Power Tools vs. Hand Tools: Which is Best for Making Wooden Gifts?
Hi everyone, we've recently received a few inquiries from our fans about what tools are recommended and what are not so good to use when making wooden gifts. In this post we continue with more explanations of tools for cutting wood.
Misconceptions in choosing tools
Some people use a jigsaw to saw large pieces when handcrafting wooden gifts, which is theoretically possible, but we don't highly recommend using a jigsaw. The saw blade on this tool is very thin and fine, so it's tough.
It is very unpalatable for sawing thicker and softer woods like the ones we use, so sawing requires a lot of force.
If the wood is thicker, you will also have problems with inaccurate sawing.
For example, in the position shown in the picture, it's clear that the cut is a parallel line, but it will tend to tilt slowly as it cuts, because it's too flexible for the saw blade to move through the wood.
Your hand, if you apply uneven force, the saw cut tilts into a front and back that is not parallel, and we don't want that effect to happen when carving a wooden gift. If you can saw by hand with as much force as a wire saw machine, hold the blade taut and straight, and do it quickly, you might try a jigsaw.
Power sawing tools
Next, we take you through the power tools available for making wooden gifts. If you are on a budget and have a lot of work to do, power tools will greatly increase your efficiency. There are two types of machines you can choose from to quickly cut excess wood: band saws and wire saws.
You can understand them as motorized versions of the quick saw and jigsaw. We prefer to use a band saw machine, which is easier to use and more versatile. It is possible to change the saw blade to different widths for different needs.
The blade always moves in one direction, that is, downwards, and you only need to move the block forward, which makes the sawing very fast.
A wire saw machine can move more accurately along a drawn line, but because the blade moves back and forth at high speeds, the wood will be picked up by the blade due to friction, and you need to keep your hand on the block, or the wood will keep bouncing. As with a manual jigsaw, sawing this thicker and softer wood requires a lot of effort to get a good cut.
The environment in which motorized equipment is required
If you are going to purchase power tools, make sure you consider the issues of space, dust, noise, and vibration. They need a relatively self-contained space, and if there is dust collection equipment it should be installed in advance. Power tools inevitably raise dust, so pay attention to protection and vacuuming. If you live in a building, try not to use them to make wooden gifts at night, and it's best to put an anti-vibration mat under the machine.
