My reading interest tends to vary with my energy level. Some days I want to dive into a deep, multi-page scientific journal entry about the quest to find the Higgs Boson or read the entire Wikipedia page on early church history. Finishing large articles can be rewarding. Leaves you feeling like you read a novel. Other days, I don’t have the time or the energy for that type of reading commitment On those days, I like reading lists. Today is one of those days.
I always enjoy listmania on Amazon.com. I enjoy seeing what other people would buy if they had the time or the money. I think you can tell a lot about someone by what they want to own as opposed to what they do own. I should probably start one myself, but I may be tempted to add those items to my shopping cart prematurely.
Since I started renovating, I’ve had a running list of woodworking tools that I believe are necessary to complete most projects the average DIYer/renovator/woodworker would attempt. This is the bulk of that list.
1. A Cordless Drill. You don’t need a cordless lithium ion impact driver like this Makita, but a regular old cordless drill is really a shop necessity. Corded is OK too, but the cordless is where it’s at.
2. A Table Saw. Absolutely necessary. You can make nearly every cut you’ll need with a table saw. Doesn’t have to be a Cadillac, but it has to at least run.
3. A Jointer. What’s a jointer? Well, after you’ve cut a board on the table saw and let’s say you bought it at Lowes, you have a clean factory edge that hasn’t been cut and you have the edge that went through the blade. The cut edge almost always will be wavy and won’t be finish quality until it’s been cleaned up. The jointer is a machine that has a rotating set of knives that will clean that nasty edge up. You can run boards on edge through it or face down. It’s generally not for plywood, mainly for hardwood.
4. A Miter Saw. You need one. Big time. It’s really the only way to cut boards to length (as opposed to the table saw, which cuts boards to width).
5. A Kreg Jig. Perfect for assembling cabinets, built-ins, workbenches (wink wink), pretty much anything with a straight edge. There are a number of different sized kits. The one pictured is only about $20. Make sure you get a clamp. The Kreg system relies on clamps.
6. A Thickness Planer. It’s loud and it will save you money. Most project wood you’re going to use is 1x, which means it’s actually 3/4″ thick. It’s not cheap. But if you’re buying it then you’re building something. Building it yourself is certainly cheaper than buying it already made and it’s absolutely cheaper than having a contractor build it for you. A thickness planer is the next step in DIYing. Home improvement stores mark up the wood because it’s ready to go. You can take it home and cut it, glue it, and paint it. The type of hardwood (oak, poplar, pine, aspen) that these stores sell is called S4S or Sanded Four Sides. If you skip the big home improvement warehouses and buy the wood directly from a lumber yard you can save a lot of money… especially on big projects. Here’s the catch: the wood from lumber yards isn’t 3/4″ thick (it’s thicker) and it isn’t ready for much of anything. That’s where the thickness planer comes in. You can take that rough cut lumber and plane it down to 3/4″ thick. It’s more work on your end, but it’s worth it.
Here’s a quick video that shows how the jointer and the thickness planer work.
7. A Shop Vac. Every item above will create an unbelievable amount of saw dust, especially the table saw and the thickness planer.
8. A Random Orbital Sander. Extremely useful. Can’t finish a woodworking project without it!
Did I miss anything? If you don’t own any of these items yet, but you still want to eventually tackle some woodworking projects, don’t fret. There are plenty of quality used equipment on Craigslist and Ebay that have very little use that can be bought for a great price.
***Full disclosure: Lisa and I are members of Amazon.com associates. If you purchase any of the items above, we get a small kickback. If you’re interested in joining Amazon Associates, go to Affiliate-Program.Amazon.com ***
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