Tools For A New Woodworker? – Question of the Week
This week’s question comes from Allan who writes:  I am interested in woodworking but scared of buying a crap ton of tools and sucking at it. Can you please tell me what I should buy to get started? Thanks.
And here is my response:
When you are getting started, tool-buying decisions can be very daunting. To make matters worse, this is the worst possible time to buy your tools. You are just now learning about different aspects of the craft and your personal preferences, how can you be expected to know which tools to buy?!?! Not to mention if you decide you don’t really like woodworking, you don’t want to deal with the hassle of selling all of these recently purchased tools (although I have gotten some great deals this way, haha). So there are a few things I recommend doing. The first is to take classes. In a class setting, you will get some hands on time. This will not only tell you what tools you will need/want, but will also tell you what aspects of woodworking you really enjoy. Some folks like making big cabinets, so they need bigger tools to get the job done. Other folks fall in love with turning, scrolling, or intarsia, all of which require a smaller set of tools. And still others decide they want to go the non-power tool route and use hand planes and chisels for all of their work. So purchasing anything real expensive at this point would probably be inadvisable. Find a local woodworking store, or better yet a college or institution that gives woodworking classes. Knowing what you want to make and what tools are required to make them is the first step in coming up with a purchase plan that is appropriate for you.
I know that advice is a little abstract, but its advice I wish I had when I first started. Could have saved me lots of money. I would be more than happy to help you with specific tool choices as you progress.
***** Now I know you guys have some concrete suggestions for someone just starting out. Let’s here ‘em! *****
Great reference articles from FineWoodworking.com:
Getting Started in Woodworking – Check out Video #2
Soup Up a Flea Market Chisel
Evaluating Low Cost Chisels
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OK first of all there are a few power tools that i believe (my opinion) the MOST woodworkers can use in their craft. Hand tools are another issue, i am speaking power tools.
1. A half decent table saw (now for starters, i am not saying a 3000 dollar table saw, but maybe a mid priced unit, depending on space and cost) maybe the RIDGID portable
2. A router: a minimum 2.25 Horse power combo kit. A kit that comes with both a fixed base and plunge base. The best you can get in this area is the BOSCH 1617EVS. Man is that nice. I have the RIDGID router combo and i am very happy with it. More so than my BOSCH 1617evs. YOu can get a nice router table for the fixed base!
3. A thinkness planer. A very useful and handy tool for thicknessing rough lumber. Planing rough lumber vs. pre surfaced saved money.
Other than that more people wil give great advice.
Lates
Allan, I’m still relatively new to woodworking. Most of my tool were purchased to do remodeling. I would advise to figure out something you would like to build and then buy what you need for that particular project. You may want to look at sites like lumberjocks, where you can peruse many different people’s projects. Go back and check out all the episode on this site, go to http://thewoodwhisperernetwork.com/ and check out those blogs. You might get a better idea of what particular type of woodworking you’d enjoy, be it with power or hand tools.
Either way, make sure to enjoy yourself.
A good thing to do is not get caught up in religious conversations about yellow tools being better than blue tools than florescent green jell-O tools, etc.
I’d suggest visiting as many of the local hardwood dealers in your area since they will be your supplier regardless your tool choice. For example, in my area, one has decent prices and selection, but the wood is pretty rough. Another a little further away had a decent selection (a little different though) that happens to have everything planed to 7/8″ or thicker. And the price is sometimes better than the first store. That said, if you find a decent dealer like this, you can avoid the planer for now.
Other than some small tool projects, I’d say a good circular saw and guide would be useful for a lot of dimensioning and edge jointing and panel jointing. That’s a lot of bang for the tool buck.
As for me, I will always recommend hand tools first. A few simple (and inexpensive) hand tools: chisels, a mallet, a saw or two. There. You haven’t even spent $100 and you can get started making fine furniture.
As you start building stuff, you realize that many power tools are very handy. And then you can decide which ones you’d want to buy and in what order.
In my short time in the craft, I have yet to read or hear a woodworker say that they wish they had focused more on power tools when starting off. I do, occasionally, read or hear woodworkers who lament their poor hand tools skills and how they wish they had spent more time using hand tools.
Oops, I neglected to mention a hand plane or two in your starter set.
My opinion on this subject is that tool buying can be a never ending process. there is always a bigger or better tool in the category that you are looking for.
