any woodworking talent here? Help

[historian]

I am just starting and am building a small cabinet but i cant get the thing to square properly - what am i doing wrong??
frustration reigns supreme

[vi5]

1. I am attempting to build a CD rack...

And wondering the same thing. I just have the frame set up.

[Warren Stuart]

2. Measure twice, cut once

Is this a ready to assemble unit or are you building it from scratch?

Either your cuts aren't straight, or one piece is longer than the others, plus check the wood to see if it is warped.

Are you using screws to hold it together? Is it glued?

[Maine-i-acs]

3. measure measure measure

and get a good carpenter's square (cheap).

Without a square: Do a 3-4-5 triangle measurement on your corners.

Measure three inches down one side and mark.
Measure 4 inches down the adjacent side and mark.
Measure the diagonal between the marks. It should be 5 inches exactly. If not, keep tweaking until it's at 5 inches.

[MichaelHarris]

4. square

are you using a table saw? I've had alot of table saws and not one of them had a straght fence. What you do is get a tri-square and square the fence to the blade. do the same for rip cuts and cross cuts. Its important to get the stock square. Do you use a jointer? If your using a table saw you'll be suprised how good it'll work if you square the fence to the blade every time you set up.

[meow mix]

5. are you allowing for the thickness of whatever blade your using to cut?

i think its called the Kerf?
you should allow for that too though.
i make metal boxes and when i forget that - they are messed up =)

[wysimdnwyg]

6. OK, first, make sure your cuts are equal and square

If those are OK, lay the frame on your worktable (or the floor, depending on the size and your available workspace), and measure cross-corners. That is, measure from top right to bottom left and then from top left to bottom right.

If those measurements are even, the frame is square. Clamp the frame in place and add the back, bottom, whatever, and you're good to go.

[BrotherBuzz]

7. If you are assembling...

and nothing is going together properly, you are not working on a flat surface (I'm assuming all your parts are square and true). Use a level or sighting sticks to level work surface (adjust with shims). Note: racking is secondary to twisting and can be corrected when your back is installed. Hope this helps a bit. Been there, done that.

[ZenLefty]

8. A few tips

I don't know how far you are along so I'll just offer some general guidance. I've made a lot of sawdust in my time, and this can be something really frustrating.

1. Make sure all your right angle cuts are exactly 90 degrees.

2. Make sure all your right angle cuts are exactly 90 degrees.

3. Make sure your table saw, saw fence, and everything about it is perfectly calibrated. Measure all the angles with a good L-square ruler. This way all your right angle cuts are exactly 90 degrees.

4. Measure, measure, measure. If you use a table saw, cut pieces that are supposed to be the same length all at the same time, that way you don't have to adjust the stops.

5. 45 degree cuts are sometimes the hardest. If you're of by even .1 degrees, it won't make a precise 90 degree angle. I have a jig whereby I can shave off the ends to make them precisely 45 degrees, and then I have an L-clamp that holds both pieces at exactly 90 degrees while they're glued/tenoned/pinned together. I prefer biscuit joints here, but tenons can make a very strong joint and they can look very artistic as well.

Okay, enough measuring tips, but I can't stress how important that part of it is.

6. When gluing 90 degree pieces together, get some L shaped clamping blocks:


Four or eight of these clamps should do the trick to make any box square while the glue sets.

7. Wood warps, and this is the enemy. Check key structure pieces for warp by placing them on a nice FLAT surface (surface of a table saw is real good for this). Sometimes the wood will develop a warp after you've cut it. Softer woods like pine and fir can be forced back, but they'll just put strain on the rest of the piece you're making and it will pull itself apart over time. Hard woods like oak or maple just won't cooperate. I've had to re-cut pieces because they developed a warp. Sometimes a nice Delta planer can make it flat again, but I don't own a nice Delta planer.


A good measuring tool.


Another good measuring tool.


I'm kind of a tool freak.


I have an entire 4' x 4' pegboard filled with measuring tools.


I have an illness. I know.

[historian]

9. Thank you all

for your kind responses! lots of useful tips here - now i might have a cabinet!!!!