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There are many things to consider when choosing a saw blade – making safe, smooth cuts with your radial arm saw, table saw; compound slider miter saw or chop saw depends on having the correct blade for the tool and, for the kind of cut you would like to make. Performance varies from blade to blade and presently, not a lack of them in the stores today, so choose wisely.
Choosing the correct saw blade –
It’s not all that complicated, really. In order to put together a top rate saw blade assortment of your own, you required to identify a small amount about what diverse blades do and what distinguishes the top-quality from the cheaper ones. Once you figure this out, you’ll be able to decide the blade that is best for the type of woodworking you will be doing and you budget can afford.
There are blades that are intended to do a number of things. Some blades are for crosscutting wood, ripping wood, cutting veneered panels and plywood, cutting melamine, cutting non-ferries metals and cutting plastics and laminates. Combination blades and general purpose, these blades are for using two or additional kinds of cuts. The amount of teeth, the gullet, the hook angles (the tooth angle) and the tooth configuration all determines how good the saw blade is.
Amount of teeth –
Saw blades with less teeth move the wood faster furthermore blades with more teeth offer a smoother cut. For example, a 10’ blade considered for ripping wood usually has fewer than 25 teeth plus are intended to move the material quickly through the machine along the extent of the grain. With the least little bit of effort and leaving a fresh cut and a least amount of scoring, the higher quality rip blade will out perform a lower quality rip blade which is not designed to make mirror-like smooth cuts. (mirror meaning both edges are the same).
Alternatively, a crosscut blade is well thought-out to give you a even cut crossways against the grain of the wood without any tearing or splintering. Between 60 and 80 teeth are found on the crosscut blade. Remember, moving less material, each tooth comes in contact with the wood less and this means a crosscut sharp edge makes numerous additional single and smoother cuts than the ripping blades. A polished finish will appear on the wood if using a good quality crosscut cutting edge.
Gullet –
The space missing from the blade plate in front of each tooth, which allows for chip removal, is called the gullet. In the crosscutting blade, the chips are fewer and smaller per tooth so the gullet is much smaller. In the ripping blades the rate is much faster than the crosscutting action and the chips are bigger so therefore the gullet needs to be bigger to accommodate the larger amount of material coming through it.
The hook angle –
Rather than be perfectly in line with the blade, the teeth are tipped either inward or outward, depending on the configuration of the blade. Hook angle is the slant shaped connecting a tooth face and a line drawn down the middle of the blade across the tip of the tooth. A downbeat hook angle signifies the teeth tip away from the path of rotary motion and the reverse is said for the positive hook angle. A zero hook slant demonstrates the teeth are in line with the midpoint of the blade.
A very aggressive hook angle (degrees of 20 or more) will also have a very fast cutting rate. A negative or low hook position will have a slower supply rate and will stop the blade from ‘climbing’ the material as often happens.
Tooth configurations –
The way the blade cuts is often affected by the way the tooth is shaped and the way they are grouped together. The configuration has to do with the way a blade will cut, if it’s a crosscutting, ripper or laminates cutter.
Hand saws –
No one can deny the aggressive speed of a table saw or a sliding chopsaw, however, for joinery; it’s hard to beat the backsaw’s precision for slicing just what you need. Hand saws are much cheaper and easier to control than machine saws. The backsaw can hold the sharpest, thinnest of blades and they can slice wood with minimum waste and maximum control.
It’s essential for woodwork novices to have a slow but methodical approach to their newfound interest. Directly tackling a woodwork project meant for people with advanced woodwork skills will only make you feel more useless and frustrated about the present level of your skills, and this might consequently make you think of giving up on woodwork altogether.
If you wish to learn more about woodwork, start by accomplishing simple woodwork projects. Doing so will enable you to hone basic woodwork skills and prepare yourself for much more challenging woodwork projects in the future.
Woodwork Projects for Tables and Chairs – Perhaps the most basic woodwork project you’ll find is one that teaches you how to build a table from scratch. As there’s rarely anything complicated about the design of tables, you won’t have to worry about getting the dimensions wrong. Neither size nor shape is an important factor as well because tables can be both small or big, and square or rectangular in shape.
