Is grain orientation during planing important? When planing, orienting the grain correctly is critical to achieving a smooth finish. Improper grain orientation can cause chips, tear-outs, and/or additional damage. In this article, we’ll discuss how to plane with the grain to avoid damage and how to identify the direction of grain in various common wood types. Each piece of wood …
How to Restore a $5 Wooden Piece to a $500 Masterpiece
How can I restore a cheap wooden furniture item and sell it for profit? Restoring wooden furniture can be a lucrative business venture. The basic restoration processes include obtaining a piece, cleaning it, refinishing and refurbishing individual components, and then marketing the final product. In this article, we’ll discuss the supplies, techniques, processes, costs, project ideas, and common sources for …
Ancient Tools for Modern Times
The Adze, The Drawknife, and The Mocotaugan By Camille Coy It’s always exciting to see the similarities in woodworking tools across cultures and millennia. Working wood is truly a uniting human quality. I’ve always thought woodworkers (particularly hand tool users) would make good time travelers—they’d be able to seamlessly slip into a profession almost anywhere they ended up. Adze The …
The Wood on the Lathe Goes Round and Round: A Beginner’s Guide to Wood Turning
What is wood turning? Wood turning is the process of carving work from wood via a lathe. Spindle and faceplate work are the two main types of wood turning. Wood turners can make a variety of objects, from chair legs to wooden bowls. There’s no end to the possibilities with a wood turning lathe and a bit of creativity. If …
Harness the Flow: A Beginner’s Guide to Epoxy Resin
What is epoxy resin and how is it used in woodworking? Epoxy resin is a clear, hard-setting substance used to bond various materials together and/or create a polished final look. Woodworkers use epoxy resin to accentuate and encase their works to preserve the wood’s natural features. You can use epoxy resin in various amounts, from small drops for jewelry-making to …
Common Hand Tools and Plane Cutting Angles
When cutting and shaping wood, using the right tools can make a great difference. However, it depends on how easy the job is and what the quality of the outcome is. Some common hand tools used for wood works include Handsaws, Tenon saws, Coping saws, Dovetail handsaws, hand planes, and Wood Chisels. Each of these hand tools has a special …
How to Prevent Rust on Tools in a Marine Environment
How to Prevent Rust on Tools in Marine Environments Whether you’re a casual hobbyist or a career carpenter, you’ve figured out that a worker is only as good as their tools. You may have dozens of tools of a variety of qualities and brands, or maybe you’ve got a trust few from a brand you personally trust. Whatever the case, …
The Top 14 Carpentry Skills Woodworkers Should Know
What carpentry skills should woodworkers know? Beyond possessing basic woodworking knowledge, carpenters should know the most common tasks associated with their chosen profession. We’ve created a list of these skills below for you to reference. These skills will not only serve you as you look for a carpentry career but will help you excel in any position you obtain. This …
Building a Pole Lathe and Turning a Simple Bowl
By Camille Coy A Brief History of Lathes Woodturning using a human-powered lathe is one of the most ancient forms of woodworking. Perhaps not quite as old as whittling, which was practiced over 10,000 years ago after the last Ice Age, but the art of turning wood still dates back thousands of years. An early archeological record of woodturning with …
Are there wood planes for curves?
Yes. They are called compass planes (or circular plane, ship’s plane or radius plane). These tools have a rich history, used by ship builders, carriage builders and furniture makers throughout history. They are unrivaled by other planes and sanding blocks for smooth, sweeping curves. The compass plane is used mostly as a shaping plane, similarly to the way a jack …