What Wax Should I Use?

This is a question that’s asked on a regular basis and my answer to this is always the same. Any good quality Beeswax will do the job, but don’t overdo it, one or two applications a year should be sufficient in most cases; with regular dusting in-between. Remove any spills immediately and any other marks as soon as practical. See…… for cleaning.
However, some more curious types are not satisfied with this answer and follow-up with, ‘but what wax do you use?’ ‘I make my own, to a secret recipe’ say I, with an appropriately mysterious air. ‘Oh’ they say, crestfallen but grudgingly satisfied and the conversation moves on. Well it’s not that much of a secret really, more a case of empiric knowledge passed from one generation of furniture makers to another. Each individual changing the quantities of the recipe a little, so that it would better suite his own idea of working perfection, and so on down through the years.

My own method and formula is as follows:

Carnauba wax 40%
Beeswax 30%
Paraffin wax 30%
Twice this amount by volume pure turpentine.

Place all the wax in a suitable tin or saucepan over water (Bain-marie) then on a hotplate, never on a naked flame! Waxes are highly inflammable. Once molten remove from heat and carefully add the turpentine, slowly stirring as you do so. If you have not used the tin in which you will keep the wax for the heating procedure, now is the time to pour the mixture into the pot or jar of your choice, an old commercial wax tin is perfect for the job. Continue to stir as the wax cools, feel free to add a little more turpentine if you prefer a more liquid wax; you can reheat and add later if you find the wax has dried out over time.

What Tools Do I Need part 4

Drill, Cramp and Screwdriver.

Electric drills are considered to be such basic tools that they can be found in most homes, so if you already have one, that’s fine; please don’t go and change it because of something you read here. If not you may wish to consider a cordless drill driver, the advances made in battery technology make these a real alternative to mains drills. Especially the newer ones which come complete two batteries and a one hour charger.
Stay clear of the older ones with Ni-Cad batteries, unless of course they are a real bargain. The main advantages of a drill driver are first it will perform both the task of drilling a hole and then putting in the screw. Very handy and labour saving if you are doing a lot of repetitive work. Secondly you don’t have a tangle of wires and extension leads to cope with. Those drills pictured also share some of these advantages and are also worth consideration. Personally, for bench work I find them just as efficient as the power versions and much quieter.

Cramps are an essential part of your equipment, not only for closing joints when gluing-up, but also for holding the work piece while you are working. I would suggest you will need about four six inch G cramps and two three foot sash cramps. To start buy two of the G cramps and the others as you need them; I guarantee you will never have enough of the right sort to do the job. I have a whole wall full and still find I occasionally need more of one size or another.

Whether or not you have a drill/driver, you will still need hand drivers one for slot head screws and one for cross head screws. Once again buy only the basics six or seven inch version of each (the cross head with a number two point) to start and any others as the need arises.

What Tools Do I Need part 3

Planes Chisels Pincers


As you probably realise, I’m not one of those bloggers who turn out five posts a day, however this particular post has taken a bit longer than usual to appear, hope this hasn’t dented your enthusiasm.

Planes and chisels are two of the most important edge tools that any woodworker will use, so it’s important to choose ones that will perform properly. We looked at how you could save money on disposable saws last time, but it would be a big mistake to think you could do the same with edge tools. Because an edge tool needs to take a keen edge and retain it for a reasonable amount of time. A bargain may look appealing and may even make a few good cuts, but inevitably you will be making too many visits to the sharpening stone. The all important ingredient is the type of steel that the manufacturer used to make the blade.

That said lets first take a closer look at the type of plane you will need. Now you may find that my advice is at odds with that which you may find elsewhere. This is because I’m focussing on the home woodworker who just wants to have a go at making something before making a huge financial commitment on tools.

For a first plane I would advise a small Stanley block plane the 60 ½ (top left) this will be adequate for immediate your needs and its suppressing what can be achieved with one. You can graduate onto other more specialised planes if you feel the need at a later date and you will then have some practical experience on which to base your future choice. The plane will not work straight out of the box and will need some ‘’fettling’’ to make it work right. I’ll cover this at the end of the series.

The other planes in the picture are a Stanley 220 (top Right) a slightly more basic model that has its uses. The plane in the centre is an ECE wooden block plane that works superbly when ‘tuned-up’ the drawback with this type of plane for your type of work is the wearability of the soul. You will be doing a lot of chamfering and this can scar a wood bottomed plane and eventually spoil it. Then on the other hand, I would prefer a ‘woody’ anyday when working on the flat. You can see how easy it is to end up with a cupboard or whole workshop full of tools.

