Woodworking Tools

Hey friends,

I get a lot of questions about what tools people should use to start woodworking. I’m going to go over the best woodworking tools. The most common one is what tools do I need? If you are trying to start woodworking there are a few tools you will want.

Hand Tools

There are power tools and hand tools. The hand tools are a little safer but more importantly, make your pieces look handmade. Well…Let us dig into the hand tools. They are all pretty self-explanatory but I will give a brief description of them. These are in no particular order.

• Hand Saws: A wood saw worked by one hand. Not sure if there is a better way to say that…“Handsaws have been around for thousands of years. Egyptian hieroglyphics exist depicting ancient woodworkers sawing boards into pieces”-Wiki
• Planes: A hand plane is a wood tool for shaping wood using a cutting blade over the wood surface.
• Chisels: A chisel is a tool with a characteristically shaped cutting edge of the blade on its end, for carving or cutting. You can use a mallet, or hammer to help aid in cutting.
• Hammers:  This is a tool with a heavy metal head mounted at the end of a handle. Since this is woodworking some would prefer using an all wood mallet. It can be used to drive nails or with a chisel.
• Rasps: This can be a file or similar tool with a roughened surface for scraping, filing, or rubbing down wood. You might see this used on other materials too.
• Basic Tools: This is a catch-all. I would include screwdrivers, both Phillips, and flat head. Any miscellaneous sandpaper or glue. I would also put in here a socket set for when you are putting together furniture with various hardware

Those are just the hand tools. Now here comes the power tools…. Be careful, more power isn’t always needed.

Power Tools

That was One Punch Man, fun show. But back to the best woodworking tools. Like the show more power is better. Here is a list of power tools that once you get going to will need to gain perfect pieces with less effort.

Woodworking can be a lot of fun. But again I want to say be safe. Keep your hands away from moving parts. Use common sense, plan ahead and never rush.

You don’t want to be the guy selling a cabinet stained in blood… YUCK! All jokes aside be safe and keep all your digits. A good set of ear protection would be worthwhile to invest in as well.

• Hand Drills: While these can be non-powered, I’m specifically speaking about the powered version. No in days you can find these cordless with a lot of driving force. A hand drill generally limit the hole size that can be made with the drill bits.
• Routers: This is a tool used to “rout” out an area in the face of wood. You find this used to create bevels too.
• Sanders: Power sands use a reciprocating motion to get more “strokes”. This is much faster than hand sanding but you will have to be careful because it can go fast…yikes!
• Lathes: I had to look up the best way to say this one. “a machine for use in working wood, metal, etc., that holds the material and rotates it about a horizontal axis against a tool that shapes it.” -dictionary.com
• Power Saws: Similar to the power sander, it uses a reciprocating motion to speed up the sawing process.
• Planers: You use this to flatten a surface. You can also cut to thickness. They come in both a portable version about the size of a hand plane but most use a small table planer.
• Drill Press: This is like the big brother to the hand drill. You will use this to make large holes. This wood tool is stationary, either on a table or it has it’s own stand.
• Joiner: Don’t confuse this with a planer. While you will use the planer to flatten your workpiece, a joiner is be used to get the angle in relation to that flat surface you created with the planner. This one is a little confusing I know.
• CNC Machine: This will require you to learn com CNC code. Also much easier if you use CAM software. I wrote a post about how to make your own CNC machine. But honestly, it would probably be easier to buy one. PureWoods makes a line of CNC machines that are worthwhile to look at.

Phew, that was a lot about woodworking tools!

Now you know most of the tools, next it is time to go out and get started making something. Check this out, Ted McGrath has put together some plans. That post gets into it a little.

That is it for the tools for now. Check out the rest of the site, we do more than just woodworking here. Have fun, be safe and do what you love!

Every trade has its tools, and woodworking is no different. Any craftsman knows that the right tool for the project is critical in manufacturing a quality end product in a timely manner. Here is a tally of the top 40 tools every woodworker should think about owning:

Hand tools get their power from your muscles. They’re power tools, but not electrical power. Here is a pretty comprehensive list of hand tools that every woodworker or cabinet maker should think about having in his shop:

#1: The Claw Hammer

Let’s start with perhaps the most basic tool in every household – the claw hammer. The claw on one side of the head should be well counterbalanced by the finished head, which should be somewhat rounded. The other kind of head is the waffle-head. Most commonly used in construction, it leaves a distinctive waffle mark on the wood when you drive the nail. This, of course, is not the proper nail for woodworking.

