There are so many choices when considering the right woodworking tools for beginners, it seems like an expensive hobby. Most people don’t understand that over 90% of the tools are not needed to be successful. In fact it’s possible to get started with inexpensive tools, and enjoy learning how to use them. Now let’s look at what tools a beginner woodworker needs to get started.
Basic Woodworking Tools
Some of the woodworking tools for beginners to consider will be a core group you will be using. Woodworking as an activity can be broken down to four basic parts. You will be creating the parts of your project, sand those parts, fasten them together, and then finish them with paint or stain. To get a better overview of woodworking as a whole take a look at my article Getting Started In Woodworking.
Each of the parts of woodworking will require different types of tools. Many of them are going to have more than one solution to it. This means It’s possible to substitute tools to get the same result.
Woodworking Power Tools
Probably considered the quickest and most efficient way to woodwork is by using power tools. There are power tool options that can be used for all aspects of woodworking. Some power tools are considered expensive even by the wealthy. Where other power tools are affordable, making it an easy decision to get them.
Essential Woodworking Power Tools
Woodworking power tools can be quite expensive. I don’t want you to be spending a lot of money on tools that are not good fits for beginners. This list is meant to be quick and to the point, so you can get started in this hobby.
The tools below are good options for beginners with woodworking. They are great quality tools at reasonable prices. Click on the tool names to see what my top choices are.
Power tools you need to get started
Other power tools to consider
Saws For Woodworking
One of the most used category of woodworking tools for beginners to use will be saws. A saw is used for cutting material into desired shapes. There are a variety of different saws all with different purposes and uses. If you think of woodworking in the most basic way that would be taking raw stock material and cutting, sanding, and planing off all the bits you don’t want.
Transforming stock material into the right shapes and sizes of your parts to assemble is the name of the game. We use saws to take off the major bits we don’t want, leaving rough and unfinished pieces of our projects that then go to the next stage.
Circular Saw – Good at making straight cuts in material that is up to 3 inches thick. They have different blade options that can be used with different materials.
Jigsaw – Uses a reciprocating blade that is thin enough to allow tight radius curves. They are best used on plywood or thin dimensional lumber up to 1 inch thick. This is a very versatile tool.
Hand Saw – This saw can be an affordable alternative to a circular saw. They are not nearly as fast as a circular saw, and take a lot of energy from the user. Hand saws are not recommended if there are a lot of cuts to make, or if the cuts need to be accurate.
Circular Saws
A circular saw is categorized as a saw with a circular blade. These include miter saws, table saws, and hand-held circular saws. Both miter saws and table saws have different functions. For a more detailed explanation on circular saws, visit my post on How To Use A Circular Saw.
A good option for a beginner is to start with a circular saw. Combine this tool with a straightedge to make long cuts like a table saw. They are able to cut at an angle which also takes the place of the miter saw.
Different types of circular saws require different size blades. Make sure you know what size blade your model uses. The most common sizes range between 7-½” and 10”. Some miter and table saws can use 12” blades. There will be times you will want to change the blade to use for different purposes.
Miter Saws
A miter saw is good at cutting pieces at a specific angle. An example of this is when making a picture frame the corners are mitered by cutting the two pieces at 45 deg angles.
A compound miter saw means the blade can swivel left and right to make a miter cut as well as pivot in a single direction to make bevel cuts. These saws allow for more options to use them for, but the added features command a higher price.
Table Saws
The blade of a table saw sticks up through the surface of the table. There is an adjustable fence that the material is held against, allowing for extremely straight and accurate cuts.
Table saw blades can be adjusted to different depths which make them good for cutting grooves in materials called dados.
The main disadvantages of owning a table saw are they are more expensive and take up more space. Consider other options if you are tight on workspace.
Electric Wood Sanders
After your pieces are made you want to sand the parts. This is to get them ready for the next step and can be done several different ways. Like other parts of woodworking there are several different types of sanding tools we use.
Belt Sander
The belt sander comes in either handheld or on a fixed base. These tools use a sandpaper belt that moves in one direction. As they spin the sandpaper smooths out the wood parts quickly and evenly.
Handheld belt sanders are smaller than their stationary counterparts, requiring less storage space. This also makes them more versatile as they are able to be used on larger pieces of material.
This type of sander is very efficient at sanding large areas of material quickly. It’s perfect for projects like making a solid wood table, or other larger furniture pieces. If you are considering one I recommend starting with a handheld version.
Oscillating Spindle Sanders
These are countertop sanding stations that use a cylindrical shaped sandpaper spindle. As the spindle rotates on its axis it also oscillates up and down. This allows the sanding to not create many visible marks by the sandpaper scratching the material.
