27 Common Woodworking Myths You Shouldn't Believe

Woodworking has always been a craft passed from one person to another. For generations, people learned it from a parent, a grandparent, another woodworker, or a master in a shop. That kind of hands-on learning is one of the best parts of the craft.

But there’s a downside to that too.

When information gets passed along for years, some bad ideas get passed along with it. A few of them sound reasonable. Some have been repeated so often that almost everyone believes them. And some can keep beginners from even getting started.

After 50 years of woodworking, I’ve heard plenty of these myths. Some are harmless. Some waste time and money. Others make woodworking seem harder, more expensive, or more intimidating than it really is.

So let’s clear up a few of the biggest woodworking myths and talk about what actually matters in the shop.

Myth #1: It Costs A Lot To Get Started

A lot of people think woodworking requires a huge investment right from the beginning. It doesn’t.

I started with very little. In fact, I was woodworking for decades before I owned my first table saw. I used a circular saw, a handheld jigsaw, and for many years, a radial arm saw. Were they perfect for everything? No. But they got the job done.

That’s something beginners need to remember: there is almost always more than one way to do something in woodworking. Just because you don’t have the biggest tool, the fanciest bench, or a fully stocked shop doesn’t mean you can’t build things. It just means you may need to solve the problem another way.

Yes, I have a lot of tools now. But that’s the result of 50 years of slowly adding to the shop. You don’t need to start there. You may end up with a lot of tools over time, but you don’t need a lot to begin.

Myth #2: You Need Expensive Tools

You do not need expensive tools to build nice things.

Long before power tools existed, woodworkers were building furniture far more detailed than most of what we see today. Look at Victorian furniture or French provincial pieces with their carving, inlay, curves, and fine details. All of that was done by hand.

Those woodworkers didn’t have power sanders, table saws, domino joiners, or high-end track saws. They worked with hand tools, skill, patience, and practice.
Today, we have more options. You can work with hand tools, handheld power tools, or stationary machines. A hand plane, a power planer, and a thickness planer can all remove material from a board. They just do it in different ways.

The same goes for price. Some tools are excellent but far beyond what most hobbyists can justify. I don’t fill my shop with tools that I don’t think the average home woodworker can afford. This is a hobbyist woodworking shop, and I want to show what can be done with practical tools most people can actually buy.

Expensive tools can be nice, but they are not what makes good woodworking possible.

Myth #3: You Have To Have A Big Workshop

A big shop is nice, but it is not required.

My shop now is a two-car garage, and even that has a handicap ramp taking up part of the space. By some standards, that’s decent. By others, it’s still small.

But I haven’t always had even that much. I’ve worked on sheets of plywood laid over sawhorses. I’ve used folding tables, picnic tables, and even a science teacher’s demo cart as a work surface. I didn’t have a real woodworking bench until I had already been woodworking for about 48 years.

At one point, I lived with my family in a motor home for nine years. My “shop” was one small compartment where I stored tools. If I wanted to build something, I worked outside.

Another time, my shop was a 5-by-7-foot shed in the backyard. It was really just tool storage. To use my radial arm saw, I had to open a little window in the shed wall and slide the board through it.

A bigger shop makes big projects easier. It also lets you leave tools and projects set up instead of packing everything away at the end of the day. But if you’re a hobbyist, you don’t need a dedicated building to get started.

My dad never had a fancy shop either. He had a corner of the garage, a workbench against the wall, and a table saw he had to roll out after moving the car. When he needed more work surface, he set up sawhorses with a board across them.

And he made a lot of great things that way.

So no, you do not need a big workshop. If you can get one, great. But don’t let the lack of one stop you from woodworking.

Myth #4: It Takes A Long Time To Learn

This one is partly true.

I’ve been woodworking for 50 years, and I’m still learning. From that standpoint, yes, woodworking can take a lifetime to master. There is always another joint, another technique, another tool, or another way of solving a problem.

