Carpentry Tips and Tools in Cutting Wood
In recent years, power tools, both portable and stationary, have proliferated. For carpentry jobs that are too small or too remote for a power tool, or for the person who enjoys working in the traditional manner, a wide selection of hand tools is also available. For clean, precise work, remember to keep sharp edges on all bits and blades.
The Simplest Cuts
Crosscuts – which run across the grain – and rip cuts – which run along it – are the two simplest kinds of cuts.
Crosscuts. These are the most basic cuts of all. A saw with 8 teeth per inch (TPI) is recommended for general crosscutting. Finer work, such as moldings, should be crosscut in a miter box using a 10- or 12-TPI blade. The portable circular saw and the stationary radial arm saw are particularly well suited for crosscutting boards, as is the power miter saw. These power saws are good for general cutting, used with a combination blade, but if you are going to do cutoffs or crosscuts exclusively, invest in a crosscut blade.
Rip Cuts. Cutting a board lengthwise along the grain is called ripping. Hand ripsaws look nearly the same as hand crosscut saws, but the larger teeth are designed to chisel out bits of wood rather than slice it. Ripping can also be accomplished on a radial arm saw or a table saw, or with a circular saw. When ripping by hand, clamp a guide to the board – the grain of the wood can sometimes direct the blade off the cut line. The same type of guide should be used with a circular saw to ensure a straight cut. The movable fence on a table saw ensure precise ripping.
To use a radial arm saw for ripping, turn it so that the blade is parallel to the back fence. Always feed the work into the blade, against the direction of rotation.
Angle Cuts
You can cut accurate angles on moldings with a miter box. If you are going to cut a lot of miters, or angle cuts, consider buying a power miter saw. This is a circular saw, hinged at the back, with a blade up to 14 inches in diameter (a 10-inch blade is the commonest). The pivoting saw motor is lowered onto the work, and the work is held against a fence.
For cutting along the length of a board or for making consistent square or other angle cuts, a table saw is best.
Curved Cuts
To install a lock, it is necessary to cut one or more holes in the door. Originally, this was done with a keyhole saw or a compass saw. Nowadays, it’s done much faster with a hole saw – an attachment for an electric drill that has a pilot drill in the center surrounded by a serrated ring. Interchangeable saw blades are available in a wide variety of sizes.
To cut large circles and irregular shapes, follow a pencil line with a compass saw or a keyhole saw. For smaller shapes, use a coping saw.
In all cases, sawing will be neater and more efficient if you provide support for the work. As you cut, continue to reposition the piece on sawhorses or on the workbench to keep the piece from vibrating. If you are cutting several pieces to the same length, clamp or nail then together, then make a single cut.
The band saw, jigsaw, and saber saw are all designed to make circular and irregular cuts. The relatively narrow depth of the blade on these saws allows it to follow curves without binding. Some saber saws come with a combination edge guide and circle cutter attached. The circle cutter – an arm with a pin on the bottom – allows you to pivot the saw around a center point.
