AROUND HOME : Woodworking Tools
WHEN ASKED TO describe the distinguishing characteristics of fine woodworking tools, cabinetmakers, furniture craftsmen, artists and wood carvers always choose the same word: quality. To a person, they all agree that they can’t stint on quality for their specialized purposes.
Finding the right tool is not an easy task. There are many stores in Southern California that carry tools, but few of them offer professional-quality equipment. Most pros seek out and patronize the same shops--often industrial supply houses--or buy from one of the country’s mail-order outfits.
And, like the old saw says, you get what you pay for. An average-quality 3/4-inch chisel, for example, cost about $8; a top-quality version goes for about $15. The difference: “You’re paying for the edge (sharpness) retention,” says Mike Roten, manager of the Woodworker’s Store in San Diego. “The better chisel will be made of Sheffield steel from England; it will hold its edge longer at the proper degree of metal hardness.”
Like that chisel, most of the better quality tools are made in Europe. Bosch and AEG of West Germany are leaders in the field. Another industry star is INCA of Switzerland; its line of band saws are considered to be the premier woodworking tool in the world--the 20-inch model costs about $1,500, without the blade.
Does that mean that everyone needs to take out a second mortgage to try their hand at fine woodworking? Not at all. The advice from the pros for the amateur enthusiast is to take it slowly, and consider your needs before you buy. A wood carver won’t have much use for a biscuit joiner (to assemble wood joints) but needs to know the differences in chisels, clamps and hardware; a furniture maker might not need a set of gouges but couldn’t function without a router or crosscut saw.
The right woodworking tool can only enhance the already pleasurable experience of shaping a piece of wood into an object of usefulness and beauty. The work will seem less like labor, more like fun. For most woodworkers, that is reason enough to seek out the best.
Woodworking tools are available from the following companies.
John King Co. in Pasadena ( sells power tools only ); Constantines Wood Products in Lawndale ( also offers woodworking classes ); Woodworker’s Store in San Diego ( also has woodworking classes planned for fall ) . Mail order telephone number is (612) 428-2199 . Other mail-order outlets include:
Tools on Sale, 216 W. 7th St., St. Paul Minn. 55102 (800) 328-0457, free 595-page catalogue.
Craftsman Wood Service, 1735 W. Cortland Court, Addison, Ill. 60101, free catalogue.
Leichtung Workshops, Dept. 103, 4944 Commerce Parkway, Cleveland, Ohio 44128, free catalogue.
Garrett Wade Co., 161 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y. 10013; telephone (800) 221-1757. The catalogue is $4, free with order (a glossy color book packed with information, well worth the money) .