However, the way I started was to first get the necessary tools to build my first project, and then go from there. In my case, it was to rebuild my backyard fence. this was when I got my dewalt mitre saw and 14.4V drill. My next project was my daughter’s crib, which was completed 1 year after she was born. thank goodness I had another 3 daughters after that.
anyway, the idea is to buy what you need. before making the purchase, though, do ask around and do research on that particular class of tool. the most important 2 things to realize are:
1) does this tool meet my need today?
2) If it does, how long will I take to outgrow it, if ever? The last thing you want is to spent good money on a tool, and finding out that it no longer meets your needs a year later, etc. That’s what happened when I first bought my dewalt benchtop saw for $500 and then upgraded to a delta unisaw 14 months later!
good luck
Allan,
Wow! This is all great advice. I think Marc’s suggestion to find out what you really like to do is by far the most important thing you should do before you make a big investment. Case in point; I always thought that a lathe would be the coolest thing on earth to own so I made it my first power tool purchase. Now several years later, I use it, but only when whatever project I am working on requires it. I just don’t turn as much as I imagined I would.
The only other advice I would offer is that whatever tools you do buy, think of them in the long term. Is it well built? Is it a name-brand? What sort of warranty is offered (if any)? How hard is it to get consumable parts (craftsman and a few others are notorious for making tools that require you to buy their sanding belts, blades, bits, etc.)? I can’t tell you how many times I have had ‘buyers remorse” on tools – especially power tools.
Oh, and stay away from tools that do “everything” or have a bunch of gadgets. It is my opinion that tools should be dedicated to one function only. Believe me, you don’t want a router that doubles as a can opener, a laser level, or air compressor… they’re junk!!!
Good luck!
Pete
Allan:
My advice to would-be woodworkers when it comes to this topic is there are six tools all woodworkers need if they are going to use power tools.
1) table saw
2) cordless drill
3) 5″ random orbit sander
4) Router (whatever size you are most comfortable with excluding laminate trimmers).
5) tape measure, and
6) combination square
The table saw should be one with a cast iron top. the reason for this is that everyone needs a work surface and when you are just starting this will be more than adequate for assembly of many project that are too small for the floor.
With this collection of tools you will be able to build just about anything you want and it is an excellent starting place.
Look for used table saws, do your research and you will be able to find some great deals.
I worked with this same compliment of tools for years as I was building my own shop.
Good luck.
I second Eric!
Start out with some hand tools – saws, chisels, combination square, hand planes, these will always be your best friends, and relatively come at a low cost (all can be acquired under $100 total).
On the same note- I totally disagree with everyone’s suggestion to go load up your shop with Table Saw/Router/Planer/Etc. when you just starting your journey into this world… these are relatively expensive, take a lot of space, and worst case – if you find that you’re not really connecting with it – are a pain in the butt to get rid of (mostly). best powertool to start off with when you’re not sure if you’ll like this woodworking thing ? Circular saw and an 4′-8′ Straight Edge guide (guide is about ~20 at the big stores, and a circular saw can be $100-$200). this is portable, can rip, cross cut, and is a good all-around tool to have anyways even if you end up not doing woodwork.
And as Marc suggested – try to get a taste of what woodworking is, and what you might like – without making any purchases first – at a local woodworking store (most of them are running classes of all sorts) or a local university/professional school for woodworking. it’ll give you a hands on glimpse to what woodworking would be like for you.
and get as most online info and education as you can – theres a TON of it online with 99.99% of it being really good.
Whatever tools you buy, spend the time to learn how to adjust and maintain them. A sharp chisel is a joy to use, but if you don’t know how to keep it sharp it will soon become useless. I had friends who ended up using the chisels they had as screw drivers or levels to open tins of paint because they did not have a way to sharpen them. Buy an sharpening stone and this will be enough to get going. Later you can get a grinder when hand honing a new bevel become a major undertaking. As for power tools learn how to adjust them so that the cut straight, square etc. Practically every power tool (that cuts) needs some tweaking to get it working perfectly. When I learned woodwork at school 25 years ago we did everything with hand tools, except for turning some bowls on a lathe. It makes me appreciate the time a power tool can save, but I have the groundwork to build on in terms of joinery techniques, and basic wood preparation.
Enjoy!
If you live where there is a Community College, or a supplier such as Rockler or Woodcraft, that has any kind of classes; take them. You’ll learn many things about woodworking, and chances are you’ll learn in a safe environment. Having started without training some 40+ years ago, I know I should learn from others mistakes, I sure don’t have time to make them all myself, even though I’ve tried.
