Woodworking machine

A Woodworking machine is a machine that is intended to process wood.

These machines are usually powered by electric motors and are used
extensively in woodworking. Sometimes grinding machines (for grinding
woodworking tools) are also considered a part of woodworking machinery.

Hand-Held Power Tools

Biscuit joiner

A biscuit joiner (or sometimes plate joiner) is a

woodworking tool used to join two pieces of
wood together. A biscuit joiner uses a small
circular saw blade to cut a crescent-shaped hole
(called the mouth) in the opposite edges of two
pieces of wood or wood composite panels. An
oval-shaped, highly dried and compressed
wooden biscuit (beech or particle wood) is
covered with glue, or glue is applied in the slot.
The biscuit is immediately placed in the slot,
and the two boards are clamped together. The wet glue expands the biscuit,
further improving the bond.
History

The biscuit joining system was invented in 1956 in Liestal , Switzerland by

Hermann Steiner. Steiner opened his carpenter's shop in 1944, and, in the
middle of the 1950s, while looking for a simple means of joining the recently
introduced chipboard, invented (almost by accident) the now world-famous
Lamello joining system. In the succeeding years there followed further
developments such as the circular saw and the first stationary biscuit (plate)
joining machine in 1956 followed by the first portable biscuit joiner for
Lamello grooves in 1968. In 1969 the family operation was incorporated by
the name of Lamello AG. Lamello continues to manufacture very high-end
biscuit joiners such as the Lamello Top 20.

Several other companies such as Porter Cable, Dewalt , and Makita also
manufacture compatible biscuit joiners, including some models with
interchangeable blades, enabling the user to cut both 4" and 2" biscuit slots.

Production
Biscuits are predominantly used in joining sheet goods such as plywood,
particle board and medium-density fibreboard . They are sometimes used
with solid wood, replacing mortise and tenon joints as they are easier to
make and almost as strong. They are also used to align pieces of wood when
joined edge-to- edge in making wider panels. It is important to use the same
face when cutting the slots, so the boards are perfectly flush.

Biscuits are also used to align edges of workpieces, such as when forming a
90-degree angle between workpieces. The biscuit provides a quick means of
getting a perfectly flush joint, while at the same time reinforcing the joint.

Typically, the machine will have an adjustable fence, so it can be set on an

angle for joining mitered pieces.

Also, there are other types of specialty biscuits available, from metal
connectors, used for removable panels, to hinges, making these portable
machines even more flexible.

Usage

The workpieces are brought together and the user marks the location for the
biscuits. Precise measurement is not required, as the biscuits are hidden
when the pieces are assembled, so a quick pencil stroke that marks both
pieces where they align is all that is required. The parts are separated and
the machine is used to cut the slots in each piece. The machine has
reference marks on the center line of the blade for easy alignment to the
marks on the materials being joined.

The body of the machine with the blade is spring-loaded and in the normal
position the blade is retracted. The operator aligns the machine and uses a
firm pressure to push the body forward against the base plate to make the
cut. The waste material is blown out of the slot on the right of the base plate.

Because the slots are slightly longer than the biscuits, it is still possible to
slide the panels sideways after the joint is assembled (before the glue sets).
This fact makes the biscuit joiner easy to use, because it does not require
extreme accuracy or jigs to achieve perfect joints.

The depth of the cut can be altered by an adjustable stop, the smaller base
can be rotated through 90 degrees and accessories are provided for altering
the offset of the base to the blade (for us e with thicker or thinner materials
as required). Some models allow slots to be cut at angles other than 90° to
the joining face, for example 45°, which greatly speeds up the assembly of
things like cabinets.

Biscuits may also be referred to as plates (as per the Lamello website ).
These data require clarification because the standard cutter width is 4 mm

thus requiring the biscuit to be thinner. It is more likely that the thickness is
3.75 mm which would correspond well to the typical inch thickness (19/128"
= 3.77 mm).

Note: The mm sizes were taken verbatim from the Lamello Catalogue. The
inch sizes were taken verbatim from an article on plate joinery published in
The Woodworker's Gazette several years ago. In general, the sizes appear to
be consistent with each other given the typical tolerances used in
woodworking. The usual caveats in dealing with tools and materials destined
for US or European use are to be observed, of course. The most commonly
used inch sizes used are #0, #10 and #20 hence their exclusive listing.

Detail biscuit sizes

Detail biscuits are smaller than standard biscuits and are typically used to
join smaller pieces of wood together, and offer less structural support.

Blades and depth

For most portable plate joiners, a nominal 4 inch or 100 mm diameter blade
is used for the #0, #10, #20 biscuit cuts. The blade is set deeper for joining
the larger biscuits. Most blades have 4, 6, or 8 teeth and fit a 7/8 inch or 22
mm arbor. The thickness of the blade is typically 0.156 to 0.160 inch or
nominally 4 mm.
Miter saw

A miter saw ( mitre in British English) is a

saw used to make accurate crosscuts and
miters in a workpiece.

Power miter saw

A motorized miter saw, a power miter saw,
also known as a drop saw, is a power tool
used to make a quick, accurate crosscut in
a workpiece at a selected angle. Common
uses include framing operations and the
cutting of molding. Most miter saws are
relatively small and portable, with common blade sizes ranging from eight to
twelve inches. The miter saw makes cuts by pulling a spinning circular saw
blade down onto a workpiece in a short, controlled motion. The workpiece is
typically held against a fence, which provides a precise cutting angle
between the plane of the blade and the plane of the longest workpiece edge.
In standard position, this
angle is fixed at 90°. A primary distinguishing feature of the miter saw is the
miter index that allows the angle of the blade to be changed relative to the
fence. While most miter saws enable precise one-degree incremental
changes to the miter index, many also provide "stops" that allow the miter
index to be quickly set to common angles (such as 15°, 22.5°, 30°, and 45°).

