Paint is a medium that both protects and enhances lumber and a variety of other surfaces. The woodworker or home handyperson will eventually be painting something, whether it is part of the home or a lovingly created project. The choice of paint will depend a lot on the project that requires painting. Is it to be for indoor or outdoor use? Will it come in for lots of wear and tear? These questions must be settled before the choice can be made.

Paint has three elements; pigment, binder and base. The pigment is the color, without which the paint would simply be a clear lacquer. The binder stops the paint from separating and helps it to adhere to the surface. It contains resin in various amounts; the highest resin content makes the most durable paint. The base is what classifies paint as water or solvent soluble, e.g., a water-based paint can be cleaned up with water, or an oil-based paint which needs solvent for clean up.

The item to be painted must be clean and free of loose dust and dirt. It needs to be sanded smooth before painting and sometimes between coats. A primer will help increase the durability of the paint and reduce absorbency. Sometimes the undercoat is mixed with a primer to save you time and effort. Water-based or latex paints are popular due to the ease of application and fast drying time. You can get several coats on in one day.

Some surfaces cannot be painted with water-based paints. Wallpaper will peel, while bare wood will swell due to the water content. Metal surfaces will rust and the rust will show through the paint. Water-based paint will go over flat-finished oil paints but not high gloss.

Oil paints usually need 24 hours or more of drying time between coats. Good quality oil-based paints are more durable than the water-based ones, especially for external use. Both come in grades of gloss, the highest gloss being used for high-traffic areas, as it is easier to clean. Flat or low-gloss paint is used for ceilings, while walls are often painted with a semi-gloss.

If you don't want your painted surface to look streaky and have the odd bristle stuck to the paint, use a good quality paintbrush. Many so-called handyman paintbrushes are poor quality, even though the price tag says otherwise. A good job cannot be done with a poor quality brush. Some projects are painted with a rag or sponge to achieve special effects.

There are many different types of stain on the woodworking market. Which one you choose will be governed partly by personal preference and partly by the type of lumber you've used. And of course what your project is. Some projects demand to be painted, while others are much more beautiful with the grain enhanced by stain or varnish.

Finishing your project with a stain or other finish is one of the most satisfying tasks, because it is the last thing to be done is relatively easy and enhances your project greatly. All the hours of hard labor have now come to fruition. But if you are not careful, disaster can strike at the last minute.

Finishes are usually chosen for their ease of application and fast drying time. If you choose a finish that takes hours to dry, it's possible that dust or bugs may settle on the surface while it is still sticky and mar the finish. To minimize this risk, apply the finish or stain in an insect and dust-free environment. But you'll still need plenty of fresh air due to possible fumes, so keep the windows open.

The five most common finishes are varnish and polyurethane, oil, shellac, lacquer and water-based finishes. A stain is a finish containing colored pigment that alters the natural color of the wood. Oils and varnish bring up the grain and enhance the natural color of the wood. Out of them all, varnish gives the most protection for the wood surface. It also takes the longest to dry, but layers can be built up to give a good protection.

Oil soaks into the wood and is ideal for external use. It is easy to apply; gives fair protection and simply using more over a scratch will often make it disappear. Some oils don't cure but leave a sticky surface on the wood. They should be avoided. Linseed and Tung oil are both good oils to use.

Shellac is widely used because it is fast drying and different colors are available. It will probably need to be thinned with denatured alcohol before it can be brushed on. You need to work fast in applying shellac and maintain a wet edge. It's not quite as durable as varnish and breaks down over time, so don't use that old tin that's been sitting in the shed for years, even if it is well-sealed.

Lacquer dries so fast it is mostly sprayed on. The dry dust can be explosive and the fumes are toxic, so watch your step with it.

Sanding between coats is a necessary part of applying finishes and stains. Using the ?wet sanding' technique will reduce the amount of dust that could spoil your finish. Special sanding paper is required for this. It's a good idea to practice your technique on a scrap to make sure you get it right, before tackling your project.

Since no one is perfect and neither is wood, there will most certainly be mistakes in your woodworking. But will you have to throw the whole piece away and start again, or can it be fixed?  Don't despair; most mistakes can be fixed in some way or another. Mistakes usually fall into one of two categories. The first is the tradesman's mistakes such as not measuring something correctly or putting the right measurement in the wrong place. The lumber itself causes the second; e.g., a flaw such as a knot right where you don't want it, or a piece of lumber tearing out or cracking.