But learning enough to build useful projects for yourself, your family, or your home does not take nearly that long.

You can start with a few basic tools, some wood, and a simple project. The first thing you build probably won’t be perfect, but there’s a good chance you’ll still use it. Then the next project will be a little better. And the one after that will be better still.

So no, you don’t need to become a master before you can make something worthwhile. If your goal is to build simple, functional projects from construction lumber, you can learn enough to get started much sooner than most people think.

Myth #5: You Can Save Money Making Furniture

This one depends on what you mean by “save money.”

If you count the cost of tools, shop space, electricity, mistakes, scrap material, and your time, then no, making furniture yourself usually isn’t cheaper. At least not at the beginning.

Even the lumber alone can cost more than a cheap store-bought piece.

But there are two important trade-offs. First, once you buy a decent tool, you have it for future projects. You may buy a tool for one repair or one build, but after that, it keeps working for you. A good-enough tool doesn’t have to be fancy. For a home woodworker, even practical mid-range tools can last a long time.

Second, there’s quality.

You can probably buy a coffee table from IKEA, Target, or Walmart for less than it costs to build one from hardwood. But if you build it yourself from solid wood, or even hardwood plywood with solid edging, you’ll likely end up with a better piece of furniture than something made mostly from MDF.

So is it always cheaper? No.

Can you get more value, better quality, and something made exactly the way you want it? Absolutely.

Myth #6: You Can’t Lay A Plane Down On Its Sole

This is one of my favorites.

A lot of us were taught that you should never set a hand plane down on its sole. You were supposed to lay it on its side instead. I remember hearing that in shop class too.

The reason shop teachers said that probably had more to do with the condition of the benches than the plane itself. In a school shop, there may be screws, nails, hardware, or other tools scattered on the bench. If you set a plane down on something metal, yes, you can damage the blade.

But on a clean bench, setting a plane down on its sole is not a problem.
The blade is steel. The bench is wood. The blade is meant to cut wood, not the other way around.

In fact, I think setting the plane down on its sole can be safer. If you lay it on its side, the blade is exposed. Your hand could run into it, or another tool could bump into the edge. With the plane sitting on its sole, the blade is better protected.

Myth #7: Kiln Dry Wood Is Dry

Kiln dried wood sounds like it should be dry, and generally speaking, it probably is. But the term “kiln dried” refers to the process, not a guarantee of the exact moisture content.

Wood is usually dried in one of two ways: air drying or kiln drying.

Air drying means the wood is stacked and allowed to dry naturally over time. Kiln drying adds heat to speed up that process. It isn’t extreme heat, usually somewhere around 110 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, but it helps remove moisture faster.

Kiln drying can also reduce problems like warping and splitting, which is one reason it’s commonly used for furniture-grade lumber.

But kiln dried wood can still pick up moisture after it leaves the kiln. Storage conditions, humidity, transportation, and where the board has been sitting all matter.

So don’t assume kiln dried wood is ready just because the label says so. Check it with a moisture meter before using it in a project where movement matters.

Myth #8: Cedar And Redwood Are Always Rot Resistant

Cedar and redwood do have a reputation for resisting rot, and there is truth to that.

 
But the rot resistance is mostly in the heartwood, not the sapwood.

Heartwood contains natural chemicals that help resist fungus and insects, which are two of the big reasons wood rots. Sapwood does not have the same level of protection.

So if you’re buying cedar or redwood because you need rot resistance, make sure you know what part of the tree you’re getting. Heartwood is the part with the real durability.

Myth #9: Decks Made From Pressure Treated Wood Will Last A Long Time

Pressure treated wood can last a long time, but only if it is used correctly.

Manufacturers may say pressure treated lumber can last 20 to 30 years, and that may be true under the right conditions. But the pressure treatment mainly helps protect the wood from rot. It does not make the wood immune to every problem.

Wood can still absorb moisture. When it does, it can twist, warp, crack, and lose structural strength over time.

