OMG

[Kronos]

  I suck at woodworking.. I tried to build a Countertop arcade today.. and I am just really bad at it... nothing ever lines up right. I am going to have to buy some formica or somthing to cover the sides to hide the ugly box.. anyone live close to Dallas Tx. want to help me out a little.. I got some stuff to trade for some woodworking. (pc' , lcd monitors)

[sstorkel]

Everything takes practice. Did you win the Tour de France the first time you rode a bicycle? Nope. Did you win the Indy 500 the first time you got behind the wheel of a car? Probably not. The important thing is to figure out where you're having problems and discover how to fix them. Common woodworking problems include:

1) Poor measurement. Solution? Buy some good measuring tools: a FastCap FlatBack tape measure, combination square (e.g. Starrett 12"), and maybe a dial caliper. Better yet, create a story pole so that you don't have to measure anything!

2) Inability to cut straight. Solution? Build a sawboard or buy an edge guide. You'll also want some clamps to keep it in place while making cuts.

3) Problems with math. Solution? Buy a calculator that can handle fractions (e.g. Construction Master) if you're having problems with math (12 3/32 + 14 5/8 = ??).

4) Inability to create or read plans? Buy a step by step book (e.g. saint's) that will lead you through things from start to finish. Follow the book exactly. Once you have a successful project or two under your belt then you can start to branch out.

And of course you need to learn how to recover from your mistakes. If you learn how to sharpen it, a low-angle block plane is great for helping to recover from mistakes. It'll remove wood in small amounts until you have two pieces that are exactly the same length or width. In most cases, it doesn't matter if your pieces are some exact length, but rather that they're all the same length...

[RecklessAbandon]

caulk ftw XD

[leapinlew]

Everything takes practice. Did you win the Tour de France the first time you rode a bicycle? Nope. Did you win the Indy 500 the first time you got behind the wheel of a car? Probably not. The important thing is to figure out where you're having problems and discover how to fix them. Common woodworking problems include:

1) Poor measurement. Solution? Buy some good measuring tools: a FastCap FlatBack tape measure, combination square (e.g. Starrett 12"), and maybe a dial caliper. Better yet, create a story pole so that you don't have to measure anything!

2) Inability to cut straight. Solution? Build a sawboard or buy an edge guide. You'll also want some clamps to keep it in place while making cuts.

3) Problems with math. Solution? Buy a calculator that can handle fractions (e.g. Construction Master) if you're having problems with math (12 3/32 + 14 5/8 = ??).

4) Inability to create or read plans? Buy a step by step book (e.g. saint's) that will lead you through things from start to finish. Follow the book exactly. Once you have a successful project or two under your belt then you can start to branch out.

And of course you need to learn how to recover from your mistakes. If you learn how to sharpen it, a low-angle block plane is great for helping to recover from mistakes. It'll remove wood in small amounts until you have two pieces that are exactly the same length or width. In most cases, it doesn't matter if your pieces are some exact length, but rather that they're all the same length...

5) ask for help. 

[Kronos]

thanks, I am going to try some wood putty to fill the cracks

[patrickl]

Yes either learn the trade and spend a lot of money on the tools, or get a carpenter to help you.

[ChadTower]

I've never had any luck AT ALL with wood putty.  It always dries up and chunks out.  Maybe I just use garbage putty but I'm done and moving on to bondo.

[sstorkel]

thanks, I am going to try some wood putty to fill the cracks

How big are the cracks? Wood putty is OK for small gaps, not so good for larger ones. I wouldn't trust it to hold a screw, or stain well. Also, keep in mind that it will shrink as it dries. That means you may have to fill the crack a couple of times before you get it perfectly level. Or you can do what I do: overfill it the first time and then sand away the excess. Bondo is less likely to shrink, which is why many people prefer it, but you have to paint it since it won't take stain.

If you have really large cracks, you may need to recut the parts or cut a shim to fill the gap.

[drpcken]

Buy a step by step book (e.g. saint's) that will lead you through things from start to finish.

What book are you referring? I can't find anything similar.

[BobA]

He is refering to Saint's book Project Arcade

Link to Book

There is a Board called Project Arcade here, it is the last one listed.

[FooMonk]

I'm no expert either. One of my weaknesses had nothing to do with skill and everything to do with approach.
When I get frustrated, I try to push through the project too fast, then I make mistakes. I think that the #1
woodworking tip ever is simply to slow down and think.

I don't know if it applies, but there it is.

[Xam]

I'm no expert either. One of my weaknesses had nothing to do with skill and everything to do with approach.
When I get frustrated, I try to push through the project too fast, then I make mistakes. I think that the #1
woodworking tip ever is simply to slow down and think.

I don't know if it applies, but there it is.

I have a tendency to do this too. I did it on the paint part of my cab and paid the consequences. Fortunately my niece was able to salvage my project. What I learned was this...Take your time and enjoy the build. Its not a race.
I (as do many people on this forum) suck at wood work too. Sometimes you just gotta recut a piece to make it right.

Post some pics so we can see. I also found that I am sometimes too hard on myself. No one can see the glaring imperfections in my cab except for me. It may not be as bad as you think.

Xam