Hand tools and equipment used in woodworking: measuring and marking tools, saws, planes, chisels, boring tools, cramps and the bench and vice, and selecting the correct tool for each task.

What this dot point is asking

The SQA wants you to know the common hand tools and items of equipment used in a woodwork workshop, what each is used for, and how to choose the correct tool for a task. You should be able to name a sensible tool for a job and say what it does.

Measuring and marking tools

Accurate work starts with accurate marking out. Key tools:

• Steel rule and tape measure - measure lengths.
• Try square - marks and checks lines at 90 degrees to an edge.
• Marking gauge - scribes a line parallel to an edge at a set distance; a mortise gauge has two pins to mark both sides of a mortise or tenon at once.
• Marking knife - cuts a fine, accurate line across the grain (more precise than a pencil for joints).
• Pencil - for general marking and waste marks.

Saws

Choosing the right saw matters because a saw set for ripping tears a cross-grain cut, and a fine saw is too slow for sawing a board to length.

Planes and chisels

A plane shaves thin slices to make timber flat, straight and smooth. A jack plane is used first to true a surface, and a smoothing plane finishes it. The blade (iron) is set to take a fine cut, and the plane is pushed with the grain to avoid tearing.

A chisel removes waste and cleans up joints. It is pared by hand for fine work, or struck with a mallet (not a steel hammer, which would split the handle) to chop a mortise. The flat back is kept against the work for control.

Boring tools, cramps, the bench and vice

• Boring tools make holes: a bradawl starts a small hole for a screw, a hand drill bores small holes, and a brace and bit bores larger holes for dowels.
• Cramps hold parts together while glue sets: sash cramps for wide frames and carcases, G-cramps for smaller work. Use softening blocks under the jaws so the cramp does not bruise the timber.
• The bench and vice hold the work steady while you saw, plane or chisel; a bench hook supports timber for crosscutting and protects the bench.

Try this

Q1. Name the tool used to mark a line parallel to an edge. [1 mark]

• Cue. A marking gauge (a mortise gauge marks two parallel lines at once).

Q2. State which saw is used to cut a curve in a piece of timber. [1 mark]

• Cue. A coping saw, with its thin blade held in a frame.

Q3. Explain why a mallet rather than a hammer is used with a chisel. [2 marks]

• Cue. The mallet drives the chisel with a controlled blow and does not split the wooden handle, whereas a steel hammer would damage the handle and is harder to control.