Lot of good advice here… Here’s my 2¢.
Pick a project that you want to do that’s not too difficult. Then, think about how you want to do it, using sites like this one, books, etc to get ideas. Then, buy the tools you need to do the project. You may need to adjust your plans to stay within your budget.
My first project was to build a set of CD shelves. I bought a router kit, a circular saw, a shop-mate work table, a shop-vac, and a half dozen clamps. Oh, and a bunch of extra wood to make jigs, cauls, backer boards, test cuts, screw-ups, etc. Worked like a charm.
There are two approaches to buying tools: buy a quality tool and never need to replace it, or buy an inexpensive tool and figure that you’ll replace it if you wind up using it. I like both approaches, depending on how confident I am that I’ll use the tool a lot, and what the price difference is between the two.
Whichever way you go, be honest with yourself up front when you make the decision. That way you don’t end up kicking yourself about “making a mistake”. Either way, it’s going according to your plan. And remember, no matter how good a tool you buy, it may get stolen, wrecked in a flood, or you may fall in love with an even better tool later on.
I’d say, before you buy a jointer or a thickness planer, do at least one project where you pay the hardwood dealer to dimension your wood for you. If that first project sits on your bench and never gets finished, then you don’t need a thickness planer and a jointer.
Good question.
I’ve had good luck with used tools. Most of the things I have I inherited from my Dad, and he bought a lot of things used (or built them himself; you should see my lathe!) You can always upgrade as you get better.
My rule for buying a tool is that I really needed it three times. Then I talk to DeAnn.
Great advice about taking classes first. I’m sure most woodworkers could have benefitted much and saved a lot of money and frustration taking this route. I’m a prime example.
My advice may sound snobbish, but it’s just my opinion based on experience. Here goes…
Power tool brands I would recommend:
- Delta
- Porter Cable
- Powermatic
- Grizzly
- Shop Fox
- Dewalt
- Makita
- Milwaukee
- JET
- Steel City
- Festool
- Bosch
Portable power tools are almost a must. This would include cordless drill, router, orbital sands and maybe even a biscuit jointer.
Once you’ve got some skills and experience under your belt from taking classes, I would save a large chunk of change and buy:
- Cabinet saw or hybrid. You can usually find nice, used examples for a good price. You can’t go wrong with a used Delta Unisaw or Powermatic PM66. (You likely won’t find a used PM 2000, but if you do, buy it!)
If you’re going to be serious about woodworking, I wouldn’t bother with a contractor saw. That’s what I bought and I still have it. If I added up all the money I spent trying to make it usable, I could have bought a nice, used Unisaw; which will be my next purchase.
- Jointer. By all means, get an 8″ jointer. An 8″ doesn’t cost much more than a 6″ and it’s so much more versatile. My very first jointer was an 8″ and I still have it. Going big here was best tool purchase decision I ever made.
- Planer. You can get a lot of use from the proverbial “lunchbox” planer. I have a Delta 13″ model which I would recommend. The DeWalt lunchbox planers are also good machines.
- Bandsaw. You can always find nice, used 14″ bandsaws for sale. These bandsaws are quite versatile and are even nice to keep around the shop when you eventually move up to a larger bandsaw. (Note that Marc has a small and large bandsaw in his shop.)
- Drill Press. A table top drill press is fine. If you can find a nice floor model on sale, go for it. But going big here isn’t essential.
- Dust collector. Don’t skip this tool! A dust collector will be the most used tool in your shop. Don’t be like me and continually turn your shop into a sawdust storm before you break down and buy a dust collector. Any of the brand names I listed above will be a good start. You don’t need cyclone right away, but you might eventually decide to upgrade.
- Air compressor. These are also often available used. Even a small example can open up a whole new world of air tools; primarily nailers and staplers.
Have fun!
again, loads of great advice already. Here’s a little more:
1) be careful when buying a cheap tool. even if you think you will only use it a couple of times, it still might not work well for the 2 or 3 times you use it. you don’t have to buy the BEST, but do your research, ask around, and look for a “quality” budget priced tool. I’ve done well with Ridgid, for example. mid priced as far as tools go, but good quality compared to PC, DeWalt, etc. and far better than B&D, Skil, and most Ryobi stuff.
