Mechanical woodworking - Transformation operations without cutting tools

Woodworking has always been carried out with sharp tools. Sophisticated tools were already in use in Egypt in the time of the Pharaohs. Of course, these tools have evolved considerably, as machines have improved to replace the hand. These tools, which can be described as "classic", with metal teeth that loosen swarf, will continue to exist to the great satisfaction of their users.

In addition to these cutting and chipping methods, the ability of wood to deform permanently has also been used for a very long time. Ribs and other bent parts used in shipbuilding bear witness to this. But very recently, a few decades ago, wood-cutting methods such as lasers and pressurized water jets emerged as a result of twentieth-century discoveries.

Even if these latest processing methods have no ambition to dethrone conventional cutting tools, it's nonetheless worth knowing about their existence and applications, because although they've only recently come into use in the world of woodworking, they're already providing appreciable services in very specific cases.