The possibilities are endless when you are working with wood. You can make almost any shape out of it, using any tools you have in your house.
Isn’t it exciting when you can create your own wooden furniture and decoration pieces? However, a lot of people are deterred by the fact that they do not have costly power tools at hand.
Thus, we are here to tell you that woodworking is possible even without heavy pieces of equipment or even electricity! The following tips will show you what we mean.
1. Manual Sanders
When you start woodworking, you will get to know sandpaper very well. Fine sandpaper with grits from 100 to 180 is good at smoothing surfaces, removing blemishes, and shaping details. It will take some elbow grease, but this should do the trick. Extra fine sandpaper can be used in the later steps too.
Other tools are easier to control and use. They include sanding files, sanding blocks, and sanding sponges. They have their own strengths, making them ideal for different materials and phases of the project.
2. Use a Wood Chisel
Chisels are excellent because they are so versatile. Once you get the hang of it, you can easily and rapidly manipulate wood with this tool. While it is not good at rounded edges and surface flattening, it is great at joinery, recessed hinges, and surface shaping.
You will have to be patient as you learn how to use it, but all the time you put into it will certainly pay off in the future.
3. Meet the Plane
The plane is used in the removal of high spots from flat surfaces. A sharp blade is positioned below a steel block, which is pushed over across the work surface. Every pass shaves off a layer, first hitting the highest areas. After some passes, the surface should become level.
There are several types of woodworking planes: scrub, jack, and jointer. They have different uses, so the best one will depend on your project.
As you can see, there are tools that you can use even without electricity. Most of the time, you need to practice using them to become effective, so be patient and practice often!