Features
Miter saws are dedicated cross cut saws; long rip cuts are not possible.
A laser guide provides a precise visual indication of where the cut will be
positioned
on the workpiece in the current configuration. Some models provide a single
kerf width. A blade guard is a cover for the teeth of the cutting blade. Most
modern miter saws have self-retracting blade guards, which automatically
retract when the saw is lowered onto a workpiece and re-cover the blade
when the saw is raised. It is very dangerous to use the saw if these guards
are removed or
damaged. A dust bag connects directly to the saw, and helps to collect
sawdust away from the workpiece during cutting. Optionally, many
manufacturers sell adapters to connect an industrial vacuum cleaner in lieu
of a bag to capture more of the dust and simplify disposal. Dust removal with
these saws is notoriously poor. A safety clamp helps to lock a workpiece into
position prior to making a cut. This is an especially important feature when
cutting smaller workpieces (eight inches
or smaller). The miter table is typically less than 24" in diameter.[3] Typically,
the work
will need to be supported on the far end to stabilize the piece while cutting.
Miter saws are inherently low hazard as the workpiece is held stationary
against a fence
while the saw head moves, making kick back almost impossible and normally
keeping hands clear of the blade. [4] Also the saw head is usually drawn
back, then lowered and fed forward through the material so that binding is
unlikely.
Sliding compound miter saws are relatively portable, easy to set up, and
robust enough to maintain accuracy even when moved around. Because they
cut from above it is not
necessary to adjust blade depth for different thicknesses of work piece and,
like any bench machine, repeat cuts are very easy. Most sawshave an
adjustable scale plate for table swiveling with positive stops at commonly
used angles. Also, there are usually adjustable stops at 90 and 45 degrees
for head tilting allowing easy and very accurate adjustment of the saw.
Table swiveling in both directions is universal but most saws allow head
tilting only in one direction (counter-clockwise), although some saws allow
head tilting in both directions. Normally the workpiece is held flat on the
table and so table swiveling will produce a miter cut (blade vertical and
angled across work piece), head rotation a bevel cut (blade angled from
vertical and square across work piece), and in combination a compound cut.
One of the main disadvantages is relatively poor wood chip and dust
extraction, as so much of the blade is exposed when cutting, especially in
bevel cuts; consequently, there is a tendency for chips to fly about.

Development
Power miter saws have been available in various forms since the 1970s as
specialized cross cut saws but with limited width of cut, especially compared
to radial arm saws. Simple miter saws allowed the saw table to pivot allowing
miters to be cut in one plane. Compound miter saws also provided saw head
tilting allowing compound miters to be cut. Miter saws with abrasive cutting
wheels are often used in metal work where they are known as "drop saws" or
more commonly "chop
saws". In the late 1980s the sliding compound miter saw was introduced
which combined all the best features of the compound miter saw with sliding
tubes allowing the cutter head to traverse for a much wider cut. Since then it
has become the primary cross cut saw for woodworking, largely supplanting
the radial arm saw. Manufacturers warn of possible electrocution when used
near water or other related saws in a close proximity.
Die Grinder

A die grinder, also known as a rotary tool, is a

hand held power tool used for grinding,
sanding, honing, polishing, or machining
material (typically metal, but also plastic or
wood).

They are usually pneumatically driven,

although electric and flexible shaft drive also
exist. Their name comes from one of their earliest and archetypal
applications, tool and die work, where they were used to create the precise
contours of dies or molds. Especially before the advent of widespread CNC
usage, they were heavily relied upon for contouring via manual skill
comparable to a sculptor’s. CNC now provides much of the contouring for die
and mold interior surfaces, but die grinders are still very useful for hundreds
of cutting needs, from sculpture-like contouring in the absence of CNC, to
cut-off of bar stock, to any of the cutting and grinding needs of fabrication ,
such as in the work of welders boilermakers, millwrights, ironworkers (steel
erectors), sheet metal workers (such as auto body workers and HVAC
technicians), to woodworking (especially cabinet making ), hacking , and
other hobby or business pursuits. Die grinders are often used for engraving,
cylinder head porting, and general shaping of a part.

Methods of cutting action

-The cutting may be done in various ways, including:

-Grinding with bonded abrasive stones (called by various names, such as

mounted -stones, mounted points, or grinding points)

-Machining with a burr or small drill bit or endmill Sanding with coated
abrasive , such as small drums made of sandpaper mounted on an
expanding rubber mandrel (also called an arbor)

-Honing with fine-grit mounted points

-Lapping with lapping compound and a mounted lap to embed it

-Polishing or buffing with cloth or fiber drums or flaps and polishing

compound

Types of cutters

-Mounted stones of many shapes and various [small or medium] sizes (also
called mounted points or grinding points)

-Burrs of many shapes and various [small or medium] sizes (also called
rotary files)

- Small drill bits

-Small end mills

-Small disc-shaped saw blades or milling cutters

-Small abrasive cut-off wheels, which work like saw blades except via
abrasive cutting rather than sawing per se

-Small sanding drums

-Small sanding flap wheels

-Small cloth or fiber wheels, drums, and flap wheels (for holding polishing
compound)

-Mounted laps

Methods of holding the cutter

The cutter is usually held in a collet, which is a convenient means of

chucking in this application and provides the concentricity needed for high-
RPM use. It also allows for quick changes in cutters. In some applications,
other quick-change index able chucking systems can be used, similar to the
index able chucking types now commonly found on consumer pistol-grip
drills.

Safety

Personal protective equipment (PPE) The most universal safety precaution in

die grinder use is to protect one's eyes by wearing safety glasses.

Other common PPE in die grinder use includes: Other eye and face
protection, such as safety goggles (basically "safety glasses with sides too")
or a face shield, which is simply a polycarbonate window, hanging from a
headband, between one's face and the work. All eye protectors come in clear
versions as well as various levels of shading (for grinding that produces
enough sparks to warrant shading, like torching or welding do). Hearing
protection, such as ear plugs or headphones (die grinders are often quite
loud, even just running unloaded, but even more so while cutting). Skin
protection, such as work gloves (and in some special applications, fire-
retardant clothing because of the sparks, although the sparks are usually
harmless in most applications). Protection for the respiratory and alimentary
tracts (mouth, throat, lungs, gut), such as simple paper masks or, in special
applications, a respirator. Masks may be trivial in many applications but
important in others. Any abrasive cutting generates dust, from both the
abrasive itself and from the workpiece. Depending on the materials and
amounts, masks may be needed. Safety features built into the tool Most
pneumatic die grinder throttles (also called triggers) feature a spring-loaded
"kickstand" mechanism between the throttle lever and the body of the
grinder. This prevents the throttle from opening (being pressed down towards
the body of the

grinder) without operator intervention and inhibits accidental activation. It is

similar in

principle to the safety catches used on many handguns. Tools with electric
motors often have electrical safety features such as grounded cases (wired
to a grounding conductor, which uses the grounding prong on a plug) or
double insulation. Some may have both, but more often not, because
regulatory requirements require only one or the other.

