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Woodworking rules can help new woodworkers avoid mistakes, damaged workpieces, and unsafe cuts. But when a useful general guideline turns into a frequently-parroted hard and fast rule, things start to go sideways. After more than 20 years of woodworking, I regularly ignore several common rules. I don’t break them to be rebellious or reckless. I break them because I understand why they exist, what could go wrong, and when the usual advice does not fit the work in front of me. Here are seven woodworking rules you can break once you understand the reason behind them.
1. Never rest a hand plane blade-down on the bench
Many woodworkers believe that placing a hand plane blade-down will dull or damage the cutting edge. The usual advice is to lay the plane on its side or retract the blade before setting it down. That has never made much sense to me. A woodworking bench is made of wood, which is the same material the plane is designed to cut.
A dirty bench is a different matter. Metal chips, screws, grit, or other hard debris could damage the blade. You could also gouge the bench if the blade projects below the sole. On a clean wooden bench, however, I do not worry about damaging the plane iron. In fact, laying the plane on its side leaves the exposed blade where another tool or your hand could hit it. When I want to protect both the bench and the blade, I rest the plane on a thin piece of scrap.
2. Always measure twice and cut once
Measuring twice may help you catch a wrong number, a transposed digit, or a mistake in reading the tape. The problem is that measuring still leaves several chances for error. You can forget the number, set the tool incorrectly, cut on the wrong side of the line, or misread the marks.
Whenever possible, I avoid measuring altogether. Relative dimensioning lets the project parts determine their own sizes. When fitting a tenon to a mortise, for example, I leave the tenon slightly oversized and trim it until it fits. The exact thickness does not matter. It either fits the mortise or it does not.
Story sticks work in much the same way. Instead of measuring hinge locations on a door and then measuring them again on the cabinet, I mark the locations on a strip of scrap and transfer those marks to both parts.
Measurements still have their place, but direct fitting and transferred marks often provide a more reliable woodworking process. Check out the video and article I wrote on Relative Dimensioning.
3. Never climb cut with a router
A router bit spins clockwise. During a normal handheld routing operation, moving from left to right lets the rotation of the bit pull the router against the edge of the workpiece. Moving in the opposite direction creates a climb cut. The bit can pull the router forward, which makes the tool harder to control. That is why beginners often hear that they should never climb cut with a router.
There are still times when a controlled climb cut can help reduce tearout. One method is to make a very light climb cut, no more than about 1/16 inch deep, to score the edge before routing to full depth in the normal direction. Another option is to leave the final 1/32 to 1/16 inch of material and remove it with a light climb-cut cleanup pass.
I also sometimes climb cut when using a small profile bit, such as a 1/8-inch roundover bit. The bit removes so little material that the direction matters less, provided that I maintain a firm grip and control the feed rate. Climb cutting requires care. You need to understand the direction of rotation, how much material the bit is removing, and how the router will react.
4. Never use a miter gauge with the table saw fence
Using a miter gauge and the table saw fence at the same time can create a dangerous kickback. If you use the fence as a length stop during a crosscut, the offcut may become trapped between the blade and the fence. The blade can then throw the trapped piece back toward the operator. The standard fix is to clamp a spacer block to the fence well before the blade. The workpiece touches the spacer while you set the length, then moves into an open area before it reaches the blade.
But not every operation creates an offcut. When cutting a tenon, rabbet, or other form of joinery on the end of a board, the blade may remove only sawdust. There is no loose piece trapped between the blade and the fence.
This rule should probably be “never trap a loose workpiece between the blade and the fence.”
5. Always alternate the growth rings in panel glue-ups
Woodworkers often alternate the growth rings when gluing boards into a wide panel. One board curves one way, the next curves the other way, and the pattern continues across the panel. The theory is that alternating the rings will keep the panel flatter if the boards cup. In practice, this can trade one problem for another. Boards with rings facing the same direction may create one broad cup. Alternating boards may create a wavy panel that is harder to flatten or secure to a base.
Modern kiln-dried lumber and climate-controlled homes also reduce the risk compared with the conditions furniture makers dealt with in the past. I orient boards based on the visible grain and the best faces. I would rather create a panel with good grain flow than rearrange the boards to prevent a problem that may never occur.
6. Always rip wide boards into narrower strips
A narrow board cannot cup as much as a wide board, so the advice has some logic behind it. But ripping a wide, attractive board also breaks up the grain and creates more glue lines.
When I have wide, dry, stable boards and the tools needed to flatten them, I prefer to use them. Wide boards can create cleaner grain flow, fewer joints, and a more natural-looking tabletop. Proper milling, moisture control, and attachment to a suitable base matter more than cutting every board into narrow strips.
I built a trestle table from two large mahogany boards in 2010. Sixteen years and three states later, the top has not cupped.
7. Always use the golden ratio
The golden ratio is approximately 1 to 1.618. Woodworkers and designers often use it to establish the proportions of doors, tabletops, cabinets, and other rectangular parts. It can provide a useful starting point, but it is not a rule that every furniture design must follow.
I usually prefer simple ratios that I can see and calculate easily, such as 1:2, 1:3, or 1:4. These ratios can also help connect the sizes of different parts. A design might use a 3/4-inch top, 1 1/2-inch legs, and a 3-inch apron, with each part based on a simple 2:1 relationship.
The room, the function of the piece, available material, and personal taste should guide the final dimensions. A mathematical ratio should support the design, not control it.
Learn the rule before you break it
Woodworking rules give beginners a clear and safe place to start. They simplify complex topics and help prevent common mistakes. As your skills improve, you should start asking why each rule exists. Once you understand the risk or problem the rule is meant to prevent, you can judge whether it applies to the current project.
Do not ignore woodworking rules without thought. Learn what they protect you from, then decide whether the conditions allow an exception. That is the difference between breaking a rule and making an informed choice. The closing section of the script makes the same point, rules guide beginners, but experience helps identify when an exception is safe and reasonable.