If you've found a knot in your stock, you may consider leaving it there for visual appeal. In this case the knothole will need to be stabilized by filling it with glue, otherwise the brittle wood that forms the knot could fall out leaving only a hole. A thin solution of cyanoacrylate adhesive is what you need to soak into the wood fibers. Larger gaps can be filled with an epoxy colored to blend in with the wood. Or you could mix some sawdust from the wood into the epoxy before it hardens. If you want to take the knot out, you can do that and use the band saw to cut a patch of wood to fit.

If you've been using the router to edge light-colored wood such as maple, it often causes burn marks which are quite difficult to remove with sanding. But you can use the router again to mill it off if you set it a bit deeper - about 1/32) and go past that burned spot quickly.

Mortise and tenon joints should fit snugly to be strong, but when you are learning they are sometimes loose. It's no good filling it up with glue/ this won't work. What you need to do is cut pieces of wood and glue/clamp to the sides of the tenon. This way you can re-cut it for a better fit.

If you've cut that hinge pocket too deep there's an easy way to fix it. Simply cut a matching piece of cardboard from a cereal packet - you may need two, depending on how much you overshot the depth, and insert it between the hinge and the wood. It will be invisible if you measure it right.

When applying a finish like stain or sealer to your work, you may find a spot that the stain cannot penetrate. It is most obvious and looks terrible, but what has caused it? Probably a smear of glue! But don't try to sand it off; the sandpaper will get clogged with urethane. Don't wait until it's dry to try and fix the problem. Use a cabinet scraper to remove the glue then dab more stain over the spot.

Drilling can be done with a power drill or a hand drill. Most drilling these days is done by a power drill - either cordless or corded, but if the hole is tiny and hard to get at, a hand drill might be more useful. Cordless drills are invaluable for getting into awkward places, too.

The first thing to think about when drilling is safety. Always wear goggles to keep those bits of flying debris out of your eyes. Sawdust, masonry dust or tiny splinters of tile all cause untold damage to the eyes. It is also a good idea to wear a dust mask.

Choose the correct type of bit for the material you are to drill; you can't drill wood with a masonry bit or vice versa.  Attach the drill bit to the drill securely. If you are going into a wall, make sure there are no power cables or water pipes behind it. If you are drilling into something slippery like tile, then place some sticky tape over the spot. This will help to stop the point of your bit from slipping and it helps to stop the tile from shattering.

Keep the drill perpendicular to the drilling surface. Sometimes it's a good idea to make a little nick at the spot where the drill is to enter. You can tap the point of a nail into it, or use a bradawl, then start the drill slowly. Hold the drill with both hands and let it do the work. There should be no need to apply any pressure. If it won't go in - or if there is lots of smoke and heat - check that you have the right drill for the job.

If what you are drilling is moveable, clamp it down. Never try and hold the item still with one hand while drilling with the other; that's a recipe for disaster. There is usually some splintering at the exit hole, so if you need to drill right through an object and want a nice neat finish, clamp another piece of wood tightly to the back of it. Slowing the drilling speed as you reach the end will also help to reduce tearing.

If you are drilling inside, the lady of the house will thank you for taping a small bag to the bottom of the hole before you start drilling. This will catch most of the debris and save a big clean-up when you've finished.

A beginner in the art of woodworking should start on an easy project. If you choose something that is beyond your level of expertise, you are likely to become frustrated and may ruin it. Choosing an easy task and completing it successfully will hone your skills and keep your enthusiasm hot. The experience you gain will enable you to choose something just a little more difficult the next time and before long you will be able to successfully tackle a project with a high difficulty level. So what are some easy projects for the beginner?

A small bookcase or set of shelves would be a good place to start. This will give you practice in measuring, cutting and joining. You may need to plane the pieces and you'll certainly need to sand them before applying the finish, unless you cheat and buy the boards ready to go. When you are finished, you'll find lots of use for such a piece. Whether it is used to keep the children's books up off the floor or kept for your own workshop will be up to you.

If you prefer something much smaller, a jewelry box could be a good choice. It can be as elaborate or as simple as you desire. You could do small dovetail joints and you'll certainly need to cut out mortises for the hinges and probably the clasp. You'll get practice measuring and drilling tiny holes to screw the hinges on.

Another good project for the beginner is a planter box. The gardener of the family will be thrilled to have one of these to show off those pretty plants. It won't matter if the corners of a planter box are not absolutely perfect, as it just sits there holding a plant. Anyway, the worst part (if indeed there is one) can be turned to the back, or covered by the trailing tendrils of plant.

Other, smaller projects could be a spice rack or a coat rack. The spice rack will certainly give you practice in measuring things accurately, while the coat rack could be made a little more challenging with the addition of a shelf above it.

You can often download free woodworking plans for beginners from the Internet. Some woodworking magazines may also include project plans, while other can be bought, either from the Internet or in books. The library may be another source. Many plans will tell you what you need both in tools and materials, to complete a project.