Domino Joiner
 The Domino is a loose mortise and
Tenon joining tool manufactured by the German company Festool.

History and description

This tool, first on sale in 2007, [1] cuts mortises in the manner of a biscuit
joiner. A drill-like rotating cutter cuts a round-ended mortise. Each plunge
creates a mortise that is sized to accept a Domino loose Tenon, creating
joints in stock from 22.2 millimeters (0.87 in) wide. There are five cutter sizes
(4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, 8 mm and 10 mm) for six different Domino Tenon sizes.
Self- referencing pins allow the cutting of rows of evenly spaced mortises
with no need to measure and mark. Mortise width is adjustable in three
increments with the turn of a knob, and cuts can be overlapped for long
mortises. Fence tilts from 0-90°, with stop positions at 0°, 22.5°, 45°, 67.5°,
90°.

Exploded Domino joint

Domino XL

The Domino XL is, as the name states, the Domino's larger cousin. It uses the
same cutter design as the original Domino, yet uses much larger Tenon’s.

Advantages

-Allows very quick joinery, useful in a commercial carpentry setting.

- Flat Tenon’s resists torqueing.

-Stronger than a biscuit joiner.

Disadvantages

-High tool cost comparative to other joinery methods

-Proprietary Tenon’s (dowels) required

-Noise and dust (dust extraction required)

Nail Gun

A nail gun, nail gun or nailer is a type of

tool used to drive nails into wood or
some other kind of material. It is usually
driven by electromagnetism,
compressed air (pneumatic), highly
flammable gases such as butane or
propane, or, for powder-actuated tools,
a small explosive charge. Nail guns have
in many ways replaced hammers as
tools of choice among builders.

The nail gun was designed by Morris Pynoos, a civil engineer by training, for
his work on Howard Hughes' H-4 Hercules (known as the Spruce Goose). The
wooden fuselage was nailed together and glued, and then the nails were
removed.

The first nail gun used air pressure and was introduced to the market in 1950
to speed the construction of housing floor sheathing and sub-floors. With the
original nail gun, the operator used it while standing and could nail 40-60
nails a minute. It had a capacity of 400-600 nails.

Usage

Nail guns use fasteners mounted in long strips (similar to a stick of staples)
or collated in a paper or plastic carrier, depending on the design of the
nailgun. Some full head nail guns, especially those used for pallet making
and roofing, use long plastic or wire collated coils. Some strip nailers use a
clipped head so the nails can be closer together, which allows less frequent
reloading. Clip head nails are sometimes banned by state or local building
codes. Full Round Head nails and ring shank nails provide greater resistance
to pull out.

Nailers may also be of the 'coil' type where the fasteners come in wire or
plastic collation; the advantage is many more fasteners per load, but at the
expense of extra weight. Industrial nailers designed for use against steel or
concrete may have a self- loading action for the explosive caps, but most
need nails to be loaded by hand. Nail guns vary in the length and gauge
(thickness) of nails they can drive.
Air compressor supplies air into a nail gun

The smallest size of fasteners is normally 23 gauge (0.025 inches in

diameter), commonly called "pin nailers" and generally having no head. They
are used for attaching everything from beadings, mouldings and so forth to
furniture all the way up to medium-sized (7 to 8 inch) baseboard, crown
molding and casing. Lengths are normally in the range ⅜ to 1¼ in. (10 to 32
mm), although some industrial tool manufacturers supply up to 2 in. (50
mm). The 23-gauge micro pin is rapidly gaining ground as users find that it
leaves a much smaller hole than brad nails, thereby eliminating the time
normally taken to fill holes and presenting a far better looking finished
product. The next size up is the 18 gauge (1.02 mm diameter) fixing, often
referred to as a "brad nail". These fastenings are also used to fix moldings
but can be used in the same way as the smaller 22 to 24 gauge fastenings.
Their greater strength leads to their use in trim carpentry on hardwoods
where some hole filling is acceptable. Most 18 gauge brads have heads, but
some manufacturers offer headless fastenings. Lengths range from ⅝ in to 2
in. (16 mm to 50 mm) The next sizes are 16 and 15 gauge (1.63 and 1.83
mm diameter). These are generally referred to as "finish nails". They come in
lengths between ⅝ and 2½ in. (16 to 64 mm) and are used in the general
fixing of much

softwood and MDF trim work (such as baseboard /skirting’s , architraves,

etc.) where the holes will be filled and the work painted afterwards. The
largest sizes of conventional collated fastenings are the clipped head and full
head nails which are used in framing, fencing and other forms of structural
and exterior work. These nails generally have a shank diameter of 0.11 to
0.13 in. (2.9 to 3.1 mm) although some manufacturers offer smaller diameter
nails as well. General lengths are in the range 2 in to 3 1⁄ 3 in (50 to 90 mm).
Shank styles include plain, ring annular, twisted, etc. and a variety of
materials and finishes are offered including plain steel, galvanized steel,
sherardized steel, stainless steel, etc. depending on the pull-out resistance,
corrosion resistance, etc. required for the given application. These sizes of
fastenings are available in stick collated form (often 20° to 21° for full head,
28° to 34° for clipped head) or coil form (for use in pallet/ roofing nailers)
depending on the application.

Full-head nails have greater pull-out resistance than clipped head nails and
are mandated by code in many hurricane zones for structural framing.

Another type of fastening commonly found in construction is the strap

fastening which is roughly analogous to the large head clout nail. These are
used in conjunction with a strap shot nailer (or positive placement nailer UK )
to fix metalwork such as joist hangers, corner plates, strengthening straps,
etc. to timber structures. They differ from conventional nailers in that the
point of the fastening is not sheathed so it can be exactly positioned before
firing the nail gun.