After making the table, find a woodwork project that teaches you how to build chairs. It would be ideal if the woodwork project you’ll use for chairs was made by the same person and specifically meant as a match for the table you’ve earlier on focused on building.
Chairs are only slightly trickier to build than tables. Perhaps the most difficult aspects of chair woodwork projects is ensuring that all its legs are equal in proportion and that the seat can adequately hold your weight.
Woodwork Projects for Storage Sheds – Although the sheer size of storage sheds in comparison to furniture and other portable or lightweight woodwork creations can make this particular project daunting, you’ll soon realize that its size is the only intimidating factor you’ll have to contend with.
Certainly, you’ll be making use of a considerable amount of resources and supplies, the magnitude of which depends on the specifications of your woodwork project, but you’ll gradually understand that there’s nothing complicated about building a storage shed.
More importantly, the sense of achievement you’ll feel once you’ve successfully built a storage shed will more than make up for any trouble or cost you’ve had to bear in the past.
Woodwork Projects for Porch Swings – Instead of letting yourself get intimidated with the word “swing” and imagining all sorts of complications you think are associated with this type of woodwork project, concentrate rather on a simplified description of a porch swing: a chair without legs.
Once your mind digests that fact, you’ll probably have an easy time following the instructions for making a porch swing. Again, consider the average size of occupant to determine whether you need to make certain adjustments with the project details.
Woodwork Projects for Planter Boxes – This particular woodwork project is as easy or even easier than building a table because all you have to do is make a box where you can segregate plants that need an independent place to grow for whatever reason.
Although it would improve your skills if you exert effort in sticking to the intended scale for the planter box, you don’t have to beat yourself up if you still end up with the wrong dimensions. All you have to do is adjust the number of plants that will be occupying the planter box, and voila! It’s still usable!
Besides acquiring new skills and techniques in woodwork, these projects will also teach you the most critical lesson in the field, and that’s the need for patient effort. Good luck working on those woodwork projects!
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Breathing sawdust is not healthy; it can be allergenic, toxic and carcinogenic. The sawdust from some imported woods, including teak, is particularly harmful and is know to cause skin rashes and repertory problems several studies have shown that woodworkers have a high rate of nasal cancers.
Because even a little sawdust can clog sinuses and aggravate allergies, try to wear a mask whenever you make dust, whether it’s from machinery or sandpaper or sweeping the floor. Masks range from thin paper with an elastic strap to the thick rubber with a replaceable toxic-fume-proof filter. They heavy-duty masks are generally unpleasant to wear so some compromise will need to be made between efficiency and comfort.
Some of the solvents and finishes used in furniture finishing are also allergenic, toxic and carcinogenic. Petroleum distillates in commercial oil finishes, naphtha and benzene are all suspicious of contamination. Because many of these solvents are toxic to the human body by breathing or through skin contact, it’s a good idea to wear rubber gloves and a toxic-vapor mask when working with them.
Wood shop accidents happen in an instant, especially with power tools. The results can be irreversible and even life-threatening. Your first line of defense against mishaps is really simple; Think Before Acting. Respect the capabilities and dangers of your tools and know how to use them safely.
Plan your work so you can get help lifting or moving heavy objects. Set high standards for tool maintenance and operations. Never use dull blades or bits. Remove guards and other safety devices only when absolutely necessary. And keep your work area clear of debris and clutter.
Any discussion of woodworking and woodworking machinery should begin with shop safety; hand tools require safety precautions as well. Woodworking machines are made to cut, chop, abrade, slice, drill and shave materials that are considerably harder then human skin. When used carelessly, machines are dangerous and when used properly, machines can be a wonderful help.
Wherever woodworkers gather, stories of accidents and near-misses come up sooner or later. Perhaps the term ‘accident’ is misleading here because ‘accident’ implies the injured person is a ‘victim’ of circumstances beyond their control; in most cases, it may be more appropriate to say that the ‘perpetrator’ suffers the consequences of his or her own carelessness.
