Woodworking

Marking The Materials | Basic WoodworkingOperations | Sawing | Surfacing | Shaping | Joinery | Gluing Wood | Methods Of Joining Boards

Marking The Materials

After obtaining the rough wood from the lumberyard, mark out the various pieces on the wood using the straight yard rule (A), the try square (B), or the bevel gauge (C). If you use the two latter devices, remember that one edge of the material should be straight.
 
The marking gauge (D) is used to trace lines parallel to a straight border or edge. The marker can be adjusted to vary the distance from the edge.
The function of the compass (E) is the scribing of circles or partial curves.

Basic Woodworking Operations

The basic types of woodworking operations required to shape the pieces and make the joints shown in this book are illustrated on pages 9 through 16. To describe the actual method of working the wood would require a whole book in itself, but the text does suggest the tools—both hand and power— for    each operation.

In general, the tools mentioned are those that will do the job most efficiently, but because some operations can be accomplished in many ways, the choice of method will depend upon such factors as the equipment available, the number of similar or identical operations to be performed, the degree of precision necessary, and so on. For all operations involving power tools, the characteristics of the particular equipment and the manufacturer's recommendations for its use will also need to be considered.

It should be understood that careful sanding of the wood is ordinarily required after the wood has been worked to the proper size and shape. Depending upon the operation, planing or filing may also be necessary. In the text that follows, such operations have not been mentioned unless they are essential to the description.

Sawing

A—Rip cut (with grain)
Hand: Rip saw recommended, but crosscut saw may be used. Power: Circular saw or band saw.
 
B—Cross cut (across grain)
Hand: Cross-cut saw or, for small pieces, back saw. Power: Circular saw or band saw.

C—Angle cut

Hand: Cross-cut saw or, for small pieces, back saw. Power: Circular saw or band saw.
 
D—Miter cut (45 degrees)
Hand: Cross-cut saw or, for small framing pieces, miter saw in miter guide. Power: Band saw or circular saw.

A—Rip bevel (with grain)
Hand: Rip saw recommended, but crosscut saw may be used. Power: Circular saw.
 
B—Cross bevel (across grain)
Hand: Cross-cut saw or (for small pieces) back saw. Power: Band saw or circular saw.

C—Compound bevel

Hand: Cross-cut saw or back saw. Power: Circular saw or band saw.

D—Straight and curved cut

Hand: Keyhole or compass saw. Power: Band saw or jig saw.

E—Curved cut

Hand: Keyhole or compass saw, or (for thin pieces) coping saw. Power: Band saw or jig saw.
 

F—Inside cut

Drill hole (see 14A) to admit saw blade. Hand: Keyhole or compass saw, coping saw. Power: Jig saw.

Surfacing

A—Surfacing a side

Hand: Jack plane followed by smoothing plane. Power: Jointer or belt sander.

B—Surfacing two sides

Hand: Jack plane followed by smoothing plane, with marking gauge to control thickness. Power: Jointer, thickness planer, and belt sander.

C—Truing an edge (with grain)
Hand: Jack plane followed by jointer plane. Power: Jointer.
 
D—Squaring an edge (end grain)
Hand: Block plane or smoothing plane. Power: Jointer, or disc sander.

E—Chamfer

Hand: Use planes as in C or D, above, in conjunction with plane gauge if desired to maintain proper angle. Power: As in C or D, above, or disc sander.

F—Stopped chamfer

Hand: Planes and files. Power: Jointer or shaper.
 
Shaping

A—Concave curve

Hand: Mallet and chisel directed toward saw cut bisecting curve, or wood rasp. Follow with adjustable circular plane and files. Power: Shaper.

B—Convex curve

Hand: Mallet and chisel followed by adjustable circular plane and files. Power: Shaper.

C—Rounding a corner

Hand: Block plane or files. Power: Shaper.

D—Rounding a straight edge

Hand: Plane and files. Power: Shaper or molder.

E—Rounding a convex edge

Hand: Plane and files. Power: Shaper.

F—Rounding a concave or irregular edge

Hand: Files. Power: Shaper.

A—Recess on edge (drawer pull)
Hand: Chisels and gouges. Power: Shaper or router.
 