Other specialist nailers are also available which can drive spikes up to 6¼
inches long, fix wood to steel, etc.A variation on the nail gun is the palm
nailer, which is a lightweight handheld pneumatic nailer that straps to the
hand. It is convenient for working in tight spaces where a conventional nailer
will not fit and is flexible enough to drive either short nails into metal straps
or six inch nails into timber. By repeated hammer action (of around 40 hits
per second) the fastener is driven into the material by a more constant palm
pressure (as opposed to a conventional nailgun which drives the nail against
the inertia of the nailgun).

Safety

In the United States, about 42,000 people every year go to emergency rooms
with injuries from nail guns, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
(CDC). Forty percent of those injuries occur to consumers. Nail gun injuries
tripled between 1991 and 2005. Foot and hand injuries are among the most
common. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that
treating nail gun wounds costs at least $338 million per year nationally in
emergency medical care, rehabilitation, and workers' compensation. Often
personnel selling the tools know little about the dangers associated with
their use or safety features that can prevent injuries.
Injuries to the fingers, hands, and feet are among the three most common,
but there are also injuries that involve other body areas such as arms and
legs as well as internal organs. Some of these injuries are serious and some
have resulted in death. [7] All kinds of nail guns can be dangerous, so safety
precautions similar to those for a firearm are usually recommended for their
use. For safety, nail guns are designed to be used with the muzzle contacting
the target. Unless specifically modified for the purpose, they are not effective
as a projectile weapon. The most common firing mechanism is the dual-
action contact-trip trigger, which requires that the manual trigger and nose
contact element both be depressed for a nail to be discharged. The
sequential-trip trigger, which is safer, requires the nose contact to be
depressed before the manual trigger, rather than simultaneously with the
trigger. Approximately 65% to 69% of injuries from contact-trip tools could be
prevented through the use of a sequential-trip trigger,according to the CDC.

There is recoil associated with the discharge of a nail from a nail gun.
Contact triggers allow the gun to fire unintended nails if the nose hits the
wood surface or a previously placed nail following recoil. Nailers with touch
tip (contact) triggers are susceptible to this double firing. According to a
2002 engineering report from the Consumer Products Safety Commission
(CPSC), the recoil and firing of the second nail occurs well before the trigger
can be released. Acute injury rates are twice as high among users of tools
with contact triggers.

In September 2011 The Occupational Safety and Health Administration

(OSHA) and the

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) issued a nail
gun safety

guide that details practical steps to prevent injuries including use of tools
with sequential triggers, training prior to use, and use of appropriate
protective equipment such as eye protection. In June 2013, NIOSH released
an instructional comic providing information on nail gun hazards and ways to
use the device properly.

Research aimed at reducing nail gun accidents among frame carpenters,

among the heaviest users of nail guns, is ongoing.

Types of nailgun
-Pneumatic nailgun This is the most popular type of nail gun. It is powered
from a compressed air supply.

-Powder-actuated nailgun Explosive-powered ("powder actuated") nailguns

fall into two broad categories:

1. Direct drive or high velocity devices. This uses gas pressure acting directly
on the nail

to drive it.

2. Indirect drive or low velocity devices. This uses gas pressure acting on a
heavy piston which drives the nail. Indirect drive nailers are safer because
they cannot launch a free- flying projectile even if tampered with or misused,
and the lower velocity of the nails is less likely to cause explosive shattering
of the work substrate. Either type can, with the right cartridge loads, be very
powerful, driving a nail or other fastener into hard concrete, stone, rolled
steelwork, etc., with ease. Combustion powered nailgun Powered by a gas
(e.g. propane) and air explosion in a small cylinder; the piston pushes the
nail directly and there are no rotating parts.

-Electric nailgun

In one type of electric nailgun, a rotating electric motor gradually

compresses a powerful

spring and suddenly releases it.

-Solenoid-powered nailgun- Here a solenoid propels a metal piston, which has

a long front rod which propels the nail. The solenoid tends to attract the
piston or

projectile towards the middle of the solenoid. If a series of solenoids is used

(which makes the nailgun into a type of coilgun ), to get more power, each
solenoid must be switched off when the piston has reached the middle of the
solenoid. In multi-solenoid coilguns a short burst of power from a big
capacitor (one attached to each solenoid) comes at the right time to propel
the piston or projectile.
Reciprocating Saw

A reciprocating saw is a type of saw in

which the cutting action is achieved
through a push-and-pull ("reciprocating")
motion of the blade. The term is
commonly applied to a type of saw used
in construction and demolition work. This
type of saw, also known as a recip saw,
Sawzall (a trademark of the Milwaukee
Electric Tool Company) has a large blade resembling that of a jigsaw and a
handle oriented to allow the saw to be used comfortably on vertical surfaces.
The typical design of this saw has a foot at the base of the blade, similar to
that of a jigsaw. The user holds or rests this foot on the surface being cut so
that the tendency of the blade to push away from or pull towards the cut as
the blade travels through its movement can be countered.
Design

Designs range widely in power, speed,

and features, from less powerful portable,
handheld models that are usually shaped
like a cordless drill, to high-power, high-
speed, corded models designed for heavy
construction and demolition work. Modern
reciprocating saws almost all have
variable speed, either through trigger
sensitivity or through a dial. Another
feature that has become important to the
way these saws are used is the inclusion
of an orbital action. This action consists of oscillating the traversed
reciprocation in up and down fashion (perpendicular to the motion of cut)
causing the tip of the blade to move in an oval pattern, up and down as well
as back and forth. This feature is primarily for wood, allowing quick cuts. The
reciprocating saw is a popular tool used by many window fitters, construction
workers and emergency rescue services. Variants and accessories are
available for specialized uses, such as clamps and long blades for cutting
large pipe.

Blades are available for a variety of materials and uses. Common types
include metal cutting blades, wood cutting blades, blades for composites, for
drywall, and other materials. Many of these blade types have a variety of
tooth designs intended for special purposes, such as tree-limb cutting,
demolition work,

clean cutting, or contaminated materials. Abrasive coated blades are also

available for hard materials like tile and stone. Reciprocating saw is also
called hackzall saw when it accepts both Hackzall and Sawzall style blades.
The term reciprocating saw (also oscillating saw) is also applied generically
to

any saw which cuts with a back and forth motion. These include:

Jigsaw

Scroll saw

Sabre saw

Rotary reciprocating saw

Powered reciprocating tools are also found in surgery and dental surgery,
where they are used in operations that require cutting or grinding of bone.

