WoodWorkingTips.net

The second stage of edge joining two non-book-matched boards is to lay the boards side-by-side and carefully examine them. Look for patterns that look nice together. What happens when you offset a board (move one or more of the boards to the right or left)? Does the overall flow of grain patterns look more integrated, like they belong together? What happens when you flip a board end-for-end or onto the opposite face? Does the edge from one board seem to flow into the edge of the next board?

Edge joining begins with a good look at the wood. The first thing to consider when you plan to edge join two non-book-matched boards together is how the boards look next to each other. First, look at the boards in their rough sawn state before you mill them. Examine the rough sawn boards to see potential matches of grain pattern. Use chalk to mark the significant patterns in the boards, such as cathedrals and knots. Do the grain patterns of the boards have anything interesting you want to showcase? What direction does the grain run?

Edge joining is the process of bringing two or more boards together edge-to-edge. Edge joining is done in order to create a wider board. There are many reasons a woodworker might edge join boards. These include: to make a table top, to make wider furniture carcasses and to make a panel with book-matched pieces

The general consensus is that “hot melt glue” is not adequate for woodworking projects. However, hot melt glue guns can have a place in the shop. Many people like to use them for tacking items together such as when building forms or jigs.

Many woodworkers end up choosing either a table saw or a radial arm saw, but not both. As with all tool buying decisions, you should consider your intended applications, both now and in the future. The general consensus is that if you're building things like jungle gyms, house additions, or trim work (moldings), a radial arm saw may be best. If you're building things like fine furniture or cabinets, a table saw may be more a more appropriate choice.

Table saws also have safety issues. Some people say the table saw is more dangerous because you can't see where the blade is like you can with the radial arm saw. On the other hand, the blade is always in the same spot on the table. The spin action of the table saw's blade tends to keep the work down on the table, but it can also throw the work, and off-cuts, back at the operator. Both machines are very dangerous and should be treated with much respect.

There are safety issues with radial arm saws. Some people say the radial arm saw is more dangerous because the blade is exposed above the work surface, and because the blade's location varies as the cut progresses. Angled crosscutting is particularly dangerous since the blade is now cutting where one normally holds the work. The spin direction of the blade tends to lift the work off of the table when ripping, and can pull the carriage into the work (resulting in binding of the saw or serious injury to a careless operator) in the crosscut position.

Should you buy a radial arm saw or a table saw when you are on a tight budget? It seems to be easier to engineer and manufacture a table saw than a radial arm saw, which has more moving parts that must withstand large forces without deflection or play. It can therefore be argued that if you're on a budget, a cheap table saw might work better for you than a cheap radial arm saw.

The space requirements are different for radial arm saws than for table saws. On the radial arm saw, boards are always oriented the same way whether you are ripping or crosscutting, so you need space to the left and right of the blade, and only as wide as the widest board you're cutting. On the table saws, boards are oriented at right angles depending on whether you're ripping or crosscutting. Thus, you need space in front and in back for ripping, and to the left and right as well for crosscutting.

Radial arm saws typically require realignment more frequently than table saws: perhaps because of the stresses put on the cantilevered assemblies. On the other hand, radial arm saws don't need as much space around them as table saws for performing equivalent tasks.