Hand Tools Introduction
Introduction to Woodworking Hand Tools
Even basic tools have a variety of different types. Know which ones you should have in your tool box.
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Hammers are used for driving in nails, pins and wedges, for driving chisels when chiseling and for pulling apart mistakes. There are a few different types of hammers and the most popular are listed below. I have also included other tools that are related to hammers and the entire process.
The word boring means one thing to the woodworker and another to the machinist. To the woodworker, boring a hole means using an auger to make a hole in a piece of wood. To a machinist boring means enlarging and truing up a hole which has already been made. Another word which conveys different meanings is the word drill. The woodworker calls the tool which penetrates the wood a bit or a drill bit and the device which holds and turns it a drill or hand drill and brace. The machinist calls the tool that penetrates the metal a drill.
The file is a cutting tool made of steel, with teeth cut into the metal. It is used to shape wood or metal. Files are made in various lengths, shapes, and teeth sizes. The length of a file is measured from the point to the heel. The most common shapes are flat, round, half-round, square, and triangular.
A butt joint is formed by joining two pieces of stock without fitting one piece into the other. The pieces so joined may be held together by means of glue, nails, or screws. The glued butt joint is most frequently used when joining two or more boards together, edge to edge, in order to produce a wide panel. The success of such an operation depends on the planing of the butting edges, that is, the edges touching each other. The butt joint may be strengthened by the use of dowels.
Screwdrivers come in many shapes and sizes and given their extensive use in all products sets of screwdrivers are readily available and inexpensive. There are a few different types of screwdrivers that are commonly used in woodworking.
The saw is a cutting tool having a tempered-steel blade with pointed teeth. Saws are manufactured to cut almost any kind of material. The teeth of saws vary in size and rake, depending on the use to which the saw is to be put. The rake is the angle at which the side of the tooth is cut, filed, or stamped in relation to a point line. The A bevel is the angle at which the side of each tooth is filed. The height of the tooth is the distance between the point and the base.
Basics - Back Saws - Coping or Fret Saws - Hacksaw - Hand Saw - Keyhole or Compass Frame Saw - Japanese Saws - Timber or Log Saws
Hand saws are the most heavily used of all woodworking tools. For this reason it is particularly important to purchase good quality saws. It is better to spend that little bit extra on a quality saw from a reputable manufacturer as they will last far longer and out perform a poor quality saw.
Claw hammers are the most common types of hammers used for woodworking and general repairs around the home. They are available with different types of handles, wood as shown, steel with rubber or plastic grips and fiberglass composition.
Electric drills are by far the first power tool purchased, they have so many uses besides drilling holes, there are attachments to turn them into paint mixers, sanders, screwdrivers, saws, grinders, lathes, the list goes on, some work others don't.
The woodworker's vise has two jaws, two guide rods, a long threaded screw spindle, a T-head, a yoke, a nut, a handle, and a dog. Vises hold material securely, leaving both hands free for tool manipulation. When sawing, planing, chiseling, boring, or doing any other operation which can be done better with two hands, you will find that the vise is an extremely useful tool.