The right collection of woodworking tools is important for a woodworker. You can do your projects easily and in a smooth way if you have the right tools at your hands. This article will help you to understand which tools are a must-have for you as a woodworker.
Woodworking requires a lot of tools. There is a variety of it available. From simple hand tools to power tools you should get familiarized with all of them. The price range also varies.
In this article, we are going to cover the 12 tools you need for all types of woodworking projects.
1. Table Saw
A table saw is the most essential item a woodworker can have. It is important to have one if you are working on a big project. The large wood panels can be cut and sliced in a straight line through a table saw.
The table saw comes with various types of blade. You can choose the one that suits you. The depth of the blade can be adjusted. The table saw has many uses and can differ in size, price, power, and durability.
2. Power Drill
Power drills are very handy. Every woodworker needs at least a power drill or a drill press. If you don’t want to invest in a drill press at once then the power drill is a good option for you. You can convert the power drill into a drill press if you want and will have a similar result as a drill press.
3. Random Orbital Sander
Sanding is a crucial part of every woodwork project. It affects the end look of any furniture. Sanding by hand with sandpaper is a tough job and can be open to mistakes. You need to be sure about the direction of the wood grain to do this properly.
Random orbital sander solves the problem of determining wood grain direction. It works circularly, so the result looks great despite the wood. It has Velcro padding. So you can change the sandpapers in a jiffy.
4. Compound Miter Saw
A compound miter saw is a mobile tool that can make compound cuts. It can be attached to a table to make it more balanced. You can use a miter saw to make longitudinal and horizontal cuts. The angle of the wood can be adjusted to your convenience.
There is a rotating table with the miter saw. You can also change the direction and angle of the blade. The compound miter saw can cut accurately and quickly.
5. Jigsaw Cutter
A jigsaw cutter is a handheld tool. It can cut curves and circles on wood. The blade can be adjusted to make wide or fine curves. This tool is necessary to make beautiful designs on a wooden piece.
Cutting straight lines can be hard with a jigsaw cutter. The quality of the wood can affect the cuts as well. You should take care of the blades and always keep them sharp to aid in making fine cuts.
6. Circular Saw
Circular saw is a mobile lightweight saw. It can make narrow cuts, dados, cut-offs, and many other cuts. The lightweight of the saw helps in creating easy patterns according to your preference.
Although it can sometimes waver off and slip because of its weight.
The circular saw is easy to use and also cheap. You can be versatile with your cuts. Crosscuts, rip cuts, bevel cuts can be done with it. So it should be a staple for your collection.
For crosscuts, you can also rely on a cross-cut saw.
7. Right-angle Clamp
A right-angle clamp helps you attach two wooden pieces at a right angle. Joining two pieces of wood alone can be hard for you. You need to hold them in place at a proper angle and nail them as well.
The right-angle clamp will hold the pieces together for you. You can then use the screw to join them. You should get one and find out how easy your work gets.
8. Router
Routers are the most important tool you can have to create a design on your wooden pieces. This tool is used to make hollow cuts on top of wood planes.
You can use it to make profiles for woodworking. You can buy an unlimited amount of profiles to use for this tool. This will help you in making exceptional cuts.
The router can also make mold profiles and cuts such as dovetails and dados. You can add decorations and molding to cut pieces. It is very useful and every woodworker should have one.
9. Hand Planer
Hand planers are used to convert raw timber panels into plain panels. It is more useful than a thickness planer. It can be used on pieces that cannot be fitted in thickness planers. You can use it by hand to meet your requirement.
10. Rotary Tool
A rotary tool uses a small rotating machine to shave the wood. It is used to shave designs and carvings on the wood. You can make delicate curves and cuts with it. It is easy to use and is very versatile due to being lightweight. It also comes for a cheap price and is widely available.
11. Japanese Saw
The Japanese saw is important to cut pieces by hand. It uses a lot less effort than the European saw. Their designs are different. The Japanese saw has a tooth that has a pull effect on wood.
The European one has teeth that use push motion. We know that pulling requires less power than pushing. For this reason, the Japanese saw is handier than the European one.
12. Chisel
It can be used to make dovetail, mortise, and tendon-cuts. The chisel can be used to make different shapes in the wood. It can also be used to pull out dirt from the woods.
The chisel comes in many sizes and materials. The selection of size and material will depend on the nature of your work.
Final Thoughts
There are many other tools that you need as a woodworker. Spirit levels, claw hammers, carpenter's square, clamps, and tape measures are useful and essential tools. However, the tools we discussed here are the most common ones for any woodworking project.