2) spend as much time learning how to use and sharpen your hand tools as you spend with your power tools. Hand tools are more forgiving and can fix a number of power tool mistakes. Popular Woodworking’s “Hand Tool Essentials” book is a good place to start.
3) the biggest problem I had starting out is accuracy. things just didn’t come to gether well most of the time :) a big part of that is poor measurement tools, so make sure your combo square is good quality. The other part of it is inexperience. Learn about how to measure and mark your work properly, and pick Marc’s brain about “relative dimentioning”.
4) Read as much as possible, as well as try to find a mentor or classes. Taunton has a fantastic series of books – their “complete illustrated guides” – that are worth every penny. Start with the “complete Illustrated Guide to Woodworking” for a good overview, and then start collecting the rest of the series as your interest grows. between those books, quality woodworking magazines like Fine Woodworking and Popular Woodworking, and the plethora of online sites you’ll have plenty of knowlege to be successful. *hint* – a subscription to the Fine Woodworking online site not only has the most recent articles that they post in their magazine, but hundreds of archived articles from back into the late 70′s and early 80′s. I made the mistake of buying one of their “best of Fine Woodworking” books once, only to find that all the articles in the book were also still available on their website. And if you’re around during the day, the morning chat room regulars are full of opinions…..er,um…..advice….um, yeah – advice, that’s it ;)
Welcome to the community!
Mike
The table saw has be suggested several times already, though I’m not sure I agree. When I first started I thought that I needed a table saw. I had it in my head that if I just had one, I could do all these wonderful things!!! It was a slap in the back of the head when I realized the limitations on a table saw and what a beginner can really accomplish.
Rather than list out a bunch of tools and an explanation about each one or what to look for, I’ll direct you to this article by Chris Schwarz:
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/upload/images/ICDT_Book_Feb07_HI.pdf
(I’m bad with links so you may need to copy and paste.)
I’m sure Marc will agree that Chris is quite the authority when it comes to woodworking. This manual really helped me (and still does) when I first started buying tools. Give it a read and I promise that you will feel better about any purchase you make.
~Danny
I’m going to avoid the big question; what tools, and go with what I think is the more important comment about sucking.
None of the people you see here were born with the ability to spit out perfect woodworking projects. We all have our unevenly-nailed-butt-jointed boxes and dovetails that look more like duck feet in the deep dark recesses of our woodworking memory.
If you’re expecting to go into this an expert, you may have set your expectations inappropriately. Instead of worrying about sucking, think of that workshop as your own personal school, where’ re you’ll be constantly challenged to become better.
And don’t worry about that first project. Keep it around so you can always remember just how far you’ve come.
Lest you think I have any skill, check out this hideous M&T:
http://catamaran.outland.net/~jon/albums/album04/100_1549.sized.jpg
And this terrifying dovetail:
http://catamaran.outland.net/~jon/albums/album04/100_1542.sized.jpg
1) A GOOD cordless drill/driver. Right now, the best value in such a beast is probably the Makita 18v Lithium Compact, but simply get a good one that fits your hand. A drill/driver is so incredibly useful for far more than woodworking.
2) A GOOD block plane. Either the Lie-Nielsen or Veritas (Lee Valley) adjustable mouth low angle block plane will do the trick. The reason for getting a GOOD one is because it will allow you to work right off the bat without “fettling” (tuning a plane up) it. It will also give you a benchmark for comparing other planes.
5) A GOOD bench plane. You might get lucky and find a used one cheap, or you can go the guaranteed route of picking up a LN or LV. Research, research, research.
3) A set of decent quality chisels. Nothing fancy, the Marples will do fine. Look into Scary Sharp as an inexpensive means of sharpening them, perhaps with a sharpening jig.
4) A pair of Japanese-style handsaws.
5) A pickup truck load of lumber for building your bench.
6) A Nupla 2lb steel/plastic face deadblow hammer. This will rapidly become your favorite option for whacking things!
7) Measuring tools. A good combination square, a tape measure, and some .5mm mechanical pencils will get you started.
The only other thing you’ll need is a plan for your bench. You can build most benches with the tools above, although a lot of folks would suggest getting a quality circular saw, which will speed things up quite a bit.
Build your bench first. Not only will it give you someplace to do all the rest of your work, but it will give you confidence. Unless you totally mangle the building, the appearance won’t matter for long, so its a project that’s very forgiving of mistakes.
I concur on the bench first… I’m in the process of remodeling (modeling?) my shop, and it would be SOOO much easier if I had the bench I used to.
