Woodworking Tools
Written by craig braddick

Using A Table Saw

The most expensive table saws, which range from $700 for a contractor-grade model to $300 for a standard model, are sold by the size of the blades they can use. Most table saws are 10 inches, which is the best size for most carpentry and woodworking jobs. However, 8-inch table saws are good for small jobs, and 12-inch table saws are great for making deeper cuts in thicker materials. The following are parts of a table saw:

When you use a table saw, be careful.

Too many amateurs and professionals have hurt themselves badly because they don’t know how to use a table saw. The material being cut can get stuck and kick back if it is not handled properly. This can either throw the material at the person cutting it at high speed or jerk it violently and pull their fingers toward the blade. Here are some things you can do to lower the chance of kickback:

Don’t turn on the saw if the thing you want to cut is touching the blade.
When you make “rip” cuts, you should always use the rip fence.

For crosscuts, you should always use the miter gauge instead of the rip fence because the rip fence doesn’t provide enough support.

During the cut, make sure the material is flat against the table.

Take the time to read the manufacturer’s safety instructions and make sure to always wear goggles and ear protection when using the table saw. This will help prevent kickback. Take the saw off the power before you adjust or align the blade, and don’t take off the safety guards that came with it.

Getting Ready to Cut

You can make dado cuts, compound angles, and rabbet joints with table saw accessories like clamps, stops, and jigs. But woodworkers mostly use the table saw for two basic cuts. The most common way to use a table saw is to rip, which means cutting things to a certain width. Crosscutting is a way to cut things to a certain length. The steps below will show you how to make each of these common cuts with a table saw.

How to Use a Table Saw

The rip fence on a table saw lets you make the easiest cut by adjusting to the width of the cut you want. It also acts as a guide to help you keep the material steady while you cut.

First, get the saw ready.

 

Take the table saw off the power and put a rip blade that works with the material you want to cut into the blade arbor on top of the table. Change the height of the blade so that it doesn’t stick out more than ¼” above the material you’re cutting. If you want to cut long pieces of wood from ½” plywood, for example, don’t raise the blade more than ¾” above the table.

To do this, loosen the arbor nut (the nut that holds the blade in place) with the arbor nut wrench that came with your table saw. Then, put the rip blade on the table saw so that the teeth face the front of the machine. From the top down, a table saw blade spins toward you. This means that the sharp blades should face the front of the table saw and not the back. Make sure the arbor nut is tight.

Step 2: Put the fence in place.

To set up the rip fence, first release the locking lever on the front of the fence. This locks the fence in place, and then slide it so that the inside edge matches the cut width you want. There is a ruler on the front of your table saw to help you set up the fence, but don’t use it alone to measure your cut. How far is it from the fence to the edge of the saw blade tooth that is closest to you? Use a precise tape measure. There are two sets of teeth on a saw blade. One set faces left and the other faces right. If you measure to the closest edge, you’ll know how much wood the blade will remove during the cut. This is called the kerf.

Step 3: Put the wood in place.

Place the material to be cut on the table saw so that it lines up with the rip fence. Do not let the material touch the blade until the saw is fully on and the blade is moving at full speed. Before the blade can start cutting, the material must touch it. This will definitely cause kickback.

Step 4: Move the wood through the saw.

Slowly but firmly move the material along the rip fence with one or both hands, depending on how much control you need to keep the material flat on the table top and in line with the fence. When ripping big, thick boards, you should usually start by guiding the material with both hands and then switch to one hand as the cut gets closer to being done. Always keep the material flat when you cut it if it’s long and goes past the back of the table. You can use a table extension to support it or have someone help you support it. Don’t let go of the material as you walk around to the back of the table saw. If you do, the material could lift off the table, which would make kickback more likely.

Step 5: If you need to, use a push stick.

If you need to keep your fingers away from the moving blade, use a push stick. When you’re making narrow rips that put your fingers just a few inches from the blade, a push stick is there to help guide the material. Always use a push stick instead of taking a chance.

