In August 2024 I did a course on Machine Maintenance at the Centre, which is located at Wakapuaka, about 10 km east of Nelson. I had done two other courses there in the past, but this one was a little different – not woodworking as such but instruction on getting the best out of the machines.
There were just four of us on the course, led by tutor Tony Clark who over two days instructed us on four machines: table saw, bandsaw, jointer and thicknesser. I have all of these in my workshop, and I was keen learn more about their use and maintenance. Tony had been the tutor on the previous course I did at the Centre, on Router Techniques.
You learn a lot about these machines just by using them, but in a course like this you tend to learn lots of little things. I knew how to change a bandsaw blade, for instance, but how do you set it so that it doesn’t drift when you try to do a straight cut? Answer: this is how you check the blade to make sure it is set straight. Do you know how to twist a blade into a triple loop for easy handling? (Yes, I did know that) Or the table saw - changing the blade is pretty straightforward, but are you sure it cuts precisely square? Here is how you can check that.
The jointer and the thicknesser have blades that lose their edge from time to time.
Sharpening is not something you can do yourself, but you can remove them and send them off to be sharpened. Then you need to reinstall them, but setting them at the right height is a bit tricky. But there is a procedure to follow and it’s not too difficult – just takes a little time.
As well as learning a bit more to help me get the best out of my machines, I think I can now make better decisions about whether a fault is something I can fix or is serious enough for me to call in the experts. There is always more to be learnt, of course, but learning more about your tools is always worthwhile.
The Centre for Fine Woodworking runs a variety of courses, throughout the year. A course there can be a great little holiday, really. There is a lot of information on their website www.cfw.co.nz
Warwick Smith
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