With the
array of woodworking tools on the market, it can be difficult to decide which
ones to buy first when you are just starting out. For example, almost every
woodworking project begins with cutting rough lengths of wood, so you’ll need a
saw from the beginning. But there are various sizes and shapes of saws, and
each one is used for specific cutting tasks. This blog post will take you
through the various tools a beginner’s workshop should have and a brief
explanation of what they are used for.
Hand saw
A hand saw
is a basic woodworking tool that should be in every beginner’s workshop. They
are not expensive and they are easy to use for quick work. Often, they have a
wooden handle which makes it possible to slide their tooth blade up and down a
piece of wood. A hand saw with a sharp blade can cut almost as fast as an
electric saw. Beginners should therefore avoid cheap handsaws that come with
dull blades.
Circular
saw
A circular saw is a valuable tool to have in the workshop as a beginner even though they cost more than hand saws. It is a power activated saw with a circular blade that has several sharp teeth that can cut through wood. Circular saws are all electric, and they come in different power ratings. They are mostly corded, although quite a number of them are now cordless but these could be a little pricey for a beginner.
Direct drive circular saws are more common
and less expensive than the worn drive circular saws which are designed for
heavy duty work. Direct drive implies that the blade is mounted directly on the
arbor but the worn drive saws use gear-driven blades.
There are differences in the design of saw blades depending on the type of cut they are meant for. Ripping blades have evenly spaced teeth and can cut lengthwise along or with the grain. Crosscut blades have staggered teeth and are useful for cutting across the grain. Combination blades have both tooth layout and they can do both crosscutting and ripping. As a beginner, you may wish to consider investing in a saw with combination blades as this can save you the cost of purchasing two separate saws.
Power drill
If you
have occasionally engaged in home repair work, you may already have a power drill at home. They are very valuable for drilling holes to hang picture
frames. You can buy all kinds of attachments to repurpose your drill and use it
for tasks like sanding round surfaces.
Wood planer
A good
smoothing plane will help you cut down on sanding time. Planes are cutting
tools. They’ll shave off wood fibers so they can take shape and become
smoother. There is a wide range of planes which include, jack planes, joining
planes, spoke shaves et cetera. These are all planes designed for different
applications. It is worth investigating the various types and deciding which
ones would be useful for your operations. A power plane can be useful in the
workshop but remember that you will be better off if you become proficient in
using a hand plane as a beginner. Besides, power planes cost more.
Orbital sander
An
orbital sander is great for wood-finishing. It will help you carry out finishing
a lot faster than hand sanding. Orbital sanders use sand paper pads revolving
in a circular pattern. A circular abrasive sand paper disc spins in a circle
and removes material from the wood. Sanding is a tedious task but orbital
sanders can help you take all the strain out of it. If you wish to get an
orbital sander that will leave your wood surface mark-free then go for a random
orbital sander. They oscillate in a random manner instead of going circular so
they don’t leave swirl marks on your wood like the regular orbital sanders
would do.
Final thoughts
There are a couple of other basic tools you would need to acquire for everyday woodworking tasks. Apart from your workbench, you will need a hammer, mallet, combination square, files, tapes, clamp and chisel set to make your life easy. All these can easily be ordered from an online store.
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