A poorly-balanced claw hammer will twist in your hand, making it difficult to drive nails properly. You normally grip a claw hammer with your hand at the back of the grip, letting the weight of the head do most of the work. All you have to do is direct the driving surface toward the right nail, sparing the ones on your hand.

The most commonly purchased claw hammer is the 20 oz. size. It’s heavy enough to easily drive nails but easily manipulated when pulling nails. While wooden handles are picturesque, they may not stand up to the strain if you have to pull a lot of nails. Hammers with a steel handle, or even fiberglass, will be stronger. However, these won’t absorb the vibrations from driving nails the way a hickory handle will. You’ll also need to make sure the fiberglass and metal handles have a rubberized grip for control and comfort. If you’re going to be driving a lot of nails, the wooden handled hammer will be better for reducing stress on your hand, and wrist, too.

#2: The Tape Measure

The next important hand tool for the woodworker is an accurate tape measure. Get a retractable one that is at least 25 feet long. Any longer than that, and you start having problems getting it to roll back up. Since measurements on large scale projects can be very susceptible to even the most minute measurement variations, you’ll want to make sure the “hook” or tab at the end of the is firmly attached, with no give. When they get loose, you’ll have as much as 1/8” variation in your measurements. This can add up to some severe accuracy problems in the long run.

#3: The Utility Knife

A good utility knife is another asset for the woodworker. There are many different kinds, but the kind that uses disposable blades is the most common. The blade retracts into the grip for safety. The woodworker will use the utility knife when cleaning out mortise joints or to scribe wood, as well as many other uses.

#4: The Moisture Meter

A quality wood moisture meter is vital to the long-term success of any woodworking project you put together. Lumber mills try to dry their batches of lumber according to the intended end product destination. That is, if the wood is harvested in the wet Northeast, but is going to be shipped to the arid Southwest, it will be dried more than wood kept in the Northeast for use by woodworkers. The success of your woodworking project, from wood flooring to kitchen cabinets to fine furniture, depends on the correct moisture content levels of the woods you use for your area of the country.

Some moisture meters have pins that penetrate the surface of the wood. This can leave tiny holes that mar the surface and require filling. Others are pin-less. They have sensing plates that scan the wood beneath. However, not all pinless moisture meters are the same – look for one that uses technology that is not affected by the surface moisture in the wood, such as Wagner Meters IntelliSense™ Technology Moisture Meters.

Your moisture meter should have settings on it that will account for different species of wood. For instance, oak is a hardwood, but ebony is an even harder density wood. If you are planning an inlay job using both types of wood, you will need to know the moisture content levels of each of the two species so that your inlay glue joints will stay intact. These different wood species have different specific gravities, which must be used or programmed into the moisture meter.

Therefore, you must measure each species of wood you are using in your woodworking project to verify that they are at the correct moisture content before you manufacture it into your end product.

#5: The Chisel

An assortment of chisels should be part of every workbench. Chisels are not just for wood carvers. Any woodworker will need chisels to clean out joints and saw cuts. Look for chisels made of high-alloy carbon steel or chromium-vanadium alloyed steel. Hardwood grips are best, especially if they have metal caps on them. This will keep the end of the handle from becoming malformed when you hammer on it.

You’ll need a variety of sizes in ¼” increments from ¼” to at least 1½”. The smallest chisels are best for mortise work. The ¾” and 1” will be best for door hinges, and the 1½” works well for chipping out. You can even get a corner chisel that cuts a notch out of the wood with the blow of a hammer, much like a hole punch.

Most chisels are beveled on the 2 sides and on the cutting edge, but specialty chisels may only be beveled at the cutting edge. This bevel will be at 20 to 25 degrees down the length of the blade on one side, and flat on the backside. The blade will be between 4” and 7” long. Make sure you get chisels with a grip that fits your hand. If the grip is too small, you won’t be able to hold the chisel steady as you work. Be sure to use a mallet or wood hammer when you work, so that you don’t destroy the head on your chisel. Keep track of the edge caps, keep them sharp, and oil the metal now and then after you’ve used them, and they should be good for years. If you don’t have the edge caps, get a roll to keep them in. This will prevent them from bouncing around in your tool box drawers and getting damaged.