This tool is more of a specialty tool that is great at sanding smaller pieces with intricate curves. They are not required for most beginners, as they are going to take up space in the workshop and not be used too often.
Random Orbital Sander
The random orbital sander gets its name from the way the sandpaper moves. It spins the paper while gyrating the sanding head in a random direction. This helps with getting larger sanding jobs done in a quicker time frame.
These tools are a nice choice as a versatile option for a sander. I recommend this option when considering woodworking tools for beginners. They are very easy to learn, and fun to use.
Wood Planers
Wood planers are valuable tools to get the material to a consistent thickness. When we get dimensional lumber the boards can measure at various thicknesses along the length of it. Use a planer to remove wood shavings from your material, quickly making it the correct thickness.
There are three main types of planers for woodworkers. The cheapest, and possibly most common is the hand planer. Then we come to the electric hand planer, and finally a benchtop stationary planer.
Hand Planers
Hand planers are great tools for beginner woodworkers to have. A benefit to using a hand planer is they really get you hands on with your project. Its nice to have this type of intimate interaction with your material.
A negative point to using a hand planer is they can take a long time. It is tedious getting your material to the correct thickness one shaving at a time. It’s also a very physical task, which can get tiresome.
Electric hand planers are designed to take material off quickly and efficiently. They use a wheel of chisel like teeth to scrape large amounts of material off in a uniform manner. When used correctly an electric hand planer can be a very valuable tool to the woodworker’s arsenal.
Benchtop Planers
Benchtop planers are pieces of equipment that lumber is fed into. After the lumber passes through it will be the correct thickness the entire length. They are adjustable up to 6 inches on most models, and will accommodate material that is up to 13 inches wide.
It isn’t common to be building with pieces wider than this very often, but this can be a negative when considering a benchtop planer.
Another reason why beginners steer away from benchtop planers is the price. With some models approaching $1000, you can expect to spend several hundred for a good quality used model.
If you are considering purchasing one, keep in mind they require more room in your shop. The process of using one requires feeding the material into the machine, while having enough room on the other side to receive the material out. This can be a problem for people working in a smaller shop that doesn’t have this amount of room to work with.
Assembly Tools
Once the pieces to your woodworking project are ready they will need to be assembled. To do this we may use various types of fasteners. The most common of these would be screws.
To install a screw properly, you want to first drill a pilot hole. Next if it’s a flat head screw then countersink the hole so it seats flush with the wood. Finally install the screw. For a better understanding of different types of drills and how they work, visit my post titled Hammer Drill VS Impact Driver.
Most woodworkers like to have multiple drills in their shop. This allows for an easier time with assembly. If you have two drills it’s nice to set one up with the pilot drill bit, and the other can have the screw driver tip.
I like cordless drills, but I also have corded. I find that both have their pros and cons. The suggestion I make to beginners is to go cordless. This lets you have one less extension cord on the floor of your shop as a trip hazard.
Basic Woodworking Hand Tools
Woodworking tools for beginners to choose will have a group of core basics to start with. Every woodworker will use hand tools at some point in the project. A hand tool can be considered any type of tool that doesn’t require any electricity. To keep it simple here is a list of important woodworking hand tools for beginners.
Woodworking Hand Tools List
- Mallet
- Chisels
- Clamps
- Tape measure
- Pencil
- Square
- Hand saw
Each stage the project goes through has different hand tools to use. Some woodworkers are purists who only do their woodworking with hand tools. I don’t recommend this to the beginner, but that is a decision for you to make.
Tape Measure
A good tape measure is possibly one of the most used woodworking tools for beginners to have. It’s required for taking accurate measurements so the parts you make are going to fit. If you have questions on how to use a tape measure visit my article on How To Read A Tape Measure.
Workbench
Finally a sturdy, flat surface to work on is possibly the most important part of a woodshop. It can be used for multiple purposes over the course of a project. It’s important to have a stable surface because there will be a lot of movement as you are working.
A workbench can be as simple as using two sawhorses with a piece of plywood laid across them. I recommend using something more stable and more permanent if possible. I have been known to use a foldable table in the past before I made my workbench.
Conclusion
This article is meant to help you make decisions about the tools you choose for your woodshop. I want you to go away knowing more about what woodworking tools to pick and why you picked them.
Woodworking is a fun, enjoyable hobby. The different aspects to it doesn’t need to overwhelm you. Just take things slowly, work on your skills with the tools you have, and enjoy the process.
If you have any questions or comments you would like to make about this article, please leave them below. I will be sure to answer them as I see them.
Happy Woodworking,
Kevin