HOW TO HOLD AND HANDLE TOOLS
Observation may form part of each boy's lesson, but when it comes to the
handling of tools, practice becomes the only available means of making a
workman. Fifty years of observation would never make an observer an
archer or a marksman, nor would it enable him to shoe a horse or to
build a table.
It sometimes happens that an apprentice will, with little observation,
seize a saw in the proper way, or hold a plane in the correct manner,
and, in time, the watchful boy will acquire fairly correct habits. But
why put in useless time and labor in order to gain that which a few
well-directed hints and examples will convey?
Tools are made and are used as short cuts toward a desired end. Before
the saw was invented the knife was used laboriously to sever and shape
the materials. Before planes were invented a broad, flat sharpened blade
was used to smooth off surfaces. Holes were dug out by means of small
chisels requiring infinite patience and time. Each succeeding tool
proclaimed a shorter and an easier way to do a certain thing. The man
or boy who can make a new labor-saving tool is worthy of as much praise
as the man who makes two blades of grass grow where one grew before.
Let us now thoroughly understand how to hold and use each tool. That is
half the value of the tool itself.
THE SAW.--With such a commonplace article as the saw, it might be
assumed that the ordinary apprentice would look upon instruction with a
smile of derision.
HOW TO START A SAW.--If the untried apprentice has such an opinion set
him to work at the task of cutting off a board accurately on a line. He
will generally make a failure of the attempt to start the saw true to
the line, to say nothing of following the line so the kerf is true and
square with the board.
HOW TO START ON A LINE.--The first mistake he makes is to saw _on the
line_. This should never be done. The work should be so laid out that
the saw kerf is on the discarded side of the material. The saw should
cut alongside the line, and _the line should not_ be obliterated in the
cutting. Material must be left for trimming and finishing.
THE FIRST STROKE.--Now, to hold the saw in starting is the difficult
task to the beginner. Once mastered it is simple and easy. The only time
in which the saw should be firmly held by the hand is during the
initial cut or two; afterwards always hold the handle loosely. There is
nothing so tiring as a tightly grasped saw. The saw has but one handle,
hence it is designed to be used with one hand. Sometimes, with long and
tiresome jobs, in ripping, two hands may be used, but one hand can
always control a saw better than two hands.
[Illustration: _Fig. 20._]
THE STARTING CUT.--In order to make our understanding of the starting
cut more explicit, we refer to Fig. 20, in which the thumb of the left
hand is shown in the position of a guide--the end of the thumb being
held up a sufficient distance to clear the teeth. In this position you
need not fear that the teeth of the saw (A) will ride up over the thumb
if you have a firm grasp of the saw handle.
The first stroke should be upwardly, not downwardly. While in the act of
drawing up the saw you can judge whether the saw blade is held by the
thumb gage in the proper position to cut along the mark, and when the
saw moves downwardly for the first cut, you may be assured that the cut
is accurate, or at the right place, and the thumb should be kept in its
position until two or three cuts are made, and the work is then fairly
started.
[Illustration: _Fig. 21. Wrong sawing angle._]
FOR CROSS-CUTTING.--For ordinary cross-cutting the angle of the saw
should be at 45 degrees. For ripping, the best results are found at less
than 45 degrees, but you should avoid flattening down the angle. An
incorrect as well as a correct angle are shown in Figs. 21 and 22.
FORCING A SAW.--Forcing a saw through the wood means a crooked kerf. The
more nearly the saw is held at right angles to a board, the greater is
the force which must be applied to it by the hand to cause it to bite
into the wood; and, on the other hand, if the saw is laid down too far,
as shown in the incorrect way, it is a very difficult matter to follow
the working line. Furthermore, it is a hard matter to control the saw so
that it will cut squarely along the board, particularly when ripping.
The eye must be the only guide in the disposition of the saw. Some boys
make the saw run in one direction, and others cause it to lean the
opposite way. After you have had some experience and know which way you
lean, correct your habits by disposing the saw in the opposite
direction.
