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The design and shape of cordless power tools makes then fit into areas where corded power tools will not. In many cases, this leads to a sacrifice of turning strength from the motor. Dewalt power tools makes larger voltage cordless power tools to deliver more power for your job. Dewalt cordless power tools are the ones most often selected by professionals. Their dependability and ability to perform heavier work than most of the other lines of cordless tools is the reason for this. When doing repetitive work like hanging sheet rock, drill bits for driving the screws holding the sheet rock in place, tend to wear out and need replacement often. The quick-change heads of Dewalt power tools make this an easy task to accomplish with minimum slowing of the work being performed. Dewalt power tools offers a nice line of cordless screwdrivers and variable speed drills. The power ratings range from 7.2-volt motors up to 24-volt motors delivering the type of power you need. A variable speed drill is used to make a variety of different size holes from very tiny ones used to enable nails and screws to be driven without splitting the wood to large ones used for installing door knob assemblies. When using a variable speed drill, start your drilling slowly to allow the bit time enough to get firmly seated in the hole. This will lessen the chance of the bit jumping when higher speeds are applied which might cause you to drill something you did not want to have drilled. Dewalt power tools offer a full range of both corded and cordless tools. Their durability and easy ability to change accessories makes them highly desired for professionals. Dewalt power tools deliver in work conditions where other power tools fail. The only drawback I can see to this magnificent line of cordless tools is their weight. Having larger voltages to deliver more power means larger battery packs and larger motors as well. If you have to use one of these heavy cordless power tools all day, you will feel like you have done an intensive workout. Because this is a superior product, you can expect to pay a superior price for it as well. While you will see sales for the combo packs available in store ads, you may notice that these are the lighter weight tools. They will perform the work desired in most situation, but for the really heavy duty applications the heavy duty power tools will command a heavy duty price tag. Dave Markel is the author of "The All Wood Working Journal". He has helped hundreds of individuals improve their wood working skills. Visit his site athttp://all-wood-working-plans.com 1361 Introduction: This tutorial assumes that you know how to safely operate your power tools. Always refer to the manufacturer instructions if you are unsure how to use your tools. Any wood worker needs to take a board from the lumber yard or their local sawyer and make this board a uniform thickness, length and width. This board needs to have all four edges square to each other. This is referred to a milling a board four square and is a pre-requisite to any wood working project. This is best accomplished by using a jointer, thickness planer, miter and circular saws and a table saw. In this example we will mill a board 30 x 4-1/2 x 5/8 with all for edges square to each other. Step 1: Rough cut your stock Rough cut your stock to 30-3/4 x 4-3/4 and maintain the same overall thickness. Start by selecting a piece of stock larger then your finished size (obviously) and use a framing square to square off one end of the board. Be sure the end isn't checked (cracked) and if it is square the board off just beyond where the cracks end. Make the cut using a circular saw being careful to make a fairly square cut. Now measure 30-3/4, the rough length, and square off the board using your framing square. and make the second cut the same way you made the first. Be careful to cut on the waste side of the line. Step 2: Rip to rough width The table saw is the best tool for this cut. Set the rip fence so it is 4-3/4 from the blade and set the height of the blade so the gullet of the teeth are the same height as the stock. Following the directions included with your table saw start the blade and make the cut, being sure to use a push stick. Step 3: Truing one face Now that your piece of stock is the rough size needed it is time to true up one face. This is best accomplished with the jointer. As always with the jointer it is advisable now to take more than 1/16 per pass. Taking more wood per pass will overwork the machine and give results that are less than optimal. Analyze the board to determine the direction of the grain and whether there is cupping. It is best to place the cupped face down since it will site better on the jointer table. Run the board through for a couple of passes until you have a uniform face free of voids and dips. Step 4: Truing the second face The thickness planer is by far the best tool to accomplish this. On the jointer it is simple to get the second face true but it is quite difficult to get it parallel to the first. The thickness planer guides the board and makes the second face exactly parallel to the first. Once the second face is true and parallel to the first continue to plane the board until it reaches the finished thickness, in this case 5/8. Remember to feed the stock with the grain to ensure a smooth clean cut. Step 5: Square one edge Back to the jointer for this step. Set the jointer fence so it is exactly 90 degrees to the table and be sure the cutting depth is set to 1/16. Determine the direction of the grain and place on face against the jointer fence and make a pass through the cutter applying steady pressure against the fence. Once you are satisfied that the edge and face are square to each other mark the edge for reference. Step 6: Square the other edge Now that you have one edge prepared it is back to the table saw to rip the board to width. Set the fence 4-9/16 (1/16 larger then needed). With the marked edge against the table saw fence rip the board. Now return to the jointer and make one final pass, milling the new sawn edge. Be sure that the jointer is set to 1/16. Step 7: Squaing the ends I prefer to use a table saw to square the end and cut the board to length although a table saw with a miter gauge will work as well. Check that your miter saw is cutting a true 90 degrees and when you are sure it is trim one end of the board, taking as little off as possible. Now measure the finished width of 30 and make the cut taking care to cut on the waste side of the line. Conclusion: You should now have a board that is 30 x 4-1/2 x 5/8 with all four sides square to one another. There are a number of methods that will work for milling a board square, however I have always had good luck using this method. About the AuthorDave Markel is the author of The All Wood Working Journal. He has helped hundreds of individuals improve their wood working skills. Visit his site at http://www.aaarticles.com/article.php?id=9308 | ||||||||||||||||||||