Mechanism

Main article: Reciprocating motion Mechanism of Milwaukee Sawzall

reciprocating saw showing helical drive gear, fit of mechanism in tool, and a
sequence of the operation of the swash plate to drive the reciprocating
action. The reciprocating action may be produced several ways. A crank or
Scotch yoke type drive may be used, a swash plate [5] type drive, a captive
cam or eccentric, barrel cam, [6] or

other rotary to linear drive. Modern tools are built with variants of all of these
mechanisms. Eccentric cam, crank and scotch yoke drives need balance
weights to reduce vibration in the plane of the rotating element, and may
still exhibit vibration that is objectionable to a user of a handheld saw and
can lead to difficulty in controlling a cut. The swash plate drive has the
advantage that there is little rotational out of balance, so the principal
vibration is in line with the blade.

This is generally controllable by keeping the foot of a handheld tool against

the work.

Drill Press

A drill is a tool fitted with a cutting tool attachment or driving tool

attachment, usually a drill bit or driver bit , used for boring holes in various
materials or fastening various materials together with the use of fasteners.
The attachment is gripped by a chuck at one end of the drill and rotated
while pressed against the target material. The tip, and sometimes edges, of
the cutting tool does the work of cutting into the target material. This may be
slicing off thin shavings ( twist drills or auger bits), grinding off small
particles ( oil drilling ), crushing and removing pieces of the workpiece (SDS
masonry drill), countersinking , counter boring , or other operations.

Drills are commonly used in woodworking, metalworking, construction and

do-it-yourself projects. Specially designed drills are also used in medicine,
space missions and other applications. Drills are available with a wide variety
of performance characteristics, such as power and capacity.

History

A wooden drill handle and other carpentry tools found on board the 16th
century carrack Mary Rose. Around 35,000 BC, Homo sapiens discovered the
benefits of the application of rotary tools. This would have rudimentarily
consisted of a pointed rock being spun between the hands to bore a hole
through another material. This led to the hand drill, a smooth stick, that was
sometimes attached to flint point, and was rubbed between the palms. This
was used by many ancient civilizations around the world including the
Mayans. The earliest perforated artifacts, such as bone, ivory, shells and
antlers found, are from the Upper Paleolithic era.

Bow drill (strap-drills) are the first machine drills, as they convert a back-and
forth motion to a rotary motion, and they can be traced back to around
10,000 years ago. It was discovered that tying a cord around a stick, and
then attaching the ends of the string to the ends of a stick(a bow), allowed a
user to drill quicker and more efficiently. Mainly used to create fire, bow-drills
were also used in ancient woodwork, stonework and dentistry. Archeologist
discovered a Neolithic grave yard in Mehrgrath , Pakistan dating from the
time of the Harappans , around 7,500– 9,000 years ago, containing 9 adult
bodies with a total of 11 teeth that had been drilled. There are hieroglyphs
depicting Egyptian carpenters and bead makers in a tomb at Thebes using
bow-drills. The earliest evidence of these tools being used in Egypt dates
back to around 2500 BCE. The usage of bow- drills was widely spread
through Europe, Africa, Asia and North America, during ancient times and is
still used today. Over the years many slight variations of bow and strap drills
have developed for the various uses of either boring through materials or
lighting fires.

The core drill was developed in ancient Egypt by 3000 BC. [6] The pump drill
was invented during Roman times. It consists of a vertical spindle aligned by
a piece of horizontal wood and a flywheel to maintain accuracy and
momentum.

The hollow-borer tip, first used around the 13th century, consisted of a stick
with a tubular shaped piece of metal on the end, such as copper. This
allowed a hole to be drilled while only actually grinding the outer section of
it. This completely separates the inner stone or wood from the rest, allowing
the drill to pulverize less material to create a similarly sized hole.

While the pump-drill and the bow-drill were used in Western Civilization to
bore smaller holes for a larger part of human history, the Auger was used to
drill larger holes starting sometime between Roman and Medieval ages. The
auger allowed for more torque for larger holes. It is uncertain when the Brace
and Bit was invented; however, the earliest picture found so far dates from
the 15th century.

It is a type of hand crank drill that consists of two parts as seen in the
picture. The brace, on the upper half, is where the user holds and turns it and
on the lower part is the bit. The bit is interchangeable as bits wear down. The
auger uses a rotating helical screw similar to the Archimedean screw- shaped
bit that is common today. The gimlet is also worth mentioning as it is a
scaled down version of an auger. In the East , churn drills were invented as
early as 221 BC during the Chinese Qi Dynasty , capable of reaching a depth
of 1500 m. [6] Churn drills in ancient China were built of wood and labor-
intensive, but were able to go through solid rock. The churn drill appears in
Europe during the 12th century. [6] In 1835 Isaac Singer is reported to have
built a steam powered churn drill based off the method the Chinese used.
Also worth briefly discussing are the early drill presses; they were machine
tools that derived from bow-drills but were powered by windmills and water
wheels . Drill presses consisted of the powered drills that could be raised or
lowered into a material, allowing for less force by the user. The next great
advancement in drilling technology, the electric motor, led to the invention
of the electric drill. It is credited to Arthur James Arnot and William Blanch
Brain of Melbourne , Australia who patented the electric drill in 1889. In
1895, the first portable handheld drill was created by brothers Wilhem & Carl
Fein of Stuttgart,

Germany. In 1917 the first trigger-switch, pistol-grip portable drill was

patented by Black & Decker . This was the start of the modern drill era. Over
the last century the electric drill has been created in a variety of types and
multiple sizes for an assortment of specific uses.
Types

There are many types of drills: some are powered manually, others use
electricity (electric drill) or compressed air (pneumatic drill) as the motive
power, and a minority are driven by an internal combustion engine (for
example, earth drilling augers). Drills with a percussive action ( hammer
drills ) are mostly used in hard materials such as masonry (brick, concrete
and stone) or rock . Drilling rigs are used to bore holes in the earth to obtain
water or oil. Oil wells, water wells , or holes for geothermal heating are
created with large drilling rigs. Some types of hand-held drills are also used
to drive screws and other fasteners.

