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While it will enable the home craftsman
to do these jobs, if he acquires the various attachments, the power
hand drill is in no sense a complete substitute for the proper equipment
designed specifically to do a particular job and no other, nor is it good
For prolonged strains during extensive use. Power tools do best the job
for which they are designed. In this instance, power drills are made
primarily for drilling holes of sizes up to the limit which the chuck will
admit (usually 1/4-inch). Any other work done by attachments must be
considered extra functions to be performed as well as their capacities
and your skill will permit, and nothing should be demanded beyond the
capabilities of such a tool.
PORTABLE SANDER: Another great boon to the woodworker is the
powered portable sander. Two major types are offered. One is a belt
sander having a continuous belt of sandpaper driven horizontally, the
upper part of the belt riding within the housing of the tool; the lower
just below the bottom of the housing. The other type operates by means
of short strokes of a flat piece of sandpaper clamped on a padded bottom
slate of the machine. Both have their advantages. The continuous belt
type is excellent for quick, rough sanding and for most finishing when
an extremely fine grade of sandpaper is used, but some craftsmen find
this a more tiring tool to use than the flat-bed type. This latter may also
be used with good effect for either heavy duty or fine finishing, derending upon the grade of sandpaper used, the weight of the mashine, and also the efficiency of the particular model.
Heavy-weight stationary sanders which are attachable to benches or
power tool stands are also available, but since they are not needed for
he work shown in this book they will not be discussed here.
CIRCULAR HAND SAW: For cutting plywood and other large sheets of
board, sawing 2-inch stock for rafters and joists, as well as for many
other uses, a 1/2- to 11/2-horsepower portable hand saw is most convenient.
It can be used to build fences or for other outdoor work right on the
spot, preventing the laborious toting back and forth necessary if a
stationary bench saw is used, and saving endless muscle strain and manhours over manually operated hand saws. The circular blades are similar
to those used on bench saws (see descriptions of all types of blades
under Bench Saws a few pages along in this chapter). In the better type
of portable saw, the blade is adjustable to various depths and angles
of cutting.
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