B—Recess away from edge (drawer pull)
Hand: Chisels and gouges. Power: Shaper or router.

C—Moldings

Hand: Rabbeting plane or molding plane. Power: Shaper or molder.

D—Relief carving

Hand: Gouges and special files. Power: Drill press with router bits, or carving cutters.

E—Turning

Hand: Not recommended. A spokeshave might be used for simple shapes. Power: Lathe with turning chisels and gouges.

F—Irregular 1shaping

Hand: Saws for plan and elevation profiles, followed by planes, wood rasp, files and spokeshave. Power: Shaper.

Joinery

A—Hole drilling

Hand: Brace and bit, with bit gauge if depth of a stopped hole is to be regulated. Doweling jig will insure accurate matching of holes if a dowel joint is required. Power: Drill press.

B—Slanted hole

Hand: Brace and bit guided by prebored block (jig) clamped to work (face next to work having been cut to angle required for inclination of bit). Power: Drill press.

C—Rabbet

Hand: Rabbeting  plane  or  combination plane. Power: Circular saw or jointer.

D—Curved rabbet

Hand: Chisels or round rabbeting plane. Power: Drill press with router bit or shaper.

E—Groove or slot

Hand:   Groove   or   combination   plane. Power: Molder, circular saw, or router.

F—Tongue

Hand: Tongue or combination plane. Power: Jointer, shaper, circular saw or molder.

A—Dado

Hand: Back saw and chisels. Power: Circular saw or router.

B—Stopped dado

Hand: Chisels.  Power: Circular saw or router.

C—Tenon

Hand: Back saw and files. Power: Circular saw or band saw.

D-Notch

Hand: Back saw and chisels. Power: Circular saw.

E—Through mortise

Hand: Back saw and files. Power: Circular saw or band saw.

F—Blind mortise

Hand: Mortise chisel and files. Power: Drill press with mortising attachment or router.

A—Box joint or finger lap

Hand: Back saw, chisel, and files. Power: Circular saw.

B—Edge dovetail

Hand: Back saw and chisel. Power: Dovetail router.

C—Dovetail dado

Hand:  Back  saw   and  rabbeting  plane. Power: Dovetail router.

D—Dovetail joint

Hand: Back saw and chisel. Power: Dovetail router.

E-Half-bl¡nd dovetail

Hand:   Back   saw,   followed   by   chisel. Power: Dovetail router.

F—Blind dovetail

Hand: Back saw and chisels. Power: Dovetail router.

Gluing Wood

Either hot or cold glue may be used in wood construction. After preparing the parts and making sure that the surfaces are smooth, spread the glue on both faces to be joined.

The glued pieces should be pressed together for four to eight hours, depending on the type of glue used.

A—In assembling furniture, direct pressure can be applied by use of a rope. B—The adjustable bar clamp is used to join boards together. Its spread is 2 ft to 8 ft.

C—Pressure is usually maintained by the use of clamps.

D—Here is a simple method of joining boards without the use of clamps. Short pieces of wood are nailed to the ends of two rails, and pressure is applied by inserting wedges.

E and F—The steel spring is another type of clamp.

G—The parallel clamp is made of wood and used for light work. The parts must be kept parallel as they are screwed together.

H—The double bar clamp is used to press together thin sections of wood, as in veneer.

Methods Of Joining Boards

Often planks are not large enough for the work to be done. To obtain the desired width or length it is necessary to glue two or more planks together with what is called a side or end joint.

In order to obtain an invisible joint in exposed panels, the grain must be accurately aligned. There are many ways of joining these parts, each suitable for a particular type of work.

A—Because the planks sawed from the center of the tree trunk are the weakest, it is advisable to saw them in two and glue them together to give them stability and strength.

B—To obtain best results, the two planks should be joined by matching either external rings or interior rings, in order to equalize shrinking or warping.

C—If the external part of the lumber is connected with the internal part, a very bad joint may result. There will be no proper seasoning of the two pieces, and after a period of time there will be a noticeable demarcation of the whole joint.

D—In a solid panel it is necessary to have the edge straight to form a perfect joint. It is of utmost importance to see that the grain direction is alternated from each plank to the next in order to equalize the strain made by the annual rings.

E—If the grain is not alternated, the panel will have a tendency to curl.

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