CAD/CAM vendors are increasingly focused on offering software that is user friendly, with easy menu options, drag-and-drop features, graphical interfaces and also exhaustive libraries of parts such as doors and frames.
Programs that are Windows based are so easy to use that woodworking professionals with an adequate level of computer knowledge can become skilled operators in no time.
Typically, CAD/CAM programs make use of graphical interfaces and previews of parts. These provide an excellent visual prototype of the final product. Some programs even add surface texture features, lighting and include tools which enable users to stretch or modify individual or whole items.
Many new generation CAD/CAM programs begin with libraries of standard parts, or templates. They allow users to modify these parts to create whole new parts and products in keeping with their customers’ needs. While users can start with a template and squeeze or stretch the basic geometry, there are a number of programs that provide a more precise option so that the geometry of the basic designs can be edited. This is called formula-driven or parameter-driven editing. Using this technique the user can select a product or a part, and enter the dimensions they want numerically.
To achieve a higher level of market penetration CAD/CAM software vendors are finding specialised niches in the woodworking sector. Many of them have software and template libraries that cater to the special needs of cabinetmakers or closet manufacturers. While the user designs the product, the software proceeds to calculate the bill of materials, which is then ready for analysis and printing immediately upon completion of the design.
A major benefit …

Bandsaws are mainly used by woodworkers for curve cutting and re-sawing. With a number of bandsaw models now available in the market, it is quite difficult to find out the right bandsaw to meet your requirements. You often find bandsaws that look alike but vary greatly in price. Some bandsaws may be made in the same factory, but have different features. Base models may be the same, but some of the upgrades may be different.

Getting to the depth of the matter

Woodworkers must remember that while choosing a bandsaw it is important not to look only at outward appearances, but compare the details. Ask the dealer questions and make an informed decision based on the quality, features and reliability of the machine. Also make sure you attach a value to every feature you want to consider and the tasks that you need to perform, whether immediate, or in the long run. Of course, your budget will eventually dictate the decision to buy.

The size of bandsaws

Bandsaws are generally grouped by size. Woodworkers often mistakenly assume that the stated size refers to the throat capacity (blade to frame) of a given machine. This is not correct as the throat capacity is normally very close to the wheel diameter, which does not determine their size.

Blade capacity of bandsaws varies and is an important consideration as it dictates to a certain extent what a woodworker can cut. The narrowest blades on a bandsaw, will allow for very fine and intricate cutting, while others slightly wider will cut graceful shapes easily. The wider the blade, the easier it is to cut straight, as the blades have the …

With the drive towards using eco friendly material many woodworkers are attracted to natural oils. Besides, woodworkers also seem to be attracted to the natural qualities of wood itself, such as the matt look and smooth feel that results from using vegetable oils. Vegetable oils have been used to preserve wood for centuries and are also economical to use.

The most commonly used natural oils that woodworkers use are tung and linseed oil. Other oils such as walnut, grape, sunflower, olive and peanut oil can also be used, but have not been found to be as effective for protection. These are more suited to items in the kitchen such as wooden chopping boards and utensils.

Woodworkers can use a rag or brush to apply oils, with the excess oil being wiped off after about half an hour depending on the object. More oil may come to the surface a few hours after application and may also need to be wiped off or it will dry on the surface.

Woodworkers have also tried using a mixture of natural oils and man made additives like resins and driers. While lacquers. Polyurethanes and other synthetic finishes give better protection; natural oils are still favored by many furniture makers, woodworkers and woodcarvers. These are now even being used for projects that are more demanding such as flooring and decking.

Most natural oils are pleasant smelling and safe to use. Woodworkers find the pungent smell of oils like linseed and tung pleasant as they work them into the wood. There are disadvantages, a significant amount of elbow grease is needed to get …

A decent dust extraction system is a necessity for safe working conditions in a woodworking company. While single bag systems may work fine with one or two machines, a larger setup will require a lot more.

Removing dust from machinery and from the air circulating in the woodwork workshop contributes not only to better health of workers but also improves productivity. Besides, if dust gets into machine parts and bearings, the cost of repairs could eat into a woodworker’s budget. Wood chips that are not removed from planing machines properly get carried around with the rotating cutterhead and can damage the planed surface of the object being worked on.