How to Use a Table Saw

How to Cut in Half

It’s important to remember not to use the rip fence as a guide when cutting cross-cuts on a table saw. Long pieces are kept stable by the rip fence, but most crosscuts are made on thin materials, like when you cut something in half or remove the end of a board. When crosscuts are being done, there isn’t enough material to fit along the rip fence, so trying to use it increases the risk of dangerous kickbacks. Use a miter gauge instead.

A miter gauge has a bar that fits into one of the deep grooves on the table’s surface and a guide fence that keeps the piece stable. The miter gauge slides from the front to the back of the table saw when the bar is in a groove. This lets you control the cut. A guide that looks like a protractor can be adjusted by loosening a knob and then choosing the right angle before tightening the knob again. There are times when the miter gauge that comes with a table saw is a bit light. If you’re going to be crosscutting a lot, you might want to buy a stronger aftermarket miter gauge. You can also use a miter sled (see “Note” below).

1. Turn off the power to the table saw and put a crosscut blade in the arbor, just like in Step 1 of “How to Rip.”

2. Change the miter gauge’s protractor guide to make crosscuts that are either straight or mitered, which means they are at an angle.

3. Place the material along the front edge of the miter gauge and make sure it is straight. If you need to, use clamps to hold it in place.

4. Connect the table saw to the power and turn it on. Do not put any wood on the blade until it is spinning at full speed.

5. Put the material you’re cutting and the miter gauge together very carefully and slowly move them through the moving blade.

6. Turn off the table saw before getting things that were cut off close to the blade.

Important: You might want to buy an extra miter sled to help hold your material steady while you crosscut it. A miter sled looks like a shallow rectangular box with slots already cut out of the bottom. You can place the material inside the sled and then slide the whole thing over the table to cut. There’s no need for you to buy one, though. There are free, detailed plans online that you can use to make your own miter sled. You could use your new table saw to make a miter sled as your first project.

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.

Woodworking Tools
Written by craig braddick

Buying A Used Table Saw

Buying a Used Table Saw: What to Look For & Tips 🛠️🪵

A table saw is one of the most essential tools for woodworking, and buying a used one can save you a lot of money—but only if you get a good deal! Here’s a checklist to help you find the best used table saw and avoid costly mistakes.

1. Decide What Type of Table Saw You Need

🔹 Jobsite/Tabletop Saws → Portable, lightweight, for DIY & small jobs.
🔹 Contractor Saws → Heavier, better for serious woodworking & furniture making.
🔹 Cabinet Saws → Heavy-duty, precision cuts, great for professional shops.
🔹 Hybrid Saws → A mix of contractor & cabinet saws, good for advanced hobbyists.

👉 Pro Tip: If you need precision and power, go for a contractor or cabinet saw. If you need portability, a jobsite saw is best.

2. Inspect the Saw’s Condition

🔧 Essential Parts to Check:

Tabletop & Fence → Should be flat, smooth, and free of deep rust or warping.
Blade Arbor & Bearings → Spin the arbor; it should feel smooth with no wobble.
Motor & Belts → Run the saw if possible. Listen for strange noises. Look for belt cracks.
Rip Fence & Miter Gauge → Should slide easily and lock firmly.
Blade & Inserts → Worn blades aren’t a dealbreaker, but good ones are a bonus.
Gears & Adjustments → Tilt and height adjustments should move freely without stiffness.

3. Test the Saw (If Possible)

🔹 Run the saw to check:
✅ Smooth startup (no delay or struggle).
✅ Consistent blade speed (no excessive vibration).
✅ Fence alignment & cut accuracy.
✅ Noise level (loud grinding or knocking sounds = problems).

⚠️ Red Flags:
🚨 Blade wobbles while running.
🚨 Fence doesn’t lock squarely.
🚨 Burn marks on test cuts (could mean a dull blade or motor issues).

