Every man and woman who took up woodworking likely started off with a small collection of woodworking tools. Surely, they invested on more and more tools as they got more serious with the craft. In fact, if you’re one of these serious woodworkers, chances are you already have a tool shed or even a work space for all your projects. Many of you may have even called woodworking a career.
Newbies who want to follow the path taken by these serious craftsmen and craftswomen can do so as long as they are willing to learn and ready to invest on some basic woodworking tools.
Hand Tools
Hammer
When it comes to carpentry and woodworking tools, none may be as common or popular as the claw hammer. There are different kinds of hammer but the claw hammer is the most basic one. The other ones serve particular purposes. When it comes to woodworking, the claw hammer is the proper hammer to use as it’s mainly for driving and removing nails.
If you’re just starting your woodworking tools collection, you should know that not all claw hammers are alike. The curved claw hammer comes in different weights with 7 ounces being the lightest and 20 ounces the heaviest.
The straight claw or ripping claw hammer is used mainly for dismantling. It comes in weights of 20, 28, and 32 ounces. A framing hammer, meanwhile, is used for both carpentry and dismantling tasks.
Tape Measure
A tape measure or measuring tape is never too far from a woodworker’s reach. That’s because woodworking deals with a lot of measurements and the tape measure is the quickest and easiest measuring tool.
Other Measuring Tools
As mentioned, it’s important to get the exact measurement when doing woodworking projects. A few centimeters off and your DIY desk would be annoyingly rocky. Forcing uneven parts to fit may also cause damage.
Aside from a tape measure, you will need a steel rule, combination square, machinist square and level. Later on, you can invest on a sliding T bevel, marking gauge, framing square, speed square and other woodworking tools for measuring.
Hand Saw
The hand saw is another one of the most popular woodworking tools found in most homes. It’s used for simple cutting tasks on wood, plastic, metal, steel, and other materials. A different saw is used for different surfaces. What’s great about hand saws is their portability. Unlike huge sawing machines, you can take a hand saw anywhere you need to do some sawing.
You can also opt for a tenon or dovetail saw. They are sturdier than the regular hand saw thanks to the band on the spine or back edge. This makes it easier and faster to cut wood. More importantly, they make perfectly straight cuts. Also, the added weight of the band lessens your downward pressures.
Screwdrivers
There are different kinds of screwdrivers for different tasks. You have the more common Phillips and flathead screwdrivers. Other types include the star and Torx drivers. You’ll need them to drive screw through wood to keep them together. It’s a better alternative to nails as you can still disassemble what you built if the need arises.
Chisel
Include a set of chisels on your first foray to buying woodworking tools. Chisels are mainly used for carving but you’ll find these cheap hand tools to be very versatile as you go along.
Clamps
Any woodworking project would be easier to do and would come out better with the help of clamps. They are used to hold parts together, especially when you need to glue them. Clamps come indifferent types and sizes. As you go further your woodworking journey, you’ll find that you need as many of these clamps as you can get.
Power Tools
Drill
I the old days, woodworkers and carpenters used hand drills. This is a good tool to have in your homestead, especially if you’re particular about spending on electricity to power your power tools. Truth be told, however, you can’t drill holes on some surfaces using a hand tool. That’s why an electric drill is one of the most necessary woodworking tools.
A drill is not only useful in boring holes on wood, it’s also useful on concrete, metal, ceramic, and other materials depending on the type of drill bit.
Most portable power drills also double as a driver. They also come with battery packs so you can take it anywhere and use it to drill holes or drive screws in hard to reach areas.
Table Saw
If you have the moolah to start big with your woodworking tools collection, you can’t go wrong with a table saw. A quality table saw is a good investment, especially if you have plans of making money out of woodworking.
Jig Saw
Woodworking is not just about tables and cabinets with straight edges. There will definitely be times when you will encounter curves and irregular lines. That’s where jigsaws come in.
Circular Saw
Hand saws, as inexpensive and convenient as they are, take some time and energy before cutting a large and thick board. If you have money to spare, you can invest on a circular saw. It will let you do your woodworking tasks a lot easier and faster. However, it will require electricity, which is something you;re not too eager about if you’re into homesteading and energy saving.
Scroll Saw
Once you get deeper into the woodworking abyss, you’ll find the need for a more calculated way of cutting things up. The scroll saw cuts complicated curves that would be pretty hard if you only used a hand saw.
Router
Most woodworkers would readily say that a plunge router is one of the woodworking tools they wish they had. That’s because it does a lot of different tasks necessary in the wood shop. It’s main use, however, is to route or hollow out an area on the wood, plastic or even metal. A router can also be used for cutting, trimming and shaping.
Planer
A planer is used for shaving wood surfaces to make them smoother. The hand plane has proven it’s worth ever since it was invented. But if you want things to be done fast, you can use the power tool version. Most power planers are pretty portable since they don’t have any annoying cords anymore. They use rechargeable batteries instead.
Of course, you should have a hand plane among your set of woodworking tools. It will especially be useful when electricity is not available.
If you’re going into the woodworking business, you may want to invest on a thickness planer. It’s huge and expensive but it will get the job done quicker and better.
Sander
You can make do with sandpaper and some elbow grease but having a sander will be a lot better. For one thing, your woodworking project will be finished faster if you use a sander. Secondly, the surface will be a lot smoother.
Go for an orbital sander. While it is slower than a belt sander, lot is a lot more affordable. Aside from the price, an orbital sander is perfect for beginners since it is slow enough to keep newbies from damaging the surface.
As a beginner or someone who’s just looking for a hobby, you may not be too eager to spend a fortune on woodworking tools. It’s a good thing there are inexpensive and basic hand tools you can start with. You’re also fortunate that there’s such a thing as cheapwoodworkingsecrets.com, where you can learn how to save “thousands of dollars on woodworking projects.”
You can also visit The Gentleman Pirate to know more about hand tools, power tools and woodworking projects you can do.
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