The Only 5 Steps For You To Make Anything (No Matter How Complicated)

Many Makers love to overcomplicate projects and they can seem daunting when just starting out.

You might be wondering what kind of material is "best," should you stain or paint, or whether you can actually make things at all. For someone's first couple of projects, try not to overcomplicate it and don't sweat finding the perfect material—save money by learning and making mistakes with the cheap stuff first. The goal of any Maker's first couple of projects is just to finish them.

Instead of overcomplicating projects, these are the only 5 steps that let you make absolutely anything.

Step 1: Make Big Things Small

Unless you're buying pre-cut material or assembling IKEA furniture, you'll have to start by breaking down your material.

For projects using plywood, cut the panels down to size. For projects using 2x4s or hardwoods, I'd recommend buying S4S (surfaced on 4 sides) to skip the milling work, but you'll still need to cut to width and length.

Step 2: Assemble Small Things Into Bigger Things

You've got a bunch of different sized pieces now, so let's strategically put them together.

Plywood and 2x4s are easier because you can use pocket holes, screw through the faces, or use a combo of nails and glue. Hardwoods can be trickier for larger panels, but you can still use pocket holes on the underside of the panel (did you hear all the "professional woodworkers" gasp in horror too?), or just use glue and clamps to assemble together (dowels and biscuits can help with alignment as well).

Step 3: Adjust The Look With Details

You have a big piece, but just putting things together isn't quite enough for a custom made piece.

What really sets builds are the little details that are usually missing when purchasing from a store. For big panels, add a small chamfer or round over across all the edges or you can try your hand at carving in details with a Dremel and some small carving bits.

Step 4: Make It Smooth

Alas, no project is complete without the dreaded sanding step, but it's worth the effort.

To maximize your time and get better results, start with a lower grit like 80 to make everything the same. The worth your way up to 120 and 220 grit for the best results (for super smooth results, go up to 320, but you don't need to go beyond that).

Step 5: Make It Pretty

The last step is to put some finish on your piece so you can call it done and starting with a good base from sanding will help.

Painted projects are easiest and you can carefully apply with a brush, rattle can spray paint, or air paint sprayer. For hardwoods, pull out that grain by using oil and wax that seeps in a protects the wood long-term.

For more complicated projects, just repeat steps as necessary.

You might need to cut your raw material to size, assemble it, then cut it to final size and assemble again before adding a chamfer, sanding, and adding finish.