Woodwork has been around for the longest time; it is something a lot of people enjoy doing. This is why so many people around who had been attending classes and courses about woodworking so that they can do it properly. It is a way of life for some people; they have grown up exposed to it because their family members had passed it on to them. It is work, their living, what they are being paid for to do for some people. On the other hand, it is their hobby or something they are passionate about for some people, what they do in their spare time out of the love they have for it. One of the main things you need to know if you want to try woodworking is getting to know all about woodwork tools, from hand tools to power tools and more. To help you in getting started, here are some of the things you might want to get to know.
Hand Tools
You do not necessarily need to have power woodwork tools to get started when it comes to woodworking because having the essential hand tools should be enough to keep you going. Despite all of the people’s suggestions on TV shows, those power tools are not everything there is to woodwork. In fact, woodworkers actually use the essential hand tools to do the basic steps such as measuring, trimming, marking, chiseling, marking, layout, and so much more. This is because, as a beginner, hand tools are your best friend. After all, they are the ones who will train you to develop better skills needed for more advanced tools. In line with that, here are some of the essential ones that you ought to familiarize yourself with.
Sliding Bevel
Another tool that would be useful and is quite similar in terms of function to a square is a sliding bevel. The only difference is that this tool can be adjusted in different angles and then locked in that specific place with its cool locking mechanism. It is convenient if you need to have an angle duplicated. It should be good to have with you, especially on tricky projects where you need a lot of angles measured or when replicating angles all in all.
Claw Hammer
At some point in your life, you must have held a hammer, right? After all, everyone has got to have had a project that required it, or you must have had hammered a nail to your wall to put a frame on. The hammer is something that should already be quite familiar to you. However, there are many different types of a hammer that you might not know about. The one often used in woodwork and is one of the most versatile tools is called the claw hammer. It is a hammer that has a claw on one end and a round head on the other. If you buy one, since you do not have one at home, it would be good to get something that is not that heavy and fits right into your hand. A good 16 ounce or maybe a 20 ounce one should be a good start for anyone because that size would not be that heavy.
Chisel
One of the must-have woodworking tools would be a sharp chisel that is good enough to clean out waste from the joints of your project as well as the mortises. With the proper technique, it can make clean and precise cuts and notches that no other tool can. Most of the traditional woodworkers and craftspeople tend to keep different sizes and types of chisels. However, if you are just getting started on it, 4 pieces should be good enough for you: a one-fourth inch, a half-inch, a three fourth inch, and a one-inch chisel should be okay to get you started.
Retractable Tape
One thing you must not forget to have would be a retractable tape measure, about the standard size of 25 inches because there will not be a project that will require your measurement, it is one of the things that are used every time, so you might as well have one of your own. For your convenience, you can have one that has both standards as well as metric markings, but you can also opt to have two tapes, one for the standard units and one for metric units. If you would notice, the tape has what looks like a hook right at the end of the tape measure. This helps you get the measurement that you would want to have by hooking it over your wood or anything else and then moving the tape measure from there to where you want to end measuring. Having one handy wherever you go would definitely be helpful in the long run, in case you suddenly feel like measuring something.
Level
There will be times when you need to know whether a piece of stock is perfectly vertical or horizontal, and for that, a level is your answer. For many different projects of different sizes and spaces, it would be good to have a level on hand, whether it be a 24 inch or a 36-inch one, as well as one other level called the torpedo, which is around six to twelve inches in length. This is very easy to use, and you will realize that you have seen one before in your life. It is a matter of finding a balance to easily check out if what you have been doing is perfectly aligned, the way you want it to be. After all, when you make furniture like cabinets, you do not want the items you put in it to all be sliding in one direction because you weren’t able to make it straight but rather slant it, right?
Utility Knife
Another essential hand tool that a woodworker must definitely have would be a utility knife. One with a locking mechanism and uses blades of the disposable type is what you need to buy or get. This is a good device to use if you need to scribe some mark in a wooden slate or maybe clean up mortise or a lot more. You can use it whenever you need a knife, just the way knives are meant to be used. If you can, it would be good to look for a heavy-duty knife, one with a metal casing versus one that is lightweight, especially if you are going to deal with it for your woodwork.
Layout Square
The layout square is also referred to as rafter square or even speed square, and it is one of the most important tools for woodworking. One reason for that is because it is a tool that helps the worker to mark a straight line most easily and quickly. It is also used in marking up angles of 45 degrees and below and measuring about 6 inches. It is a tool that is quite handy as opposed to a claw hammer. It is very portable and can easily be brought around anywhere as it is tiny and can be carried in the back of your pocket or even in a nail pouch if you happen to be in your shop or at home.
Screwdrivers
The power drill is good for many things, but there are times when a project would need a manual screwdriver. This is why you should always have some in your toolbox, different sizes of Phillips, and flat-heads that would be a rather good choice when it comes down to it. You should at least have at least 3 pieces per tip ranging from small up to large. A #1, a standard #2, and a #3 should be good enough to help you. It would also be good to have the basic sets of Torx, star, and square screwdriver to keep you prepared.
Nail Sets
Nail sets are probably the first thing that should come into your mind when you hear about woodworking tools because they can be used to bring two pieces of wood together. A set is a tapered metal wherein the nail heads can be sunk in it. A small set would come in three different sizes, and it should cover for you some of the nail finishes that you would need for your project. Having different sizes of nails is good because you can try out and see which ones would suit your project the best and opt to use that.
Woodworking Power Tools
There are about a few powerful power tools that should come in handy for you as a beginner, and it would be great if you can have them. They are relatively low in price so you should be able to buy them. However, in case they are still out of your budget, or it so happens that you do not want to invest so much and would rather go and try to check out workshops that offer them, that would be great too. On the other hand, if you want to buy some, then you can search for woodworking tools near me, on the internet to see where you can get some. To let you have an idea, here are the power tools that would be great to have.
Power Drill
The basic power drill is one with a cord because it is more powerful. It is quite cheaper, and you have to figure out what brand you want to buy. Consider whether you would want a half-inch chuck or a 3/8 inch. You might have to choose from other things, such as if it would be a keyless or a keyed chuck, a straight one or a hammer one, and a whole lot more. It would help if you learned more about power drills before purchasing one, so you get to be sure about it.
Circular Saw
This is one of the basic power tools that you must definitely. The circular saw is very versatile and holds so much power in itself. When used with other objects such as a clamp-on, it can be a very accurate tool, just like a table saw. It can be a good substitute for a table saw especially if you happen to be on a specific budget.
Jigsaw
Another beginner power tool would be what is known as the jigsaw. This tool will allow you to cut circular and curved patterns in the wood. Though a band saw can be more accurate, this one should be good enough for woodworking amateurs. It can also be effective at some point once you get used to it. It also has an easy exchange blade system that is certainly very nice for beginners using it for the first time, so you might as well try that out.
Orbital Sander
Yes, you can opt to use sandpaper, but that would take up too much of your time and would definitely make your hand hurt. So instead, using an orbital sander that makes random orbital motions would be a whole lot better choice in the process. It will reduce the chance of leaving any sanding marks and would definitely be available in your locality.
In the end, tools are just tools; what you would need most is the skill to properly use these tools and make sure that they are in the proper hands. Thus, it would be good to make sure that you know how to use the tools you will use earlier, so you have enough time to familiarize yourself with them.
Sources
www.artofmanliness.com/articles/7-skills-you-should-have-learned-in-high-school
www.woodcraft.com/categories/hand-tools
www.woodworkerssource.com/power
www.thesprucecrafts.com/power-tools-woodworkers-should-have-3536541
