If you're interested to explore the world of woodworking, besides dedication and desire to learn how to create things, you'll need suitable tools. Beginners will surely need basic things like a combination square, woodworking tools chisels, mallet, woodworking saw, etc. If you want to test your skills and see what great things you can make from wood, here's a list of some of the most basic tools and how you can use them.
Combination Square
A good combination square is a must-have tool if you're a carpenter beginner. It'll help you mark and cut at 90 and 45 degrees, which are the most essential angles in this craft. Literally, any task from cutting a board to length to joining edges to making mortise and tenon joints requires perfect 90-degree angles. The 45-degree angles are as important for corner joints and numerous other cuts.
Chisels
Woodworking tools chisels are generally used for surface woodwork using paring cuts. The most common method is pairing; the levels of wood are removed bit by bit with a slicing motion. You can remove wood by paring the surfaces with hand pressure or you can remove larger chunks using strong blows with the chisel hammer or mallet. This depends on how much the chisel enters the wood, which can be adjusted by the angle you present the chisel to the wood. If you go with a steeper angle, the blade will dig deeper into the fibres.
For paring wood you simply rely on hand pressure and use both hands to introduce the chisel to the wood. Push into the wood with a slicing motion while keeping one hand on the handle and the other one wrapped around or pressing the blade. Another use of chisels is split cutting. Set the cutting edge on the wood's end grain and utilise a chisel hammer to hit the handle. This forces the chisel into the fibres along or with the grain to split the wood aside in pieces rather than shavings. This is a great method for removing plenty of material quickly, but you'll be limited by the direction of the grain.
If you're using a chisel to chop cut, you'll cut parallel to the grain but not always. This technique is common for chopping mortises and different pits. If the chisel doesn't dig into the wood after you hit it with the hammer, you should consider placing the chisel at a steeper angle.
Terminology
• Bevel - it's the slanted face at the end of the chisel that creates the cutting edge;
• Bevel-edged - the two angled edges along each side of the blade;
• Ferrule - this is a short section of metal tubing that wraps the handle where the blade fits; into the handle to reduce the risk of the handle splitting;
• Camber - this is the curved surface creating the cutting bevel;
• Metal capped – some plastic handles come with a metal covering or inward rod assembled to the end of the chisel handle to save it from damage when heavier steel claw hammers are used.
• Bolster - this is the neck of the steel blade before the ferrule.
• Tang - this is the stretched taper part of the blade that goes into the handle to secure them up.
Types of Chisels
If you're new to carpentry chisels, you might get confused about which one to get as there are many types of this tool. The most widely used type is the trimmer chisel. It's the most suitable to use in most hand-tool woodworking, but if you have any of these they will also work but may not be as versatile:
• chisel mortise
• firmer chisel
• butt chisel
Block Plane
This tool shaves small, clean wood shavings for fine-tuning wood or joinery. The block plane is a better choice than sandpaper. It's small enough to carry in your pocket and is ideal for chamfering edges of a tabletop, trimming edge banding or fine-tuning more wood drawer sliders.
Clamps
Clamps are widely used in woodworking, well, practically for everything. They will hold your work, help you glue panels, do the final assembly, and will be the third hand you’ll very much need. Go for pipe clamps that come in sets of fixtures that are attached to standard sizes of galvanized pipe that you can buy in any home improvement store.
Malet
Even if you're a beginner, you probably already have a standard claw hammer somewhere in your house, but this tool isn't suitable for woodworking tasks. What you need is a nylon head mallet for your woodshop projects. Use the mallet to tap the joinery into its final position during assembly or to hit the chisel into hardwood.
Woodworking Saw
Cutting materials is the foundation of practically every component in a woodworking project. The best and most interesting pieces start with harsh wood lengths. No matter if it's softwood like pine or hardwood like oak, the wood stock should be ripped and crosscut to start taking shape. Woodworking saws are among the most commonly used tools. They come in various shapes and sizes and are suitable for different cutting tasks.