Some small appliances that have no motor of their own may be drill-
powered, such as small pumps, grinders, etc. Carpenter using a crank
-powered brace to drill a hole

Drill press

A drill press (also known as a pedestal drill, pillar drill, or bench drill) is a
fixed style of drill that may be mounted on a stand or bolted to the floor or
workbench. Portable models with a magnetic base grip the steel workpieces
they drill. A drill press consists of a base, column (or pillar), table, spindle (or
quill), and drill head, usually driven by an induction motor. The head has a
set of handles (usually 3) radiating from a central hub that, when turned,
move the spindle and chuck vertically, parallel to the axis of the column. The
drill press is typically measured in terms of swing. Swing is defined as twice
the throat distance, which is the distance from the center of the spindle to
the closest edge of the pillar. For example, a 16-inch (410 mm) drill press has
an 8-inch (200 mm) throat distance.

A drill press has a number of advantages over a hand-held drill: Less effort is
required to apply the drill to the workpiece. The movement of the chuck and
spindle is by a lever working on a rack and pinion, which gives the operator
considerable mechanical advantage. The table allows a vise or clamp to be
used to position and restrain the work, making the operation much more
secure.

Drill presses are almost always equipped with more powerful motors
compared to hand- held drills. This enables larger drill bits to be used and
also speeds up drilling with smaller bits. For most drill presses—especially
those meant for woodworking or home use—speed change is achieved by
manually moving a belt across a stepped pulley arrangement. Some drill
presses add a third stepped pulley to increase the number of available
speeds. Modern drill presses can, however, use a variable-speed motor in
conjunction with the stepped-pulley system. Medium-duty drill presses such
as those used in machine shop (tool room) applications are equipped with a
continuously variable transmission. This mechanism is based on variable-
diameter pulleys driving a wide, heavy-duty belt. This gives a wide speed
range as well as the ability to change speed while the machine is running.
Heavy-duty drill presses used for metalworking are usually of the gear-head
type described below. Drill presses are often used for miscellaneous
workshop tasks other than drilling holes. This includes sanding, honing, and
polishing. These tasks can be performed by mounting sanding drums, honing
wheels and various other rotating accessories in the chuck. This can be
unsafe in some cases, as the chuck arbor, which may be retained in the
spindle solely by the friction of a taper fit, may dislodge during operation if
the side loads are too high.

Geared head drill press. Shift levers on the head and a two speed motor
control immediately in front of the quill handle select one of eight possible
speeds A geared head drill press is a drill press in which power transmission
from the motor to the spindle is achieved solely through spur gearing inside
the machine's head. No friction elements (e.g., belts) of any kind are used,
which assures a positive drive at all times and minimizes maintenance
requirements. Gear head drills are intended for metalworking applications
where the drilling forces are higher and the desired speed (RPM) is lower
than that used for woodworking Levers attached to one side of the head are
used to select different gear ratios to change the spindle speed, usually in
conjunction with a two- or three-speed motor (this varies with the material).
Most machines of this type are designed to be operated on three- phase
electric power and are generally of more rugged construction than
equivalently sized belt-driven units. Virtually all examples have geared racks
for adjusting the table and head position on the column.

Geared head drill presses are commonly found in tool rooms and other
commercial environments where a heavy duty machine capable of
production drilling and quick setup changes is required. In most cases, the
spindle is machined to accept Morse taper tooling for greater flexibility.
Larger geared head drill presses are frequently fitted with power feed on the
quill mechanism, with an arrangement to disengage the feed when a certain
drill depth has been achieved or in the event of excessive travel. Some gear-
head drill presses have the ability to perform tapping operations without the
need for an external tapping attachment. This feature is commonplace on
larger gear head drill presses. A clutch mechanism drives the tap into the
part under power and then backs it out of the threaded hole once the proper
depth is reached. Coolant systems are also common on these machines to
prolong tool life under production conditions.

Scroll saw

A scroll saw is a small electric or pedal- operated saw used to cut intricate
curves in wood, metal, or other materials. The fineness of its blade allows it
to cut more delicately than a power jigsaw and more easily than a hand
coping saw . Like those tools, it is capable of creating curves with edges, by
pivoting its table. The scroll saw's name derives from its traditional use in
making scrollwork , sculptural ornaments which prominently featured scroll
-head designs.

Advantages
While somewhat similar to a band saw, a scroll saw uses a reciprocating
blade rather than a continuous loop. Like a hand coping saw, the scroll saw's
blade can be removed and placed through a pre-drilled starting hole,
allowing interior cutouts to be made without an entry slot. Also, the fineness
in both width and tooth count of a scroll's blade permits significantly more
intricate curves than even the narrowest gauge band-saw blade. The
majority of scroll saws offer a little light on a flexible arm that illuminates the
work area and also a dust blower nozzle to keep your work space clear while
working. The table tilting features are also common in today's scroll allow
cutting at angles just so much easier too. A great new advantage to the scroll
saw is it now comes in a variable speed to which offers the user greater
control when cutting intricate patters.

Size
Scroll saws are classified according to the size of their throat , which is the
distance from the blade to the rear frame of the saw. The throat depth
determines how large a piece of wood can be cut. Smaller saws have a throat
of as little as 12 inches (300 mm), while commercial saws can approach 30
inches (760 mm). Before the era of computer automation, industrial saws
were sometimes used to make even larger objects by hanging the top
mechanical linkage from the ceiling, thus providing an arbitrarily deep throat.
Scroll saws vary in price from under $100 to close to $2,000. The more costly
saws are more accurate and easier to use, usually because they minimize
vibration.

