What is rake angle? In woodworking, the rake angle is the angle of the cutter’s leading face relative to the surface of the wood. A high rake angle is aggressive and best for softwoods, while a low rake angle is gentler, preventing tear-out in hardwoods and figured grain. How do you adjust it? On bevel-up…
What is a sash saw? A sash saw is a type of backsaw, featuring a stiffening rib along the top of the blade. It’s a mid-sized handsaw designed for making precise, fine cuts in woodworking, particularly for joinery like tenons and half-laps. What is it used for? The primary use for a sash saw woodworking…
A tenon saw woodworking tool is a type of backsaw with a stiffening rib on the top edge of the blade, designed for making precise, straight cuts in woodworking. Its primary use is for cutting the tenons in mortise and tenon joints, but it is also excellent for other fine joinery tasks. To use it,…
What are paring chisel woodworking tools? Paring chisels are long, thin-bladed chisels designed for delicate, precise shaving of wood by hand. They are used to fine-tune joints, trim tenons, and clean up dovetails for a perfect fit. How are they used? Paring chisels are always pushed by hand, never struck with a mallet. Use a…
What is a microbevel? A microbevel is a very narrow, secondary bevel honed at a slightly steeper angle (usually 2-5 degrees more) right at the cutting edge of a tool like a chisel or plane iron. Why use one? It makes sharpening incredibly fast because you only need to remove a tiny amount of steel….
The best led lights for woodworking tools are flexible, self-adhesive LED light strips and magnetic gooseneck lamps. They provide direct, shadow-free illumination on your workpiece. For optimal results, choose a “daylight” color temperature (5000K-6500K) and a high Color Rendering Index (CRI) of 90+ to see wood grain and layout lines accurately. Ever been there? You’re…
What are usunomi woodworking tools? An usunomi is a specialized Japanese mortising chisel designed for efficiently chopping deep, precise mortises by hand. They feature a thick, strong blade made of laminated steel and a hooped handle built to withstand heavy mallet strikes. What are they used for? Usunomi are primarily used to create the female…
A nokogiri japanese saw woodworking tool is a type of handsaw that cuts on the pull stroke, not the push stroke like Western saws. This allows for a much thinner blade, resulting in greater precision, less effort, and a cleaner finish on your wood. For the best results, use a light, two-handed grip and let…
What is tapping out a blade? “Tapping out,” or ura-dashi, is the traditional Japanese technique of using a specialized hammer to gently peen the back of a laminated plane or chisel blade. This process renews the hollow back (urasuki), pushing fresh, hard steel toward the cutting edge. Why is it important? Tapping out makes sharpening…
An ellipse cutting jig for woodworking tools is a shop-made device that guides a router or jigsaw to cut perfect oval shapes. It works using a trammel arm with two sliding pins that move within perpendicular tracks on a baseplate. To use one, you calculate the pin positions based on your desired ellipse dimensions, mount…