How to use hand tools

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Hand tools
These instructions are for hand tools, tools that the material is held still and the tool moves. These instructions are not complete. Nor are they intended to replace the owners manual and the instructions in it.
Like driving a car there are many things that should be considered before the first time you use one. Most dangers are not going to be faced but you need to be prepared.
First look at the tool. Is there damage to the cord? Broken ends and splices are bad signs. Are there broken parts on the tool or loose beds, the part of the tool that is held against the material? If there is damage use at your own risk. I would have the tool fixed or get another one (unfortunately it‘s usually cheaper).
Look at the area you intend to work in. Do you have a good sturdy bench or saw horses? Will the material be supported after you cut it? Is there enough room around the material to move freely? Is the cord in good condition?
Wear eye, ear, and dust protection when needed. It rarely hurts to use protection even if it isn’t needed.
Never wear loose clothes they can get caught in power tools. If you‘re wearing loose clothes tuck them in and do up the buttons. For some reason this impresses would be employers.
Always be careful using someone else’s extension cords. They may have holes in the insulation. This is painful at the least and can be deadly. Always unplug a cord before winding it up. Extend the cord the length you are going to use before plugging it in.
Compressed air is not something to play around with. Some jokers think they should goose someone with it. This can be fatal. Never blow air in your ears or eyes. If you have to blow yourself off plug your ears with your fingers and close your eyes.
Never use a tool if you are tired or very upset.
Never rough house around power tools! If you do it around me I will kick you out of my shop forever!
Remember the better something works the more dangerous it is.

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Circular saw
The circular saw is a very powerful and useful tool.
The circular saw (also referred to as a skill saw even though this is a brand name) is a motor and a sharp blade spinning at 10,000 rpm, revolutions per minute . There is a guard that covers the blade when it isn’t being used. If this guard is not in good condition this is a very dangerous tool. One touch with the blade will do a lot of damage very quickly. Don’t assume, check to make sure this guard is working correctly.
This saw is not usually used for finish work. If you intend to do so use a good saw, a fine tooth blade, a straight edge, and a slow speed of cut.
This saw works best when pushed straight through the material. If it’s cocked or slanted the blade binds against the side of the cut and smokes, stalls, chips and kicks back, jumps in the opposite direction of the intended cut. Kicking back is very dangerous if not allowed for. If a hand or leg is resting on the material it could be in the path of the saw when it suddenly changes direction.
The saw blade is extended through the material at a set depth. Anything in it’s path is going to be cut. If your hand or a leg you’re using to hold up the material is in the way of the saw, even if it’s underneath, it will be cut. To reduce the damage in the case of an emergency, the blade should be set to only extend the depth of the teeth below the thickest part of the material.
If you are making a cut through a 4x8 sheet of plywood you obviously don’t want to stop and go around to the other side to finish the cut. If the plywood is supported on each end by a saw horse it will collapse when you cut between them. If you are reaching from one side you will be over balanced unexpectedly. This is embarrassing and dangerous. Make sure the material is going to be supported after the cut is made. If you use 2x4s to support the material make sure you aren’t going to cut through them.
A straight edge and a couple of clamps are valuable tools when using this saw. Set the straight edge the distance of the blade to the edge of the bed and clamp it down. Put the clamps on the opposite side of the straight edge, screw side down. The cut turns out straight and as smooth as the blade will allow. Some cuts in plywood are at an odd angle. Usually a chalk box is used to make a straight line. This line is carefully followed with the indicator on the saw, a small notch or line on the top of the bed which is inline with one side of the blade.
1 To use the saw set the front bed on the material you wish to cut.
2 With the blade not touching the material start the saw. Let the saw get up to speed.
3 If you are using it free hand use the notch in the bed. This indicator lines up with only one side of the blade.
4 Push the blade in straight to make the cut.
Remember the blade removes material to make a cut. This must be taken into consideration when planning your cut list.
This tool is dangerous and isn’t a good starter tool.