[Illustration: _Fig. 22. Right sawing angle._]
THE STROKE.--Make a long stroke, using the full blade of the saw. Don't
acquire the "jerky" style of sawing. If the handle is held loosely, and
the saw is at the proper angle, the weight of the saw, together with the
placement of the handle on the saw blade, will be found sufficient to
make the requisite cut at each stroke.
You will notice that the handle of every saw is mounted nearest the back
edge. (See Fig. 23.) The reason for so mounting it is, that as the
cutting stroke is downward, the line of thrust is above the tooth line,
and as this line is at an angle to the line of thrust, the tendency is
to cause the saw teeth to dig into the wood.
[Illustration: _Fig. 23._]
[Illustration: CHINESE SAW. _Fig. 24._]
THE CHINESE SAW.--This saw is designed to saw with an upward cut, and
the illustration (Fig. 24) shows the handle jutting out below the tooth
line, in order to cause the teeth to dig into the material as the handle
is drawn upwardly. Reference is made to these features to impress upon
beginners the value of observation, and to demonstrate the reason for
making each tool a particular way.
THINGS TO AVOID.--Do not oscillate the saw as you draw it back and
forth. This is unnecessary work, and shows impatience in the use of the
tool. There is such an infinite variety of use for the different tools
that there is no necessity for rendering the work of any particular
tool, or tools, burdensome. Each in its proper place, handled
intelligently, will become a pleasure, as well as a source of profit.
[Illustration: _Fig. 25._]
THE PLANE.--The jack plane and the fore plane are handled with both
hands, and the smoothing plane with one hand, but only when used for
dressing the ends of boards. For other uses both hands are required.
ANGLES FOR HOLDING PLANES.--Before commencing to plane a board, always
observe the direction in which the grain of the wood runs. This
precaution will save many a piece of material, because if the jack plane
is set deep it will run into the wood and cause a rough surface, which
can be cured only by an extra amount of labor in planing down.
Never move the jack plane or the smoothing plane over the work so that
the body of the tool is in a direct line with the movement of the plane.
It should be held at an angle of about 12 or 15 degrees (see Fig. 25).
The fore plane should always be held straight with the movement of the
plane, because the length of the fore plane body is used as a
straightener for the surface to be finished.
[Illustration: _Fig. 26._]
ERRORS TO BE AVOIDED.--Never draw back the plane with the bit resting on
the board. This simply wears out the tool, and if there should be any
grit on the board it will be sure to ruin the bit. This applies
particularly to the jack plane, but is bad practice with the others as
well.
A work bench is a receptacle for all kinds of dirt. Provide a special
ledge or shelf for the planes, and be sure to put each plane there
immediately after using.
THE GAGE.--A man, who professed to be a carpenter, once told me that he
never used a gage because he could not make it run straight. A few
moments' practice convinced him that he never knew how to hold it. The
illustration shows how properly to hold it, and the reason why it should
so be held follows.
You will observe (Fig. 26) that the hand grasps the stem of the gage
behind the cheekpiece, so that the thumb is free to press against the
side of the stem to the front of the cheekpiece.
HOLDING THE GAGE.--The hand serves to keep the cheekpiece against the
board, while the thumb pushes the gage forward. The hand must not, under
any circumstances, be used to move the gage along. In fact, it is not
necessary for the fingers to be clasped around the gage stem, if the
forefinger presses tightly against the cheekpiece, since the thumb
performs all the operation of moving it along. Naturally, the hand
grasps the tool in order to hold it down against the material, and to
bring it back for a new cut.
THE DRAW-KNIFE.--It is difficult for the apprentice to become accustomed
to handle this useful tool. It is much more serviceable than a hatchet
for trimming and paring work. In applying it to the wood always have the
tool at an angle with the board, so as to make a slicing cut. This is
specially desirable in working close to a line, otherwise there is a
liability of cutting over it.
This knife requires a firm grasp--firmness of hold is more important
than strength in using. The flat side is used wholly for straight edges,
and the beveled side for concave surfaces. It is the intermediate tool
between the hatchet and the plane, as it has the characteristics of both
those tools. It is an ugly, dangerous tool, more to be feared when lying
around than when in use. Put it religiously on a rack which protects the
entire cutting edge. _Keep it off the bench._