Dust collectors are available as single stage or cyclonic collectors. Dust is extracted and drawn directly into a collector by a fan or blower in a single stage collector. The collector has a drum and a filter on the top. Dust settles into the bag or drum while the air escapes through the filter bag.

In the cyclonic system air is drawn into a cyclone through a pipe and the dust falls to the bottom of the collection drum. The fan on the top of the cyclone draws out the fine dust into the filter with a smaller collecting bag situated below the filter.

In general, the more powerful the motor, the more air can be moved and the more dust and chips will be collected from the woodwork shop. For instance a 1hp motor will motor will generate enough power for one machine in a woodwork shop, while a 2hp motor will generate enough power for three or four machines. A 3hp motor is adequate …

Woodworkers, even those with several years of woodworking experience often find themselves ill at ease when faced with the task of marketing their products. Possessing the skills to design and make furniture is just one part of running a woodworking business. Knowing how to sell the products is quite another skill that has to be learnt.

With the advent of the internet, potential clients have a lot more access to furniture makers and other woodworking companies, when previously the options they had were to visit retail outlets or go through a gallery.

Successful woodworkers accept that their main task is to determine what their chosen group of customers’ want, what their values are and design products around these needs and values, so there is a perfect match.

Keeping existing clients is important for long term business success and woodworkers should focus on creating trust and developing lasting relationships. Spending time with clients is one way of generating ideas for a new project. For instance furniture makers can take a ‘tour’ of a client’s home and identify ‘gaps’ in their décor that need to be filled.

Showcasing products is also an important consideration that woodworkers should not ignore. Some enterprising furniture makers team up with other related industry professionals such as antique dealers, carpet weavers and jewelers to run a gallery showcasing a range of products, so customers have more of a choice. Another option is to supply some of the pieces to two or three galleries. This helps in getting a woodworker’s name out in the market and often this exposure can result in several orders.

Participating in exhibitions not …

While both crosscut and ripsaw blades are useful tools in a woodworkers arsenal, both serve specific purposes and it is important to know which blade to choose for a woodworking project.

The crosscut saw blade has been primarily designed to sever the fibres of wood. While one tooth severs the fibres on the left of the kerf the tooth that follows severs the fibres on the right. The waste in the middle is drawn away into the dust extraction. Crosscut blades are designed so that they eliminate breakout on the underside of the wood. The small hook angle of the tooth reduces this breakout and eliminates any grabbing effect. The crosscut saw usually cuts from the top towards the fence, and there is a tendency for the teeth to grab the wood fibres and accelerate the blade towards the woodworker operating the machine. Blunt teeth increase the tendency of this occurrence.

When using a crosscut saw blade, woodworkers should carefully control the movement of the saw blade through the wood rather than try to force the cut. Excessively high feed speeds can lead to injury, and it is also important for woodworkers to never have any part of their body in the line of the cut.

The ripsaw blade is designed for an end to end division of a wooden board. For this purpose the blade must remove a narrow strip of wood called the kerf from the board. This strip is made up of wood fibres that cling together and must be chiseled from the length of the board. The chips must be taken away as waste …

Before using a router woodworkers should understand that the direction that the router cuts in and developing a light touch in using the machine are two aspects that are vital to successful operation.

Many makes of routers have the direction of the rotation bit marked on them; however a marker pen arrow on the base can be used as a reminder. The router is like a fast chisel and you should remember to push the cutting edge of the bit into the object being worked on.

To begin with you go forward when the work is on the left of the router. You will be moving anti-clockwise around the perimeter of the object. If you bring the router back along the object you will be ‘back cutting’ or ‘climb cutting’.

Woodworkers need to take care in clearing the cutting edge from the object at the end of each pass. Brushing it accidentally against the object while bringing it back can be extremely dangerous.

