Woodworking Tools

The cutting of wood to width is usually called ripping and is usually done on a circular saw i.e. a saw with a circular blade. It is often cut with a band saw. i.e. a saw with a band of metal with teeth on it.

Bench saws for professional use would usually be manufactured from heavy gauge steel with heavy-duty cast iron tops.

Many bench saws would offer a sliding carriage, which is used to keep the wood square to the blade when cutting to length. There is usually a fence on the sliding carriage, which can be adjusted for various angles, and on the fence there would be an adjustable stop for repeat cuts of the same size.

To change the angle of the wood to the blades, the blade on the bench saw is adjustable meaning the arbor can be tilted. (The arbor is the shaft that the blade is fixed to).

On some band saws it is usually the table that is tilted. On some table saws and band saws there is a groove running parallel with the blade and a sliding mitre fence is placed in the groove. This will enable quite accurate 45-degree mitre cuts to be made, or some alternate angles.
Band saw blades are made from hardened steel band with the teeth cut into it. A band saw blade will usually have a smaller kerf than a circular blade.

Some of the larger bench saws are called panel saws; this is because they are mainly used for cutting large sheets of material. The larger panel saws have a large traveling table to support the sheet material being cut. Many of those saws have a small and large blade. The small blade is called a scoring blade and is fitted in front of the main blade.

Woodworking Tools Ireland

Cross cut, or Radial arm saws are used in the workshop for cutting material to length. This machine consists of a motor with blade attached, which slides along an arm suspended along the work piece.


The planer thicknesser is used for planing wood smooth after it has been cut on the saw bench. Firstly the wood is planed on the two edges and one surface on the top table of the planer, this is called surfacing. Then the planed timber is turned over and passed over the lower table. This can be set to the required thickness. This operation is called thicknessing.


The spindle moulder is an essential machine for most joinery workshops. This machine consists of a heavy cast iron table with a hole in the centre; there is a rotating shaft (vertical) to which the cutter block is fitted. There is a fence to guard part of the cutter block and control the amount of the cutter exposed to the timber. The wood is carefully fed into the machine by hand although a power feed will make this safer.

Another machine found in the joinery workshop is the tenoner used for forming tenons on the end sections of wood for joints in the manufacture of doors and windows. The mortice machine is used to produce square recesses in timber called mortices again for joining timber sections. The machines may use a square chisel on a chain with cutting edges.

The pillar drill is used to drill vertical holes for hinges and dowels; some will have a table that can be set to different angles. Pocket hole machines are used to create strong joints quickly, the may be driven by air or electricity. They make an angled hole in the wood with a stepped drill bit. Inserting a screw in the pocket hole and screwing tightly in to the second piece of board complete the operation.

A mitre guillotine is used to slice clean mitres on the mouldings quickly and accurately. An under pinner will be used to insert clips in to mouldings after they have been cut to lock the two pieces together.

The edge bander is used to apply a veneer edging to panels, a stream of hot air is fed over the edging to melt the glue and a rubber roller presses the edging on to the edge of panels.

There are several sanding operations that are carried out in the workshop. The main types of sander are the belt, disc, and table edge sander.

The wood lathe is used to produce turned items like table legs, stair spindles and newels and decorative turned columns. There are also automatic lathes that are controlled by computer.

For joining metal sections an electric welder is a useful machine to have. The three main types are MMA, TIG and MIG.

Possibly the most important item in the workshop is the type of dust extraction equipment that is used. A chip extractor is used for taking waste from planers and moulders. A dust extractor removes dust from saws and sanders. These extractors need to be professionally installed and the dust needs to be stored safely to avoid to possibility of spontaneous combustion.
 
Woodworking Tools Ireland: Joe McKenna is a provider of woodworking tools such as bench saw blades, mitre saws, blades, panel saw blades, woodworking benches, planer thicknesser blades, disc sanders, drum sanders, compressors, spray guns, lacquers, clamps, glues and dowels.
We provide woodworking tools to areas such as Limerick, Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Galway, Clare, Wexford, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Donegal, Belfast, Westmeath, Meath, Kerry, Carlow, Wicklow, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Mayo, Louth, Monaghan, Cavan, Leitrim, Kildare, Laois, the Midwest, Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Connaught. Call us today to find out more about our woodworking tools at 061 413888.