Woodworking isn’t just for those looking to make a living out of it. Many people love woodworking as a hobby, while some actually get into woodworking to be able to make their furniture. As a matter of fact, you can even consider making a side income as a woodworker if you get good at it.
And the best part is that it’s a lot of fun. That being said, if you’re a novice looking to get into woodworking, you need to get familiar with some essential woodworking tools.
We will be guiding you through four of the most important woodworking tools, as well as assist you with buying the right products.
1. Circular Saw
Contrary to what some believe, a circular saw is not just a carpentry tool.[1] In fact, it’s probably the most versatile hand-held tool for woodworking. It’s also surprisingly portable, which makes it stand out from the other heavier, bulkier tools. A circular saw is basically an electric saw that comes with a disk or blade that turns in a rotary motion to cut different types of materials, such as wood and metal.
As a beginner woodworker, you might find yourself spending quite a bit of time with this tool. So make sure you go with the best one your budget allows. The bigger ones with a greater range of saw adjustments and a good balance of safety and advance features might turn out to be your best bet.
2. Power Drill
A power drill is one of the most versatile woodworking tools out there.[2] It comes with a replaceable drill that you can use to drill holes into wood, metal, and plastic. It can also be used as a much more efficient alternative to a screwdriver by replacing the drill with the tip of a screwdriver.
A power drill usually consists of an on/off switch, a long handle, a safety latch, another switch that allows you to reverse the rotation direction of the drill, a chuck to hold the drill in place, as well as a torque adjustment. There are two types of power drills: cordless and corded.[3]
Most beginners would want to go for the latter (corded) as it comes with more power. The former (cordless) offers more mobility, but unless you’re looking to get into professional woodworking, it’s not going to help you much.
3. Table Saw
Once you get familiar with some of the basic woodworking tasks, you will want to include the most important woodworking tool in your arsenal: a table saw.[4] It’s the heart and soul of a woodworking shop and something that will help beginners get to the next level of woodworking. As the name suggests, a table saw is a woodworking tool with a big circular saw blade. It’s installed in a table that provides support to the wood being cut.
A table saw isn’t going to be an easy purchase, and if you’re a beginner, you will likely be overwhelmed by the range of options you will find on the market. Hence, you will want to do some serious research before even considering any products. You can check out some expert table saw reviews, compare the best products on the market, as well as go through the customer reviews to find a few products that would be most likely to best fit your needs.[5]
4. Nail Hammer
As a woodworker, putting pieces together is going to be an important part of your job. And while glue might seem like a more convenient option, it would probably not work for most projects. This is where a nail hammer comes in. You can even go with other types of hammers, but a nail hammer usually turns out to be ideal while working with most types of nails, especially the 16d ones.
When you’re out in the market looking for a nail hammer, you would find many different ones with varying sizes and weights. As a beginner, however, you should stick to a 12-oz nail hammer.
Featured photo credit: pixabay via pixabay.com
Reference
| [1] | ^ | How Stuff Works: Circular Saw |
| [2] | ^ | How Stuff Works: Power Drill |
| [3] | ^ | Lowe’s: Power Drill Buying Guide |
| [4] | ^ | About: Table Saws – the Workhorses of the Wood Shop |
| [5] | ^ | Table Saw Guru: Table Saw Reviews 2017 – Compare the Very Best Table Saws |
