What is a Miter Saw
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Written by webtechs

What is a Miter Saw?

A miter saw is an ideal tool for precision work, like interior trim. The following is a summary of the pros and cons of this favorable saw.

A miter saw is an essential device in any finishing carpenter’s woodshop, and favorable with DIYers of all levels of skill. If you’ve thought about adding a miter saw to your collection of power tools, but unsure where to begin, keep reading for some background and what to think about when making a purchase on a miter saw.

What Is a Miter Saw?

A miter saw is basically a swivel-assembled circular saw blade that is swayed down into the medium getting cut. Since the swivel is fixed in place, the blade consistently drops down in a controlled movement, producing clean, consistent cuts.

This works perfectly for cutting flat ends; however, a miter saw is also able to rotate right and/or left for cutting at angles. This adaptability makes a miter saw a perfect choice for fine woodworking.

These saws are usually good devices to teach new DIYers concerning working with wood. A protection plate covers the saw blade, and the medium to be cut rests on the miter saw table and is pressed into the saw’s back vertical metal wall.

Novices in woodworking typically find this setup and the basic operation of a miter saw less daunting than the open-air blade of a table saw or bandsaw. Additionally, DIYers that have hand strength problems typically find a miter saw more comfortable to work with than circular saws.

That is not to say to say that a miter saw is not going to pose any danger. Power tools (particularly saws) must always be handled with respect.

Along with power tools, you can most likely carry out the work of a miter saw manually using a miter box and simple hand saw, or by using a different saw. Circular saws can make similar cuts as a miter saw; but it’s a lot more challenging to match the precision and speed.

Types of Miter Saws

Miter saws are categorized by their blade size and the type of cuts they can make, in addition to whether they have a cord or not.

Miter Saw

Every miter saw is able to cut at miter angles, which means that the saw blade can swing left or right. The most basic kind of miter saw is able to cut a miter to the right and (typically) to the left.

Compound Miter Saw

A compound miter saw not just swivels left or right but additionally tilts at an angle for creating beveled cuts. Many compound miter saws enable a tilt in both directions, whereas some restrict the bevel to one side. Those that enables bevels in each direction are often referred to as “dual bevel” or “dual compound.”

Sliding Miter Saw

One of the primary restrictions of a miter saw is how wide it can cut. A sliding miter saw utilizes rails enabling the blade to glide a short distance as it cuts, adding valuable inches to the cutting width. A lot of smaller-blade miter saws have the addition of rails to enable the lighter, more mobile body for making cuts on wider trims.

Compound Sliding Miter Saws

Sure enough, compound sliding miter saws feature beveled cuts and sliding rails. These are typically the most costly and heaviest among miter saws, but they are additionally the most adaptable.

Blade Sizes

Miter saws have a fixed size, represented by the diameter of the saw blade they are able to accept. Meaning that a ten-inch miter saw has a blade ten inches in diameter.

The most typical miter saw sizes are ten-inch and twelve-inch. Most ten-inch miter saws are able to cut up to a 6-inch board at ninety degrees and a 4-inch board at forty-five degrees. A twelve-inch miter saw is able to cut an 8-inch board at ninety and a 6-inch board at forty-five degrees. (Take note that the above sizes are dimensional wood measurements, so the true cutting size is going to be somewhat smaller.)

Other favorable sizes include seven and one quarter and fourteen inches for people that work with slim trim or larger materials, correspondingly. A lot of DIYers choose a ten-inch saw since it provides a great balance of cost, mobility and cutting adaptability.

Corded or Cordless

Historically, miter saws have cords; however, improved cordless advancements means you can use a miter saw devoid of any cord. There are a minute number of gas-powered miter saws, but those won’t be covered here.

Pros and Cons of Miter Saws

The following are the pros and cons of Miter Saws

Pros of Miter Saws

Precise crosscuts: Miter saws enable the angle to be locked in and typically have stops fixed at common angles.

Quick, readily repeatable cuts: After a miter saw is set up, it can make repeated, corresponding cuts.

Less daunting for newer users: The steadiness and protected blade, make it a great introduction saw for untrained DIYers.

More accessible for individuals with restricted mobility: Miter saws enable accurate crosscuts without requiring controlling the weight of a circular saw or to spread across a table saw.