That matters a lot on a deck. If posts or framing members absorb enough moisture and start to move or split badly, the deck can lose its structural integrity long before the wood technically “rots.”

To help prevent that, pressure treated wood still needs protection. A waterproof coating, sealer, or paint can help keep moisture out. And if a post needs to be near the ground, it should be set on a concrete footing or properly encased so it is not sitting directly in wet soil.

Concrete is not completely waterproof, but it helps separate the wood from direct soil contact and the constant moisture held in the ground.
Pressure treated wood is useful, but it is not magic. It still needs good design, good installation, and maintenance.

Myth #10: Dry Rot

The term “dry rot” is a little misleading.
The rot part is real. The dry part is not.

Rot happens when wood has enough moisture for fungus to become active. When the moisture content gets high enough, that fungus starts breaking down the wood. Once the wood dries back out, the fungus goes dormant again, but the damage has already been done.

That’s why you often see so-called dry rot near the bottom of door frames, garage doors, posts, or other places where wood is close to concrete or soil. The wood is wicking up moisture, and that moisture gives the fungus what it needs to start eating away at the wood.

The solution is to keep moisture from getting into the wood in the first place. Before installation, seal the end grain well. Several heavy coats of latex paint can help, but caulk or another good sealant on the end grain is even better in areas where moisture is likely.

There’s another myth tied to this one: that dry rot spreads from one board to another just because the boards are touching. That’s not really what’s happening. The new board usually starts rotting because it is exposed to the same moisture problem as the first one.

Fix the moisture problem, or the rot will keep coming back.

Myth #11: Pressure-Treated Wood Is Termite-Resistant

Pressure-treated wood is treated to help resist rot. That does not mean termites can’t bother it.

The chemicals used in pressure-treated lumber are mainly there to reduce decay. Termites may not like those chemicals as much as untreated wood, but that does not mean they will leave it alone completely.

If pressure-treated wood is in contact with the ground, or if termites can build mud tubes to reach it over a foundation, they can still attack it or tunnel through it.

So don’t treat pressure-treated wood like it is termite-proof. It still needs to be installed properly and kept away from conditions that invite termites.

Myth #12: Sand With The Grain

This myth had more truth years ago than it does today.

When all sanding was done by hand, sanding across the grain could leave obvious scratches. Once stain went on, those scratches stood out even more.

But modern power sanders changed that. A random orbital sander or a vibratory palm sander does not move in one simple straight line the way your hand does. The sanding motion is already moving in multiple directions, so the grain direction becomes much less important.

I tested this with four samples: knife scratches, hand sanding across the grain with 80 grit, random orbital sanding with 80 grit, and vibratory sanding with 80 grit. After applying stain, the knife marks and hand-sanded scratches were obvious. The random orbital marks were much lighter, and the vibratory sander left very little visible scratching.

Now, that does not mean you should stop sanding properly. You still need to work through the grits. No one should stop at 80 grit and expect a finished surface.

But if you sand through the stages to 160, 180, or 220 grit, a power sander will usually remove those earlier scratch patterns. With modern sanding, direction matters less than using the right grit progression and getting an even surface.

Myth #13: You Need A Lot Of Clamps

Woodworkers like to say you can never have enough clamps.

There’s some truth to that, but it does not mean every glue-up needs so many clamps that you can barely see the wood.

How many clamps you need depends largely on the width of the boards and how the clamping force spreads through the wood. Clamp pressure does not stay in one tiny spot. It spreads out in roughly a 90-degree wedge from the point of pressure.

You can see this with a speed square. Put the point of the square where the clamp applies pressure, and the two sides of the square show how that force spreads through the board.

 
On a narrow board, that pressure covers a smaller distance. On a wider board, the same clamp spreads force across a wider area. That means wider boards often need fewer clamps than people think.

There’s also the myth that you need to crank clamps down as hard as possible. You don’t.

