Machinery and Tools
To make quilts in wood, you will need a variety of tools, both large and small. Over nearly 50 years, I have accumulated enough to have a pretty well-equipped workshop, and I use most of them every day. However, do not be discouraged, most of the tools I use are common in the shop of any serious wood-worker, and many casual weekenders as well.
For those who do not have all these tools, there are some work-arounds, and we’ll talk about those, too. But for now, let’s look at the tools I use, and some of the ways they help in wooden quilt-making.
I’m working on a page for each tool, so I hope you come back to see the details. When those pages are complete, you will be able to click on a link for each tool to see a more complete description of each and its use.
Table Saw:
For years I used an old Grizzly saw, but it was getting pretty worn. I had used it for more than 20 years, and it wasn’t an expensive saw to start with. I even had new arbor bearings to put in it. I had been able to get by with using it by lubricating the old bearings, but it was definitely dying. So recently, I replaced it with a Laguna F2 saw. I must say, I love it, though–as of this writing–I have only been using it for a few weeks.
I think, for making quilts in wood, just about any table saw will do, if it runs at all accurately. You should use a very good blade, however. If you are going to try to cut your little pieces on your table saw, that might be a different matter. (We’ll get into that on the page about table saw usage, which I hope to post soon.)
(This picture is from the Laguna website.)
The most important tool, to me, is my radial arm saw. I bought mine in 1976, when radial arm saws were at about the height of their popularity. I know of several others of my generation who also have radial arm saws. However, these saws have fallen out of popularity, almost out of sight. I found an interesting article at Rocker.com about them. “Are radial arms a thing of the past?” It’s worth reading, but much of it is about the more modern sliding radial arm miter saw.
Now I recognize the problems of the older radial arm saws. (The major problem seems to be keeping the saw in adjustment. Others seem to me to be caused by operators who are not familiar with the distinct characteristics of the say, and thus misuse it.) I have personally encountered many of those problems. I built two kitchens with mine before I ever owned a table saw. But I also know of no other tool that will let me do what I do.
Jointer:
You’ll need some way to make sure you have one clean straight edge to your piece before you make your other cuts. A jointer is the best way to get that. Although, if you use good quality hardwood from a lumber supplier, you may be able to work with the straight edges of the original piece.
Planer (sometimes called a Thickness Planer):
If you buy any of your wood from a sawmill, you will need a planer. If you get it all from a lumber yard, you may not. I have worn out one planer, a Grizzly that I used for about 15 years. I had to replace it when they no longer provided replacement parts for that model. I now have a DeWalt two-speed, which I like, but if you have one you will need a good dust collection system. (See the details here and you will see why.)
I use my big belt sander when I build boxes, to sand the corner joints flush. Before I bought a drum sander, I used it to sand my patterns flush. But I will admit, that’s hard to do with a belt sander. It’s not easy to avoid gouging something, or taking too much off.