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Jigsaw

A jigsaw uses a straight blade which sticks out of the bottom and moves up and down. It can cut moderately fast with the right blade or do detail work with another. They can also be used to sand curves.
Usually with a jigsaw you get very bad pinches, splinters, or small cuts. The blade is well guarded on the top where your hands should be. The part of the blade below the material can cut you but the speed of cut with this saw prevents the damage a circular saw will do in a split second. Cuts with this tool can be dangerous to a finger and it should be treated with respect. I’m sure someone will manage to kill themselves with one of these. Usually the cuts are very painful not life threatening.
To use a jigsaw
1 Select the right blade for your cut. There are many to choose from.
2 Select the type of cut you will be doing. Most jigsaws have an orbital setting. Use a smaller number for fine cuts and a large one for fast cuts.
3 Set the tools bed on the material.
4 Start the tool and let it get up to speed.
5 Follow the line you wish to cut.
6 While cutting curves keep the blade moving, even a small amount will help.
This is a good beginner saw.

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Reciprocating saw

A reciprocating saw (also known as a sawzall, this is a brand name) is the ideal general purpose saw for a wide range of jobs. This saw is hand held and cuts deep into the material. It cuts relatively slowly and therefore is safer than most saws. This saws cuts are very coarse. It’s very versatile, and can cut plastic, wood, tree branches and metal. It uses blades from 3-12” long. With teeth from 6 teeth per inch to diamond blades.
Reciprocating saws can be very light or very heavy. Light saws are easier to hold and lift. Heavy saws are usually better made, don’t jump around as much, and cut faster.
Usually a cut by this saw is a bad pinch or bruise. It can get hot where your hand is. This isn’t usually a problem with the saw.

1 Start the saw
2 Set the blade against the area you wish to cut (with this saw the bed isn‘t always used.
3 Hold the saw tight and push against the material.
Use eye protection.
This is a good starter saw.

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Power plane

A power plane is a one handed tool used to straiten wood or scribe it to fit contours. If all of the other tools are in good working order this is the most dangerous tool on the job sight. Part of the problem is you can’t see the blade and it seems safe. One hand is holding a board while the blade, which you can’t see, is cutting a few inches above. If the tool slips, your hand is closer to the tool than expected, or anything else happens you’re cut. With this kind of cut there’re no pieces to pick up and reattach. There’s no safety or guard on this tool. After you finish with the tool it’s still spinning and then you need to set it down. When you set it down there is no guard protecting you or anything around you from the blade. Hold it away from you. And wait for it to stop spinning before setting it down.
If possible clamp your material to something solid like a saw horse while using this tool.
1 Clamp your material down to something solid.
2 Set the bed on the material.
3 Start the tool and let it get up to speed.
4 Repeatedly pass the tool over the material until it’s the shape you need.
With this tool you need ear protection.
While using this tool you need constant diligence. Over confidence is what gets people hurt with most tools. If operated cautiously you shouldn’t get any surprises.
This is not a beginner tool!

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Routers

Routers are relatively safe if the material is clamped down, stable, and wide enough so the router will not tip. Routers are designed for two handed operation. A bit is inserted into a cullet, a round hole that contracts when a nut is tightened. If the cullet isn’t tightened enough the bit will slip out. The bit is spinning at around 20,000 rpm, revolutions per minute. After the bit works loose it usually cuts deeper and deeper into the material ruining your work. The cullet and bit need to be clean, free from rust and never lubricated.
Many router bits have a bearing on the end. This bearing operates at very high rpm. If it goes bad it stops rolling along the pattern and starts spinning at the speed of the bit. This results in a lot of smoke and it can dig into the pattern. If the bit is used after it is bad the bearing will fall apart.
Routers spin in one direction like a wheel on a car. Moving the router along the work in one direction results in it pulling against the pattern. While pushing in this direction the wood tends to chip. If the router is moved the other way it pushes away from the material like a car spinning out. If the router is pushed in this direction the material usually won‘t chip. This type of cut is a back cut. It can be dangerous if you don’t hold the tool firmly. Expect to have to fight the tool on a back cut. Usually with a back cut you use several passes to get the depth you want.
If you move the tool away from where you just cut before the blade stops spinning it can cut you or grab onto your clothes. Unfortunately when you set this tool down the tendency is to turn the bit towards you. This puts the spinning bit right at belly button height or lower.
There are many ways to use a router. A router can cut almost any shape with the right pattern. Another way to use a router is with a straight edge along the side of the tool. A straight edge is clamped to the material and the edge of the router is rubbed against it. A router table is used to hold the router upside down and very stable. This turns the router into a stationary tool. Free hand routing is hard and only used with small bits.
Small routers can be used by careful beginning operators. Unless in a router table, the large versions of this tool needs a moderately experienced operator.

