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Full (or thick) Kerf versus Thin Kerf and what about Micro Kerf? All the questions I get on blade kerf, including what size of blade should I use? Like many things when you know the answer it's easy, and when you understand the reasons "why" it just makes blade selection and blade purchases so much easier and ... getting the right blade for the right job.
Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/YZhpkqSuqEM
There are no standards on blade thickness, and some manufactures even vary the thickness, very slightly, within their own lines. Because of this, all thicknesses are given as approximate since thousandths of an inch or millimeter are typically insignificant. There are no secrets about blade kerf but there are pros and cons about what you should use and what you might need to purchase and to make things easier I have tried to lay things out in something of a point form ...
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I am not going to focus on "terrible tools" in this article, instead, I want this to be positive so we can all learn how to select better tools and some of the things to look for. Not all "new advancements" in tools and tool designs are good ones. Sometimes old reliable tools are better, but how do we know that unless we are able to compare them and understand what makes a good tool or a poor tool
Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/FfpWxPBxFI8
Obviously, if a tool does not do its intended job it's poor but some do a half job. Are these poor tools or not? That really depends on many things, sometimes it's user error and I am certainly guilty of that sometimes, there is just so much to know, and not all things are transferable from one tool to another.
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Spiral Bits are the one set of bits that can be confusing for many woodworkers. The main reason for this is the description given for these actually changes depending on where the bits are installed, in either a handheld wood router or CNC router, or ... upside down in a wood router table.
Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/hTlx3FH39Bs
The nomenclature for router bits is - when the bit is vertical and the tip of the cutting edge is at the bottom of the bit.
Thus a Spiral Up Bit would have the cutting edge at the bottom of the bit and as it rotates in the wood it will drive the wood chips up the flutes and the tear-out will also be driven upward, which if cutting through the wood, will give clean cuts at underneath the wood.
Conversely and Down Spiral Bit will have the wood chips and any tear-out drive down into the wood or if cutting through the wood, the wood chips and tear-out will be in the bottom of the wood whereas the top of the cut will be clean.
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The biscuit joiner was invented around 1955 in Europe with the intention it would help cabinet makers using particleboard, MDF, and plywoods in making stronger and more accurate joints using these materials. It was soon discovered that a biscuit joiner could also be used in natural woods too.
Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/yEsCVi4Rsn4
One of the main purposes of a biscuit joiner for anyone using natural woods was to use it for making connections for aligning narrow boards together to make a wider board. Using biscuits to help keep natural boards aligned for glue-ups became something of a standard but not everyone experienced success with this practice, including me. If you are getting good results, congrats, many people are not and this article is to help assist those who are having problems with getting good results.