Choosing Essential Tools for Woodworking

Table and Belt Sander

This is that rare two-for-one deal in which two tools have been effectively made one. The stationary belt sander uses a closed loop of paper that travels at speed around a pair of cylindrical drums. One drum is driven by an electric motor, the other is spring-loaded to maintain belt tension. Powered by the same motor, the stationary disk sander uses sanding disks that spin on a backing plate.

On both the belt and disk sanders, the workpiece is presented to the tool (the opposite is true of portable belt and hand-held disk sanders which are presented to the work; as a result, they are particularly useful in sanding oversized workpieces). On stationary sanders, an adjustable worktable or fence can be fixed in front of the sander to position the workpiece during sanding. Belt sizes vary greatly, with four-inch wide, two- or three-foot-long belts being usual, as are four- to eight-inch diameter disks.

Band Saw

The band saw is great for freehand and curved cutting, but its depth of cut also makes it suitable for sawing thick lumber. The table tilts on many models, allowing for angle cuts. Band saws come in many sizes but for most home workshops a good choice is a 12- or a 14- inch model (the dimension indicates the size of the workpiece that can be presented to the blade; a 12-inch band saw will saw to the center a 12-inch piece). 

Blade size is another consideration: the variables are the number of points (teeth) per inch; the width and gauge (thickness) of the blade; and the kinds of teeth. Fewer teeth make for a faster but coarser saw cut; more teeth for finer work or for cutting metal.