Glue manufacturers generally want enough pressure to bring the joint together and start squeezing out glue. That’s all. If you need extreme clamping pressure to close gaps, the problem is not a lack of pressure. The problem is that the boards were not jointed properly.

Take the boards apart, fix the edges, and then glue them up.

Clamps are there to hold a good joint together. They are not there to force a bad joint into pretending it fits.

Myth #14: There’s No Difference Between No. 1 And No. 2 Pine

There is a real difference between No. 1 and No. 2 pine.

Softwoods, including the construction lumber you find at the lumberyard, are graded by a set of standards. Several things go into that grading, but for woodworkers, the most obvious factors are the number, size, and quality of the knots.

No. 1 pine usually has fewer knots, smaller knots, and more clear space between them. That gives you more usable areas where you can cut parts without working around defects.

 
No. 2 pine can still be perfectly usable, but it usually has more knots, and those knots are often larger. If the knots were loose, it would fall into a lower grade. But even tight knots affect both appearance and strength.

 
For woodworking, appearance is often the first concern. You may not want knots in a visible part of a project. But strength matters too. Knots interrupt the grain and weaken the board.

That may not matter much for some projects, but it can matter if you’re building something like a bookshelf that will carry a lot of weight. The fewer and smaller the knots, the stronger and cleaner the board is likely to be.

Myth #15: Use WD-40 To Prevent Rust

WD-40 is useful in the shop, but I don’t use it as my main rust prevention on cast iron tool surfaces.

It works well for removing rust, especially with steel wool. But as a long-term protectant, it has a couple of problems.

First, it doesn’t last very long. It is a light oil, and it can wear off or evaporate faster than you want. Second, it can transfer to the wood. If that happens, it may interfere with stain, finish, or glue.

For protecting cast iron tables on tools like the table saw, band saw, drill press, or jointer, I prefer paste wax.

Rub it on with a rag, let it haze a bit, then buff off the excess. It creates a moisture barrier that helps prevent rust, and it also makes the surface slicker so wood slides across it more easily.

You’ll still need to reapply it from time to time, but not nearly as often as you would need to reapply WD-40.

Myth #16: You Have To Sharpen Your Tools To An Extreme

Some woodworkers take sharpening to an extreme, especially with chisels and hand planes.

You’ll hear people talk about using 2,000, 4,000, or even 6,000 grit stones. There’s nothing wrong with that if you enjoy it and want that level of polish. But you don’t always need to go that far to make a tool work well.

I’ve used much simpler sharpening setups for years. A basic sharpening stone and a diamond plate for touch-ups can get a chisel or plane blade sharp enough for real work.

The old test is whether the edge can cut paper. If a plane blade can slice paper cleanly, it’s probably sharp enough to cut wood.

Could you sharpen it further? Sure. But for most practical woodworking, there’s a point where sharper becomes more about preference than necessity.

Myth #17: You Need Biscuits, Dominoes, Or Dowels

You don’t need biscuits, dominoes, or dowels to make an edge-glued panel strong.

Regular PVA wood glue is usually stronger than the wood itself. If the edges are jointed properly and the glue-up is done well, adding biscuits, dominoes, or dowels does not add much strength to an edge joint.

That does not mean they are useless.

Their real value is alignment.

When you glue two boards edge to edge, the wet glue acts almost like a lubricant. As you apply clamp pressure, the boards can slide out of alignment. Biscuits, dominoes, or dowels help keep the surfaces level so you have less planing or sanding to do afterward.

So no, you don’t need them for strength in a basic edge glue-up. But if they help you keep the boards aligned and make the glue-up easier, they can still be worth using.

Myth #18: Sanding To Extremes

You do not need to sand every woodworking project to extremely high grits.

Sandpaper can go from very coarse grits, like 36, all the way up into the thousands. But for most woodworking projects, there is no reason to go that far.

For furniture, shop projects, cutting boards, gifts, and most things around the home, I rarely go beyond 180 grit. Sometimes 220 makes sense, especially before finishing, but that is usually plenty.

