Tue 22 Jun 2010
Woodworkers understand the special joy that comes from handling wood. There is something lovely, something alive about the feel of a piece of wood in your hands. It’s a feeling you’ll never get from working with Arborite or other composite materials. At its best, woodworking is an art form. Woodworkers are skilled artisans who can turn a piece of lumber into a functional or ornamental object.
Like all craftpersons, woodworkers use special tools to create their projects. The following list describes most of the main tools in a woodworker’s arsenal.
Woodworking Hand Tools
As any beginner woodworker soon discovers, it is possible to amass a considerable collection of hand tools. But what if money or space is in short supply? Which ones are the must haves? Which are the ones you can leave for later and which are the ones you absolutely can’t do without?
Block Plane : Block planes are hand held tools that the woodworker uses to shave off a thin layer of wood. They are simple devices consisting of a piece of metal with a blade cantered in the underside. You might liken them in some ways to a pencil sharpener. As you might guess, block planes are invaluable for making wooden pieces just a little bit smaller – often a critical action if you need a good fit. Planes are so important that you might want to purchase two – a larger one for your workshop and a smaller one for your woodworking kit.
Chisel : Chisels are versatile tools and they belong to the “must have” class of hand tools. You will use the chisel to carve certain woods into the shape you want. You can also use a chisel when making joints, cutting grooves and finishing off a woodworking project.
Chisels are available in various sizes and weights. Most woodworkers have a compete set for the workshop and carry around a small set in the toolkit. Chisels are described in more detail later on.
Screwdrivers : As you know, screwdrivers are standard equipment for most homes so it is fairly obvious that you need them in your woodwork shop and tool kit as well. Make sure you have Philips head and flat head screwdrivers in both places.
Stanley Knife : A Stanley Knife is a utility knife. Although the Stanley is a brand name, it is so well known that the term “Stanley knife” has almost become a generic name for this type of tool. Woodworking professionals shy away from the ones with retractable blades, preferring the kind with the blade screwed in place.
Saws : What would a woodwork shop be without a number of quality saws?
The pros say that the best saws to get are a regular hacksaw (a saw with a special blade used for cutting metal) and a coping saw. The latter is a saw that permits you to cut detailed, complex shapes readily. Saws are covered in more detail later.
Mitre Saw
No woodworking shop is complete without a good mitre saw. This piece of equipment allows the craftsperson to make any number of fascinating joints and special cuts.
The attraction of a mitre saw is that you can use it to make angled cross cuts. As an example, let’s say you are making an ordinary picture frame. As you would suspect, you need to cut a length of wood into four pieces. If you want, you could simply join the four pieces together at an ordinary ninety degree angle. But perhaps you want something a little more elaborate than that. Instead of the ninety degree angle design, you want to create a mitre joint . In fact, most picture frames you encounter will have mitre joints.
A metre joint is a joint in which the two attached pieces have been beveled together so they meet at an angle. Picture frames usually join with a 45 degree angle.
Mitre joints are usually chosen because they are more aesthetically pleasing than a straight joint. However, for deeper joints, the woodworker might opt to use a stronger joining technique, perhaps a dovetail. In a dovetail joint , pieces of wood shaped like a bird’s tail are fitted together and perhaps glued. With or without glue, dovetail joints are sturdy and do not readily fall apart.
In some instances, a builder might join pipes using a joint created with a mitre saw. There are occasions when a mire joint is the only possible solution.
There are two types of mitre saws: manual and powered.
Manual mitre saws are best used for small items like picture frames. A manual mitre saw consists of a backsaw that is positioned onto a metal base in such a way that it rotates freely. A backsaw is used for precision cutting. It is a saw with many teeth and with a metal strip along the back of the blade.
The base of the manual mitre saw has clamps to secure the wood and guiding rods to stabilize the wood at the angle to be sawed.
A manual mitre saw uses much the same design as a mitre box . A mitre box is another hand tool that woodworkers sometimes use to guide handsaws when they are making crosscuts or mitre joints. Quite simply, it is a wood or plastic box that is open at the ends and the top, and has slots cut in it. The woodworker places the wood in the box and situates the saw through the cutting guides. Various angles are possible, but 45 and 90 degree angles are more often used.
Clamping the wood to a bench before cutting is usually a wise idea.
Powered Mitre Saw Powered mitre saws are more efficient if you are making large projects. Although they were once quite costly, the price has reduced considerably in recent years.
Most powered mitre saws consist of a circular saw mounted on an aluminium base. You can rotate the saw around the base and fasten it into position to cut at any angle you wish.
