From DIYinfo.org
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[edit] Introduction
Nails, glue and screws are the most important fastening devices used in carpentry, but how well they do their job depends almost entirely on how correctly they are used.
Modern adhesives have made it possible for amateur carpenters to construct wooden furniture that in the past only skilled craftsmen could have tackled. Work that would have once needed precise joints can now be joined simply with strong wood adhesive, using cramps to hold the wood in place while it is drying. You can choose from a variety of cramps according to the size of the wood.
The term glue properly refers to pure animal or vegetable glue. Other types, which are resin based, are known as adhesives. The success of your gluing depends on choosing the right kind of glue for the job.
[edit] Tools For The Basic Toolkit
The two hammers used most frequently in carpentry are the claw hammer and the cross pein. The first is useful for levering out old nails and lifting floorboards while the second is more suited to finer nailing work.
- If you are starting a tool kit, opt for a 450g claw hammer and a 280g cross pein. Later, you can add a l00 g 'pin' cross pein for light, accurate nailing and pinning.
- For burying nails below the surface of the wood, you need a set of nail punches (nail sets). These come in various sizes to suit different sizes of nail and help to avoid bruising the wood with the hammer head.
- Some kind of drill is essential for screwing work. A power drill is the obvious choice because of its versatility but where there are no power points or access is limited, a wheel brace (hand drill) will serve well.
- To drill larger holes by hand, you need a swing brace and a set of special bits not a priority for the beginner's basic tool kit.
- Good quality screwdrivers are essential to any tool kit and cabinet screw drivers, with blades of about 300 mm, are the most useful. Two of them one with an 8 mm tip and one with a 6.5 mm tip should cover you for most jobs. To deal with crosshead, Philips or Pozidrive screws, you need screw drivers with the appropriate tips.
[edit] Choosing The Right Adhesive
The term glue properly refers to pure animal or vegetable glue. Other types, which are resin based, are known as adhesives. The success of your gluing depends on choosing the right kind of glue for the job. Read More
[edit] Clamps Types And Uses
The type of cramp you should use depends on the size of the wood you are gluing. Remembering that there are many different kinds of cramps, we will be dealing here with only a few that should cope with most jobs that you will encounter in carpentry. Read More
[edit] Timber Preparation
If you are using liquid animal glue, make sure that it is fresh as most have a limited life and will cease to work properly if they are old. This also applies to PVA glues and adhesive type glues, so check their use by dates, as there is nothing worse than trying to clean off glue that has not cured properly. Read More
[edit] Clamping Techniques
Unless you are using impact adhesive, you should cramp the wood as soon as the joint has been made. Whichever type of cramp you use, you must be careful that the surface of the wood does not get scratched and damaged by the action of the cramp while the glue is setting. Read More
[edit] Hammer Types And Uses
The two hammers used most frequently in carpentry are the claw hammer (bottom) and the cross pein (top). The first is useful for levering out old nails and lifting floorboards while the second is more suited to finer nailing work. Read More
[edit] Nailing Tips And Removing Nails
For accurate, well finished work, nails alone do not normally make a strong joint. However, if the nails are angled in opposition to each other, a reasonable joint can be made. When used in conjunction with one of the modern, woodworking adhesives, a very strong joint can be achieved. Read More
[edit] All About Screwing Wood
All screws must have pilot holes made before they can be driven home. For screws into softwood smaller than No. 6 gauge, make these with a bradawl. Drive it into the wood with its chisel point across the grain, to avoid splitting. Read More
[edit] Commonly Used Nails And Screws
There are many different types of nails and screw out there in the market place and it can be very confusing knowing what to use. So we have listed below some of the most common nails & screws that you would use in carpentry. Read More