Miter saws are an ideal choice for accurate work like wooden frame-making or interior trim. A miter saw’s controlled motions and range of travel also make it easier for DIYers with restricted hand strength.

Cons of Miter Saws

Restrictions on material width: You are going to require a different tool for cutting wider materials.

Heavy and cumbersome: Even though the actual cutting process requires minimal force, miter saws are much more heavier to move around a workshop than circular saws.

Takes up floor space: Miter tables are not broad enough for supporting longer boards. So, you are going to have to set up temporary support on each side or construct a permanent sawing station, which takes up invaluable floor space in a not quite so big shop.

Miter saws are not for your shop if you mainly rip long pieces of lumber or crosscut wider materials. They provide an excellent workstation but are nowhere nearly as portable as circular saws. A lot of DIYers that own miter saws also invest in a table saw for cutting wood to length.

Woodworking Supplies Mesa by Timber Woodworking

Timber Woodworking offers hardwoods in Mesa, Arizona. We specialize in woodworking tools, equipment, and supplies for commercial woodworking cabinet shops or furniture manufacturers as well as the home shop hobbyist. Contact us today, or call if you should have any questions.

Miter Saw, Woodworking
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What is a Drill Press?
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What is a Drill Press?

A drill press is a motor driven device intended for boring holes in wood, plastic or metal. Similar to a hand-held drill, drill presses make use of different kinds of bits to create holes of a variety of diameters. Despite that, unlike a hand-held drill, drill presses are bench-top or immobile machines. If you require a drilling device only for minor home repairs and the from time to time, wood working project, a drill press most likely is not right for the task. Nevertheless, if you would like to become serious concerning working with wood or metal, this type of drill is going to make it easier to precisely bore holes, counterbore or countersink those holes and utilize attachments for sanding.

How a Drill Press Works

A full-scale fixed drill press is bulky, somewhat costly and takes up invaluable floor space in your workshop. However, what the drill press lacks in mobility, it makes up for in precision and power. Dissimilar to hand-held drills which rely on physical strength and the stability of the user to drill accurate, clean holes, drill presses are designed to be precise. A rotating handle controls the up and down movement of a spinning device known as the spindle, which is limited to moving vertically. This makes ideally precise holes a lot easier to create. All models utilize a depth stop, for the creation of holes of uniform depth.

How to Choose a Drill Press

A drill press is a considerable investment with some parameters that you should understand to buy the right device for you. The following are the main things to think about when shopping around for a drill press.

Drill Press Type

There are 2 primary kinds of drill presses: bench top models and stationary models. Bench top ones are small-scale, lightweight and more mobile. Stationary models are heavier and are challenging to move, but come with more power, capability and features.

Drill Press Size

Every drill press has 2 primary size elements to think about: swing and spindle travel.

Swing

Swing is the length between the machine’s center column and the spindle, times two. This establishes the utmost width of material you can place on the drill press, when you wish to bore to the center of a work piece.

Spindle Travel

Spindle travel comes down to how deep your drill press can descend as you turn the handle. Benchtop models may only allow 2 or 3 vertical inches of downward travel, whereas the best full-sized models can move 5 or 6 inches.

Drill Press Power

The best way for judging the power of a drill press is by calculating its wattage. All models show volt and amp figures on the electrical nameplate. Multiply these together and you come up with watts. The higher the wattage, the more powerful the device and the more difficult materials through which it is going to be able to bore.

The biggest demo-model drill presses for DIY workshops provide around 1,000 watts of power. Work surface models usually have 1/3 to 1/2 this power.

Drill Press Speed

Many drill presses have adjustable rotation speeds for effectual drilling in various materials. Higher-end models provide more speeds. Work surface models usually provide 5 or 6 speeds, whereas a good demo model might have upwards of 16. Why does rotation speed an issue? The more solid the material you are boring, the slower the drill bit rotation speed you require.

Features of a Drill Press

The table of a drill press is where the work piece is going to sit, and on just about every model the table can move up and down making room for your work piece. A lot of models also allow sideways tilting of the table, either to 45 degrees or, for larger, higher-end ones, a complete 360 degrees, enabling drilling at every angle. Some models come with laser guides or LED lights to show precisely where your hole is going to land.