Using a router to make a hollow in the middle of the object requires pushing the leading edge of the bit into the object but you will be moving clockwise. Make sure that you have an end cutting router bit so that it can be plunged directly into the middle of the area that that is to be removed and then move it in increasing circles clockwise until you come comfortably close to the knife marked border.

In the case of routing across the grain woodworkers should be aware that the point of exit is prone to tearout. This is simple to prevent. For example when routing an edge moulding onto a tabletop …

Blade guides are important for the safe and accurate operation of a bandsaw. The simplest system that woodworkers are familiar with consists of two blocks of timber on either side of the blade above the table. Although they are a lot more sophisticated nowadays, this is still how most of the blade guides work. You will find that most bandsaws operate with blade guides above and below the table. At least one, but generally both of these will have a ‘thrust” bearing that sits behind the blade, which takes off the load as the material is pushed into the blade, stopping the blade from tracking off the wheel. This keeps the cutting face of the blade rigid in all directions and able to cut at the appropriate place.

The most common guides available to woodworkers consist of two plastic blocks, round or square above and below the blades. These are adequate, however plastic wears out quickly and as the blade twists in a cut, the square faces begin to wear away. The blocks need to be removed and squared again for continued accuracy. Eventually they will need to be replaced.

Woodworkers can also use aftermarket blade guide blocks. Metal blocks are occasionally fitted, but although this does not wear out quickly, chances are that your blade will be damaged if the teeth come in contact with the blocks as they will become flattened and dulled. Continuous rubbing can cause heat build-up and fatigue for the blade. The other choice is to consider graphite & wood composites. These outlast plastic guide blocks and run cooler, but are expensive.

 Ball bearing blade guides of …

Sharpening is one of the most fundamental woodworking skills and using sharp tools is what makes a woodworker’s job stimulating and pleasurable. While learning how to sharpen woodworking tools appears to be simple in theory, it often turns out to be frustratingly difficult when put into practice.

Knowing when a tool is sharp is difficult because it is subjective and the definition of sharp can vary between woodworkers. As a rule of thumb, woodworkers often go by the shaving test – if the blade is sharp enough to shave with, it is probably ready for use. Provided of course it is sharp enough for a clean sharp shave. The back of the hand I commonly used for a quick check to determine the sharpness of a blade.

Woodworking blades need to be more than just sharp. Each blade is designed for a purpose, which imposes functional requirements on the blade. These functional requirements revolve around bevel angles, edge shapes, blade flatness, steel quality and more.

With reasonable steel, if two intersecting surfaces are polished to a mirror finish, the line of intersection, the edge, will be razor sharp. The angle of intersection does not affect the sharpness, but affects how strong the edge will appear and how it can be used. The flatness of the surface only affects how the edges can be used.

While the functional requirements have nothing to do with the sharpness of the edge, they have an effect on how we as woodworkers sharpen them. You cannot get a flat surface off a soft buffing wheel or hollow stone.

Sharpening also requires a compromise. This is most noticeable …

Woodworkers who have been in the game for long may find the very thought of learning CAD intimidating, as would someone with no idea of HTML being asked to design a website. Some of course feel that the years of experience they have makes it easier to continue working as they have always done, so why bother with CAD.

Modern woodworkers understand the many benefits of using CAD, which enables them to produce plans and drawings that are accurate and look professional that normally would require the skills of someone with a drafting degree.

Making the transition from the drawing table and T-square to CAD can perhaps be compared to progressing from the old typewriter to a desktop PC. Once the initial clumsiness is overcome, CAD becomes second nature and woodworkers can begin using the incredible tool with practiced ease. Just like a PC, CAD enables users to handle additions, changes, corrections or other editing requirements with just a few mouse clicks. This means that plans are free from overlays, whiteout marks and complete redraws. Customers are typically prone to changing their mind; with CAD these changes can be easily accommodated without having to redraw the plan from scratch. This itself makes it worthwhile to learn how to use CAD and save on time and effort. 

Of course CAD has functional aspects that are radically different compared to other common programs such as databases, spread sheets and word processing. This makes the learning curve comparatively steep and can leave woodworkers in hysterics. However when approached with the right attitude, CAD can be mastered quickly. All that is required is determination and practice. …