Most woodworkers love their power tools, but good hand tools are just as necessary. In fact, years ago, our forefathers accomplished many wonderful things using hand tools only. One essential hand tool you?ll need for the workshop is a claw hammer. Most people have used one at some time in their lives. Choose yours to feel comfortable in your hand and not be too heavy. A rubber mallet is also handy to use when you want to fit something together without leaving any marks on it.

A Speed Square can be used to quickly mark a square line across the end cut of a piece of lumber, or any other angle you require, up to 45%. Even more versatile, a sliding bevel is handy for duplicating angles as it can be locked in place. It can also be adjusted for any angle.

A retractable tape measure with both Metric and Standard markings on it is another tool you will use constantly, while a utility knife with a retractable blade will have many uses such as marking lumber or cleaning a hinge mortise.

Chisels and screwdrivers are always in use and every woodworker should have a good basic set of each. Screwdrivers will need to be both the Phillips and Flathead types. A level is another necessary part of the woodworker's basic tool set. Most things you make need to have their horizontal or vertical level taken. One long and one short will be most useful.

Nail sets are used to sink nail heads just below the surface of the lumber. Keep a variety of sizes to suit the job in hand. A small block plane is another essential tool to shave that thin sliver of wood off your stock.

You may decide a handsaw is necessary for your workshop. There are many varieties such as coping saw, pull saw, compass saw, keyhole saw and of course large and small crosscut saws. What you need will depend a lot on the type of work you intend to do. Other essential things to have are files, rasps, pliers and sanding blocks.

Last but not least is a large piece of pegboard to hang your tools on, keeping them handy for your use and safely out of the way of little fingers. For those tools that won't hang, a lockable cupboard is the way to go. Shelving may seem easy to store things on, but they'll get covered in dust and sawdust and be easier for children to get at.

Every woodworker must have a selection of power tools to help him achieve perfection in his woodworking task. Even if perfection is not reached, the task will be made a great deal easier and more successful with the correct power tool. It may even be the difference between success and failure.

Which type of power tool you get will depend on the kind of woodworking you intend to do. If you intend to hone your skills and make working with wood a career, you'll need to invest in the more expensive tradesman's tools. But if you just like to potter around in the shed on your days off, then the handyman's portable power tools may suit. If in doubt, choose one with slightly more power than you think you'll need.

A cordless drill will be one such basic power tool that you will find a myriad of uses for. Consumer reports state that the 14.4-volt class is one of the better buys. A torque rating of 250 inch-pounds is required for most household projects.

A circular saw is essential for cutting your lumber, but choose a corded one for greater reliability. The 7 ¼ inch model seems to be the favorite for workshops. A rip guide and a laser cutting guide will add to the price, but save you a lot of frustration and time. If you are likely to need curved cuts in plywood - or anything else for that matter - a jigsaw is for you. The narrow reciprocating blade is ideal for the curved cuts impossible with a circular saw. Get one with an orbital cutting action and a scrolling feature for increased versatility.

A reciprocating saw or saws-all will be handy, though perhaps not strictly essential, as you can cut almost anything from 2x6 beams to copper pipe, with it.  Available in both corded and cordless models, the lighter ones are the easiest to maneuver. Sanders of various kinds will come in handy too and save you a lot of effort.

All this woodworking is going to make your shed very dirty, so you'll need a wet-dry vacuum to clean it up. Prices are extremely reasonable and most models are designed for both the pro and the home.

One way to keep to a budget with power tool purchases is to buy a cordless combo unit. You can get up to seven different tools for the price of one, depending on what you choose, but make sure you get those that will all fit on the one battery. Ryobi's One Plus System offers one battery for lots of different tools.

One thing you'll be doing quite a bit of as a woodworker is filling in nail holes. Nails have to be set so they cannot be seen in the finished project, as that would spoil the visual appeal. The heads could go rusty and then you would have a spotty appearance. You cannot just paint over them either, because paint will eventually flake off the metal heads and they will be easily seen.

If you are going to paint your project, then filling the nail holes presents no problem. Instructions on the paint can will probably tell you what putty to use and when and how to apply it. Don't forget to sand the finish smooth or you'll have a line of rough spots that are still visible under the paint.

If you are staining your project, filling the nail holes is a little more complicated. You need to fill them with something that is a close match to the stain you will be using, or you will still have that spotty look. Many wood fillers are colored to match various woods, but the trouble is wood colors vary considerably, even within the same type of lumber.

Another problem occurs because wood fillers don't absorb stain in the same way wood does, so this causes discoloration. Sanding the filler afterwards often forces minute particles of the filler material into the surrounding wood grain and this will cause an obvious color difference. So what is to be done? You've spent lots of time on that project and don't want to see the finish ruined.

