The Technique of FURNITURE MAKING

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 boards and timbers. It is less common in cabinet-making shops simply because waney edge boards are more commonly used. Many shops do have a lighter version, the radial arm saw, which has been particularly developed for the home craftsman and has a versatility that enables many processes from ripping to drilling to be accomplished on one machine. Its main use for the professional, though, with other machinery at his disposal, is for crosscutting and trenching/ dadoing (cutting long housings) for book - shelving and similar carcass work.

It is best to purchase a heavy duty version with a standard 10 in or 12 in (254 mm or 304 mm) diameter blade.

BAND-SAW

The effectiveness of this machine is governed by the throat depth, i. e. distance from saw to body framework, and a 20 in (508 mm) band-saw will cut a width of 19 1/2 in (495 mm) and a depth or thickness of 13 in (330 mm). The smaller machines (12 in [304 mm] throat, etc.) have small-diameter wheels imposing greater strain on the band-saws, therefore here again it should be as large as possible. All machines have (or should have) a tilting table and ripping fence,

104 Startrite light duty 12 in (304 mm) throat bandsaw

and the larger models semi-automatic tension­ing to the saw-blade, including a warning signal for slack saws, foot-brake, cleaning brushes to

the saw-pulleys, and positive adjustment to the ripping fence.

For most hardwood cutting it is advisable to purchase skip teeth blades. These keep their edge so much longer and can be reground within the workshop on a fine grinding wheel.

PLANERS

A skilled machinist can accurately thickness a panel on an overhand surface planer/jointer but it requires practice and is dangerous. Ideally one should have a long bedded surface planer for the accurate truing of one surface and long edges, and a separate thicknesser/surfacer to reduce stock to a consistent thickness. Alter-
107 Wadkin heavy-duty 20 in (508 mm) by 10 in (254 mm) thicknesser/surfacer

natively, where space and cost are crucial, a combination surface planer and thicknesser, often referred to as an over and under, would suffice.

All these machines come in a variety of cutter widths from 9 in (228 mm) up to 36 in (914 mm) with the large thicknessers/surfacers. Your choice should be governed by the nature of the work you do, for there is little point in investing large sums in a 36 in (914 mm) planer if you are never going to need to plane boards beyond 12 in (304 mm) wide.