Consciousness of safety is the first requirement of good craftsmanship. Here are several things you can do to protect yourself while working with wood, either with machines or hand tools.
• Wear hearing and eye protection when using saws, routers, sanders and other equipment. To keep splinters and dust out of your eyes, use large plastic safety goggles, a face shield or safety glasses.
1. Goggles – the rigid lenses of safety goggles are surrounded by a soft plastic frame that fits and seals against the contours of your face. The sides are ventilated to prevent condensation and they can be worn over prescription eye glasses.
2. Hearing protectors – earplugs and padded ear muffs protect your hearing from overexposure to noise. Always wear protectors when using noisy power tools that could cause long-term damage to your hearing.
• Keep your workshop area clean and neat so you won’t trip over a scrap of wood or an extension cord at an inconvenient moment.
• Tie up long hair; don’t wear loose-fitting clothing or any jewelry. All of these items can get caught in the machines and drag you towards the blades or other sharp parts.
• Don’t use machinery when you are tired or have consumed alcohol – any amount of alcohol, even a little bit is too much for operating machinery. This type of machinery is dangerous enough when you are fully alert, so why increase the odds of an accident?
• Focus on what you are doing at all times and take a break if you mind starts to wonder. You are most likely to have an accident when performing the same operation over and over again. Walk away for a few minutes between cuts.
• If you are not comfortable making a cut or aren’t sure if a particular cut is safe, get advice or help before you try it. Find a friendly woodworker to ask, perhaps at the local high school or college.
• Keep saw blades sharp. The harder you have to push, the less control you have over the wood. This can cause slips and loss of fingers or worse
• Be prepared for accidents. Consider these questions:
1. Where is your telephone?
2. Where is your first aide kit? – You should always have an extensive first aide kit available at all times.
3. Where is the nearest person who can help you? – You should never be alone while woodworking.
4. Can you give clear directions to your shop over the telephone?
5. Are you familiar with basic tourniquet and first-aid techniques?
• If a serious accident does occur, call 911, not your friend. Your friend will not be able to help you if you suddenly go into shock on the way to the hospital.
• If you should be unfortunate as to sever any fingers, take them with you to the hospital in case they can be reattached. Severed fingers should be wrapped in gauze and soaked in a cup of salty water that is kept cold in ice; the fingers should never touch the ice.
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Woodworking projects can use both softwoods and hardwoods. Generally, hardwoods end up as indoor projects such as furniture, trim-work, cabinetry and turnings because the wood grain and figures are highly desirable. Softwoods tend to become outdoor furniture, children’s projects such as tree houses and other sorts of utility or painted projects. These are merely general guidelines. If money is no object, you can build children’s furniture from practically any furniture-grad lumber you have.
The answer to – what species should I choose for a particular project? – is not cut and dried.
Ask yourself a few questions –
• Is this an indoor or outdoor project? Most wood will degrade over time in the presence of water or ultra violet sunlight. Moisture is another ‘deadly’ threat to wood; it invites mold and wood-boring insects. Some of the most durable outdoor woods include western red cedar, cypress, white oak and redwood. These lumbers contain natural oils or profiling compounds that resist rot and help repel insects. Boatbuilding woods such as mahogany and teak are excellent choices, although they are much more expensive than the common weather-resistant species.
Consider using a pressure-treated wood if you are not using it for food or contact with skin (such as a chair or bench). It takes paint well once the infused chemicals dry and the wood tends to be warranted fro decades against rotting. Be careful and wear a dust respirator when machining pressure-treated lumber to keep from inhaling the sawdust, which contains the treating chemicals.
• Will the project be painted or receive a clear finish? For painted projects, choose wood that has a smooth texture without a heavy grain pattern. Ideally, the lumber should sand and finish so smoothly that the grain entirely disappears. Good paint-grade hardwoods include birch, aspen and birch. These also tend to be less expensive than hardwoods with more attractive wood grain patterns. Softwoods generally produce a blotchy, uneven tone when they are finished with a stain, but they make excellent economical painted woods. Pines, firs and other ‘white woods’ are good candidates fro paint finishes.
