenever I (arrogantly) think I know enough about a subject, that there's really nothing more to learn, and so maybe I don't need to watch that video of yours..., you always include something fantastic that I hope to remember to use in my next project! 🤓
Thanks so much for your great videos 💟
Thank you, Lesley! 😄
This video serves me well as an absolute beginner in wood working. Please keep up the good work!
I build flooring cassettes in the UK, usually the drawing has square size on it in millimeters, some if the flooring cassettes are up to 10 or more meters long.
But sometimes the timber is wet and has expanded or its not a rectangle or square shape so only one square size, so i use the handy man app which has lots of different calculations in it but one is 3-4-5 rule, you put your dimensions in and click convert and it tells you what it should be.
Square it too before putting dwangs or noggins in as easier to do rather than belting it with a sledge hammer to get it square again lol
Absolutely brilliant video, very resourceful and knowledgeable many thanks for your clarity and advise 👍
Got the wood cut for a homemade arcade machine this is great advice. I am a very amateur wood worker whose expertise is electronics, I want it to look as good in real life as in my head.
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 advice. Clear information with good visual aid. Thanks!
Thank you, Yippie!
Just what I needed. I'm building a king-sized bed platform with storage and the drawers need everything to be square in order to slide in and out properly.
Very informative, thanks for sharing your experience with us.
Truly thank you for setting me up for success
You’re welcome, Neo!
Excellent video. Triangular bracing is an easy way to lock in a square
I am building out a camper van, while nothing is square, my joinery will need to be. Thanks for reminding me just how important it will be.
Great video, it is good to brush up on things like this! I live in France in an old castle but their build a new building within the castle and to do that the new building is total not square by almost half a foot and believe it or not I have seen buildings with over a full foot out of square and still standing! I am Franco-American building engineer trained and worked state side, I only did this trade state side; this building is a price of art; getting it in here within two older building of over hundred years old I am only half French, and I don't know how it was done!
That’s amazing, Ivan! 🇫🇷 🇺🇸 👍
Ah ha! the old 3-4-5 trick! Thanks!
Some good advice there 👍
Might help me stop being such a 'best fit, sand off the edges, and filler in the gaps' bodger.