The exception is woodturning. If you’re turning something on a lathe and plan to use a waxed or highly polished finish, higher grits may make sense. But that is a different situation than sanding a normal flat woodworking project.

If you sand too fine, you can actually hurt the finish. The fine dust can pack into the pores of the wood, making it harder for stain or finish to soak in properly. That can leave you with a weaker or less attractive finish than if you had stopped at 180 or 220.

Myth #19: Wipe Glue Off With A Damp Cloth

Wiping wet glue squeeze-out with a damp cloth sounds like a good idea, but it can cause problems later.

When you wipe glue with a damp rag, you can spread diluted glue into the surrounding wood fibers. Once that glue dries, it can keep stain from soaking in evenly. The result is blotching or light spots that show up when you apply finish.

I tested this by gluing two pieces together, wiping off the squeeze-out with a damp rag, then staining the wood. The area where I wiped the glue did not take stain the same way. On open-pored woods like oak or mahogany, that problem can be even worse.

 
The better approach is to let the glue dry, then remove it with a sharp chisel. Another option is to let it partially set, then scrape it off with a putty knife.

Either way, avoid scrubbing it into the wood with a wet rag.

Myth #20: Use Waterproof Glue On Cutting Boards

You do not need waterproof glue for cutting boards.

I don’t use waterproof glue on cutting boards. I typically use Titebond I or Titebond II, depending on what I have in the shop, and either one works fine for the way a cutting board should be used.

The reason is simple: you should never submerge a cutting board in water.

A cutting board should be cleaned with a damp cloth, not soaked in a sink. If you submerge it, the wood can absorb water unevenly. Some parts swell more than others, and that can lead to cracking or joint failure.

That applies whether the cutting board is homemade or commercially made.
Waterproof glue makes sense for outdoor projects, patio furniture, or anything exposed to rain and weather. But for a cutting board that is cared for properly, it is not necessary.

Myth #21: More Glue Is Better

More glue does not make a stronger joint.

You do need enough glue to cover the surface, but you do not need to slather it on both pieces until it squeezes out everywhere. That just wastes glue and creates more cleanup.

For a standard wood glue joint, apply glue to one surface and spread it evenly over the entire area. The whole joint needs coverage, but it does not need a thick layer.

PVA wood glue is not gap-filling. If there are gaps in the joint, adding more glue will not fix the problem. In fact, too much glue can weaken the joint because the wood surfaces are not fitting together properly.

You want just enough clamp pressure to bring the joint together and create a small amount of squeeze-out. If glue is pouring out of every seam, you probably used too much.

On the other hand, don’t just run a bead down the middle and hope it spreads to the edges. Dry edges can become failure points. Cover the whole surface, but keep the glue layer thin.

Myth #22: You Can’t Glue End Grain

This is a strange myth because in most cases, we don’t rely on end-grain-to-end-grain glue joints for structural work anyway.

If I need a longer board, I’m not just going to glue two short boards end to end and call it done. I’ll use a longer board or add proper joinery.

But that doesn’t mean end grain can’t be glued.

I tested this by gluing long grain joints and end grain joints, letting them dry, then breaking them with a hammer. The long grain joints were stronger than the wood itself. The wood broke before the glue line did.

The end grain joint eventually failed at the glue line, but it took a lot more force than many people would expect.

So yes, long grain glue joints are stronger. But the idea that end grain simply cannot be glued is not true. It can be glued, but you need to understand where it makes sense and where stronger joinery is required.

Myth #23: Tools Are Dangerous

Tools can be dangerous. I’ll give you that.

But almost anything can be dangerous if it is used carelessly. Walking across the street can be dangerous if you don’t pay attention.

A pocket knife can hurt you. A table saw can hurt you. A band saw, drill press, chisel, router, or circular saw can hurt you. The danger usually comes from not using the tool correctly, not paying attention, or copying unsafe habits from someone else.

