HackSpace_-_April_2020

FEATURE

Woodworking

Hammers are available in several formats. Light

hammers drive small nails into wood, or are used for

delicate assembly. Large, heavy hammers pound

mortise chisels to create square openings. A mallet is a

hammer unique to woodworking, and is often found on

workbenches. A wood mallet is a good choice when

outfitting a first set of woodworking tools as they excel

at fine, delicate paring when used with chisels.

Another valuable tool in the workshop is the level.

It tests if your work is perfectly horizontal or vertical

and is essential in furniture making. Levels are made

of wood, metal, or plastic, and range from two feet

to six feet in length. A bubble in a glass vial indicates

whether plumb is achieved. A good level should

be one of your first woodworking tool purchases.

A traditional method to lay out lines to guide chisels

and saws uses a marking gauge, which speeds up

identical, repeat operations. A simple tool, it consists

of a fence that slides on a beam and tightens with a

thumbscrew. The etched mark or line is defined by a

sharp pin, or in modern versions, a circular disk with

sharp edge.

You should own two types of saws; a ripsaw and

crosscut saw. Ripsaws cut along the grain or parallel

to it, and crosscut saws cut perpendicular to the grain.

In other words, a ripsaw makes a board narrower, and

a crosscut saw shortens a board. The teeth

arrangement and number of teeth per inch (TPI)

define the function of a handsaw. Coarse teeth (low

TPI) are used to rip wood, while fine teeth (high TPI)

are better at cross-cutting and fine work.

Right

Common

woodworking

hammers and

wooden mallets

Above

Small torpedo level used to

level a board. The bubble in

the centre vial indicates that

the board is level

Above

Above, fine-tooth

back saws for

sawing dovetails

Above

Marking gauge used to

create an etched line

across the end of a board

HammersHammers LevelsLevels

Marking gaugeMarking gauge SawsSaws