Uses
Scroll sawing is a popular hobby for many woodworkers . The tool allows a
substantial amount of creativity and requires comparatively little space. In
addition, many scroll saw projects require little more than the saw itself,
reducing the investment in tools.
Scroll saws are often used to cut intricate curves and joints, a task they can
complete quickly and with great accuracy. They can also be used to cut
dovetail joints and are a
common tool for thicker intarsia projects.
When a fine blade is used, the kerf of a scroll saw is all but invisible. Along
with band saws, jigsaws, and now recently seen chainsaws, scroll saws are
used with modern intarsia. Scroll saws are comparatively safe. In particular,
inadvertent contact between the blade and the operator's fingers is unlikely
to result in serious injury. Mode of operation There are several types of scroll
saws. The most common design is the parallel arm , in which a motor is
attached near the back of the arms and the two arms always remain parallel
to each other. The C-arm variant uses a solid "C" shaped arm, with the blade
being mounted between the two ends of the "C". The parallel link type, used
by Hawk, Excalibur, and DeWalt, has rods in the upper and lower arms that
are "pushed" by the motor to move short (about 4 inches – 100 millimetres–
long) articulated arms which hold the blade.
The rigid arm scroll saw was popular until the 1970s but is no longer made. It
has a single- piece cast iron frame. The blade is attached to a pitman arm on
the bottom, which pulls the blade down. A spring in the upper arm pulls the
blade back up again. This design has a significant weakness in that the
tension on the blade changes with every stroke; modern scroll saws are all
"constant tension" designs.

Blades
Hand-operated scroll saw, around 1900 With the exception of blades made
for very light duty saws, typical scroll saw blades are five inches long.
The major types are:
-Skip tooth (or single skip tooth) which have a tooth, a gap, and then another
tooth; Double skip tooth (two teeth, a gap, then two teeth);
- Crown or two-way, which have teeth facing both up and down so that the
blade cuts on both the down-stroke (as with all other blades)
-and the up-stroke; Spiral blades, which are essentially regular flat blades
with a twist, so that teeth project on all sides;
- Metal cutting blades made of hardened steel; Diamond blades (wires
coated with diamond fragments), for cutting glass.

Blades come in many weights, ranging from #10/0 (for making jewelry -
about the size of a coarse hair) to #12, which is similar to a small band saw
blade. Another variation is called a reverse tooth blade. On reverse tooth
blades, the bottom 3/4" of the teeth are reversed (point up). This
arrangement helps to reduce splintering on the bottom edges of the cut.
However, it does not clear sawdust out of the cut as well as a regular blade,
so cutting is slower and produces more heat. This heat reduces blade life and
makes scorching of the workpiece more likely. Reverse tooth blades are
especially useful when cutting softwood and plywood such as Baltic birch.
The latest variation is called "ultra-reverse". These blades are configured
with 4-5 teeth down and then one up and is repeated through the length of
the blade. The blade clears dust very well and leaves a much cleaner back
(very few "fuzzies"). These blades sizes range from #1 through #9.

Brands
Scroll saws are produced by numerous manufacturers, including Hegner
(Germany), Notable (Germany), Eclipse (made in the USA), DeWalt (originally
made in Canada, now in Taiwan), Excalibur (originally made in Canada, now
in Taiwan), and Delta , Dremel (Bosch) , Craftsman , Ryobi , and others
produced variously in Asia.

Combination machine

A combination machine is a woodworking machine that combines the

functions of two or more separate machines into a single unit. For example, a
combination machine might consist of a tablesaw with a side mounted jointer
. Another common example of this type of machine is the jointer-thicknesser
(also known as an over-under ) which combines the function of a jointer with
that of a planer.

Design
Some combination machines run all of their functions from a single motor;
others may use more than one. Cutter heads are often shared: for example a
jointer-thicknesser may use the same cutter head for both functions. The
machines rely upon well thought-out designs which allow the user to switch
from one function to another easily.
Advantages
One rationale for the production of these machines is space saving. A
combination machine takes up much less space than the equivalent separate
machines. Most European machines have a sliding table that tends to make
them safer than typical North American table saws. Even though top end
combination machines can be quite expensive, there usually is a cost saving
over separate machines of similar quality.

Disadvantages
There are some trade offs with combination machines. Set up time is
increased when moving from one function to another and back. In some
cases, machine settings are lost during the change over and have to be re-
established when changing back. In some lower end machines, there may be
compromises in design which limit the function or robustness of the machine.
Finally, they represent a single point of failure in that a mechanical problem
with the machine will generally mean that none of the machine's functions
are available.
These disadvantages are offset by the small size of the machine footprint
and potential cost saving and so they are very popular with hobbyists and
workshops in which space is limited.

The Shopsmith
Shopsmith Mark V The Shopsmith is a lathe-based multi-tool that uses a
single motor to perform lathe, tablesaw , sanding, and drill press functions.
Variations include horizontal boring and disc sander . The original Shopsmith
10E and 10ER were invented by Dr. Hans Goldschmidt[1] of Albany, CA , in
1947; made by the Magna America Corporation in Berkeley, CA , from 1947
to 1953; and sold by Montgomery Ward.[2] The Mark 5 [3] debuted in 1953
but went out of production in 1964. The earliest 10E/10ER Shopsmith
machines could be accompanied by optional add-ons such as a jointer , a jig
saw, as well as smaller accessories allowing use as a shaper . A bandsaw was
introduced in 1957 for the Mark series of machines. Magna also made the
Sawsmith radial arm saw, the Mark 2 (1958-60) and the short-lived Mark VII,
all compatible with the Mark V accessories. The Shopsmith Mark V was
resurrected by Shopsmith Inc. in 1972 in Dayton, OH, by John Folkerth,
founder and first chairman of the company. As of 2014 the machines were
manufactured by RLF Brands , successor to Shopsmith Inc..
RLF Brands continues to manufacture and market a variety of add-on tools
that can be run by the headstock. These tools include a bandsaw (little
changed from the original 1957 version), wood shaper , jointer , belt sander ,
strip sander, scroll saw and thickness planer. Changes from one function to
the other is usually less than 90 seconds. One of the unique features of the
Shopsmith is its method of speed control. Rather than multiple pairs of
pulleys or an electronic speed control, the Mark V uses a Reeves-type
continuously variable transmission consisting of two variable diameter
pulleys controlled by a dial and worm gear . (Standard on the Mark V, this
system was optionally available on the early 10ER machines.) Not only does
this give theoretically infinite speed variation between the maximum and
minimum speeds, it is also simple enough to be serviced fairly easily by a
hobbyist. The new (as of 2010) Shopsmith Mark 7 uses a computer controlled
motor that offers more power, greater speed range, reversibility and easy
conversion to 220 V. An injury suffered by the user of a Shopsmith gave the
Supreme Court of California the opportunity to create the modern rule of
strict liability for defective products in 1963.

