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The larger sizes made for professionals have
as many as six spirit bubbles in glasses set into the body of the level,
although the standard ones usually have but three. Sometimes you
will find levels with the spirit bubbles adjustable to a 45° angle, which
you may find an advantage in some projects. The main advantage in
having the maximum number of bubbles is that, whichever way you
may pick up the level, it is ready for use without having to be turned
over as will be the case with those having only one or three bubbles.
A ripsaw may be placed very near the top of your priority list
instead of at the end, as we have placed it, if you are planning a
good deal of sawing with the grain of the wood. It is, as its name implies, a saw which rips quickly through wood. It is not recommended
for sawing plywood, plasterboard, or hardboard because its chisel-like
teeth will tear or splinter them rather than make the good smooth cut
possible with a crosscut saw. But for quickly ripping the length of other
boards it is unexcelled. Keep it sharp for best results.
. . . other tools for enthusiasts
For those readers planning to make woodworking their main hobby,
we commend the theory that the right tool at hand when needed will
shorten and make easier any job. For them we present the following
suggestions, knowing that some of the tools may become necessities,
depending upon the kind of work planned.
A good miter box of metal with a saw carriage or guide rigid enough
to guarantee accurate cutting is a good investment. For those not so
loaded with ambition-or money-a hardwood miter box slotted with
450- and go°-angle cuts will suffice. A good miter box saw (frequently
sold as a "back saw") will be necessary for use with either miter box.
Keep its fine crosscut teeth sharp for accurate cutting.
A spoke shave is helpful for planing down convex or concave surfaces
of wood edges, while a drawknife will rough out and quickly cut to approximate shape all manner of curved and uneven shapes. It is operated
by grasping both handles and drawing it toward you across the wood,
which should be firmly clamped in the vise. A keyhole saw or a compass
saw will cut wood on a curved line, too, the point of the saw being inserted in a hole bored alongside the line of the cut. Hack saws for cutting
metal and coping saws for jig saw work are also useful appurtenances in
the home workshop. A #2 or #1 half-hatchet is good for certain chopping work. (Hatchets have a nail-driving head, while axes do not.)
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