Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Applicable Woodworking Hints For Carpenters

By Nita McKinney


Wood is not a static or perfect material for building, contrary to beliefs of numerous carpenters. Some may claim that certain wood types are more stable when compared to others. All in all, each kind of wood possesses some characteristics that if not addressed well, can lead to problems in woodwork projects. Woodworking hints and guidelines are so many, and below is a discussion of some of the best.

The first tip is about is about the importance of table saw safety. When cross cutting on top of a table saw, the cut length should be set with a block clamped to the fence. The fence should never be used directly in order to avoid a board getting kicked right back at the worker.

Alternatively, a wood block should be clamped in front of the blade to the fence. This will make the board end free from that fence in the course of the cut and as soon as it is finished. For instance, if the carpenter makes an exactly one inch block, they can set scale of the fence one inch bigger than the desired length.

Another hint is using tape to trap excess glue. To prevent stains along joints caused by oozing glue, the pieces can be clamped together without glue. All that has to be done is put some tape on the joint, then using a sharp blade cut along it. The pieces are then separated, the glue applied and clamped together again. The glue will not ooze on the wood, but onto the tape. The tape is then peeled prior to the glue drying.

Use of a stair gauge is the other guideline. Stair gauges are mainly used as crosscut guides as well as for laying out stair jacks. They are fixed to carpenters square whereby they will be helpful in marking notches. However, it is when using circular saw that this will give the best results, if they are both set on a single square tongue.

A woodworker can be more accurate if they use a drafting square. In case an accurate square is required in the range of two or three feet, the options available are limited. Drywall squares are known to be both inaccurate and cumbersome. Use of a carpenter square involves an unpleasant task of hooking them onto the edge of a work piece. Drafting squares have a high level of accuracy, and the woodworker will find it almost as useful as a tape measure.

Hot glue is capable of sticking wood much better than clamps. In case woodworkers have to finish, file, shape, sand or file something tiny, reaching for a hot glue gun and then sticking the piece onto a pedestal stick is recommended. Hot glue is as good as any clamp when it comes to holding things. It can also be popped loose with the use of putty knives when the work finished. Caution should however be taken not to use too much force or the wood will be torn out or the piece broken.

The above woodworking hints can be of help to any carpenter. There are tens of other tips, but those discussed above are the main ones that will make woodworking much easier.




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