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Belt sander

Belt sanders can be a challenge. The belt sander sands wood very fast. It’s possible to get your finger stuck in the belt (I think) but I’ve never heard of it being done. The danger of using a belt sander isn’t to the user but to the material being used. It is hard to regulate the speed of the strokes, stops and starts tend to dig in, and it tips easily. Of the hand sanders this is the fastest. Always use a dust mask with sanders.
Sander burns are very painful. But, pain is a fast teacher.
This is a good starter tool.

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Orbital sanders

Orbital sanders have a hook and loop or PSA, pressure sensitive adhesive, fastening system. The paper comes in many grits. Grit is the number of bumps per square inch. As the grit numbers get larger the paper is finer, smoother.
To operate a random orbital sander.
1 Make sure the sander has paper on it.
2 Place the sander on the material.
3 Start the sander after it’s on the material.
4 Move the sander around until the material is smooth.
5 Repeat sanding with progressively finer grits until satisfied.
Don’t use the edge of this sander to sand, it will dig into the wood. Never take the paper off from the sander and then set it down. If the sander is used without a disk it will ruin the hook and loop system instantly. This will cost about a third of the price of the sander to fix.
Orbital sanders are not life threatening. They can make many small cuts if you put your hand on the edge of the disk while it is running. This sander is a slow sander. Always use a dust mask and eye protection can‘t hurt.
This is a very good beginner tool.

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Drill

While using drills you need to have many small things in mind. Drill bits are designed to cut deep holes. When a hole is drilled make sure the bit, if it continues beyond your material, will go into something you don’t care about. Keep these holes out of you and you should be fine.
It’s possible to get hurt by a drill. If a large drill gets caught, as they usually do exiting a cut in metal, the bit stops and the drill spins. This is painful. I have heard of people getting broken wrists. Some times a bit will snap in two. If this happens and your hand is in the path of the drill you will have a hole in your hand. Metal shavings, from drilling, are very sharp. They go in like a cork screw and are hard to get out. Metal shavings from your drill will require an ER visit if they are in your eye. Wear eye protection.
There are quite a few types of drill bits, such as paddle, forsner, brad point, spoon, auger, spade, split point, tapered, stepped, tennon, self feeding, centering, cobalt, and countersinking. Some drill bits are 6’ long.
1 Mark where you wish to drill.
2 If you are drilling into metal use a punch or nail to make a dent in the material so that the drill doesn’t walk, move around uncontrollably. 3 Put the drill against the material and when the drill is up to speed push down firmly.
Another way to use a drill is for screws. A cordless drill works best for screws. To drive a screw use a slow setting. This will reduce the tendency to come off from the screw. If the drill comes off from the screw while going slow it won’t do as much damage. If you are screwing into hard wood you may need to predrill the hole, drill a hole for the screw. Most wood will split if screwed close to the end. Some screws have a cut lengthwise allowing the screw to drill it’s own hole. Nibs on the back of the head let the head sink into the wood and countersink themselves. Some screws have a drill bit on the tip. Usually these screws are for thin metal.
The trick to driving screws is, use a good magnetic tip and keep the drill straight behind the screw. I like square drive screws because they don’t slip or strip as easily.
One system of using screws is a pocket hole. For these screws a hole is drilled at an angle. The screw enters the next board at just the right angle to not stick out the edge. I highly recommend this method of screwing things together. Wear eye protection.
This is a very versatile beginner tool.

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Air nailer

Air nailers are an important part of any shop. Rarely does a cabinet maker pick up a hammer. Air nailers can push a nail several inches through solid oak. Cordless nailers are about the same as air nailers, except they trade a hose for batteries and gas.
The most dangerous thing an air nailer can do is poke you right? I have heard of construction workers getting a nail through a hard hat and into their sculls. Never point a nailer at anything you don’t want to shoot. Don’t shoot nails out of the gun at people. Nails can twist inside of wood. They can even come out of the same side they went in. Nails can also hit the wood and bounce right back, especially in hardwood. It’s a good idea to keep your hands the distance of the nail you are using away from the nailer while using it. Don‘t push the safety in unless you intend to use the gun. Never hold the trigger down while walking around, especially with roofing nailers. Air nailers can jump when a nail is shot into a board. When they jump and land they can fire again. Unplug the air hose when you are examining the gun. Watch out for the random nail it hurts. Always wear eye protection.
This is a good starter tool.