4. Check for Safety Features

✔️ Blade Guard & Riving Knife → Helps prevent kickback.
✔️ Anti-Kickback Pawls → Should be intact and functional.
✔️ Emergency Shutoff Switch → Should be easy to access.

👉 If safety features are missing, you may need to replace them, which can add cost.

5. Research the Brand & Model

🔎 Look up the saw’s brand, model, and reviews online.
🔎 Check if replacement parts are available.
🔎 Popular, reliable brands include:

  • SawStop (best safety tech)
  • Powermatic (high-end, durable)
  • Delta (solid contractor saws)
  • Jet (great for serious woodworkers)
  • DeWalt, Bosch, Makita (good portable/jobsite saws)

6. Negotiate the Price 💰

🔹 Used table saw prices vary based on type & condition:

  • Jobsite/Tabletop Saws: $100–$500
  • Contractor Saws: $300–$1,200
  • Cabinet Saws: $800–$3,000
  • Hybrid Saws: $500–$1,500

📌 Tip: If repairs are needed (blade, fence, belts), use that to negotiate a lower price.

7. Where to Buy Used Table Saws

🔹 Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, eBay – Best for local deals.
🔹 Estate Sales & Auctions – Often have great bargains.
🔹 Tool Shops & Woodworking Forums – Sometimes offer refurbished models.

Final Thoughts: Is It Worth Buying Used?

✅ If the saw runs well, is solidly built, and has available parts, a used table saw can be a great deal.
❌ If it’s missing critical parts, makes odd noises, or has a wobbly arbor, it’s not worth the hassle.

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.

What is a Router
Written by craig braddick

How To Use A Router

Routers are a type of power tool that is mostly used in joinery, woodworking, and carpentry to make things like cabinets and furniture. They are most often used for working with wood, but they can also be used on plastic and some other soft materials.

What Does A Router Do?

A router spins quickly to cut, shape, and trim wood to make edges and corners that are perfectly finished. Routing a piece of work improves its overall design.

Most of the time, they are used to make patterns in wood, like rounding off the edges of worktops, drawing on picture frames and cabinets, and a lot more. In this way, they raise the bar for plain wooden edges.

You might not believe it, but wood routers do more than just cut and shape wood. You can make dadoes, rabbets, and other shapes.

Step by Step Instructions on How to Use a Router

Step 1: Make sure the tool is off and turn it over so that the router bit fits.
Step 2: Change the depth of your router based on the type of router you have and the job you need to do.
Step 3: If your router has more than one speed, set it to the right speed for the job.
Step 4: If you can, hook up a dust extractor.
Step 5: For a smoother process, start cutting in the opposite direction of the plane’s spin.
Step 6: For hand-held routers, feed from left to right.
Step 7: Feed from right to left on router tables

How to tell a router what its depth is

You can change how deeply the router cuts into the material and how much material is removed by changing the depth. The way you do this will depend on the type and brand of router you have, but it’s pretty simple and will be explained in your manual. If you want to change the depth of a plunge router, all you have to do is use the depth stop scale to move the tool to the right depth for your cut. Fixed base routers stay at the same height during the whole cut. The trimmer base is all that is needed to change them.

How to use a router for wood

If your router has more than one speed, the next step is to set it to the right speed for the job. You can find this in the instructions. After that, you can connect it to your dust extractor if it can do that. Since routing can make a lot of dust, this is always a good idea if you plan to do it a lot. The router is now ready to be turned on and used.

Since router bits spin in a clockwise direction, it’s best to go against the clock when routing the top of a piece of work. The router is coming at you from this angle, which gives you more control and accuracy. The wood does tend to chip when this method is used, though. This could happen, so go backwards and clockwise for a few inches. For edges, move the router the other way from the way the bit is spinning (see below).

For hand-held routers, feed from left to right.

When feeding router tables, go from right to left.

