Woodworking Tools

Selecting The Proper Saw Blade

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Created on Saturday, 11 December 2010 04:03

Last Updated on Saturday, 13 April 2013 07:38

Written by Colin

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I often hear woodworkers say something like "I always buy good quality 60 tooth blades", or something to that effect. When I hear things like that I know that they really don't know how to select blades for the table saw, radial arm saw, sliding mitre or chop saw, because arbitrarily selecting a 60 tooth blade could in fact be the worst choice they could make, depending on what they are cutting.

Cutting Natural Woods - There are only 2 blades you need if you are working with natural wood, a ripping blade and a cross cut blade. That's it - 2 blades.
Ripping blades are used on table saws to cut along the grain of the wood. These blades will have fewer teeth ususally between 20 and 30 with 24 being the most common in 10 inch diameter blades. The other feature on ripping blades will be large gullets (the deep space between the teeth), these are used to clear out the long fibers of the wood as the saw blade moves through the wood.
Cross Cutting Blades are used on table saws, sliding mitres, chop saws and radial arm saws and are often 60 to 80 teeth in a 10 inch diameter blades. The reason a cross cut blade can get away with more teeth is because cutting across the grain doesn't require moving much wood fibre out of the way so the blade can do a better job.

Of course with all so-called rules there is always an exception and with natural woods the exception is Combination or General Purpose blades. These blades are designed to rip and cross cut, and they do a pretty good job of both but they still cannot rip as good as a dedicated ripping blade and they don't cross cut quite as good as a dedicated cross cut blade. If you have a budget and can only purchase one blade, or if you are constantly ripping and cross cutting, get yourself an excellent combination blade.
Freud had recently introduced a new multi-purpose blade that gives extraordinary results ... especially for a general purpose blade. It's called ther Freud Premier Fusion and uses a special tooth design employed by Freud. It's a bit of an expensive blade compared to others, but when you see the results that are obtainable from a general purpose blade, you will see why - they are extraordinary.

Cutting man-made woods like plywood, hardboard, Medium Density Fibre Board (MDF) Particle Board and chip boards, all require a different types of blade, depending on the materials.

All About Radial Arm Saws

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Created on Sunday, 17 October 2010 02:23

Last Updated on Saturday, 13 April 2013 07:38

Written by Administrator

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Radial Arm Saws tend to be one of the most under-appreciated of woodworking machines which is disheartening, considering how versatile they are in the range of operations and tasks they are able to perform.

Why opt for a radial arm saw

While they may be on the pricier end of the scale, and they do tend to be both heavy and not typically fit to carry around easily. As a result, they are used mostly in professional shops where portability isn’t a priority.

That said, the variety of operations that a radial arm saw can perform from ripping to cutting bevels or miters, dadoes and rabbets, forming mouldings and in some instances, serving as router guides; is nothing short of amazing. However, like any tool there are trade-offs which come hand in hand with its versatility: difficulty in setting up cuts (as opposed to a compound miter) taking a longer time to rip stock (table saws rip faster). That said, the radial-arm saw is able to perform both these tasks, albeit a little slower than other tools, but again, it is a small price to pay.

All About Plate or Biscuit Joiners

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Created on Sunday, 17 October 2010 01:20

Last Updated on Saturday, 13 April 2013 07:38

Written by Administrator

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Although plate or biscuit joiners have little to no use beyond the one task they’re built for, they complete the task so diligently, that they are a must for every woodworking environment. Referred to as a biscuit cutter, this miniature saw cuts thin slots into edges of wood boards which are then used to hold two pieces of stock together via a biscuit. Hence the name.

What is a biscuit?
Before getting into the nitty gritty of biscuit joiners, it’s helpful knowing what a biscuit is and does. Biscuits are thin, oval-shaped slices of wood and are usually made from compressed beechwood. They are glued to a slot on the edge of one board and in a corresponding slot on the other, and are especially useful when gluing together individual boards when making table tops, cabinet constructions, etc.

You MUST see this video for the most innovative accessory in Biscuit Joiners

Jigsaws for Woodworking

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Created on Saturday, 16 October 2010 19:35

Last Updated on Saturday, 13 April 2013 07:38

Written by Administrator

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Though jigsaws have earned a bad rep in the woodworking community for their blades’ knack to bend resulting in cuts that aren’t angular, the upsides are too great to not have this power tool in your toolbox. When curved cuts are called for, particularly on thin surfaces like plywood, etc few power tools are as diligent as the jigsaw .


What you need to Look For when buying Jigsaw

High-end jigsaws include two main features that factor into their elevated costs: Variable Speed and Orbital Action. While variable speeds aren’t necessary for woodworking, adjusting speeds to make complicated and delicate cuts can be particularly useful, especially when dealing with metals. If you start out with a high-end jigsaw and switch to a single speed jigsaw, you’ll miss the flexibility and if you start out low and go high, you’ll never want to switch again.

The Orbital Action feature allows higher end jigsaws to angle the blade into the stock on the upswing, in contrast to standard-action jigsaws which work solely in an upwards and downwards motion. This allows for lesser flexibility.

Hitachi D10VH Corded Power Drill Review

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Created on Saturday, 16 October 2010 10:34

Last Updated on Saturday, 13 April 2013 07:38

Written by Administrator

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If you’re looking for a smaller-than-average, basic, mid-priced, lightweight power drill that is both easy to carry around and use for continuous drilling, you can’t go wrong with the Hitachi D10VH Corded Power Drill . It also comes with a 5 year warranty which is a feature that you don’t often see anymore. Note, however, that it comes with a 5 year home use warranty.

With a compact size of 9 3/8” and featuring a 680W 6 Amp/120v motor with a 2500RPM maximum rotational speed, it seems equipped to handle regular workshop drilling jobs, weighing in at just 3.1lbs. If you ensure your drill bits are kept extremely sharp, the drill’s power requirement is significantly minimized since it (the drill bit) will cut rapidly without draining power or torque from the drill itself. The cutting capacities of the drill are listed below, but it should be noted that these can be increased using sharp drill bits:

Steel: 3/8” (10 mm) bit diameter – twist drill bit

Wood: 1” (25 mm) bit diameter – twist/spade bit

Wood: 5/8” (16 mm) bit diameter – auger bit