• What thickness and proportions of lumber does your project require? Nearly all the board lumber you will find in a home center or lumberyard will be milled to ¾-inch thickness. There could be a small amount of ‘craft’ woods in ¼-inch thickness made of oak or poplar as well as laminated blanks in a few sizes up to 3 inches thick. Lengths of ‘craft’ woods will be limited to about 3 feet. Some projects require large panel such as tables and entertainment centers and if you don’t own a jointer and clamps to glue your own wide panels from narrower boards, your local home store probably stocks pre-glued sanded panels as wide as 3 feet and up to 8 feet long.
• Which project parts will show? Commonly practiced in furniture building is to use a secondary or cheaper lumber on the insides and backs of pieces and the more expensive, nicer wood on the outer areas of the furniture. Places that secondary wood might be used are drawers, shelves inside a cabinet, the backs of cabinets and desks, under the tabletop, legs, etc. Poplar and pine are often integrated into projects as secondary wood pieces.
• What does your budget allow? Lumber is expensive, particularly if you buy it completely surfaced. Sometimes sticker shock will push you over the edge and make your choice of lumber obvious. When tallying up the amount of lumber you will need, factor in another 20 to 30 percent additional wood. The overage invariably gets used in the end. If the price is out of reach, consider using a more economical wood and staining it to match the color of a more expensive wood.
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It is a common misconception that hardwoods are called hardwood because the wood is hard, while softwood is so named because they are soft. it is true that many hardwoods are more difficult to machine than softwoods, however the distinction actually has nothing to do with the hardness or workability.
Southern yellow pine, for example, is heavy dense softwood used for stair treads and large framing lumber. It machines and accepts fasteners in a manner like that of hardwoods. Walnut and poplar are common hardwoods, but they can be routed and sawn as easily as cedar or redwood.
Even pricing is not a good indicator of hardwoods or softwoods. More softwood is manufactured into building materials than furniture-grade lumber, but what dose become lumber can be quite expensive. Take for instance, clear sugar pine lumber, it is just as costly as premium cherry or white oak.
Actually, the basic economics of supply and demand have more to do with lumber pricing than the particular species of wood or even its grade designation.
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Lumber can be grouped into two broad categories – softwoods and hardwoods – based on a botanical distinction. Hardwoods are those species that come from leaf-bearing trees that produce flowers, fruits or nuts. Common North American hardwood lumber includes maple, oak, ash, walnut, cherry, beech, birch and poplar.
There are many less common Western hardwoods as well, like butternut, mesquite, holly, pear and sycamore. Other countries log innumerable hardwood species as well. Some of these exotics include teak, mahogany, ebony, rosewood, bubinga, purpleheart and pear. These exotic woods can be purchased through the Internet or specialty catalogs; however, they are pricey and may only come in a limited size.
Softwoods come from the large family of cone-bearing trees that bear needles rather than leaves. Firs and pines of all sorts, redwood, cedar and cypress are typical North American softwoods made into board lumber. Because these species are well suited for construction purposes, all lumber used fro framing and roughing construction comes from softwood trees.
They are sufficiently strong for structural applications, yet are easy to work with common hand or power tools. Another advantage is that cone-bearing trees grow rapidly and develop straighter trunks and branches than the hardwoods. And finally, more softwood trees can be planted per acre than hardwood trees so they produce a higher lumber yield in less time.
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Have you ever built a woodworking shed before? If this is the first time you create anything like that you will need some guidance through the procedure. It’s not as easy as you might think to build a woodworking shed and it’s of big importance that you plan your work before you do anything else.
The first thing to figure out is why you would like to have a woodworking shed in your garden. Would you like to have it since you need somewhere to place all your garden tools or would you like to put your golf equipment there? Do you plan to hide there to relax from time to time when you’re tired and need some private time or would you like to let your puppies play there ?
There are many possible reasons why you would like to have a woodworking shed and no reason is better than the other one. They are all very understandable and as long as you plan your work before you do anything you will most likely become very happy with this new small building in your garden.
