Working with resistant materials is every day for the 4.4 million people that work in manufacturing and construction. Everyone, though, must start somewhere. Whether you are an aspiring tradesperson, a budding apprentice or simply a hobbyist hoping to develop your practice in a home workshop, you may be hoping to learn a little more about materials and how to approach them. Let the following serve as a helpful primer.
Woodwork
Wood is a ubiquitous working material for a number of reasons. Wood is abundant, (relatively) inexpensive, and generally easy to manipulate or otherwise work with. As a result, there are a great many tools designed to work it – from essential hand tools to complex machines.
Every workshop should have a range of chisels, rasps and files for removing material from wood; handsaws of varying sizes and tooth densities should also be on hand, from small coping saws for fine edge control to large wood saws for hacking planks to size. As far as powered tools are concerned, turning tools like the lathe are indispensable. Similarly, a pillar drill is vital for plunging precise holes into projects.
Metalwork
Metal, being a far more durable material, will not yield as easily as standard tools designed with carpentry in mind. Metal needs to be worked by a more rigid metal, meaning metalworking tools must be more complex than steel or aluminium – the most common metals with which to work. Tungsten is a common material choice, and cutting bits are commonly stippled with diamond or corundum, too. Metal is machined via metalworking lathes and pillar drills, as well as CNC machines and laser cutters.
Masonry
Masonry work can be challenging for the layperson; masons are a product of considerable learning and experience, whereas stone can be a fickle and pernicious material to work accurately. Destroying stone is simple enough, thanks to the invention of hydraulic tools like the piledriver; working with stone is another thing entirely. Masons will use powerful hammer drills like the Milwaukee SDS to bore holes into stonework; masons will usually use hand tools to work stones carefully. Tungsten hammers, chisels and picks are ideal.
Plastics
Plastic is a relatively recent material invention – at least when set against wood and metal. Many plastics can be approached with tools similar to those used for wood and metal, though excess heat can deform them. As such, fast or high-torque cutting tools are not advised in case of friction causing heat.
Of course, in some specific cases, the application of heat is an ideal route to cut or deform plastics properly properly. One use case would be the cutting of Styrofoam, wherein hot wire cutters can be used to create complex cuts and forms without ‘feathering’ the edge of the material. Some plastics are thermoplastics, wherein their qualities change when exposed to heat; a heat gun can be helpful in manipulating these plastics without damaging other parts of a build or project.
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