Woods for Woodworker - Something You Must Know

Do you have proper understanding of woods as woodworker? Do you struggle to decide what woods should be used for your furniture, kitchen cabinets or shed?

You need to know about woods, if you are new in woods works. Woods are part of our daily life and interestingly we always ignore it. Trees are alive! It is good to remember that woods are product of nature and we are dependent on nature.

There are two major categories of wood: Natural Wood and Man-Made wood. Man-made wood is manufactured from by-products of wood from the tree.

The natural wood category is divided into two major groups: Softwoods and Hardwoods. Softwoods are harvested from trees that normally take about 20 or more years to mature.

The most common known family category is Pine. Pine is available all around the world and is relatively inexpensive. The trees grow tall and straight, a characteristic which, in years gone by made them suitable for the masts of sailing vessels as well as large construction beams. The common examples of softwood are Himalayan Cedar, Oregon Pine and South African Pine etc

The hardwoods category are harvested from trees that take a very long time to grow to maturity, in so many cases as 200 or more years. The more popular hardwoods for woodworking include oak, beech, walnut and mahogany. If you want to use hardwoods for furniture, there are so many hardwoods to choose from. For example American red oak, American white oak, Australian red cedar, cherry, beech, Elm, Iroko, Jelutong, Mahogany, Maple, Meranti, Rosewood, Sycamore, Teak tulipwood and walnut etc.

Now we have many reasons to manufacture 'Man-Made' woods and among these is the fact that natural wood is becoming more increasingly expensive. Another very good factor is that natural-wood tend to bit warp whereas 'man-made' boards are much more stable. There are so many examples you can see in your own home like built-in kitchen and bedroom. The man-made wood can be medium-density fibreboard, Plywood, blockboard (copine, pre-glued panels), chipboard and veneered chipboard etc.

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Woodworking Power Tools - What Every Woodworker MUST Have In Their Workshop!

I know you're anxious to get to work, so I'll keep this brief. Even beginning craftsmen need basic woodworking power tools. The more advanced and skilled you become, the more power tools you will need. That's a given. This article will help you figure out what kinds of woodworking power tools are essential for all of us, and what tools you can hold off on for now.

It is 100% obvious that each woodworker across the globe is at a different level of expertise than his or her neighbor. That's okay. The general rule for acquiring tools is to only buy the tools that are absolutely necessary for the project you happen to be working on at the moment. If you haven't built anything that requires you to use a router, then don't buy a router. Simple enough, right? Once you're ready to advance to the type of project where a table saw would be a necessity, then consider making the purchase.

Until then, just stick with what you need.

There are, however, some really elemental tools that most of will want to invest in as a base of operations, so to speak. Among these essential woodworking power tools are:

* A power drill
* Orbital sander
* Circular saw
* Jig saw
* Nail gun
* Wood plane

These should get you moving in the right direction. Eventually, heavy-duty power tools will come into play. Things like a table saw, drill press, and compound mitre saw will become your tools of choice as your skill level increases and your projects become more ambitious. Until that time, however, just stick to the basics and you'll be fine.

In just a moment, I will provide you with a link to all kinds of great power tool info and resources, including an entire DEWALT woodworking power tool set that will get you completely stocked up with the basics... for a very reasonable price. In the meantime, however, I would just like to plant the seed in your mind that you should never exceed your budget if it isn't absolutely necessary.

By the same token, you should always aim for top quality tools. New, if you can afford it. Don't take a chance if you don't have to. And always aim for quality over quantity. I will gladly spend $300 on a power drill that I know will last for many years, has a long battery life, and will do any job I ask of it. And I will always turn my nose up at a $50 drill that doesn't promise any of these things.

So grow your workshop methodically. Don't rush it in the name of saving a few dollars. If you can afford to get a whole set of tools in advance, you can usually do so at a bit of a discount. But if you really don't need the stuff yet, there's no sense in owning it yet. Spend that extra money on some top quality wood... that's what's really important!

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