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What you Need to Know about Chisels, Saws and Squares
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by: chrkatheman
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Word Count: 369
The chisel is the most traditional and important of all hand tools. The chisel is great for cutting the edges of durable materials such as wood, metal or stone. When buying chisels, two things should be emphasized - the fit of the chisel's handle and the quality of the steel. Many wood carvers and craftsmen select Japanese style chisels, in particular, those made of hardened blue steel. Boxwood handles which resemble the shape of an octagon, are also helpful in improving your grip. For most home woodworkers, an inexpensive set of Marples chisels will supply years of trouble free chiseling. Keep in mind when you purchase your first chisels, you will also have to purchase a sharpening stone kit. Many times these kits are more expensive than the chisels themselves. If chisels are not kept sharp, they will damage the wood.
When selecting your first squares, keep in mind that high precision and accuracy are chief, since squares act as guides for measurement in any kind of woodworking plan. The perfect square is 0.003 inches or less tolerance, but more most home woodworkers, a little less precision is acceptable. A good first purchase is a so-called speed square. This inexpensive square is good for most basic angular measurements.
There are an expansive array of hand saws, each one fit to a different task. The most common saw in the woodworkers arsenal is the crosscut hand saw. The crosscut saw is well suited to cutting across the grain of the wood - and is used, for example, to cut two by fours in premeasured lengths. In contrast to the crosscut saw, the rip saw is used to cut the wood along the grain. A coping saw is used for cuttng fine curves in wood, similar to what a powered band saw or scroll saw would do. The last common type of hand saw found in the wood shop is the so-called back saw. A back saw is similar to the crosscut saw, except the top is reinforced, in order to provide stability when making finer, or precision angle cuts (such as mitre box cuts).
About the Author
Here you can find more information on how to get started in carpentry woodworking. And - as always, measure twice, cut once!
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