You should always go the opposite way of the cutter’s spin. The bit will be able to glide more easily, which will make the process go more smoothly and give you the best results.

If you have never used a router before, you can always try it out on some scrap wood first. A parallel guide is an important part of most routers that makes sure plunge cuts are perfectly straight.

Which router bit to use

There are a lot of different kinds of router bits and cutters out there. To get clean routed edges, you need to use a sharp, good router bit.

Here is a list of some of the most common router bits and what they are used for. You can also look at the diagram to get a better idea of the cuts that these router bits will make.

Types of router bits:

One type of router bits that is used a lot is the straight router bit. They cut the material straight through to hollow it out so that grooves or dadoes can be made. People also like to use straight router cutters to carve letters, numbers, and other shapes into wood. This is where your parallel guide will come in handy for making straight cuts. To engrave, just draw the shape, letter, or number you want to use on the wood and then use your router to follow it.

Straight Router Bits

Bits for Rabbeting: At Toolstop, we call rabbet router bits “RB Router Bits,” so keep an eye out for that in the names of our products. With rabbeting bits, you can make cuts that are straight, vertical, or horizontal. Rather than making intricate designs to finish off wood, they are more often used to make spaces for other things to fit in. For example, picture frames use rabbet cuts so that the glass can fit inside the frame without any gaps.

Bits for Rabbeting

Flush Trim Router Bits: These router bits are used to line up the edges of two pieces of material so that they are flush. For instance, if you need to glue two pieces of wood together, flush trim router bits will make sure that they have the same edge and fit together perfectly. This method is often used on surfaces that are veneered.

Trim Router Bits That Are Flush

Chamfer Router Bits—The chamfer router bit is another very common type of router bit. With the right bit, these router cutters can make bevel edges at a certain angle. They can also be used to change the edge of your work piece.

Chamfer Bits for Routers

Round Over Router Bits: These bits work a lot like chamfer router bits, but they can be used for much better designs. With these router bits, you can give a piece of material decorative and stylish edges that really make it stand out. To help you get different edges, they come in different styles, such as round over bits and cove router bits.

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.

Jointer vs Planer
Written by webtechs

Jointer vs Planer

Do you know the differences between a jointer and a planer? If not, don’t fret! You are not alone. A lot of do-it-yourselfers are uncertain of the differences between these two woodworking devices.

Each tool has its own unique pros and cons, so it can be challenging to decide which one is right for you. In this easy-to-understand post, it will explain the differences between these two devices and help you determine which one is best for your project.

What is a Jointer?

A jointer is a woodworking device that operates similar to a hand plane to smooth the surface of wooden boards. There are various primary distinctions between a jointer and a hand plane. A hand plane is a manual tool operated excluding electricity, whereas a jointer is an electrical tool.

Jointers have outfeed and infeed tables with a spinning blade fixed between them. Wooden boards are passed over the rotating blade for removing small amounts of wood, while a plane is passed over a wooden board.

Using a hand plane to smooth a board necessitates skill and takes time, whereas using a jointer is fast, easy, and practically effortless.

Jointers can also be utilized for undertakings other than squaring edges, chamfering rabbeting, and beveling.

Jointer Pros and Cons

Jointers, just like with anything else, comes with their pros and cons.

Pros

  • Fast and easily flattens material and squares edges
  • Needs less time and effort than using a manual hand plane
  • Rights common wood defects like warped, bowed, cupped, or twisted wooden boards
  • Its fence can be adjusted for creating square edges, chamfers, or bevels

Cons

  • Lacks the capability to control the finished thickness of a wooden board
  • Lacking the ability to guarantee that the 2nd face or edge is parallel to the 1st
  • Demands additional tools such as a planer and table saw for adjusting the thickness of a board and square the 2nd edge

What is a Planer?

A thickness planer, also referred to as a surfacer or simply a planer, is a woodworking device utilized to smooth and decrease boards to a uniform thickness across their length. Basically, the planer makes thicker boards thinner.

