Thread: Noob (newbie) tips

Yes. This is one I learnt the hard way also. Another tip I recently used was to ensure I placed a piece of scrap behind a piece of wood I was drilling. Works wonders for tearout!

Originally Posted by metester

Yes. This is one I learnt the hard way also. Another tip I recently used was to ensure I placed a piece of scrap behind a piece of wood I was drilling. Works wonders for tearout!

You are learning..
Its even more critical with spade bits

Also re hand tools you get to interact more with the wood than you do with power tools. Things like don't plane/chisel against the grain, and not to mention the real meaning of sharp when it comes to planes, chisels, saws etc.

The unfortunate issue now is that anyone starting out and wanting to do any woodwork gets confronted with all the power tools they will never need and it is not easy to find good hand tools in the local hardware shop.
very few if any at all carry hand planes, the collection of chisels is pathetic and usually restricted to the el cheepo versions. Hand saws are no better. Most saws are the use till blunt/loose gauge and toss away variety.

Too true about getting good quality hand tools. I recently wanted to purchase a hand drill and it did prove a little difficult but finally settled for a Stanley which does the job intended.

Too true about spade bits. Another technique I like to use with spade bits is to drill the hole to about halfway where the tip of the bit begins to come through the other side and then turn the workpiece around and complete the hole from the opposite side. It seems to work quite well.

Originally Posted by metester

Too true about spade bits. Another technique I like to use with spade bits is to drill the hole to about halfway where the tip of the bit begins to come through the other side and then turn the workpiece around and complete the hole from the opposite side. It seems to work quite well.

i do that too, just gotta be careful you dont get them out of alignment, (example: clamping a fence on your drill press table)

I've tried that too but didn't like the result. Once the point has gone far enough through the second side it can wobble badly and damage your otherwise clean hole. I greatly prefer to use a scrap block clamped tightly and do the hole in one direction only, this way you get a clean exit *and* the hole stays clean.

If the hole only needs to be visible from one side of the peice, that tends to be the side I clamp to because the entry can be a little less that perfect if your bit isn't perfectly sharp.