Basic Tools to Get Started in Woodworking

No project is too daunting for an accomplished woodworker, but before you can start making beautiful handcrafted bookshelves, molding, cabinets, doors, dining room furniture or anything else, you need some basic tools that will help you get started in woodworking. Once you have these tools you’ll be able to start making your own beautiful items, gradually building your woodworking skills as you create progressively more difficult pieces.

Here’s some information about the basic tools you’ll need before you begin any woodworking project:

Hand tools are your friends when you’re a beginning woodworker. For now, stay away from big woodworking equipment like bandsaws and table saws. They’re not always necessary anyway: some expert woodworkers choose to craft their superb pieces by using only hand tools.

But even if you foresee using large, stationary woodworking equipment sometime in the future, make sure you develop your woodworking skills first, because table saws and the like are definitely not for beginners. Instead, make sure your basic woodworking tools include the following:

Tools for Measuring:
•    Steel measuring tape (10 or 12 foot)
•    Framing square
•    Combination square
•    Folding rule
•    Compass
•    Scratch awl
•    Marking gauge
•    Sliding bevel

Tools for Cutting:
•    Crosscut saw
•    Hacksaw and blades
•    Rip saw
•    Coping saw
•    Dovetail saw
•    Needle-nose pliers
•    Slip-joint pliers

Tools for Shaping:
•    Utility knife
•    Rasps (round and flat)
•    Wood chisels in several sizes
•    Planer
•    Block plane (low angle)
•    Bastard file
•    Hand scrapers
•    Sharpening stone for maintenance

Tools for Joining:
•    Claw hammer
•    Nails (various sizes)
•    Finish hammer
•    Mallet
•    Screws (various sizes and heads)
•    Screwdrivers (Phillips and straight heads in various sizes)
•    C-clamps, bar clamps and a bench vise
•    Doweling jig

Power Tools (Portable):
•    Circular saw
•    Drill (variable speed, 3/8 inch) and assorted drill bits
•    Jigsaw (sometimes called a saber saw)
•    Belt sander
•    Straight-line/orbital sander
•    Router and router bits as needed

Safety Equipment:
•    Dust mask
•    Safety glasses
•    Hearing protector

There are more, but that should get you started. You can add more woodworking tools as and when you need them. When you are buying basic woodworking tools, it’s important to buy the best quality you can afford. Most high quality hand tools will last a lifetime if you use and maintain them properly, but you might not be so lucky if you buy the cheapest woodworking tools.