The second thing you need to figure out is where you would like to place the woodworking shed. Is there a perfect spot in the garden where it would be suitable to place it? There are some things you should remember when you’re trying to decide where it should be placed. The first thing to keep in mind is that you need to build it in a place where it won’t disturb your neighbours or some member of your family. That’s really important to consider when you’re planning the construction. Another thing to remember is that it should be placed where it’s not hiding the garden from the sun.
The third thing to figure out is how big you would like your woodworking shed to be. This depends on what you would like to use it for. It needs to be big if you want plenty of puppies to play there but it doesn’t have to be as big if you just want to put your golfing equipment there. It will be quite easy to figure this out when you know what purpose your new woodworking shed has.
Answer these questions, one at a time and when you’ve done that it’s time to start designing your new woodworking shed. You will soon discover that it can be quite fun to plan and build something like this.
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A lot of things were different when your grandparents were young. Woodworking was very popular back then and most men had the skills to build something with their own hands. Almost everyone had their own woodworking projects which they worked with whenever they had some time to spare.
Things look a lot different today. Few people can handle their own woodworking projects and most people has to call in a professional if they would like to have some nice wooden furniture for the home. Furniture made of wood are stylish and classic and loved by most people but it would definitely be a lot easier if everyone could create their own furniture.
Woodworking is easier today
It’s actually quite easy to gain knowledge today and woodworking knowledge is not an exception. The net is a great source where you can learn a lot about woodworking and how to start with easy woodworking projects. You will have to practice what you read in order to become skillful obviously but that will be a lot of fun.
Buy what you need to start
In order to start woodworking you will need some tools. It’s always best to buy as good tools as possible since that will make it possible to get real accurate results. It all depends on how much money you can spare though and you should always stick to your budget since woodworking is supposed to be fun, not supposed to ruin you.
Internet is great since you will be able to buy all the tools you might need there. The prices are usually much lower than in the stores you will be able to find if you’re out shopping on the street. Make a list of all the tools you will need for your woodworking projects and order them from the best e-shop you can find. Remember to compare prices before you order anything since some web shops are a lot cheaper than other ones.
It can be difficult for a beginner to know exactly what tools you will need to start with but you will be able to find guidance if you read online articles. The first thing you should buy is a great saw. Actually you will need several saws since there are various types, needed for various moments. You will also need a good jig.
Go ahead and learn all you want and need about woodworking. You will soon be able to work on your own woodworking projects and you will soon discover how fun it is.
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Woodworking is great since it can be a hobby as well as a profession. You can make plenty of money on woodworking projects if you’re talented. You can build armchairs, tables, beds and many other things and if you build really nice things you will be able to sell them.
The great thing with the woodworking craft is that it can give families with low income the possibility to have some really nice furniture as well as other things in their homes since they will be able to create these items with their own hands. It takes time to become really skillful of course but everyone has to start somewhere in order to become successful. It’s never too late to start working with woodworking projects and it’s a fun hobby to practice as well.
Get some help online
If you’re interested in learning more about the woodworking craft you should definitely perform some research on the net. You will be able to find plenty of useful tips there and you will soon be able to start practice what you’ve learned. You can also get much help if you become member of a forum on the net where woodworking craft is discussed.
When you’ve read a few guidance articles online you will know that you need some basic woodworking tools when you want to start working on your woodworking plans. A saw is a tool that you can’t live without if you want to become a woodworking talent. You will need more than one saw, at least two saws, perhaps more. You also need to buy at least one jig and a knife is always good to have as well. These tools are the basic things you need to have to get started but you might have to buy a few other tools as well when you proceed to more advanced woodworking projects.
Get yourself a hobby that can satisfy you
The woodworking craft is a hobby that can be very satisfying. It feels great to know that you’ve built the nice things that you have in your home and your family will most likely be very happy about it as well. This is a great hobby to have and it can become your profession one day if you spend enough time on it.
It’s a great feeling to be able to build something from wood with your own hands. You can come up with new woodworking plans every month and finish them as soon as you have some time off from work.
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