One thing you can do to minimize the effects of the filler is to use a pre- stain conditioner. This will prevent the filler affecting the surrounding areas of the lumber, especially if your lumber is soft wood like pine, birch, maple or fir. After using a pre-stain conditioner, there is a time limit for applying the stain. About two hours is normal for most pre-stain conditioners. But what happens if you exceed the limit? Don't worry; just apply another coat of conditioner, then add the stain within the time limit. When you are sanding the filler, be careful that you don't sand the surrounding, conditioned lumber.

You can also purchase filler that is powdered. You then mix it with a small amount of the stain that you intend to use. This will give a close color match and can be done either before or after you stain the project. If you do it afterwards, you need to take great care not to damage the surrounding areas when sanding it.

There are so many tools available for the woodworker, it is impossible to buy them all. But you will certainly need some, so how do you decide what you will need and what you may never use?

Chisels are the woodworker's best friends, being used for a variety of tasks from mortising to chopping joints for a lumber barn. There are many different kinds available, but the butt chisels are the most used in cabinet making. The short handle makes them easy to balance and because the sides of the blade are beveled they are good for tight corners.

Experts consider the block plane and jackplane to be essential hand tools in a workshop. The jack plane is used for flattening and smoothing large areas of rough lumber, while the block plane is for getting those important joints flush and smoothing end grain and convex curves.

A small backsaw with a 10-inch blade is good for cutting joinery due to its small kerf. It is often used with a miter box. A dovetail saw is similar but smaller and is used for cutting dovetails, moldings and other fine-finish cuts. A panel or short-cut saw is good for general cutting of both lumber and paneling like plywood. It can also be used to cut plastic. With its sharp point for plunge cuts the drywall saw is handy for cutting electrical and plumbing holes in plasterboard and drywall.

What you get will depend on what type of woodworking you intend to do. If you are going to take up woodturning, you will need a lathe and a basic set of specialized woodturning tools such as bowl gouges and various others. You may need various types of power saws, depending on whether you want to cut your own stock or buy blanks ready cut for your project. If you want to be a home handyman doing repairs to the home and building things like bookcases or outdoor furniture, you'll need something quite different.

To decide which tools are best for the job, you need to know what task they will need to perform. For instance, if your project needs you to make curved cuts you will need a coping saw if you do it by hand or a jig saw or router with a guide, to do it with a power tool. If you buy a plan for your project it will most likely have on it what tools are needed for completion.

There are many different kinds of adhesives used in woodwork and they all have different properties and are used for different tasks. If you don't use the right one for the job, you will run into problems.    

PVA or polyvinyl acetate is a non-toxic, white glue that dries clear. It is not waterproof so cannot be used for exterior projects or fittings. It can also be used on paper, leather, cork and fabric, and cleans up with soap and water.

Woodworkers or carpenters glue is also white but is stronger and sets more quickly than PVA. It is heat and water-resistant. There is also aliphatic wood glue that is popular amongst woodworkers. Both are especially good for making and repairing furniture.

Instant setting or Super glue is popular for numerous jobs, both in woodworking and elsewhere. It can only be used for non-porous surfaces and sets very quickly. It comes as a gel as well as a liquid and you only need to use a tiny amount. It is toxic and should be used where there is plenty of fresh air. Mind you don't stick your fingers together.

Epoxy is both toxic and flammable, but is one of the strongest glues made, withstanding water, heat, jarring and shock. It can be used on a variety of surfaces including pipes, ceramics, glass, china, marble and masonry. There is a resin and a hardener that must be mixed together before use. Never use near a naked flame, or inhale the fumes

Polyurethane glue has the strength of an epoxy without the mixing, but surfaces to be used must be moistened. Bonds to most surfaces and is most often used to bond two surfaces that are dissimilar. It is waterproof and can be sanded, painted or stained.

Contact cement is most often used to bond laminates to countertops. It may come apart under a heavy load, but is waterproof and bonds immediately with no clamping.

Resorcinol glue is the ultimate exterior glue due to its weatherproof qualities, but must be cured under pressure. It is similar to epoxy in that there are two components.

Plastic Resin glue comes in a powdered form that must be mixed with water. It must be cured for 10 hours or so under pressure of clamping or weights and is mostly used for furniture repair.

Applied with a caulking gun, construction adhesive is a thick, durable construction adhesive used to bond flooring, paneling, roofing, metal, wood, concrete and masonry. It is flexible and waterproof and suitable for outdoors.

With all these different types of adhesives, there will always be one to suit the job you have in mind. Always take note of the safety precautions for each type of adhesive before using it.