Most all saw blades are carbide tipped, except for some specialty saw blades like thin kerf plywood saw blades.
What is so great about carbide tipped saw blade or router bit?
Tungsten carbide is an extremely hard metal that holds its profile and edge much better than any of the high speed steel alloys. It is also very brittle.
How can I tell if a saw blade is carbide tipped?
Look at the tips of the saw blade if the tips have a darker square metal on the ends that is slightly thicker a than the saw blade body, it is carbide tipped.
How to identify carbide tipped router bits.
Carbide router bits have a steel body with the carbide metal being attached to the cutting face of the router bit. The carbide will run the length of the cutting face of the router bit. It will also extend about a 1/16 of an inch beyond the steel body. The carbide plate is typically about 1/8 of an inch thick.
In the previous post of, How To Mount a Mantel To A Wall? Part 1, I addressed how to hang a mantel on Sheet Rock / Wall Board / Plastered walls and brick veneer walls. This article concludes with wood paneling and concrete walls.
Welcome back as we continue discussing the anatomy of a blandsaw blade. With a better understanding you will be able to select the right bandsaw blade for the job at hand.
Hook angle
Is the angle between a line drawn parallel to the front edge of the tooth and a line drawn perpendicular to the back of the bandsaw blade. The larger the hook angle the more the blade attempts to pull the material into the blade. In effect the tooth acts like a chisel by trying to split out the wood fibers.
With smaller hook angles or even a negative hook angles the tooth acts more like a plow or scraper. When cutting dense hardwoods or very knotty wood these saw blades are ideally suited for the job. (more…)
Need to find a unique gift for an avid home improvement person? Definitely something they do not already have and will not break the bank to purchase.
Wrenchware (www.wrenchwareinc.com) makes flatware that is half flatware and half tool. Here are some of the utensils they offer with the corresponding tool. (more…)
It is Friday afternoon and you have planned a woodworking project this weekend. As soon as you get home you are going to get the trailer and head over to the local home improvement store / hard wood lumber yard. But do you know what you are doing when you are dragging all that weight around behind you?
According to recent studies, if you are like most drivers who use their vehicles to tow, you don’t. You are putting yourself and everyone else on the road at risk.
In 2004, the last year complete figures were available; there were 65,000 trailer accidents that resulted in thousands of injuries and deaths. The most eye opening observation from the study was that most drivers who towed trailers did not know how to properly setup or handle a trailer. Most felt that they did not need to learn critical safety basics such as the proper way to distribute a load on a trailer and how to drive it. About three fourths of all drivers learned via trial and error!
How to properly set up to tow a trailer?
Do a walk around inspection of the trailer and the towing vehicle. Look at and inspect:
· Vehicle hitch
· Trailer attachment points
· Safety chains
· Operation of lights
· Brake controls
· Tires inflated
· Load distribution on the trailer
· Tarp covers
· Tie down straps
How much can I tow with my vehicle and trailer?
Check your vehicle and trailer’s owners manual for the recommended towing capacities. Most manufactures provide specs for recommended gross trailer weights (GTW) that should not be exceeded. Tongue weight should typically be 10% to 15% of GTW. For most home use trailers you can use a bathroom scale to measure the tongue weight.
Loads should be evenly distributed from side to side and about 60% of the total weight should be forward of the axel. Use tie down straps to secure the load and prevent it from shifting or flying off.
Backing up a trailer is a pain in the rear to do. It takes a fair amount of practice to get it down. Assign a helper to help guide and watch out for obstacles.
Tip: Put one hand at the bottom of the wheel and move your hand in the direction that you want the trailer to turn.
Welcome to the wood working hobbyist blog! I will be posting about wood working for the weekend wood worker, tools, trends, and other interesting mussing.