Woodworking Supplies Mesa by Timber Woodworking

Timber Woodworking offers hardwoods in Mesa, Arizona. We specialize in woodworking tools, equipment, and supplies for commercial woodworking cabinet shops or furniture manufacturers as well as the home shop hobbyist. Contact us today, or call if you should have any questions.

Drill Press, Woodworking
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What is Woodworking?
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Written by webtechs

What is Woodworking?

It’s the creation of objects from wood by use of hand or power tools. Woodworking is more varied than it initially seems – it comprises of everything from rustic green woodworking to complex and precise cabinetry. Carpentry is the designation given to this activity by a lot of people, however, in the industry this refers more to the construction of woodwork in housebuilding which is typically done on site. People that make doors and windows and similar objects are known as bench joiners and are typically based in workshops. An able bodied woodworker knows the ways to get the best out of various materials, from natural timber to chipboard or strand board. It’s not only about skill with tools but also design and planning.

Woodworking Scenarios

Wood is such a malleable material, with the simplest of tools, it would have been one of the main things humans used for creating shelter and tools. There’s a wide range of tree types, which come in various grades and for a lot of traditional work is required to be dried to hinder movement following it has been worked. Each craft has their own specialized tools – for instance chair makers have travishers used to hollow out chair seats making them more comfortable, and woodcarvers have a wide range of gouges for cutting various shapes. Woodworking methods allow us to create things as varied as homes, furniture, boats, shelves, animal housing, doors, work-benches, utensils, frames for picture, children’s toys, containers and a whole lot more.

Skills of Woodworkers

Woodworking includes a large quality range too – a piece of work can be joined together with just nails, or complex joints; wooden structures in houses are typically held together with nails and wood screws, however, a chair or an older house might contain tenon and mortice joints. Skillful woodworkers use a range of various joints for various scenarios, to resist the various forces exerted on the finished piece. Instances of joints comprise of mitre, mortice & tenon finger, bridle, box, housing, butt, dovetail, tongue & groove, halving or lapping joints. Some joints are carried out with simple hand tools, and others necessitate power tools – like domino or biscuit joints, which are intended to save time and are very robust.

What Are the Benefits Of Woodworking?

  • It’s about utilizing a biodegradable, renewable, and non-toxic source – wood – for creating useful, eco-friendly and healthy items for you, your family and your friends.
  • Hand-made items are unique and attractive, and they make perfect presents.
  • Woodworking skills allow you to perform repairs on your home.
  • Woodworking is beneficial for you – it’s a therapeutic, meditative, gratifying hobby or career, it’s great exercise and can save you money.
  • If you’re really skillful (and proficient), you could think about starting a small business and help take away some money from the omnipresent flat-pack giants.
  • The exercise and environmental benefits are higher when you are using hand tools – lower personified energy and no electricity required, simply muscle power.
  • The environmental benefits are even greater when those hand tools are “new” to you; a lot of old tools are made of very high-quality steel, unparalleled by tools of the same price today.
  • Wood is very endurable; wooden objects can last multiple lifetimes if they’re well-made, and solid wooden furniture is easily repaired. There’s great joy to be had from making objects that can be passed down through the generations; however, even if they come to the end of their lifespan, they can be recycled or used as firewood, instead of going to a landfill.
  • It can encourage demand for local timber, and consequently tree-planting.
  • Clamps: there can never be enough, and there are several kinds – sash clamps are long metal bars with a changeable shoe; they could be made of aluminum (low cost and light) or T-section iron (heavy and durable). G-clamps and Sash clamps (that attach onto the piece) apply high-pressure, and F-clamps and fast-grip/operation clamps (a modern advancement of the F-clamp) come with rubber heads that won’t blemish the work and are quick-release and low-pressure.

Woodworking Supplies Mesa by Timber Woodworking

Timber Woodworking offers hardwoods in Mesa, Arizona. We specialize in woodworking tools, equipment, and supplies for commercial woodworking cabinet shops or furniture manufacturers as well as the home shop hobbyist. Contact us today, or call if you should have any questions.

Woodworker, Woodworking
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