Woodworking can become a very expensive hobby. I've found over the years It's very easy to over spend on specialty tools that are used for one step on one project, and then that tool gets placed on a shelf to collect dust. Often times one step (ex. cutting a dado) can be done multiple different ways with multiple different tools (ex. table saw, router, dado stack etc.)
The trick to having a workshop that doesn't break the bank is to purchase tools that can serve more than one purpose, and to become creative with the way you use them. In this post I hope to show you some of the tools that I had in the beginning that made my "making" so successful and created a foundation for how I worked in the shop. Below you will find a list of stationary power tools, handheld power tools, and hand tools that are a must have in your shop.
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Stationary Power Tools
There are three main stationary power power tools every workshop should have:
Table saw
Miter saw
Planer
Table Saw
The reason the table saw is first on my list is because I believe it to be the most important tool for any wood shop. Often called the heart of the shop, a table saw should not be looked over. It is the true workhorse of the shop and where the bulk of your material break down and cutting will happen. A table saw can be used to rip boards to width, cross cut to length (using a cross cut sled or miter gauge), as well as cut dado and other joining methods. To start out, I purchased a $250 Craftsman's job site saw, and 3 years later is still going strong. Although there are things that I have wished it would do as my wood working has become more and more advanced, I couldn't be happier with how it's worked for me. Below are some options of comparable saws I would start with if I were to do it again.
SKIL 10-Inch Table Saw $262.39 Genesis 10-Inch 15-Amp Table Saw $197.67
Miter saw
A miter saw is almost a right of passage for any garage or shop. It seems as though anyone that does the slightest bit of DIY or building has at least a miter saw. Most of the time though, the miter saw isn't used to it's ability. cutting boards to length is the main purpose but it can also be used to cut miter angles (hence the name miter saw) including a bevel or tilt cut which are useful for cutting trim. Untraditionally you can also use a miter saw to cut dados, although I do recommend using a table saw for that. Here is the miter saw I have and one more thats comparable.
Planer
The Planer really is one of those tools that serves one purpose, thats to plane or clean one the face of your stock. I mean, you can get tricky with the planer and do some other things with it, but thats for another post on another day. The reason I would include it in the essentials is because for 95% of your projects it's vital to have square flat wood and a planer will help you to achieve that. I've had the same planer for years and it's really held up. Check it out below.
Jointer (honorable mention)
The tool that I would get next after outfitting your shop with all the tools I mentions in the article is a jointer. The reason I wouldn't worry about it right at the beginning is because:
A lot of the time you will be buying dimensional stock which means the edges of the wood are already set to square.
If you are are purchasing rough stock, most likely you can have the lumber store joint one edge for you so you have reference edge to cut at home on your table saw. That is, if your lumber store is cool like mine.
But if you are wanting to purchase a jointer so you have one on hand, here are a few great affordable options:
Handheld Power Tools
There are few handheld power tools that are a must have in any workshop.
Drill/driver
Circular saw
Trim router
the nice thing about a few of these tools is they can be bundled together if you play your cards right. For Instance Ryobi is always selling a bundle with their circular saw and drill gun together.
I'm a stong advocate for Ryobi's One+ sets because they are affordable, are great tools, and they work on all the same cordless battery which is a huge plus. you will only see links to Ryobi's stuff in this sections but there are a lot of other options out there. Ryobi is just my suggested brand (not sponsored).
Drill/Driver
A drill gun as need for obvious reasons, to set screws, drill holes etc. I would stick with a good old fashion Drill Driver instead of an impact driver. Al though impact drivers have there application and are amazing to have around the shop, they excel really doing one thing, driving stuff in. A Drill gun can do multiple things including work with drill bits and spade bits.
Circular Saw
The main reason you use a circular saw in the shop is to break down plywood or sheet goods to more manageable sizes before cutting to final dimensions on the table saw. But a circle saw can be used cut tapers on legs, break down hard woods etc. Circular saws come in 3 main blade sizes, 5.5", 6.5", 7.5". A 5.5" blade size is good enough to cut down play woods or other various sheet goods, but struggles with hard woods or really anything thicker than an inch. This is something to keep in mind when purchasing.
Below is a link to a bundle that includes both a drill gun and circular saw with the battery and charger from Ryobi for a pretty good price.
Trim Router
At the end of the day, you can get invested a couple thousand dollars into routers, router tables and router bits before you fell you have all you need to do any project on the planet. The truth is most of what you do at the first (adding round-overs, flush trimming) can be done with a simple trim router. Even dados can be cut with a trim router and a straight edge.
Orbital Sander (honorable mention)
Although an orbital sander isn't necessary because you can always do you sanding by hand, it will save you time... and time is money. The below sander is the exact one I use and couldn't be happier with how it has help me be more productive and takes the time out of the sanding process.
Hand Tools
Besides your typical tape measure and pencil there are three tools you can't go without in your shop.
Combo square
Chisel set
Flush cut saw
Combo Square
You defiantly need a square in your shop. There are many different types out there but i choose to use, pretty much exclusively, a combo square. The nice thing about a combo square is it's very versatile in it's uses. A combo square can be used as a simple square and extended or reduced to get exact measurements from one edge to the other.
Chisel Set
A chisel set is an absolute must in any workshop. Chisels are one of the main hand tools used to cut traditional joinery like mortise tenons and lap joints. It's not vital to spend a lot on a chisel set, in-fact I would advise against it. The most important thing is that you flatten and sharpen the set which is pretty easy.
Flush Cut Saw
A flush cut saw, often referred to as a Japanese pull saw is super nice to have for times making cuts with power tools seems unnecessary or dangerous. It is a great tool to start cuts for your tenons in mortise and tenons joints, and other hand cut joinery.
There you have it, all the tools that are really necessary for a workshop. By all means I don't suggest sitting down and buying all these tools in one sitting, but at least you will know the tools that are the best to have, and can purchase them in phases as you build your dream shop. As talked about previously, you can spend a lot of money on one time tools and jigs that you'll use for one project and then never use again. All these tools have multiple uses and blanket your woodworking ability, and allowing you to pretty much do anything you desire in your shop.
Thanks for reading and always remember.