Carpentry Tools

Professional woodworkers buy quality tools capable of precision adjustments. Two tools which give them a leg up are the thinckness planer and planer/joiner. If you don’t have these tools to help make sure your stock is perfectly dimensioned, try to find someone who has them and will dress up your project lumber for you. Chances are good that the wood you buy from the lumberyard will not be precisely square and true, and will need further processing if you are building a project to critical dimensions.

When setting up workbenches, the height is generally figured at about hip pocket high. But before you buy or build a workbench, consider the height of your tablesaw. If the bench is the same height as the saw it can then be used for extra support when sawing over-size materials.

If you are working on a project with a partner and using two different measuring tapes, take the time to check that both tapes are in synch. Sometimes if the hook end of an older tape happens to get bent, it may throw off the measurement as much as a sixteenth of an inch. That error can be enough to cause problems if you need to do precision work. To doublecheck two metal measuring tapes for accuracy, mark a line at a certain distance on a board, draw the tapes out and compare readings.

Have a rather large collection of adjustable wrenches, c-clamps or odd-shaped screw clamps laying around the workshop? You can store them neatly side by side just by tightening up their jaws on the edge or lip of a shelf that is out of the way. They will take up very little room and will always be easy to spot and retrieve. If the ceiling joists are accessible in your shop, they also can be used for clamp-on storage.

A picture-framing vise, or miter clamp, has screw holes on the bottom for attaching to a workbench. But for occasional framing it can get in the way of other benchwork. A solution is to mount it on a wooden base that can be readily clamped and unclamped in your bench vise. The base can be of scrap wood, and made up so that the framing vise will be about chest high for comfortable working.

If a bandsaw blade breaks, it can be brazed or welded. But check for the cause. The most common causes include: 1) misalignment or adjustment of the guides, 2) either forcing or twisting a wide blade around a curve, 3) feeding in the work too fast, 4) dull teeth or not enough tooth set, 5) excessive tightening of blade, 6) top guide set too high above work being cut, 7) using a blade with improperly finished braze or weld, and 8) continuously running the blade when it is not used for cutting.

Applying a little beeswax to the threads of wood screws can make driving them in much easier. The added lubricant can also reduce the potential for broken screws, especially if the screws you are using are of solid brass. You will find another big payback is that your cordless drill will be able to drive more screws per battery charge.

After a few uses, resin will build up on your drill and router bits and lessen their effectiveness. An easy way to clean them is to slip on a pair of rubber gloves and safety goggles then spray each bit with household oven cleaner. Scrub away the resin with a medium bristle toothbrush. Rinse and thoroughly dry each bit.

When working with a router, use only sharp bits, this will ensure clean and precise cuts in the material. Check before each use and have them sharpened when needed.

If you are about to change the blade on your bandsaw, dig out your small spring clamps to make the job easier. A new bandsaw blade can have a tendency to slip off of the top wheel while you try to get it on the lower wheel. Use a pair of small clamps to hold the blade on the top wheel while you slip it over the lower wheel and apply tension. Remove the clamps from the wheel before you begin making final adjustments.