Jointing techniques and methods
131 Jointing details JOINTING TECHNIQUES The techniques of jointing sections of wood together to form rigid self-supporting and permanent structures have been evolved through many centuries to accommodate the natural …
TRUING OF SURFACED BOARDS
If a board does warp after it has been levelled, only experience will give the knowledge of how much it can be corrected when the construction is framed together. As …
THICKNESSING/SURFACING, ETC
Immediately after the best edge has been shot the actual thickness of the board must be gauged all round with a marking-gauge, and levelled off exactly to the gauge lines. …
SQUARING EDGES
Immediately after the face surface is true, the leading or best edge should be trued straight in its length and at right angles to the face, checking carefully with the …
MARKING/LAYING OUT
Face-marks and edge-marks must be bold and should be done with a thick soft pencil. For the first approximate dimensioning of lengths, etc. a B or HB pencil can be …
Basic techniques and joint construction 13 Wood preparation
Preliminaries to any sound construction are (1) a full cutting list of all the pieces required; (2) good timber free from natural defects, accurately sawn and planed up flat, square …
Assembly-benches
These need only be softwood and require no vices but here again they should be strong, steady and truly level. Separate benches for gluing up, especially for the hand-coating of …
WORKSHOP EQUIPMENT Storage
This can be a nightmare if unorganized and should be methodically planned. Wood in bulk can be stored in open sheds protected from the weather; but plywoods, blockboards, etc. and …
Workshop layout and furnishings
The perfect workshop hardly exists; it will always outgrow itself, or changing fashions will create other demands in working space or equipment. Ideal working conditions, regardless of expense, could doubtless …
Transfer units
Robot arms, commonly used for welding work in the car industry, have some applications in the furniture industry. More properly called transfer units, they may be used for moving work …
Working robots
Computers are now being used very effectively to control other machines directly, with only limited human supervision or intervention. These machines are used for transporting work or raw materials, or …
WOODTURNING LATHES
Most furniture-makers require turned components from time to time, from chair legs to turned drawer knobs, so it makes sense, if space permits, to undertake this within the workshop. The …
BENCH-GRINDER
The bench-grinder is virtually indispensable for the rapid grinding of cutting edges, moulding blanks, etc., and the various abrasive wheels are listed on p. 108. 115 1/2 in (12.5 mm) …
OVERHEAD TABLE ROUTERS
Although these are used for general light moulding, grooving, rebating and slot mortising, they are far less efficient for this purpose than the spindle moulder/shaper or the horizontal borer and …
HORIZONTAL BORER
The mortise and tenon joint will always be preferable in quality work to dowelling, but where economy of time is vital, the horizontal borer is an obvious alternative to the …
SPINDLE MOULDER/SHAPER
The most versatile and yet the most dangerous machine in any workshop, the spindle moulder can, in the hands of the expert, almost perform miracles, but in the hands of …
PULL-OVER CROSS CUT SAWS (RADIAL ARM SAWS)
A heavy duty radial or swing saw mounted on a long wooden table is a regular item of equipment in most joinery workshops for the rapid crosscutting of squared up …
Woodworking and allied machinery
Certain basic machines are indispensable to every workshop even where hand work predominates. These are circular table saw; radial arm-saw; band-saw; planers; spindle moulder! shaper; mortiser; horizontal borer; overhead table …
ELECTRIC DRILLS
Possibly no single tool is more abused than the standard electric drill, and it is always surprising 97 3/8 in (10mm) variable speed electric drill that it can accommodate such …
PORTABLE SANDERS
The perfect sander hardly exists and the ideal would probably be some form capable of 'random orbit'. At the present time the following types are used: (a) flexible disc sander …
Veneer-trimmer
A smaller version of the router expressly designed for the rapid trimming of veneered tops, with provision for flush or bevel trimming of laminated plastics. Dovetailing attachment Without doubt the …
PORTABLE PLANERS
These have only a limited use for the furniture - maker who, unlike the joiner and builder working out on site, has constant access to a floor- mounted machine. On …
ELECTRIC CHAINSAWS
The lightweight electric chainsaws which have recently been introduced are a great asset to the furniture-maker. They are invaluable for roughing out large, thick boards to arrive at the sizes …
GENERAL NOTE
It must always be remembered that woodworking machines, with their constantly varying loads as the cutters strike the hard and soft grain of wood, are gluttons for power, and that …
Portable power tools and accessories
All power-driven machines can be grouped within three broad classifications: Fixed floor mounted machines. Bench mounted machines—fixed, but not permanently so. Portable power tools, either electric, battery powered, or driven …
STRIKING OR DRIVING TOOLS
Hammers and mallets Figure 72:1 shows the ash handled Warrington or joiner’s pattern hammer with cross pein for starting nails, etc., 72:2 the heavy claw-hammer with split claw for drawing …
Sharpening bits
Basic rules as laid down by Ridgway are: (1) always sharpen from the inside or underneath, never outside or on top; (2) maintain original shape and angles; (3) use suitable …
Types of bits
Bits are probably the most abused of all woodworking tools, for too often the wrong type is chosen, or the bit is incorrectly or over sharpened. The general run of …
MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS
Figure 67 shows the box and tap for cutting wood screws. Such screws are best made from box or hornbeam, although beech can be used if the threads are coarse …
Sharpening stones Oilstones
For the whetting or honing of ground edges (and all edge tools are supplied ground but not honed) a variety of stones are necessary. They can be either India, carborundum, …
OTHER EDGE TOOLS Chisels
It is hardly necessary to have complete sets of mortise-, firmer- and bevelled edged chisels for furniture-making, as the bevelled-edged will do everything necessary. Nor are complete sets of any …
Miscellaneous planes
Several other types of plane with occasional uses exist, some of which can be purchased, though others will have to be made. Figure 59:1 illustrates the cooper’s stoup-plane with sole …
Planes for curved surfaces
Shaped edges which are convex can be worked with a smoothing - or block-plane provided the curve is not too acute, but for quick curves and concave edges a metal …
Controlling the saw
Rip- and crosscut-saws should be gripped as shown in Figure 50, with the angle of cut low to start with and raising the saw to about 45° as the cut …
Contour cutting
A flexible blade is necessary for contour cutting, and for fairly wide curves the clumsy but efficient wooden bow - or turning-saw (Figure 49:1) is suitable. The detachable blade is …
