Grantley Adams Memorial School

CVQ Level 1 Furniture Making

Portable Power Hand Tools Notes

Portable power hand tools are used to make work faster, save time and make
work easer. Since safety in the use of machines and tools is essential, the
following safety precautions should be observed whenever you are using portable
power hand tools:

 Seek permission from your instructor before you use any portable power
tool
 Do not use any power tool unless you have had the proper instruction in its
use
 Check each part of the tool and tighten any loose parts before you start to
use the tool
 Always use the correct tool for the work to be done
 Disconnect from the supply point before making any adjustments
 Never drag the tool around by the cable
 Only ever use sharp cutters and saws: dull cutters and saws cause accidents
 Allow the tool to obtain its maximum speed before applying it to job
 Always make sure that the trigger switch is in the ‘off’ position before
placing the plug in the sockets
 Wear protective clothing and the correct safety protection

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Here are the different types of portable power hand tools used in furniture
making and their use.

Saws

The circular saw is a power-driven rotary

cutting tool with toothed, circular blade that
revolves at an ardor speed of 3200 to
4600nrevolutions per minute (rpm). It is a
handy piece of equipment suitable for
construction work. It is principally used for
cutting boards to length and width and
for making angular cuts.

The jig saw is used for cutting patterns in

wood. This has been made possible due to its
variable-speed adjustments and the range of variable
blades.

Routers

Routers have become a joinery workhorse because of their

versatility. They can be guided by a bearing-mounted bit,
an integral fence mounted to the router, or a fence clamped
onto the workpiece or a router table. Router can be used
with templates or jigs to align the cut. They can even be

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used freehand to aid your joinery work. Learn to guide them successfully and
there is little joinery work they cannot accomplish.

Biscuit Joiners

The biscuit joiner is used for cutting biscuit slots

for joining two pieces of wood together.

Drills

Drills are used to do boring work quickly and

drive screws in to projects. Drills can be corded or
cordless and can be used according to the job that is being
done.

Electric Planes

The electric plane is used for planning wooden surface

and edges smooth and true in a similar manner to the
hand plane, but with less effort and time.

Sanders

There are three basic types of sanders which are the belt sander, disc sander
and the finishing sander.

Belt sander

The belt sander is used for flush or regular

sanding.

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The Disc Sander

The disc sander or palm sander is principally on flat

surfaces for finish sanding. It is very handy and it gave
you an excellence finish.

The Finish Sander

The finish sander is used for finish sand any project.

Nailer

The Nailer is used to fix two pieces of wood together or to

do any small nailing jobs in the woodwork shop.

Safety precautions that should be observed when using portable

power hand tools:

 Seek permission from your instructor before you use any portable power
tool.
 Do not use any power tool unless you have hand proper instructions in its
use.

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 Always use the correct too for the work to be done.
 Disconnect from the power supply before making any adjustment to the
tool.
 Never drag the tool around by the cord.
 Allow the tool to obtain its maximum speed before applying it to the job.
 Wear safety protection at all times when using a power hand tool.