What comprises woodworkers’ hardware that will help you get a good foothold in this hobby or profession? If you want to get into woodworking either as a hobby or as a profession, you need to have the basic tools of your trade.
Marking gauge: With this, you can cut a line parallel to the board’s edge, which is essential when you lay out mortises and tenons.
Bevel gauge: With this tool, you can take angles to wood work pieces and set the blade angles from table saws. You can also use them to put out dovetails.
Combination square: This is a very highly used tool with which woodworkers mark a line at 45° and 90°s. With this tool, you can bring a lot of accuracy to your work.
Spoke shave: Yet another item of woodworkers’ hardware is the spoke shave that is a hand plane with a short sole and handles on the side. You can use this to smoothen wooden curves with a band saw.
Marking knife: To lay out joinery spots, you need a marking knife. This is a more accurate way of marking a line than using a pencil because of the precision it affords.
Chisels: You would need four chisels to start with, in these sizes: ¼”, 3/8”, ½” and ¾”. Don’t buy chisel marked in millimeters because they can prove difficult to calculate when you clean up grooves with small drill bits.With chisels, you can shave strips of wood from the surface of a chunk of wood. You can also use it to peel away chunks of wood or create gouges deep in the heart of a chunk. You can use this versatile piece of woodworkers’ hardware to carve wood, cut mortises and tenons for good joinery.
Coping saw: This is the best piece of woodworkers’ hardware for eliminating waste that lies between tails and dovetail pins. This is a better alternative to chopping waste using a chisel.
Shoulder plane: Once you gain some confidence as a woodworker, you will see the need for investing in a shoulder plane. The blade of this tool spans the entire breadth of the sole, making it possible for you to smooth the edges of a piece of wood once it is cut. It’s also good for cleaning up a tenon.
Block plane: This versatile tool can do a lot for you, such as cutting bevels precisely both on long and end grain. It can also level joints, eases edges and is good for cornering.
Card scraper: With a card scraper, you can shape and finish wood, particularly difficult grain such as tiger maple where hand planes would lead to tear out on a clean board. Investing in a card scraper isn’t expensive, and it’s easy to sharpen and is highly durable.
Smoothing plane: After you gain some experience as a woodworker, you will realize the need for a As you continue to develop your hand tool skills, you’ll reach a point where a good smoothing plane is a necessity. Eventually, you’ll be able to go from machine marks to glass-smooth surfaces without sandpaper!
Dovetail saw: These are available as Western backsaws orJapanese pullsaws. For beginners, the Japanese saws are ideal for their precision.
Once you have this basic woodworkers’ hardware kit, you can go on to be a good professional in this field.