An Overview of Tools

There are too many tools that most people have not heard about although they are used for very important operations. So, here is a quick look into some of these tools.

What tool do you need?

This is one of the first questions you ask yourself as a beginner. The answer depends very much on what pieces you want to connect with what techniques or whether you want part of the work to be done by machines. However, you should always have the basic tools around the house. You can also get a good overview of such tools in online catalogs of fine woodworking tools like a hammer gun.

Bench

A bench in some form is essential. You need a stable table which is safe enough for small jobs, a table where you can fasten the work piece with clamps. However, you may also need a table with a big base that you can screw on the ground. Anyone who wants to build a workbench themselves can find a lot of ideas and plans in the book by Scott Landis. There are also forums for woodworkers which describe the steps of the construction of benches and offer expert advice.

Saw 

The kind of saw you need depends largely on the type of work you want to do. For starters, you probably need a universal handsaw and a jigsaw for wood joints. There are many types of saws you can use around the house, so you should get information about the use and aspect of each of them.

Faust or cutoff saw

This saw with a large handle is used for trimming and splitting boards in width and all the rougher work.

Saw slot

This is the gluable longitudinal section of a saw. Its teeth have a slightly lower impact on the yield and therefore, you can make a clean cut.

Settling saw

This saw with small, only slightly set teeth is used for cross-sections and finer work such as cutting teeth and pins. You can also work with the jigsaw for a higher accuracy.

Fretsaw

It has a thin sheet only one inch wide or less, so the cut is very fine.

Foxtail

The foxtail can replace the universal saw. However, it is not suitable for finer work.

Jigsaw

It is used for making wood joints, such as dovetail joints.
Grooving saw


This is a special saw, but you can often replace it with a razor saw.

Japanese saw (Nokogiri)

Japanese saws are now very popular. They vary a lot from western saws, especially through the fact that the saw blades are much thinner, which allows for very fine cuts.

Ryoba

This is a saw toothed on two sides, one for longitudinal cuts and the other for cross sections.

Dozuki

This is a back saw for accurate cross sections.

Kataba

This is a non-stiffened saw for longitudinal or cross sections.

Board saw

The board saw is a handy tool used for cutting boards and making minor cuts. It allows you to fix a board on a bench without harnessing it.

Plane 

Only a few of the many previously known types of planes are produced today. A large selection of English and American iron planes is available today. For example, there is the jack plane for dressing and cleaning (maybe even short boards) and the rabbet plane for folding. It might be useful to look into the different types of benches available on the market.

Scrub

This is useful for heavy metal removal: reducing the board thickness or gross irregularities. You can use the scrub or a smoothing plane to smooth a rough-sawn board.

Jack plane

This is a medium for fine chip removal: dressing and sizing of a board. This is the standard plane for the treatment of surfaces. The plane stabilizes the iron and acts as a chip breaker. The jack plane should not be too wide.

Smoothing plane

It is used for fine depth cutting: final cleaning of the wood surface. You need a particularly finely adjustable slicer for the final treatment of the surface prior to grinding (if that is necessary at all).

Jointer

It is used for dressing a board, for making a straight edge

Bull nose plane

It is used for smoothing a narrow surface.

Groove plane

It is used for planing grooves of different widths.

Cheeks plane

It is used for cheeks planes.

Dovetail plane

It is used for abutting a ridge.

Router plane

It is used for roughing and smoothing groove bottoms.

Different plane profiles

There are all kinds of profiles and moldings. Each plane has a specific profile. Some blades are no longer manufactured. They are found more frequently at flea markets or antique shops.