Ten Tips for Buying and Using Woodwork Machines

Buying the right machinery is essential to your woodworking success. Woodworking machines are utilized to carve out wood, or shape it, or mould it, or even piece it all together into the desired object. There's so much to consider when buying machinery that it would be impossible to cover it all. But in this article we will have time to cover a few points about a couple of the most popular machines. But first, why are woodwork machines so important?

Simply put it's all down to productivity. These are machines that are powered by electric motors and have as much power as a horse, and often far more power than several horses could provide. Because of that they can slice through wood, sand wood down, or carve slots in wood far more effectively than would be possible with hand tools. For the sake of time, it makes sense to use machines to boost productivity. This article will focus on a specific type of machines which are the most useful to a beginning woodworker - hand held power tools.

Biscuit Joiner

This is a device that carves a crescent groove in wood. Once the woodworker carves two such grooves in two pieces of wood they slot together around a biscuit shaped chip of wood and glue which swells up inside the groove due to the pressure being placed on it from clamps and soon bonds the two pieces of wood together. Often biscuits are stronger than the wood that surrounds them.

Tip 1:To cut the grooves, the biscuit joiner is the safest option because its cutting mechanism is hidden until the moment it cuts. Don't be tempted to use a jigsaw or some other device. You might not only wreck the wood, but hurt yourself as well.

Chain saw

Chain saws can be powered by electricity, compressed air, a two stroke engine or hydraulic power. The saw is made up of various components; an engine, drive mechanism, a cutting chain and a guide bar. The cutting chain moves around the guide bar and slices through the wood it comes into contact with. Because the cutting edge of a chainsaw is moving so fast, they will slice through wood very quickly. Because of this they are also very dangerous!

Tip 2: If the chainsaw isn't 'self feeding' into the wood then it needs sharpened. A sharp chainsaw will only need the slightest amount of pressure. The chain will catch the wood in such a way that it naturally is pulled towards the material it is cutting. Soon you will recognize when a chainsaw isn't sharp enough. You can either sharpen or replace the chain. If you are inexperienced it would be better if you have an expert sharpen your chain for you as mistakes can be lethal.

Electric Drill

Drills are so common that it would be hard to find someone who hadn't at least seen one. Modern electric drills have a wide range of uses. With drill bits they can be used to drill holes through most surfaces while adaptors can often turn them into completely different devices such as electric screwdrivers and in one far out instance an electric guitar strummer, but that's a long story.

Tip 3: When buying a cordless drill you want to find the most powerful battery and longest battery life you possibly can that your budget will allow for.

Tip 4: When using paddle bits to drill wide holes do be sure to hold the drill firmly in your hand as these bits can catch and send a heavy load of torque up the drill shaft and into your hand. Try meeting deadlines with a sprained wrist! Prevention in this case is much less painful.

Jig saw

A jig saw is a very adapatable tool that can be used to cut curves in wood. Because of this fact it finds use for a diverse range of problems. Every woodworker will invest in a jigsaw at some point, and they soon pay for themselves in increased productivity.

Tip 5: A variable speed jigsaw can be very useful when making intricate cuts. Though the variable speed was intended for cutting through metal more easily, it does provide that useful by-product.

Tip 6: Don't get more than two inches of depth when you're buying your jig say as you'll go through far more blades. With long blades they bend more and therefor break more often.

Nail Gun

Nail guns are the ultimate productivity booster. They are usually driven by electromagnetism or compressed air and shoot nails at high speed into the surface being nailed. Think of how quick it is to just hammer a nail in with one shot rather than the usual rigmarole of lining up the nail and then tap-tap-tap... Nail guns offer instantaneous nailing, but safety is a huge consideration when it comes to nail guns.

Tip 7: there are numerous accidents associated with nail guns each year, usually to hands. Don't let yourself become distracted while using a nail gun!

Sander

Wood is often rough, or too thick, and less than ideal for the woodworker's needs. Sanders solve these problems by allowing a woodworker to finish the wood to a very smooth and high quality surface and also wear down extra wood until all that's left is the amount the carpenter wants. There are many types of sanders from belt sanders to random orbital sander. A random orbital sander wil leave far less marks on the wood because the randomness means that all the strokes cancel each other out.

Tip 8: When using your random orbital sander be sure to follow the grain.

Tip 9: Never stop or you'll leave a mark in that one spot!

Vacuum cleaner

Last tips were about sanders. Thinking about all that dust and you soon realize that a good dust collection system is a must! There is nothing worse than dust left around to irritate your lungs and your eyes.

Tip 10: Look for a vaccum cleaner that has a handle and wheels so you can move it around easily. It's going to be dragged all the way around your work area a lot.

So these are only a few of the woodworking machines that provide complimentary functionality and improve productivity. Using each takes time and practice, but once mastered they offer the skilled woodworker a way to shape wood quicky to their will. Without such quality equipment, a carpenter would still be able to produce the same work, but it would take a long time to complete.