Hand Tool Woodworking Myths Exposed!

Polmac (UK) Ltd manufactures custom-made, wood presentation boxes and packaging using traditional woodcraft techniques and semi-automated methods of production.

This means we use hand tools as well as power tools when manufacturing our wooden boxes. But why use hand tools when we have all these amazing, ultra-modern, fast, efficient power tools available to us? Well, when analyzed much of what has been said and written about hand tools are myths.

The first myth is that hand tools are slow and inefficient but the truth is that it's often the person who's slow and inefficient and not the tool. Hand tools have always been designed to be used quickly and efficiently but you need to pick the right tool for the job and use it correctly. 

Nailing A Metal Catch Using A Hammer

Polmac (UK) Ltd comes from a craft background, so Polmac craftsmen are expert in the use of traditional hand tools, that provide a degree of quality that power tools cannot match.

Both hand tools and power tools are very quick if used as they are designed to be. Once you understand what the tool is for and practice using it until it becomes second nature, then you'll work quickly and efficiently every time.

The second myth is that hand tools are less precise than power tools but this is simply untrue. A hand plane for example can remove wood to fractions of a millimetre and this kind of precision is something power tools again simply cannot match.

Furthermore, using a hand plane means you don't have to sand the surface to provide a smooth, even finish. With a power planer you invariably do, so the hand tool saves you time.

It's also important to realize that using hand tools doesn't need to be entirely freehand. There are many jigs and appliances available that can help to steady and guide hand tools. Many of these you can build  yourself, for particular kinds of work that you undertake regularly.

Another myth states that hand tools are unsuitable for complicated work. The truth is that hand tools often free you from using complex jig arrangements that are time-consuming to set up.

For example, if you want to cut a joint at a complicated angle it could take ages to set up on a jig. However, using a hand tool means you just need to mark out the joint and cut it - it's that simple!

To obtain the maximum benefit from using hand tools, the first priority is to discover precisely what they should be used for. It is true that power tools are fast and efficient and save you time but hand tools can too, if used properly!

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Promotional Products: The Marketing Evolution!

Promotional products are generally inexpensive useful and / or fun items with the company's name, logo, message or offer imprinted on them and are often given away free. This form of marketing is sometimes called 'speciality advertising'.

A wide range of promotional products are manufactured today, including calendars, mugs, t-shirts, pens, coasters, key rings etc. The list comprises literally 1000's of products and if you look around your office, or home you'll probably find one.

With the advent of the Internet and social media, promotional products are often overlooked as part of a business marketing campaign. However, it's been shown that an effective promotional product campaign can boost a company's good will standing with it's customers by as much as 52%!

Smart marketers realize that promotional products can be very effective in reaching a specific target audience, which is one of the key objectives of marketing, whether online or offline.

 

Polmac (UK) Ltd Promotional Playing Card Boxes

Promotional products are designed to be useful, or fun because the goal is to keep them and the branding they represent in front of the customer/ prospect for as long as possible.

Promotional products work on the principle that if you give someone a gift, they'll feel the need to give something back in return. This could be customer loyalty, repeat business, testimonials and recommendations to other businesses.

The best promotional products are those that allow the customer/ prospect to interact with the item. Puzzles and playing cards are a good example of promotional products that allow good interaction.

Promotional products are often given away free at trade shows to draw people in and increase excitement and effectiveness.

Polmac (UK) Ltd supplies, custom made, wood presentation boxes including promotional boxes for a wide range of marketing products. They're beautifully made, versatile and terrific value, which means they help boost product sales!

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Hessian: The Fabric That Goes Marching On!

Hessian is a woven fabric, that's usually made from the fibres of the jute plant. However, sisal fibres may also be used, or combined with other vegetable fibres to make rope, nets, and other similar products. In the USA and Canada hessian is called 'burlap'.

The Jute Plant

Hessian has always been a coarse fabric but today it's being produced as a more refined material to make bags, rugs and other products and is known simply as jute. Because it's an eco-friendly material, it's becoming more popular.

It's not know exactly where the word 'burlap' came from but it's thought it could mean 'coarse piece of cloth', or something similar. The name 'hessian' however, comes from the uniforms of German soldiers who came from Hesse and were known as 'Hessians'.

Jute Fibres Drying In The Sun

Hessian has many uses including bags and sacks, known as 'gunny bags, that were used to ship goods such as tea and coffee.

Hessian is also used to wrap the exposed roots when transplanting trees and shrubs and to prevent soil erosion on steep slopes.

Hessian is rarely used today to make clothes but it was used in the past, in Christian communities, where individuals wore a "sackcloth" on Ash Wednesday, as a kind of 'penitence'.

Bunnahabhain Whisky Box With Hessian Fabric Lining

Hessian has been used by many artists in the past as a stretched surface for painting and in the 1968 Georgie Fame song 'The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde', there is a line that reads '...while Bonnie loaded dollars into the burlap bag'.

Polmac (UK) Ltd uses hessian fabrics extensively to line their custom made, wood presentation boxes, promotional boxes and gift boxes, where a more traditional, rustic quality is desired.

The hessian fabric is applied flat on the base and sides of our wooden boxes, or on moulded inserts, to the shape of the product/ s to be accommodated.

The lids are also lined with hessian fabric, on a foam base, to provide additional protection for the wood boxes inside, against impact damage in transit.

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Screen Printing: A Printing Technique That's As Smooth As Silk!

Polmac (UK) Ltd uses a number of printing techniques, including screen printing, to print logos and text onto it's custom made wood presentation boxes, promotional boxes and gift boxes, when a more personalized finish is required.

Screen Printing: Using a Squeegee

Screen printing is a traditional ink printing technique, also known as silkscreen, serigraphy and serigraph that was developed in China about 2000 years ago. The Chinese used human hair stretched across a wooden frame as the screen and stencils made from leaves that were stuck together.

The process however was soon adopted by the Japanese and they used woven silk rather than human hair for the screen and various lacquers to make the stencils. It was in Japan that the name silk screen printing was derived.

Today, the design, or image is applied to a fine mesh screen usually made from synthetic polyester, with the blank areas coated in an impermeable substance.

Once set up, a 'fill blade' or 'squeegee' is moved by hand across the screen 'stencil' to force the ink through the openings in the mesh to the substrate below. 

The stencil openings determine what the printed image below will look like. The pressure of the squeegee stroke forces the screen down and as it recovers, the ink is left on the substrate.

Screen printing has always been popular for printing posters, signs and general stationery. However, there are now many other uses such as printing cd covers, t-shirts, vinyl labels and of course printing onto wooden boxes.

In screen printing, only one colour can be printed at a time, so several screens are needed to produce an image or design that has multi colours.

Screen printing has developed rapidly over the years. The basic technique remains the same but with innovation and the introduction of computers, it is barely recognizable as the technique the Chinese invented all those years ago.

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