A wood planer operates like a manual plane for smoothing the surface of wooden boards, however, there are a few primary variations between them. Planes are manual devices operated without electricity, whereas a planer is an electrical device.

Planers have a flatbed with cutter head attached above. Rollers feed the work piece over the bed and underneath the cutter head, which extracts a layer of wood as it moves through the device.

Planers come with settings that can be used to guarantee a uniform thickness along the length of a wooden board. Whereas getting a uniform thickness with a manual plane is not impossible, it necessitates a considerable amount of time, labor, and skill.

Planer Pros and Cons

Planers, just like jointers, comes with their pros and cons.

Pros

  • Smooths and takes away defects from the surface of wooden boards
  • Makes a wooden board’s 2nd face parallel to the opposing face
  • Decreases wooden boards to uniform thickness

Cons

  • Unable to correct defects such as warped, bowed, cupped, or twisted wooden boards
  • Unable square the edges of wood

Final Thoughts

A jointer is good for flattening out wooden boards and squaring their adjoining edges, whereas a planer is perfect for thickening of boards. If you are just starting to be a woodworker, it is suggested to begin with a planer since it’s more adaptable than a jointer.

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.

What is a Router
Written by webtechs

What is a Router?

Routers are electric powered devices utilized to cut an assortment of various shapes in materials like wood, MDF (medium density fiberboard), plastics, and some metals. They are used in association with router cutters, and occasionally other removable accessories, for cutting and shaping through materials in a wide variety of ways, for various tasks.

A router is little enough to be easily moved across a work piece or carried around on-site, making them particularly adaptable. Or, for a more permanent add on, you can attach a router upside down using a router table. This is handy when working with small pieces of material, or for repeated applications like creating embossed panels.

What can routers be used for?

Routers are commonly used for things like:

Notches and reduction

Maybe you want to right your own cupboards or drawers, or possibly install new hinges or door locks. Straight and reduction router blades can be utilized to produce a variety of various notches and reductions on the surfaces and on the edge of different materials.

Trimming and edging

A router combined with a proper trimming cutter tool is typically utilized when fitting work tops to trim the leftover laminate or wooden lipping, so it lays flush. A manual metal hand file could be used for doing this, however, it’s a lot easier and faster to use a router.

Joint making

In the past, each woodworking joint would have been produced with a chisel and a small hand saw – but a single misstep of your blade and your fragile dovetail was ruined permanently. Introducing the router. There are specialized cutters and jigs which can produce perfect joints, of different kinds, two times faster.

Molding and beading

Different molding and beading router cutters are accessible to produce appealing shapes on the edge on pieces of furniture or pieces of wood for the use of crown molding or wall skirting.

Creating holes

Using a plunge router and a plunge router bit you have the down-ward cutting possibility of a drill press and can produce an assortment of different sized holes in materials, subject to the cutter used.

Cabinetry

Routers are increasingly popular among cabinet makers, maybe since the router can complete just about all the woodworking tasks performed in the trade.

Other DIY tasks

Aside from using a power or a hand saw to crudely cut your material to size, a router and an assortment of cutters might be the only tool required for a lot of DIY projects. They can be arranged to follow various templates, create an abundance of different joints, in addition to creating simple or complex shapes in different positions on a particular work piece. And the router could even finish the entire thing off with elaborate engraving.

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.

Best Hardwoods for Cutting Boards
Written by webtechs

Best Hardwoods for Cutting Boards

If you love spending time in your kitchen, one of the greatest tools you can utilize is a hardwood cutting board.

Amazingly enough, wood can have more sanitary advantages than plastic when prepping food. Below is the best species of hardwood for a cutting board (also known as a chopping board), considering their qualities, food safety characteristics and maintenance.

What’s the Best Type of Wood for Cutting Boards?

