Topic 3:

Tools and Machines

In Technology Mandatory, you are introduced to the Workshop environment where you are required to safely use a range of tools and machines. Use the information on this page to assist you to successfully complete Topic 3. Timber Tools and Machines task. You are always required to answer in your own words using full sentences with correct spelling and punctuation

Disc sander

The Disc sander is used to remove waste from the end grain of timber. It is a dangerous machine if safety is ignored.

When cut by hand, it is difficult to cut timber exactly to the correct length and/or perfectly square. Provided a line is correctly squared across the timber using a Try Square, the disc sander can be used to sand accurately down to, but NEVER past the line.

Safety glasses must be worn at all times. Hands and fingers must be kept as far away from the rotating disk as possible. Sanding should only occur on the portion of the disc rotating downwards towards the table. The rotation of the disk holds the work down on the table.

A dust extraction unit should be connected to this type of machine. This is very important as it will extract dust particles produced when the machine is in use.

Use a side to side motion when sanding, this avoids overheating.

Vice (Bench vice)

The vice is like an extra pair of hands and is used to clamp your workpiece so that you can complete a range of other processes such as gluing or nailing. The vice is made from cast iron but has wooden jaws inserted so that it does not damage the workpiece. It is important that nothing other than items made from timber is placed in the vice as other materials such as metal may damage it. It is also very important not to overtighten the vice because it can damage the internal mechanism. Like all tools, the vice is not a toy and should not be played with.

Warrington hammer

A Warrington hammer is a type of cross pein hammer commonly used in woodworking. Other names for the Warrington hammer include joiners' hammer, English pattern hammer, and Warrington pattern hammer.

The main striking face of the hammer is typically slightly rounded to minimise accidental marring or damage to the workpiece, while the opposite side of the hammer head is a pointed cross pein. The cross pein is designed for hitting nails, pins and brads held between the thumb and finger, and can also be helpful while reshaping bent nails and hardware. The design is well suited for cabinet making and hammering in small nails. In the workshop, the Warrington hammer should only be used for hammering nails and for no other purpose. A hammer should never be used to hit another hammer or any other tool such as a vice as the special hardened steel that they are made from can shatter.

The Warrington hammer has been in use since at least the 1860s, and likely takes its name from the town of Warrington in Cheshire, England.

Steel rule

Steel Rules are precision measuring instruments, showing graduations at 0.5mm, 1mm, 5mm and 10mm intervals (see adjacent image). Great care must be taken to get accurate measurements using a steel rule. Steel rules are used in woodworking for their accuracy and durability. In woodworking, it is important to be accurate to the millimetre. The rule differs from the ruler in that the zero measurement aligns exactly with the end of the rule, whereas with the ruler, it does not.

The arrows in this image are exactly 10mm apart.

Try square

The woodworkers try-square is composed of two main parts - the stock and the blade. The blade is made from hardened and tempered steel which makes it resistant to damage. The stock is usually made from rosewood although cheaper versions can be made from plastic or cheap woods. A brass face is added to the stock to ensure a straight edge.

A typical use of a woodworkers try-square can be seen in the animated image. The try-square is pushed against the straight edge of a piece of wood and a sharp pencil or marking knife is then used to mark a straight line across the material. In some cases, the line is continued around all four sides of the piece. This type of marking materials helps if a joint is to be cut or the end of the material is simply to be sawn away.

It is very important that the try square is treated carefully, it should never be hit by anything or used to hit anything as it could affect its accuracy.

Drill Press or Pedestal Drill

There are two types of fixed drills used in our workshops, the drill press and the pedestal drill. The drill press is used for drilling holes through materials including a range of woods, plastics and metals. It is normally bolted to a bench so that it cannot be pushed over and that larger pieces of material can be drilled safely.

The larger version of the machine drill is called the pedestal drill. This has a long column which stands on the floor. This can do exactly the same work as the drill press but because of its larger size it is capable of being used to drill larger pieces of materials and produce larger holes. To use it safely you should always wear safety glasses when drilling materials, have all hair tied back and no other potential entanglements, drill steadily, allowing ‘chippings’ to clear the drill by drilling a small amount at a time and follow all teacher instructions carefully.

Tenon saw

The tenon saw is a type of back saw. Back saws get their name from the steel or brass back (labelled on the diagram). The heavy back gives the saw its weight which is useful when sawing wood. The weight of the saw along with the forward sawing motion allows the saw to cut through woods relatively easily. Other than the tenon saw, the other main type of back saw is the dovetail saw.

TENON SAW : for general sawing and cutting mortise and tenon joints.

DOVETAIL SAW : for cutting joints such as dovetails

The saw has to be held in the hand carefully. The index finger must point in the direction of sawing and it also helps to support the whole saw as it moves forward. The saw must not move from side to side or it will jam in the wood making sawing difficult.

When sawing a piece of wood, it is usually placed on a bench hook. The wood is held in position by the left hand whilst the right hand guides the saw so that the saw groove is straight (for left handed people - the other way round).

Concentration is very important. The saw must always be held straight and the first few cuts with the saw must be made slowly. Once an initial groove has been cut sawing should be easier. However, slow down the cutting motion when the wood is almost sawn through - this will prevent the wood splitting as the saw finally cuts the wood into two pieces.

Bench hook

A bench hook is a woodworking accessory that enables a piece of wood to be held firmly in position on a workbench while it is cut. It has no moving parts and acts simply as a support for the workpiece (the piece of wood currently being worked on). By keeping the workpiece firmly in place, a bench hook can help prevent errors, improve precision and increase safety. The cutting is usually done with a saw, but can also be done with a plane or a chisel.

It is the forward pressure of the woodworker’s hand on the workpiece and the forward cutting action of the tools used to work the wood that hold the bench hook in place. The bench hook is very often used together with a tenon saw, or back saw. This saw has a reinforcing spine, or back, along the top of its blade to keep it very stiff, which improves the accuracy of the cut. Some bench hooks are designed specifically for either left-handed or right-handed use, with others designed for use either way.

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