European Combination Machine

Several companies in Austria, Italy, France and Belgium manufacture what is
commonly known in North America as a Euro(pean) combination machine,
which typically contains a sliding-table saw with a scoring blade, a shaper , a
thicknesser , a jointer, and a mortiser . These machines generally have 3
motors, one for the table saw, one for the shaper, and one shared by the
thickness planer/jointer and mortiser. European combination machines are
geared for the serious hobbyist or professional woodworker or cabinet maker.
They are constructed of cast iron and heavy gauge steel, weigh from 1000 to
2000 lbs., and range in price from around $5,000 to over $30,000 (2010, U.S.
dollars). Manufacturers include Felder (Felder and Hammer brands), Kitty,
Knapp, Lurem , Mini- Max, Robland, Rojek, Veba and others. Rojek and
Robland manufacture entry level models, Hammer, Lurem, MiniMax and Veba
mid-range models, Felder and Knapp high-end models. Robland purchased
Knapp from the Metabo group in 2000. The European combination machine
allows efficient processing of both rough-cut timber and sheet stock (i.e.
plywood). The sliding table can work in conjunction with either the table saw
or the shaper. Outfitted with an -foot sliding table and outrigger, a single
person can cut 4'x8' plywood very accurately and efficiently. Changing
between most functions takes only a few seconds. The sliding table allows a
straight edge to be cut on rough lumber, without the use of a fence. It also
allows a cut to be made accurately at any angle across a sheet of plywood in
just seconds - something that cannot be done nearly as easily, if at all, on a
table saw. Used in conjunction with the shaper, the sliding table allows
molding, door panels, rails and stiles, to be milled quickly and more
accurately than a stand-alone shaper.

Radial Arm Saw

A radial arm saw is a cutting machine consisting of a circular saw mounted
on a sliding
horizontal arm. Invented by Raymond DeWalt in 1922, the radial arm saw
was the
primary tool used for cutting long pieces of stock to length until the
introduction of
the power miter saw in the 1970s.
In addition to making length cuts, a radial arm saw may be configured with a
dado
blade to create cuts for dado , rabbet or half lap joints. In addition some
radial arm
saws allow the blade to be turned parallel to the back fence, allowing a rip
cut to be
performed.
Origins
Unlike most types of woodworking machinery, the radial arm saw has a clear
genesis:
it was invented by Raymond De Walt of
Bridgeton, New Jersey . DeWalt applied for
patents in 1923, which were issued in 1925 (US
Patent 1,528,536). [1] DeWalt and
others subsequently patented many variations on
the original, but DeWalt's original
design (sold under the moniker Wonder Worker )
[2] remained the most successful: a
circular saw blade directly driven by an electric
motor held in a yoke sliding along a
horizontal arm that is some distance above a
horizontal table surface. A saw which
combines the sliding and compound features is known as a sliding compound
miter saw
or SCMS .
Before the advent of the radial arm saw, table saws and hand saws were
most
commonly used for crosscutting lumber . Table saws can easily rip stock, but
it is
awkward to push a long piece of stock widthwise through a table saw blade .
In
contrast, when a radial arm saw is used for crosscutting, the stock remains
stationary on the saw's table, and the blade is pulled through it.
During the late 1970s, the compound miter saw began to replace the radial
arm saw,
[3] but only for crosscuts and miter cuts since miter saws are unable to
perform rip
cuts. The radial arm saw can be less safe when used by an inexperienced or
untrained
operator, but is not as dangerous when used properly. In the hands of an
experienced
operator, the radial arm saw can safely cut compound miters necessary for
picture
and door frames, rip lumber precisely to width, cut tongues and grooves, and
make
variable dadoes. Like the compound miter saw, the radial arm saw can make
these cuts
with absolute precision, but is capable of making a wider variety of cuts,
including
more complex ones.
In the home shop the radial arm saw is an alternative to the table saw. Both
machines
can rip, crosscut, do simple and compound miters, dado, mold or shape,
make tenons,
make open mortises, taper cut, and rabbet. The radial arm saw requires less
clearance
or space in the shop to handle long stock, since it only requires clearance on
the
sides, whereas a table saw needs clearance to the sides, in front and at the
back. The
radial saw is perfectly efficient backed up against a wall, whereas the table
saw
needs to be placed in the center of the shop to give all around clearance.
With some
accessories the former can be used as a shaper, a disk or drum sander, a
grinder, a
surface planer, a router, a horizontal boring machine and even as a power
unit for a
lathe; whereas a table saw's secondary uses are limited to shaper and disk
sander. The
major shortcoming of most current radial arm saws for home-use is that,
most radial
arm saws that have been built after the early 1960s are manufactured with
stamped
sheet metal parts and are machined to loose tolerances, hence they are not
precise
for doing accurate work without 'tuning'. A high-quality radial arm saw has
carefully
machined track arm ways and locking mechanisms, and a motor that runs
very smoothly;
under 'no-load' conditions most of the sound and vibration will originate from
the
whisper/whistling and the imbalance of the saw blade upon the arbor.
Safety
Radial arm saws require a blade with a very low or negative hook angle, to
inhibit
overly fast feed rate, binding, and the blade's tendency to try to climb the
material.
Also a 10 deg. positive hook blade with a "triple chip profile" works well on
the radial
arm saw and can be considered a universal blade. If the saw climbs with this
blade, the
yoke roller bearings need to be adjusted and tightened.
Demise
By the early 2000s, the radial arm saw was well into its demise. In a 7-July-
2010
article [4] "Is the Radial Arm Saw on its Last Legs?," Tom McKenna, Managing
Editor
of Fine Woodworking , opined that it was, for these reasons:
Because of the direction of the saw blade rotation, the saw may tend to self
feed
into the work. A negative hook blade will eliminate this issue as will a firm
grip on
the handle.
A radial arm saw is more expensive than a typical contractor-type table saw
and
takes up the same footprint on the shop floor, yet isn't as versatile.
Power compound miter saws, and especially the sliding type, have replaced
radial arm
saws for many woodworkers.
The demise of the radial arm saw can be observed in the products for sale by
tool
retailers. As of May, 2014, Sears showed only one radial arm saw in its online
catalog,
[5] Amazon listed only two (one of which was the Sears model), and Grizzly,
Jet, and
Tool Zone listed none.