There are a lot of good wood types to decide from for a top-quality cutting board. One reliable indicator of finding out which hardwood constitutes a good cutting board is to see what its hardness rating is.

The Janka scale, or hardness rating, is how unyielding wood is to depressions, wear and tear.

Maple may be deemed the best wood for cutting boards. Maple cutting boards are not going to dull knife blades, however, are resistant scratches. This type of wood is usually more cost effective since it is native to North America, growing in (occasionally) harsher settings such as the Midwest, leading to a larger supply of it. Cutting boards made from Walnut can also handle a great amount of knife usage.

Things to Think About When Choosing a Cutting Board

A vital element when choosing a kind of wood for a cutting board is food sanitation. Three significant traits establish whether or not a hardwood species is thought of as food safe.

Porosity

Porosity is in reference to the sameness of a wood to “soaking” in liquids. Larger pores allow bacteria and mold to grow. Butternut wood, Oaks, and Mahogany are very porous and are not recommended for preparing meals, particularly when preparing meat that is raw.

Grain

Closed-grain woods are additionally associated with pores. Smaller pores mean these types of woods are the preferred decision for food use.

Toxicity

Some woods such as rosewoods, birch, and pine are not for food prep. They discharge oils and sap that are unhealthy for humans to consume with food.

Maintaining Your Hardwood Cutting Board

Using any top-quality hardwood, there is some maintenance required for your cutting board. After every use, use a mild dish soap and wash each side of the board. This hinders warping. Do not put a wood cutting board in the dishwasher – It is going to crack and warp from the different temperature changes and extreme moisture! (Regrettably, if deep cracks or splits begin to form, it’s time to make or buy a new one.)

It’s also suggested to treat the cutting board with food-quality mineral oil routinely. Doing so keeps the wood hydrated, extending the life of the board. Such practices also show the natural luster and aspects of the hardwood. Stay away from specific oils, such as coconut and vegetable oils (the natural odors of food oils are going to seep into the wood), and alternatively, stay with mineral oils or beeswax/mineral oil blends.

When using mineral oil, begin with a couple drops in the center of the board. Rub the oil in a circular outward motion, making sure the oil gets into each crevice throughout the boards surface. The wood is going to soak up the oil, so it’s perfectly fine to add more as you rub it in.

Woodworking Tools Mesa by Timber Woodworking

Timber Wood Working offers softwoods 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.

What is a Lathe
Written by webtechs

What is a Lathe?

A lathe is a machine used for shaping wooden or metallic pieces. It implements a wooden or metal piece by spinning it through an axis while a motionless cutting device keeps taking away undesired material from the workpiece to form the wanted shape.

These machines are used for different product fabricating operations like drilling, sanding, deformation, cutting, and turning. They are utilized in metal working, thermal spraying, glass processing, and wood turning of different artistic pieces.

As one of the most ancient machinery devices able to carry out a wide range of fabrication duties, it is also referred to as the “Mother of All Machine Tools.”

How Does a Lathe Work?

Before learning how a lathe works, it is vital to know about its parts. Most comprise of the following:

  • Bed
  • Headstock
  • Tailstock
  • Spindle
  • Motor
  • Chuck
  • Cutting tools

The Working Process of a Lathe Machine

Step 1: The piece to be worked on is placed between the head-stock and tail-stock. It is fastened with the chuck that aids in putting the workpiece into a firm position by clutching it from the outside.

Step 2: The raw material is spun with the aid of a spindle that is connected to the motor. It makes the piece spin at its axis.

Step 3: A cutting tool is then placed in the holder that holds the tool at a proper distance from the spinning workpiece in order for its blades to cut the workpiece as wanted. Various kinds of cutting tools are used for various wanted shapes and materials.

Kinds of Lathe Machines

Currently, you can find several kinds of lathe machines out of which are some of the most used:

Engine Lathe

Engine lathes have been a favorable invention since the Industrial Revolution. They used steam engines as a power source for continual rotation. These machines are now used primarily for industrial purposes, for boring or drilling metal workpieces.