For me , before really getting into woodworking I would just buy the certain tool I needed for a particular home repair or upgrade I was working on. I started collecting quite a lot. Garage sail are great too. My first real purchase to start doing hobbywork was a table saw, a very inexpensive one, but it allowed me to practice the different joinery I wanted to learn. Many of those joints were pretty rough in the begining but as I learned and practiced more I have started to become a bit more profient now I’m looking to upgrade the table saw and get a table for my inexpensive stationary base router. Hand tools are fairly easy to collect. The power tools I will conyinue to upgrade as my skill level increases………Still a novice with a long way to go………..good luck
If you don’t have a clue then start with so simple a project. Build a bench for out side, some thing small 1 ft X 2 1/2 feet. You need a hand saw, hammer, nails ruler pencil & paper, wood. Screw it up you could make it smaller. Or make a second one a little better. If you make a set of 4 your off and running. Worse case is you got work benches to cut on. :) Add your new tools as you need them. You will never sell the old ones, we all have our unique collections. Price of tools is only a issue when you buy new, used is how you can upgrade.
Tommy at Big Stick Mfg
My 2 cents:
I am new in woodworking, and this is my short experience. Buy tools as you need them…if you dont need them yet, you dont know if you will need them in the future and you might just end up wasting money. My first project was built with a hacksaw and a hammer (and while it looks a little like something a 6th grader made at craft time, it gets the job done!)
All the cool tools help you build things either faster or better, but arent always necessary (unless you are making a proposal to the wife for a new tool purchase).
My favorite tools so far: an old beater table saw (1950s Craftsman) for cheap on craigslist…it really changed the type of projects i could make. Relatively inexpensive chisels. A few clamps…and little things here and there as needed.
Another great thing to do is borrow tools from friends or parents. You get to see what you like about it, whether you use it when trying to solve a problem on your project, and whether you need to add one to your shop….all for free!
Anyway, best of luck.
A lot of good advice.
As a semi-newbie (I’m a woodworker groupie who just recently realized where the bug bit me, and decided to jump into the sawdust), I’d like to add my $1.37. (Inflation, don’t you know?)
Most of the people here have all mentioned variations on the same advice, and most have added one or two new points. Just scanning the advice, there are two that stand out (aside from the big one at top). Pat, TimTAN, and BigStick all have advice THAT HITS ME as pertinent. (Just because it works for me does not mean it is gospel truth.)
Seeing as I’ve stumbled on some of the big dreams and don’t have the tools yet, let me voice my small squeak of wisdom.
#1) Pencil and paper. – Draw up some plans, figure out what you first want to attempt, and it will give you an idea of tools you need.
#2) Measuring tape (6′ minimum, 25′ is overkill but needed in rare instances)
#3) Miter box/saw. (the hand saw variety. Stanley sells a yellow plastic miter box with back saw for cheap. I bought mine 6 years ago, and I’m still breaking it in.)
#4) 2x4s. (Use the Miter box/saw, and a clean scrap section of counter or plywood or patio, and use it to make sawhorses or shelves. Hey, guess what. Your first project.)
#5) Sandpaper. (buy a variety pack, of at least four different grits.)
#6) First aid kit. (You’ll use it once or twice at first. Especially if you use a hand hammer instead of air or cordless)
#7) Drill/driver. (I started with a dinky Black & Decker rechargable driver, and didn’t realize it didn’t have the power to drill holes or drive screws without pilot holes. And don’t worry about the corded/ cordless variety just yet. That will come later.)
#8) Hand plane / Block Plane. (some sort of hand powered plane. Much as I loathe the things, I’ve learned quite a bit from using them)
#9 Circular saw. (I’d recommend the corded variety at first, but that’s because I refuse to cut wood very far from where I’m comfortable. There’s a few jigs/patterns out there to make panel saws for them, and you can use one as a lightweight table saw at first. DO NOT TURN THEM UPSIDE DOWN TO DO THIS!)
#10) …. this is for you to decide.
My logic on this list (didn’t realize I wrote so much, so I’ll wrap it up now) is that you should learn the basic principle of what you need to do before getting the big tools. Take the classes. Go to the shops. Watch the blogs. Little projects are harder to do with the hand held powertools, but hand tools work just fine. And they cost 10 % of what most “big shops” cost to start. but most of all, don’t forget: this is a passion. Enjoy it.