Whether you have decided to take on woodworking as a hobby or to build your own professional career, you will still have to go through the same steps that every woodworker has gone through. You will need to learn the skills and equip yourself with the right tools as a beginner. It won’t matter if in the end, you will be making basic souvenirs for your home or for your friends or if you decide to start professionally crafting for a profit.

The first thing you will need to do is to start building your workshop by equipping it with the right tools that will help you throughout your woodworking adventure. But, without any previous knowledge, picking the right equipment is not as easy as you think. These tools can be quite expensive and might cost you up to several hundred dollars just for one item. To avoid spending unnecessary money out of your budget, we are going to guide you through which ones you will need and which ones you don’t. At least, while you are a beginner.

There are several different classes of tools you will need to get yourself familiar with. One class is used for cutting, other for finishing, third for assembling and for assembling. Having a few tools from these classes, you will be set to work on any kind of project you can think of.

Saws

You are probably well aware that without any kind of saw you won’t be able to do any kind of woodworking. Every piece of wood you purchase will be at least a few feet long which means you will need to cut it in precise dimensions. You can’t do any of this by hand, so here are the saws you will need to own to deal with the challenges you face.

• Circular

A circular saw is probably one of the most important pieces of the puzzle in a beginner’s workshop. This handheld device can come in different power ratings which means it could either be plug-in electric or a diesel engine. Choose what kind of power rating you need depending on your needs. As a beginner, we believe that an electric one is more than enough.

Keep in mind that the quality of the cuts depends on the user and not on the device. If you cannot manage to keep it straight while cutting, the cuts will come out curved or botched.

Once you buy it, you are then left with the choice of what kind of blade you want. If you want to cut along or with the grain then you should get ripping blades. If you want to cut across then you will need crosscut ones. There is also the option of a hybrid that allows you to both rip and crosscut which is probably the best option for a beginner.

• Jigsaw

Every woodworker on this planet has at least one jigsaw with hundreds of different blades to attach to it. The purpose of this device is to help you with more detailed cuts. You can cut straight and curved at the same time, depending on your skill.

The jigsaw operates in an entirely different way than the circular. First, it requires a lot less power and second, the blade goes up and down instead of them revolving. You’ll notice that its blade is straight like a sword and not circular.

They weigh less so that you can use it easily with just one hand while using the other hand to hold down whatever you want to cut. What’s great about this tool is that you can use it on any kind of material (if it is thin enough). You won’t have trouble going through metal or plastic sheets, and wooden planks are definitely not a problem.

Power Drill

It might not as important as some other things on this list, but it can come in handy a lot of times which means that you should definitely have it as a part of your workshop. It can be used for a lot of reasons not just for drilling simple holes.

What’s great about the power drill is that you can add different attachments to it, so you can use it for a wide variety of things. Furthermore, an angled drill is ideal for drilling and fastening in any compact space. Right angle drills are not common in many toolboxes however you can find the best ones on BestOfMachinery.

We should note that if you plan on working in your own workshop most of the time that you should buy one with a cord instead of one with a battery. Cordless might be a nice feature, but running out of power in the middle of a drill is not a pleasant experience.

The power drill is another handheld device, but if you want something that is mounted you can also get a drill press. It can be added to your workbench or bolted to the floor, allowing you to work with both your hands. Another feature of a drill press is that you won’t have to add a lot of pressure with your hand to drill through the material. Check out cordlessdrillguide.com if you want to find a good drill press.

Planes

No, not airplanes, but cutting tools that are used to make an even more detailed cut that the jigsaw. A plane is a hand device that does not require any kind of electricity. You just push it against the wood and the blade shaves off the fibers of it.

Orbital Sander

You cannot create an item made out of wood if you do not sand it. So, as a beginner, you will need to equip yourself with an orbital sander. Sure, you could do all of your sandings by hand and with sandpaper, but that takes too much time and effort. And if you are not skilled enough, it will also end up inaccurate.

Hand Files

These tools are quite long-lasting and cheap which means you can buy them in bulk without hurting your wallet. Hand files are usually made from case hardened steel that is used to remove a decent amount of material from your workpiece. A good woodworker relies on his hand skills and not just on his power tools.