Speed Lathes

Speed lathes are utilized for cutting action on wooden pieces. As the speed of the revolution of the spindle in this kind of lathe is high, they are also referred to as speed lathes. These are one of the easy machines to understand because they only consist of a head-stock, tail-stock, and a tool turret.

Turret Lathes

Turret lathes are perfect for producing matching workpieces. It has a turret that enables the machine to hold several cutting tools that can be used at the same time.

Tool Room Lathes

Tool Room lathes are the best choice if you want accuracy with cuts. Regarding function and operating process, these lathes are identical to Engine lathes. You can easily manage the velocity of these lathes in accordance with the wanted cut.

Glass Lathes

As glass is extremely fragile and could shatter when lathed with a blade, these types of lathes utilize heat from a torch to make it pliant. After the glass gets pliable, it is then shaped by hand. This kind of lathe is primarily used to produce glassware like bracelets or designed mirrors.

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.

Woodworking Tools
Written by webtechs

Types Of Woodworking Tools

Ready to jump into woodworking and carry out some more challenging projects? You might want to level up your tool game, too. But there are 100’s of equipment possibilities.

Some Basic Woodworking Tools

Below is a quick rundown of the 10 best tools for your woodworking endeavors:

The Claw Hammer

Starting with possibly the most essential tool in every home – the claw hammer. The “claw” on the back of the hammer should be best equalized by the finished head, in which should be slightly rounded.

The Tape Measure

The next significant hand tool for the woodworker is a tape measure that is retractable and accurate. Purchase one that is at a minimum of twenty-five feet long. Any longer, you are going to start having issues getting it to roll back up.

The Utility Knife

An excellent utility knife is another tool for the woodworker. There are a lot of different types, but the type that utilizes disposable blades is the most common. The blade goes back into the grip, via slider for safety reasons. The woodworker is going to use the utility knife when scribing wood or cleaning out mortise joints, in addition to a lot of other uses.

The Moisture Meter

A high-quality wood moisture meter is crucial to any woodworking project you piece together. Lumber yards try to dry their stocks of lumber in accordance with the intended end destination. Therefore, if the wood is harvested in the moisture prone Northeast but shipped to the desert-like Southwest, it is going to be dried more than wood stored in the Northeast used by woodworkers.

The Chisel

A variety of chisels is a must for every woodworker’s workbench. Chisels are not just for those that carve wood. Any woodworker is going to need chisels for cleaning out joints and their saw cuts. Try and find chisels made of high-alloyed carbon.

The Level

Every woodworker is going to need at least a couple of levels. You most likely won’t need one of the six-foot levels used for construction, but around 48 inches is plenty of length for many of the woodworking projects you will most likely do.

The Screwdriver

Screwdrivers are another essential tool in the woodworker’s tool belt. Quality construction is crucial to any good set of screwdrivers. However, a lot of them are made out of soft metal, and the first time you put any pressure on them, they could strip out, becoming ineffective.

The Nail Set

Another hand tool every woodworker needs to have is a set of nails. Actually, you should have a multitude of sizes. They have a similar appearance like awls, and they are used to forcing nail heads into wood, so they get flush or just below the surface. This enables you to fill the holes and prep for painting or staining.

The Sliding Bevel

When you are going to be measuring a lot of angles, a T-Bevel, or sliding bevel, is going to be a handy tool. This can be adjusted, and it can be locked at the angle you wish to mark, making it a lot easier to mark several angles.

The Layout Square

A “combination square”, layout square, or comes in six- and twelve-inch sizes. A lot of woodworkers use the six-inch model merely because it’s easiest to utilize. Additionally, most of the wood you are going to use will be no bigger than six-inches wide, so twelve-inches is a bit much.

Hardwoods Mesa by Timber Woodworking

Timber Wood Working 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.