The kind of the math , the the carpenters are using in their daily wood techniques , maybe causes fear to the new woodworkers , who want to start a woodworking hobby .
I know from my school years as you know also , that people “fear” mathematics in general , even if there is no reason for that . If you start from the beginning and try not to have knowledge “gaps” during the years , maths aren’t so hard , as you may imagine .
I also know , that when you are about to enter this astonishing hobby , the woodworking hobby/activity you may imagine that , because of maths woodworking is maybe hard to learn .
No, no, no . Woodworking isn’t hard to learn and everyone can be a very good woodworker and the math isn’t tough in here , for us the carpenters .
If you can carry and act with the totally basic woodworking tool which is the hand saw and you can walk into forests for wood ( always keeping the safety measures ) , you are already a woodworker .
So don’t be “afraid” for the kind of maths you’ll need to use , to be a carpenter .
The maths the carpenters are using mostly in their daily woodworking activities and jobs , are the basic for the totally amateurs or new to the woodworking hobby , and a little more advanced (but not too tough) for the professional carpenter , who has the woodworking as a job .
The basic mathematic knowledge is just fine for the hobbyist woodworker and a little more advanced for the totally professional carpenter would be the case i here , in order to be a good professional . Nothing more , nothing more scary .
Two kinds of carpenters , different levels of math knowledge , but both need the Basic Math .
As you can imagine , we can separate the people acting with the woodworking activity , into the :
1) Hobbyists – more amateurs – more “relaxed” woodworkers .
2) Totally professionals .
Both of them , need to know and use the basic math knowledge , but the professionals need to know and use alittle more advanced maths . If you are a professional woodworker , you have clients to satisfy and these clients , pay you , their “sweet” money .
Both , hobbyists and professionals , should know the basic mathematics knowledge and this maths are the maths , a 8 – 9 years old school kid knows .
If you know the maths , you learned in the first couple of your school years , you can create yourself very fine woodworking projects and see in action , that woodworking isn’t hard at all .
What Kind of Maths , an amateur – hobbyist Carpenter , should know ?
The basic maths you should know is the 4 mathematic operations , which are the columns of all the mathematics .
You should know how to :
a) Add numbers with addition .
b) Subtract numbers , with subtraction .
c) Multiply numbers , with multiplication .
d) Divide numbers , with division .
If you know and do fine with these 4 basic math operations , you won’t have any theme for your creations as an amateur – hobbyist woodworker .
Amateur carpenter , should know how to add numbers , in order to organize well his wood board / pieces cuts and don’t waste wood .
For example , if you need 3 wood pieces of 1 meter , 1 meter and 0.90 meter , it’s better to use 3 different wood pieces with lengths close to the 1 meter , than to use a 2 boards of 2m meter lengths .
The 2×2 meter board will be needed maybe , for bigger plans . Why “waste” them , if you can do the job with the smaller ones ?
So , you should know well , to add and subtract numbers , in order to organize your wood cuts , the best way possible , with “economy” .
The same applies with the multiply and division , math operations . If you have 1 wood piece and you want to see how many smaller you can cut from it , the division operation is necessary . And of course the opposite , applies the same .
The 4 math Operations are the basic math and don’t Let the decimals , scare you .
I want to mention in here that most of the times , you’ll face numbers for math operations , having 1 or more decimals . These numbers may frighten you a little , but don’t be afraid .
If you cannot make your math operations in the paper and you don’t have a calculator near you , your smartphone , has one .
The 4 basic math operations , are the columns and the basic math for your woodworking projects as an amateur woodworker . Yes , if you know as an extra knowledge , about angle degrees and a little of trigonometry , it will help you more .
If you can also , measure and mark different kinds of angles using the goniometer – bevel , for your angle cuts and wood shaping , even better . The diabetes – divider is also very easy to use ( it’s a primary school element ) and it’s nice to have it , with your other woodworking tools .
Of course , the good knowledge of these 4 basic math operations , will help you the most , when you buy your supplies from the stores and choose what is cheap and what seems to be cheap .
It’s always useful to know , how you can count the total weight of your wood supplies , to compare the weights and its prices from several stores and all the measuring costs you’ll face , when you decide to buy wood from the stores .
