HackSpace_-_April_2020

LENS

Unless doing light wood-carving, you will need a
workbench to work on. It should handle pounding
with a hammer and be rigid enough for hand planing
tasks. You can purchase a workbench or make your
own. Your first workbench need not be fancy; it only
needs to be sufficient to begin woodworking. As well
as providing a sturdy surface, a workbench also needs
a way of clamping a workpiece in position, most
commonly a vice. Vices are relatively inexpensive and,
in their simplest form, mounted to
a workbench surface.
The vice will be your most used tool. It prevents
wood from moving when shaping or creating joinery.
Woodworking vices are rugged, withstand heavy use,
and are available in several sizes. Purchase a larger
one than you currently need to avoid outgrowing its
capacity – this lowers the cost of replacing it with a
larger version early on in your woodworking.

Chisels shape, remove wood, and create recesses. Fine
work is achieved with chisels: they create mortises for
tenons or make a recess for installing a hinge. They
slice wood in a paring action or remove wood when
struck with a mallet. Chisels are available individually or
as a set of commonly used sizes.

Clamps are a large component of woodworking. They

brace wood together for gluing, hold wood while

using hand tools, and are used to assemble furniture

pieces. Clamps come in various lengths and

capacities depending on the application. Some clamps

operate with one hand; others need two hands to

tighten. Invest in clamps of different capacities early

in your woodworking.

Below

Woodworking vice

attached to front

of a workbench

Become familiar

with the term

woodworking jigs.

Jigs ensure that

multiple, similar

parts have the same

dimensions. Jigs

speed setup time,

and enable you to

easily recreate a

woodworking

project in the future.

The jig’s The jig’s^

a good’una good’un

Above

A set of fine

paring chisels

Below

You can never have

enough clamps

WorkbenchWorkbench

ChiselsChisels ClampsClamps