The table saw is the central tool of most workshops, using a circular blade rising through a flat table to make straight cuts. The width of material removed by the blade is the kerf, which affects layout measurements. Cuts run either with the grain (rip cuts) or across the grain (cross cuts), and blades are matched to the task: rip blades have fewer, larger teeth for cutting along the grain, while crosscut blades have finer teeth for clean cuts across it. A combination blade is a general-purpose compromise. TPI, or teeth per inch, is a useful guide, with lower TPI for ripping and higher TPI for crosscuts.
The miter saw excels at crosscuts and angled cuts, and a compound miter saw tilts as well as rotates for compound angles. A sliding miter saw adds the ability to move forward, cutting wider stock. The band saw carries a continuous blade between two wheels and is suited to curves and to resawing, the process of cutting a board into thinner pieces along its width. A router uses a spinning bit to shape wood for joinery, edge profiles, and decorative work, and can be mounted in a router table for controlled, hands-free cuts. Bit diameter dictates speed, with larger bits running slower and smaller bits faster. A drill press delivers precise, perpendicular holes, while a lathe spins wood so the turner can shape it with chisels into bowls, spindles, pens, and table legs.
Hand tools offer a quieter, more controlled, and traditional approach. A hand plane uses an adjustable blade to shave wood smooth, and comes in several types: the short smoothing plane for finishing surfaces, the long jointer plane for flattening long boards, the versatile jack plane, the small block plane, and the aggressive scrub plane for rapid stock removal. A typical chisel set centers on quarter, half, three-quarter, and one inch sizes, with a stout mortise chisel designed specifically for chopping mortises. Hand saws divide into Western push saws and Japanese pull saws, with specialties like the thin, fine-toothed dovetail saw for joinery, the medium tenon saw for cutting tenons, and the thin-bladed coping saw for curves. Japanese saws include the two-edged ryoba, the back-supported dozuki, and the single-edge kataba. Sharp tools are safer than dull ones, since a dull edge requires more force and is more likely to slip. Sharpening systems include waterstones, oilstones, diamond plates, and sandpaper on glass, used through a progression of coarse to fine grits and finished with a leather strop charged with polishing compound. Typical sharpening angles run 25 to 30 degrees for chisels and plane blades.
Accurate work depends on precise marking and measuring. A marking knife scores exact lines more crisply than a pencil, and a marking gauge scribes parallel lines from a reference edge. Squares verify and mark 90-degree relationships: a try square is fixed-angle, while a combination square is adjustable and serves many purposes. The woodworker's rule to measure twice and cut once acknowledges that mistakes are costly; a sarcastic counter-formula, "measure once, cut twice," is a reminder of the consequences of carelessness.