That last one is important. Sometimes we see people using tools in unsafe ways and assume it must be fine because they got away with it. That does not make it safe.

The answer is not to be afraid of tools. The answer is to learn how each tool works, understand the risks, use the proper precautions, and stay focused while you work.

Used correctly, woodworking tools can be handled safely for a lifetime.

Myth #24: Woodworking Requires A Lot Of Physical Strength

There was probably more truth to this years ago, when woodworking was done almost entirely with hand tools.

Resawing a board by hand will wear your arm out. Flattening a twisted or bowed board with a hand plane takes effort, especially if the plane is dull. That is one reason hand tool woodworkers talk so much about sharp tools. A dull tool makes the work much harder than it needs to be.

But today, most of us use power tools for at least part of the work. In that case, the main strength you need is usually enough to move lumber around safely.

Wood can be heavy, of course. Carrying boards from the truck to the shop takes some effort. But if the load is too heavy, carry fewer boards at a time. Use carts, stands, sawhorses, rollers, or a helper when you need one.

Woodworking is much more about knowing what to do than overpowering the material.

Myth #25: Hardwoods & Softwoods

The names hardwood and softwood are misleading.

Most people assume hardwoods are hard and softwoods are soft. In many cases, hardwoods are denser than softwoods, but that is not what the names actually mean.

Hardwood comes from trees with broad leaves that usually drop in the fall and grow back in the spring. Softwood comes from evergreen trees with needles, like pine, fir, and cedar.

That classification is based on the tree, not the actual hardness of the wood.

For example, balsa is classified as a hardwood, even though it is one of the softest woods you can find. You can cut it easily with a hobby knife. On the other hand, yew is a softwood, but it is harder than many common hardwoods, including oak, walnut, and maple.

 
So if you want to know how hard a wood really is, don’t rely on the name. Look up its Janka hardness rating. That gives you a better comparison of how one species stacks up against another.

Myth #26: Woodworking Takes A Lot Of Time

Woodworking can take a lot of time, but it doesn’t have to.

It depends on the project.

A simple shop project, small gift, shelf, jig, or storage solution can often be built in an afternoon. Some projects can be done in an evening after work.

Furniture takes longer. Fine furniture with inlay, carving, complex joinery, or a high-end finish can take hundreds of hours. But that does not mean every woodworking project requires that kind of commitment.

Most hobby woodworkers do not need to build complicated pieces every time they step into the shop. A simple project is still woodworking. A useful project is still worth making.

So no, woodworking itself does not always take a lot of time. You can make it take a lot of time, but you don’t have to.

Myth #27: Experienced Woodworkers Don’t Make Mistakes

Experienced woodworkers absolutely make mistakes.

I’ve been woodworking for 50 years, and I can’t think of a project where I didn’t make some kind of mistake. That is just part of the process.

The difference is not that experienced woodworkers avoid every mistake. The difference is that they know how to recover from them.

Wood is imperfect. Our methods are imperfect. Our measurements, cuts, and decisions are not always perfect either. Mistakes are going to happen.

One way to reduce them is to make test pieces, especially when you’re trying something new. Some fine furniture makers will even build an entire piece out of cheaper material first just to work out the process before using expensive wood. People learning dovetails often practice on scrap before touching the real project.

That is not failure. That is woodworking.

Mistakes are where you learn. Recovering from them is part of becoming a better woodworker.

Final Thoughts

Woodworking is full of old advice, and some of it is useful. But some of it has been repeated so many times that people accept it without asking whether it is actually true.

A lot of these myths make woodworking seem harder, more expensive, or more intimidating than it needs to be.

You don’t need a huge shop. You don’t need every expensive tool. You don’t need to be physically strong, perfectly skilled, or mistake-free before you start. You just need to learn the right way to do things and keep improving as you go.

When something doesn’t work, don’t let it stop you. Look for a better method. Test it on scrap. Read, watch, experiment, and keep learning.

Then get out in the shop and make some sawdust.