Woodworking is an intricate skill requiring precision and creativity. As such, special tools are necessary to increase efficiency. With the advent of power tools coming into the market, it lifted the woodworking process to a whole new level, making work faster, more precise, and made it possible to achieve various finishes from techniques using the equipments.
In this article, we’ll discuss the 10 most Essential power tools for woodworking. All of these have helped shape the industry of woodworking into what it is today. Each tool will be discussed briefly, along with suggestions on top brand producers.
Wood Planer
Before you start working with wood, it’s important to make sure you can really work with it. Usually, wood that is bought is already cut into appropriate and workable sizes, leaving you to your creativity. But the first step usually involves a weird textured wood that needs to be smoothened out before it can be worked with. This is where a wood planer comes in.
A wood planer is a handy tool that helps shape your wood properly. It gives roughly textured wood a smooth finish, allowing more precise measurements and shapes, which has helped make good furniture and proportionate decorations.
The usual price for quality wood planers ranges from $250 – $500, depending on the type, size, and features it presents. Reputable brands that offer good wood planers include Dewalt, Wen, and Makita.
Table Saw
If you’re working with larger than normal chunks of wood, a table saw is a must in your workstation. Imagine how hard it would be to accurately cut and smoothen out a large block of wood with only a handful of tools at your disposal.
A table saw makes work easier and faster by significantly lessening the amount of time needed to cut large wood pieces. You just put the wood on top of the table, move it with care against the circular saw blades, and finish the entire process quickly.
For non-professional use of table saws, a smaller and portable one is recommended. The normal price range is around $250 – $500, usually depending on the strength it provides and the features they provide. Some reliable brands include Bosch, Dewalt, and Skil.
Circular Saw
A powerful cutting tool, circular saws help simplify the process of cutting wood through its portability and strength. Utilizing a toothed or abrasive disc, it can cut through wood by rotary movement around a fixed point.
Other than the table saw, circular saws can also be used to cut relatively larger pieces of wood. The great thing about this equipment is its handheld capability and its power. However, you need to make sure you take all precautionary measures before using it due to its strength.
The usual price for a circular saw ranges from $200 – $400, depending on the brand and the features available. Some of the most reliable brands for this power tool include Milwaukee, Makita, and Dewalt.
Jigsaw
The normal way of cutting up wood is through straight lines, making fine linear cuts. With a jigsaw, you have the flexibility of cutting wood in a straight line, or you can move your way to make angled cuts. This makes the power tool a very convenient tool for irregular shapes of wood.
Similar to circular saws, a jigsaw is handheld, giving you full control of the equipment’s movement and the wood design. The main difference lies on the direction both equipments are capable of moving at. Circular saws are powerful and often linear, while jigsaws can move at different angles, giving you more control on the cutting process. It makes carving, turning curves, and making bevels easier as it is more precise.
The price for the power tool ranges from $100 – $170. The best brands that offer quality jigsaws include Bosch, Makita, and Dewalt.
Air Compressor
The lifeblood of pneumatic tools lies on the pressurized air from air compressors. They provide the juice necessary to make the power tools work, and efficiently produce results. They are important at construction sites and at work stations.
There are countless uses for air compressors, scoping several fields of work. It helps in construction and maintenance, as the tools they utilize usually require power from pressurized air. Some of the most notable pneumatic tools that the compressor can power include air nailers, paint spray guns, sanders, impact wrenches, and air ratchets.
For small-scale construction, a 4.5 gallon air compressor is sufficient. However, because the equipment is very versatile with its features and capacity, as well as the differences in consumer needs, the price range may vary from $200 – $1000. Some of the most reliable brands for the equipment include Dewalt, Briggs & Stratton, and Porter Cable.
Nail Gun
Most construction work involves a lot of driving nails, and one specific power tool that effectively handles this job properly is a nail gun. The ease and speed of use outweighs the cost of buying one, as its usage shines especially on tougher work load.
Sometimes, construction work needs to speed up, and driving nails manually won’t help with that. The rough comparison of driving a nail manually versus with a nail gun is about 1 nail vs. 10 nails with the power tool. So it greatly saves time and labor that can be used elsewhere.
The usual cost of a nail gun ranges from $100 – $200, depending on the size and its flexibility on nails used. For this tool, the best brands are Bostitch, Porter Cable, and Hitachi.
Sandblaster
A strong method for cleaning aged surfaces is through the use of sandblasters. As the name implies, it utilizes fine materials such as sand or glass beads and fires them at a high pressure to remove unwanted materials from the surface.
This power tool is used for stubborn spots that can’t be cleaned through normal ways. Utilizing the speed, accuracy, and convenience of the sandblaster, it helps lessen labor time with the least amount of effort as well.
The usual price range for sandblasters range at around $120 – $ 200. The best brands for the power tool include Campbell Hausfeld, Black Bull, and Lematec.
Router
When working with wood with regards to furniture, it doesn’t usually end with cutting up or forming the product. Wood routers help cap things up by smoothening and decorating the edges of the final product. This creates a better and more finished look.
Handheld routers are the usual power tools utilized because of their convenience and power. It makes woodworking easier and smooth-sailing due to the portability and durability of the tool.
For its price, the usual range for a wood router is at $100 – $150, differing due to size and manufacturer. The best brands for the tool include Dewalt, Bosch, and Porter Cable.
Biscuit Joiner
A great method to join wood together is through the use of a biscuit joiner. It is a convenient and portable tool that cuts a small hole in opposite edges of two pieces of wood. They are then inserted with a disc-shaped, dried piece of wood to join the two planks together which are then glued afterwards.
A biscuit joiner is an efficient tool that reinforces the connection between two pieces of wood. Instead of just gluing them together, the power tool creates a connection between the two, adding an extra layer to keep them well-joined.
The usual price for biscuit joiners range from $100 – $200. The best brands to consider when buying the tool include Porter Cable, Craftsman, and Festool.
Drill
An important aspect of connecting wood is through nails or wood screws. But before that, an accurate hole must be made to allow the proper connection. With this, wood drills are the right tools to use for the job.
When it comes to appearance and functionality, making the proper hole at the right place is essential. Drills make this an easy task by literally pushing its way down without much effort. With very few ways to create a good hole, drills are pretty much necessary to get when it comes to woodworking.
The usual price range for wood drills cost about $150 – $350, due to the differences in output and manufacturer. The best brands for the power tool include Bosch, Milwaukee, and Porter Cable.
Choose the Best Woodworking Tools
There are a lot of devices you can use when it comes to woodworking. Some of these are must-haves in the workplace, while some make difficult techniques easier and more convenient, lessening the time it takes to work while maintaining a high level of quality.
The brands listed above are considered the best per set of tools. Most of them have overlapping specialties in the equipment they provide, bringing the best quality for optimum results and a high level of craftsmanship. Besides looking at our suggestions, also consider what fits best according to your needs and the type of woodworking you will do with your power tools.
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I’m James J. Decker, a hobbyist and DIYs and also a big of home improvement and gardening tools. I immensely enjoy how these amazing products improve productivity and efficiency, and allow me to do jobs for which I would’ve otherwise needed professional help.
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Hi, These are all useful tips, especially for the woodworker. One of my friends he is a woodworker I am going to share it with him. Hope so he will be benefited from here. Thanks for your informative article.
Very Informative article about power tools. There are so many tools in woodworking I discovered various tools of woodworking. Its really help me to boost up my woodworking knowledge. Thanks for sharing.