Using your chisels involves both hands. This allows for power and control of the chisel as it pares away the wood. If you need a little “oomph” behind the chisel, bump it with the heel of the off hand, or strike it with a mallet. A claw hammer will damage the butt end of your chisel, eventually splitting it if you abuse it too often.

When you sharpen your chisel, you may want to use stones rather than a grinder. You need a set of stones of increasingly fine grit to hone the blades properly. Start with the coarser grade, and end with the finest grade. You may have to moisten the stone with oil for best results. Also, remember to hone the blades away from your body.

#6: The Level

Every woodworker needs a couple of levels. You probably won’t need one of the 6-foot levels used in construction, but 48” is a good length for many of the woodworking projects you’ll do. Usually, you’ll also need an 8” level too, usually known as a torpedo level. You’ll check the level and plum of your construction. Level means horizontal, and plumb is vertical.

Most quality levels are made of either brass-edged wood or of metal. There will be a bubble reading for level, and another one for plumb. When the bubble is exactly between the lines, you have a level or plumb surface. You can also get string levels and laser levels, but the woodworker will use these types of levels the most often.

#7: The Screwdriver

Screwdrivers are another must-have in the woodworker’s set of hand tools. Not only will you need Phillips and slot, or flathead screwdrivers, you’ll need star drivers and Torx drivers, too. A quality construction is vital to a good set of screwdrivers. So many of them are made out of soft metal, and the first time you put any “oomph” behind them, they strip out, becoming absolutely useless.

You’ll need a long screwdriver with a square blade that is very heavy duty. This gives you a lot of torque. You’ll also need a small and medium slot screwdriver. For working on cabinets or tight places in woodworking, you’ll need a screwdriver with a thin shank so that you can reach screws that are inside of deep holes. This is accomplished with a cabinet screwdriver. Get a couple of medium Phillips head screwdrivers, and a stubby one too, for those tight places. You may also want a ratcheting screwdriver.

If your slot screwdrivers are high-quality material, you’ll be able to grind them flat when they get worn. Beware, though, that too much heat will change the temper of the metal, weakening it so that it won’t drive or draw screws. By the way, some of Dad’s tips for getting the most out of his screwdrivers:

1. Use the right size blade for the screw.
2. For stubborn screws, fit the driver into the screw, put as much downward pressure as you can on the screwdriver, and strike the end with a hammer. This more often than not will pop the screw loose. It also helps with screws that have stripped out.
3. Put beeswax on the threads of screws before you drive screws into hardwood. If you don’t have beeswax, use soap. It makes the screws drive more easily.
4. You’ll get more driving force with a shorter shank.
5. Use a crescent wrench on the blade to get more torque.
6. Some people can magnetize a screwdriver by holding it up and striking it with a metal bar. It realigns the molecules, making it magnetic. You can also break your screwdrivers doing this, so be careful!
7. Get a pry bar. Keep it with your screwdrivers, and every time you need a pry bar, leave your screwdrivers alone!

#8: The Nail Set

The next hand tool every woodworker should have is a nail set. In fact, you should have several sizes. They look like awls, and you use them to drive nail heads into the wood so they are flush or right below the surface. This allows you to fill the holes and prepare for staining or painting. The nail setter will usually have either a convex or concave surface to grip the nail better and keep it from sliding off and marring the wood.

#9: The Sliding Bevel

If you’re going to be measuring a bunch of angles, a sliding bevel, or T-Bevel, will be a handy tool. This is adjustable, and you can lock it at the angle you want to mark, making it much more time-savvy to mark multiple angles.

#10: The Layout Square

A layout square, or combination square, comes in 6” and 12” sizes. Most woodworkers use the 6” model, simply because it’s easiest to carry around. Also, most of the stock you’ll use will be no bigger than 6” wide, so 12” is overkill. The layout square is a triangle that you can use to mark square cuts on stock. Once you measure the length of the cut, you line up the layout square with the edge of the board. The short side will give you a straight, square cut across the end grain. You can also measure off angles with the layout square. This helps when you’re trying to measure for a bevel on a table saw, or marking a cut for a miter saw. You can even use your layout square to determine an existing angle. Just be sure to buy one made of metal. The plastic ones are not only fragile, but they also can warp, making them pretty useless.