Probably the chisel sizes you will find most useful will be a ¼’’/6mm, a ½’’/12mm and a 5/8’’/16mm all with bevelled edges. After a lot of thought and consideration, I would advise that you buy some Japanese chisels as these will give you the best cost/performance ratio and require the least ‘fettling’ to get you working. Buy a chisel roll to keep them in; otherwise the cutting edges will get damaged, no matter how careful you are. Like western chisels there are a number of different styles of Japanese chisels to choose from. The most robust are Chu-usu Nomi (third left) and were used by Japanese temple builders; these are capable of making heavy cuts or taking the lightest of parings. This quality here, are a mid priced chisel, about 30 euros each, anything cheaper is probably not worth considering. If you are lucky enough to have inherited some 19th century cast steel chisels (second left) that aren’t rust pitted, its going to be worth rehabilitating them. Email me on that one.


Pincers, you can probably find a nice clean pair like those in the picture for a few pounds on EBay, just make sure the gripping edges are not deformed. See if you can pick-up a pin punch at the same time. I forgot to add this on the list, but you can be sure you will need one.

What Tools do I need. Part 2

Let’s take a closer look at the first three tools on our shopping list. Hammers, (you will need at least two) a saw and a square.

Hammer:

A hammer is a pretty basic tool, probably one of the first tools man invented, so you would be forgiven for thinking a hammer is just a hammer. In truth there are just about as many different hammers as things you could find to hit with one. However the type of hammer you need for woodworking will be like one of those in the picture and not a carpenter’s hammer with a claw at on end. The latter are useful on building sites and farms, but too heavy and clumsy for bench work or any fine woodwork. A 3 ½ oz cross peen pin hammer and a larger 12 oz cross peen, these are sometimes called Warrington pattern, will be all you need to cover most eventualities. The wedge shaped cross peen is useful for starting off small pins or nails held between the fingers without doing your ‘’pinkies’’ any damage. It can also be used for pressing down veneer or inlay and also for working in restricted areas.





Saw:
Most timber yards will dimension timber for you these days; some may even work to a cutting list. This makes it unlikely that you will need to do any rip sawing; this is good because at this stage you do not have the facilities to do so. (Rip sawing is cutting along the grain to dimension the timber in section) With a few exceptions all your sawing will be cross cutting the timber to length or forming joints. Therefore you are not going to need a large rip or panel saw. The ideal first saw for you will be a tenon saw, something like the ones in the picture. I suggest you buy a cheaper disposable one; these have hardened teeth and stay sharp for a long time. You do not want to be thinking about saw sharpening just yet. A standard tenon saw will have a blade 11 or 12 inches long and a cutting depth of about 3 inches with 13 or 14 teeth per inch.

Square:
There are a number of different types in this picture and any of them will do the job. I made the wooden one myself and the very small one, I made when an apprentice. I like using the wooden one simply because it feels good; a number of my tools are made from different timbers in this way. This is just a personal preference because I like the feel of wood and using something I have made myself. The square I would advise for you is a combination square, (Far right) because you can use these for a lot of other things besides squaring. In addition to the right angle they also have a 45 o angle on them which you will find useful, they also combine an adjustable steel rule that can be used for laying out, scribing a line or as a depth gauge. Some also come with a protractor, which is nice to have but not essential. It would be worth investing some of the money you saved on the cost of the saw here, because a square needs to be accurate and accuracy costs money.

What tools do I need?

Naturally the answer to this question depends on what you are setting out to do, to narrow the field; I’m going to make a few assumptions. Yes, I know it’s best not to assume, but sometimes it’s necessary just to get the ball rolling. OK, here goes, you may be male, female, any shape or colour, living in your own home (owned or rented) and you want to do some simple woodwork. This could be for maintenance, decoration or construction and you don’t know which tools you should buy or how to use them.

First, some don’ts. Don’t be tempted to buy a set of tools, no matter how good a deal it seems.
Don’t buy your tools from a DIY or home store, the woodworking hand tools on sale here are next to useless.
Don’t go on a buying spree, after acquiring a few basic items, only buy each new tool as needed.

Choose a specialised supplier of professional hand tools like Axminster tool centre or Classic hand tools for example. Shops like this stock good quality tools and most importantly have informed staff who can give you advice. If you are unable to get to a shop like this Axminster for example has a very good online shop and will send you a comprehensive tool catalogue free of charge. (Postal charges apply if you life outside the UK)



Professional quality hand tools may look expensive at first, this is an illusion as you will only need to buy once if you look after them and they will give a lifetime of service. Long after you have forgotten the cost you will still continue to enjoy the quality.

Shopping List:

Hammers
Saw
Tri-square
Pincers
Small Hand Plane
Chisels
Drill
Clamps
Screwdrivers
Tape
Sharpening system.

You will also need a surface to work on, ideally about 32 inches high (80cm) and fairly sound. You may need to use some imagination like making a false top for your dining table or perhaps buy a fold-up bench like a workmate. These are not ideal substitutes for a real workbench, but then I'm not writing for someone with a fully equiped workshop. I'm writing for someone who is just about to make his or her first cut in a piece of timber. We will be looking at aspects of work holding later in the series.

These basic items can get you going on an amazing range of projects and with a few additions can allow you to realise your creative ambitions.

Next blog, I will talk through the different points of each item on the list above……………