1. Mortise before tenon
It’s the quintessential order of operations in woodworking, and it’s nearly always true. Usually, you’ll cut the mortise first, then size the tenon to fit. There are good reasons for this rule too. If you’re making the mortise with a hollow chisel mortiser or router, the bit will be a nominal size. If you’re using a 3/8-inch bit, it’s easier to cut a 3/8-inch wide mortise. Cutting the tenon on a table saw with a dado blade is much easier, rather than adjusting the tenon thickness to fit the mortise.

Are there exceptions to the rule? Sure, with some specialty routing jigs you can cut either mortise or tenon first, but as a general rule, it’s better to cut the mortise first.

2. Joinery before curves 
When building complex projects with curves, angles, and tapers, it’s a good idea to make the square joinery cuts first. It’s a sinking feeling when you forget this rule and realize you’ve cut away the reference surface before the joinery is complete. Keep with the mantra that joinery comes before curves, specifically that “curves” refers to any shaped or angled cut that should only be made after the square tenons or dados have been milled.

3. Mill a centered groove
Milling a centered groove is a key skill for many projects. Whether you’re working on building cabinets, or just a piece of furniture with frame-and-panel construction, you’ll need to cut perfectly centered grooves. The easiest way to do this is to make two cuts, just off-center. Make one cut, then flip the board 180 degrees to make the second pass. This will widen the groove but still maintain a perfectly centered position. Repeat as needed until the groove fits the panel.

4. Cauls to the rescue
Cauls are simply thick boards with a slightly convex surface. The bowed shape ensures that pressure will be applied to the middle of the glued panel. Once the clamping pressure is applied, the cauls straighten out, resulting in a flat panel without misaligned parts or ridges. Tip: Use duct or packing tape on one side of the caul to prevent it from sticking to the project.

Source: Willie Sandry is a freelance writer for several magazines, posts projects on his YouTube channel, The Thoughtful Woodworker, and is also a guest blogger on Laguna Tools’ website. For information on Laguna Tools, call 800-234-1976 or visit LagunaTools.com. More tips and projects online.