The Wood Cutting Mistake Most DIY Beginners Make (And How To Avoid It)

More of us are getting into home projects that we can do ourselves, and that includes cutting wood for building projects. Measuring and cutting wood for DIY home projects may seem like a relatively easy task. However, when you first start out as a novice, it quickly becomes clear that there are a variety of mistakes that are easy to make. One of the more common mistakes you might fall into as a beginner is cutting your wood too short, even after measuring it. The reason why you might be cutting your wood too short is because of what is known as the kerf. A kerf is the slice that is made when you are cutting with any saw or blade. It's essentially the wood section that is removed by the blade itself, which turns into sawdust.

If you are cutting directly down the line you marked when measuring, you'll end up with wood that is not the correct length because of the kerf. Since the line is where you want your wood to end, cutting on that line will have the blade biting into your usable wood, as you haven't accounted for the width of the blade. However, there is a simple way to avoid this mistake.

In order to prevent cutting your wood too short because of the kerf, one Instagrammer recommends not cutting on your actual measuring line. Instead, what you want to do is line your blade up next to where you have marked your board. The blade should be on the side of the wood that you are removing and not on the side you are actually planning to use for your project. Consider this a wood-cutting hack that saves you time, as it ensures you get accurate cuts the first time around.

Another thing to note when lining up your saw blade alongside your measurement mark is that you can use a laser if you have one, but a visual check is always best. The laser is not the best way to go when it comes to getting the cuts you want, because over time, your laser can become skewed. Not only that, but the laser doesn't take into account the width of your blade and the kerf left behind. But visually seeing that your blade is lined up next to where you have marked your board will have you cutting all types of wood like a DIY pro.