If you know and be very “comfortable” with these 4 basic math operations , you’ll never face problems , no matter how many decimals or whatever else , you’ll deal with .
Extra tip for your measurements :
If you can have and supply one of these very helpful scientific calculators , your life will be more easy for sure . Many times you’ll need to convert numbers of different measurement units and most of the times these numbers , will have decimals .
The scientific calculator can do the appropriate conversions , for you with the push of some buttons and with 100% , accuracy .
If you are also learn to use , the very helpful digital woodworking tool which checks the verticality and straightness , you’ll need to convert numbers very often .
Maths will help you to measure wood correctly .
Except the good knowledge you should have with the 4 math operations , another very basic skill you should have , develop and be very cautious with it , is the correct and accurate measuring of your wood .
Accuracy , accuracy , accuracy is the “name of the game” in here and if you don’t measure right your wooden surfaces , your wood projects will have serious issues .
Be very careful while you are measuring your wood and before you cut it , always double-check the cutting lengths .
If you cut wrong , then it’ll be too late . Only GOD can restore your wrong cutted wood in its primary form , so be very careful and always use good metric tools and a nice quality’s carpenter’s pencil .
Your carpenter’s pencil should be always very nice sharpened , in order to have a pointed edge and you can mark “surgically” .
Some Metric Problems and their Solutions , mostly for the tape meters .
Some serious enough metric problems , you’ll probably find in your way to create your wood plans , is the different metric systems , every continent has , around the globe .
I’m sure that you know that we have different units of measurement accordingly the place you live in our beautiful earth . We have meters , feet , inches , cm , mm , et,c and if you put in there the decimals “issue” , you may get scared .
But again , don’t be scared . I should tell you that i had in my beginning the same kind of “themes” , but i solved them during time .
All the metric , ( retractacle , folding )tapes have above them , the types of measurement units , you’ll need for your calculations . All the metric tapes have on both of their sides , the lengths in inches , feet , cm e.tc .
Extra tip for your cuttings – measuring , concerning the thicknesses .
Be very cautious and give your biggest attention , while you are measuring your wood boards – pieces , in order to make a wooden box , a wood chair , or anything and you want to join them .
Always measure the thickness of the wood boards and count this thickness length to the total length of your woodworking project . If you don’t count it , your total length will be bigger and maybe awry , than you have expected .
If you want this wood plan of yours to fit exactly to a shelf or whatever and you don’t count the thickness of your several pieces , your project will be longer and won’t fit inside the place you want to put it .
This is a very common mistake the new woodworkers do and i have done it so many times , in my early days .
The same applies for the circled – round wood pieces . Measure them with your caliper , very carefully and add their dimensions to your total design . Always count and have in your mind , the parameter of the thickness of your wood pieces .
See some nice calipers i’ve picked for you to buy and maesure accurate thickness in , HERE .
You should also know as a woodworker , that even if you are an amateur carpenter , you are also an engineer .
While you are measuring , counting , cutting and visualizing your wood plan to make , you think and act as an engineer . You imagine your construction and you use the engineer DNA , all humans have from the day one , on this earth .
You think that the “first” humans beings , made their primitive houses using knowledge from universities ? Kind of difficult(!) , some million years ago .
What kind of maths the Professional carpenter , should know .
In here the situation is kind of more complex , of more advanced , but in no way something you need to scare of . Yes , the professional carpenter , need to know more maths from the amateur .
I’ve seen and met professional carpenters , who knew very few maths from school and they evoluted to a very high woodworker’s level , slowly , slowly learned by experimenting and making mistakes .
So the professional carpenters should know the same basic maths , as the amateur ones , but they need to know of course more .
Of course the basic maths , are the columns for the more advanced ones , that’s why a woodworker should be very “comfortable” with them .
What extra math knowledge the pro carpenters , should know ?
After the basic maths , the most difficult “job” for the professionals , is the ability to combine his maths with the visualization of the wood projects , in the 3 dimensions .
The professional carpenter , should train his brain to calculate maths from A to Z , in the 3 – D space .