Powered mitre saws come in various makes and models. The simplest ones feature a sliding saw that can move along a rail and therefore can cut larger than its own diameter. Compound saws , another slightly more complex type, allow the woodworker to tilt the blade as well as angling the cut. There is more about powered mitre saws later on.
Woodworking Power Tools
Although once a major expenditure, woodworking power tools are now much more affordable than they were a couple of decades ago. At one time, only professional woodworking shops invested in these costly tools; they are now within the realm of the hobbyist or do-it-yourself woodworker.
You’ll find a wide range of tools available, each with their own set of features.
Band Saw
Band saws have largely taken the place of jig saws, which were infamous for problems with stuck blades. The modern band saw is much less prone to sticking in this way. These saws consist of a base on which the wood is placed, and a high-speed, rotating continuous blade. Much of the blade is hidden from view, but the exposed part cuts in a downward motion. The blade’s speed is so fast that we see it as simply a blur. It cuts through almost any kind of wood quickly and easily. It is good for making both straight and curved cuts on thin pieces of wood.
A power band saw may be an extravagance if you only do occasional projects, or if you always make small projects. However, if you do larger woodworking designs often, you’ll find a band saw to be a real boon.
Circular Saw
A band saw works best for thinly sliced wood. For making straight cuts on thicker wood, you are better off with a circular saw. As you might guess from the name, a circular saw is a rotating blade. The saw teeth are located around the circle’s circumference or outer border.
The mitre saw, described earlier, is a circular saw.
The table saw is another type of circular saw. A table saw sits on a base that is approximately the same height as a table. The saw sticks up from the base.
A guide edge holds the wood in place as individual pieces of wood move towards and through the blade. One word of caution here: the circular saw has the well deserved reputation of being the most dangerous power tool. Always observe all safety precautions when using one.
Power Drill
The power drill (hand held electric drill) is used with removable bits to drill holes of different sizes. Today’s power drill can do double duty as a screwdriver, and most models of power drills are now cordless.
It’s difficult to imagine a woodworking shop without a power drill. In fact, many woodworkers have taken things a step further and invested in a bench drill. Bench drills allow the artisan to fasten the wood in place then lower the spinning drill via a lever. This eliminates “wobble” and ensures a clean, perpendicular cut. Bench drills do take up space in the shop, however. If the area is small, this could be a consideration.
Woodworking Chisels
Chisels are tools with specially-shaped blades that are used for cutting or carving the wood. If you have a complete set of chisels, you can sculpt a piece of wood into any shape you desire. There are various types of chisels: each has its own particular function.
Bevel-edged Chisel : If you can afford only one type of chisel, this should be it Try to get a set of four bevel-edged chisels. These versatile tools are great for finishing joints and they let you can access corners readily.
Corner Chisel : This tool has two cutting edges that are set together in an L shape. As the name suggests, it is used for chiseling in corners.
Paring Chisel : You use these tools when you need to do precise work in small spaces. The tools are long and thin in shape.
Dovetail Chisel : You can use a bevel-edged chisel for making dovetail joints. However, a dovetail chisel, with its triangular cross-section is easier to work with.
Firmer Chisel : This chisel has a rectangular cross section. It is stronger than the other chisels and therefore useful for taking out larger pieces of waste. Woodworkers sometimes use a mallet to drive a firmer chisel.
Mortise Chisel : Like the firmer chisel, you use the strong mortise chisel to pare away large amounts of wood. This tool is designed to be pounded with a mallet. Its sides are straight but one edge is beveled. As the name suggests, you use this tool to make a mortise joint. Mortise joints are formed when a hole or mortise is cut into a piece of wood and a second piece of wood, known as a tenon, is fitted into it. Accurate measuring and marking is crucial.
Skew Chisel : Skew chisels are used for planing and finishing wood surfaces, especially surfaces that are shaped like a cylinder. Most skew chisels are rectangular, but oval shaped ones are available as well. Their cutting edge is set at an angle of sixty degrees.
Selecting a Good Set of Chisels
High quality chisels are fashioned from high quality steel. If you purchase a good set of quality chisels, you should never need to replace them. From time to time, they will need sharpening but should not break.
Although the good ones cost more, it is a wise investment, because they are less likely to break and will require less frequent sharpening. Japanese chisels have an excellent reputation of good quality and longevity. Some woodworkers insist they are better made than their western counterparts. Japanese chisels are often constructed out of two pieces of laminated steel. This means they keep sharp long, but are also more prone to chipping.
Woodworking Plans
Some woodworkers prefer to draw their own set of plans. Others would rather save time and use plans that have already been tried and tested by someone else. This link contains additional information about woodworking plans.
