Wood types, tools and machines in the joinery
The materials the hand tools and machines you need to know to work precisely and safely with wood
Wood is a living material that works with moisture and temperature. If you understand that, and know your tools, you can plan the work so it holds. This is what you meet in the workshop.
§Solid wood and its properties
Solid wood is roughly divided into hardwood (such as oak beech ash and maple) and softwood (such as fir and spruce). Hardwood is often harder and more durable and is used for furniture; softwood is softer and easier to work. All solid wood expands and contracts with moisture — mostly across the grain. You need to account for this when assembling.
§Sheet material
Veneer, particleboard, MDF and plywood are more stable than solid wood because they are built up from layers or particles. They move less with moisture and come in large sheets. For many pieces of furniture a combination is used: a stable board core with real veneer on top so it looks like solid wood without the same movement.
§Hand tools
Although machines take up space hand tools are still at the heart of the trade: planing chisel fish tail angle try square and clamp. A sharp chisel and a correctly adjusted plane make the difference between a coarse and a fine result. Sharpening and fitting your hand tools is a skill in itself.
§The machines come to the workshop
The key machines are surface planers (giving a flat surface and edge), thickness planers (planing to even thickness), circular saws and cut-off saws (cutting to size), band saws (curves and cutouts) and routers (joints and profiles). Each machine has its purpose, and each has its own safety rules. The CNC router can cut complex parts from a digital drawing.
§Glue, hardware and surface products
Beyond the wood itself you use glue (typically white wood glue for joints) fittings screws and hinges as well as surface products such as oil lacquer wax and wood stain. Choosing the right glue and surface for the job is part of the craft — it determines both durability and appearance.
§When tool and material work together
Skilled craftsmanship is about matching material, tool, and method. Hard hardwood requires sharp tools and slower advancement; a veneer layer does not tolerate the same treatment as solid wood. The better you know both, the fewer mistakes and wasted material.
“Know your wood, know your tools — then you know in advance how the cut will be.”
— Professional view on material and tools.