Carpentry Tools
A Guide To Woodworking And Carpentry Tools
A Short History of Carpentry Tools
The use of carpentry tools, also known as woodworking tools, goes back a long way. Mankind has been using handtools for over a hundred thousand years. The first tools were used for the hunting and gathering of food. Later, agricultural tools were developed as humans began to grow their own food and carpentry tools were developed to help with building shelter and making furniture and boats.
The handtools we use today are much like the tools that our ancestors used. They are more refined but used for the same purposes. We have spades for digging, hammers for hitting and crowbars for leverage.
Building Up a Toolkit
A Basic Toolkit
A basic general purpose toolkit will consist of a claw hammer for knocking in and removing nails; an adjustable spanner for tightening nut and bolts; a good pair of combination pliers for gripping, bending metal and cutting wire; a pair of needle-nosed pliers for gripping smaller items; large and small flat head screwdrivers; large and small Phillips- head screwdrivers; and a retractable measuring tape. Most small maintenance jobs around the home can be completed with this basic toolkit.
If you only intend to complete basic work buy the best tools that you can afford but don’t waste money on commercial grade tools. However, if you plan to do a lot of ‘Do-it-Yourself’ work or larger projects, then your toolkit will reflect the jobs you intend to do and you would be wise to select tool brands that tradespeople use.
More Carpentry Tools For The DIY Enthusiast
As an enthusiast of D-I-Y you will need the general purpose toolkit as well as these carpentry tools: a spirit level for keeping your jobs level; a crosscut hand saw for cutting timber; a mitre saw for smaller cuts; a mitre box to use with the mitre saw; a carpenters ruler for accurate measurement; a measuring square for accurate marking of angles; a basic socket set for tightening and loosening bolts, a pin (or cross peen) hammer for hammering smaller nails like panel pins; a wooden mallet for hammering timber without damaging the surface; a hacksaw for cutting metal; and a set of chisels.
Get The Power With Power Tools
Once you have the basic hand carpentry tools you may wish to speed up your work by adding power tools. The two most common power tools are the circular saw and the power drill. Both of these can save a lot of time compared to sawing or drilling by hand.
Care of Your Tools
You will get a lifetime of use by caring for your carpentry tools correctly. They need to be kept dry and out of the weather.
Most new wooden handled carpentry tools these days are lightly varnished. This will only protect the handle for a while and it will soon flake. It’s better to sand down the varnish with sandpaper and rub the handle with linseed oil. The linseed oil preserves the wood and stops it splintering. .
The metal surfaces of the tools need to be kept rust free. Rub the surface with fine emery paper to remove any rust and apply oil.
We hope that you have found this article informative in choosing and looking after your carpentry tools.