The professionals will create wooden doors , wooden stairs , wooden windows , wooden frames of all kinds , wood floors in awry maybe grounds , wooden shelfs , professional libraries and church’s furniture , elite wooden tables and many more wood plans .
The professional carpenter will be called also , to place these plans inside of houses , above walls in several spots and in any possible area you can imagine .
These wood plans , must be 100% and in absolute grade vertically and horizontally correct .
That’s why your engineer DNA and your math calculations should “work” in the 3 – D level .
The pro woodworker also should be called also to measure distances in triangles and many times he’ll need to find 1 of the 3 sides of the triangle .
The Pythagorean theorem is a “must in here . If you know the 2 sides of a right triangle( β²+ γ²= α² ) , you can find the other one , the hypotenuse .
Usually the wood roofs of the houses are rectangle triangles , connected together , so if you know the 2 side you can easily find out the hypotenuse . So to know some of trigonometry , in here will help you the most .
Another very serious math knowledge a professional carpenter should know , is to count the cubic volume of some of the trigonometry shapes . It’s very crucial to know how to measure the cubic volumes of triangles , squares , circles , cylinders , et.c .
Because you’ll need to know how much space , your wood plan – plans will “capture” in the wall , area , inside house specific spot and count the distances and free spaces , correctly .
You cannot create a 50 cubic meters wooden ladder and want to place it in a 40 cubic meters place . Except the correct space for your wood projects in a 3 – D space , knowing cubic volume calculations , will help you ordering exact wood supplies from the stores .
When you are a professional woodworker and you should create , wooworking projects for your clients , you should always concider in your mind the measuring differences from the contraction – expansion , of the wood .
Wood is an “alive” material and it’s affected more than other materials , from the contraction and expansion , factors .
The atmosphere’s moisture , the possible fluids of any kind and more factors can affect seriously , the cubic volume of the wood , in all of its dimensions .
The carpenter should be able to predict , the shape and cubic volume of his woodworking project , in the future and in all situations and leave the appropriate “comfort gaps” .
If you make a door for a house near the sea with the moisture absorption for the wood in the highest levels , you should leave more space from its edges . You don’t want the door to inflate , block the area and make its movement , very hard .
The professional carpenter should also have enough “comfort” and skills to use the computers and the other appliances , which use mathematics for calculations and wood designs .
Do you need to be extremely Good at maths , to be a carpenter ?
If you are , or you want to be a professional woodworker , you need to use more advanced mathematics , but of course , not something extreme in most of the cases .
If you want to enter the industrial furniture design area and the other construction – log houses and general constructions area , you’ll need to know good math .
If you want to go to the building log homes , et.c fields , you can understand that you’ll need very good math , in order to create solid and safe houses , et.c .
But in this cases , you’re entering more fields , than the woodworking area .
You’re entering the architect – mechanics area and the maths in here , are tough .
If you want to be a good professional carpenter , you should know good “targeted” maths , to do correctly the specific and professional jobs , your clients , will give you .
If you are a hobbyist carpenter , you should also be good at maths , but you don’t need to know the maths the professionals know .
If you are an amateur woodworker , you don’t have the necessity to be 100% presicionist with your wood projects , as the totally professional must be , because he sells his woodworking projects .
If you are a hobbyist carpenter , it isn’t so bad(!) to make small mistakes with your measuring , or your drilling , or your rubbing , et.c .
If you are a professional carpenter , once you’ve made mistake , your customer’s wallet won’t open(!) , to pay your mistake .
If you are a professional woodworker , once your wood project , goes out your carpentry shop and it isn’t as it should , your fame and future will have “issues” .
The amateur – hobbyist carpenters should be good at maths , but not in the level the professionals , must be .
Why do carpenters , Require knowing some maths ?
If you want to be good , at your woodworking projects and creations and make these projects , correct , beautiful , not awry , timeless and be proud of your creations , you should know mathematics .
If you want to get paid well from your clients , being a professional carpender and create a great reputation in the market , you must create excellent wood plans .
You must give your best self to your wood creations – furniture and make the wooden “planet” and yourself , proud .
Keep woodworking , keep learn your maths , keep creating your awesome woodworking projects , keep gaining happiness .