How tools actually work, and how to choose one
A riving knife is the thin, curved metal plate fitted directly behind a table saw blade, rising and falling with it. Its job is to hold the freshly cut kerf open so the timber cannot pinch the blade from behind. Without it, a saw has no protection against the most common cause of kickback. What … Read more
Workshop humidity rusts unprotected steel tools by letting moisture condense on their surfaces, and it makes timber swell, shrink, cup or twist as wood fibres absorb or release water. Both effects are slow, mostly avoidable, and worse in workshops that are unheated, poorly ventilated, or built onto a damp floor. Why does humidity affect tools … Read more
A sacrificial fence is a length of wood (or sometimes plastic) clamped, screwed or bolted to a tool’s actual fence so that the blade, bit or cutter can safely run close to it, into it, or through it without touching the tool’s real metal fence. When it wears out or gets chewed up, you replace … Read more
A bench hook is a simple flat board with a stop on one end and a lip underneath at the other, used to hold small workpieces steady on a workbench while sawing or planing by hand. It hooks over the bench edge, braces against hand pressure, and keeps fingers well clear of the cutting line. … Read more
A featherboard is a spring-fingered jig that presses a workpiece firmly and consistently against a fence or table as it feeds through a cut. It keeps the stock tracking straight, stops it drifting or lifting, and lets you guide the wood from a position further from the blade. What Does a Featherboard Actually Do? A … Read more
A mitre gauge is a sliding guide that fits into the slot on a table saw or band saw table. It holds the workpiece at a set angle to the blade so the operator can push the work through for a clean, repeatable crosscut or angled cut, instead of freehanding the piece against the blade. … Read more
Fine dust is the portion of wood or material dust small enough to stay suspended in air and reach deep into the lungs, rather than settling out like sawdust. It matters more because sawdust is visible and mostly harmless if swept up, while fine dust is invisible, breathable, and linked to long-term respiratory harm. What … Read more
Clamp types differ mainly in three things: how much force they apply, how evenly that force spreads across a joint, and how fast they go on and off. An F-clamp favours reach and speed, a pipe clamp favours long glue-ups, a C-clamp favours raw squeeze in a small footprint, and a parallel-jaw clamp favours even … Read more
A moisture meter tells you roughly how much water is held inside a piece of wood at the moment you test it, expressed as a percentage of the wood’s dry weight. It does not tell you whether that level is stable, whether it will change, or whether the wood is safe to build with — … Read more
A marking gauge is a hand tool that scores a thin, consistent line parallel to an edge of a workpiece, using a pin, wheel or knife locked at a fixed distance. Unlike a pencil, it produces a physical groove that a saw or chisel can register against, and it holds the same distance every time … Read more
About what you read here. Everything on Find Tool is general information and our own editorial opinion. We research carefully and we say when the evidence is unclear, but we can be wrong, things change, and no article can know your particular situation. Please do your own research and make your own judgement rather than treating anything here as the final word. Prices, products and specifications around tools and workshop equipment change constantly, and what suits one person will not suit another. Check current details yourself, and where a decision involves real money, safety or something you cannot undo, it is worth confirming with the manufacturer, or a qualified electrician or tradesperson before you act.