How to Choose your Woodworking Tools

by Jordanhill School D&T Dept

Article by W Tsang

The types and kinds of woodworking tools that you will choose will largely depend on how much your budget is. Yet there are also other things that help you decide on which woodworking tools to purchase such as the kind of wood you will be working on, the style of woodworking, the size of the wooden furniture to built and the space where woodworking will be done.

Most crafters think that the best tools make for fine woodworking yet sometimes, the best means the most expensive of all. However, woodworking is not just about acquiring the tools and equipment, more importantly is to develop the crafter’s skills, imagination and resourcefulness in order to solve a problem or deal with instances even without the expensive woodworking tools.

There are a number of timber and building-supplies that a woodworker use and work on in their daily task. A woodworker may start with just a few basic tools and while the fund is still being worked out, the skills of the woodworker should be able to help him accomplish the woodworking tasks in the meantime. For someone who just do wood working tasks for a hobby during leisure time, low budget wood working tools may work well enough. Yet as the skills develop and more intricate designs of woodworking are done, more efficient tools will be needed. An experienced wood worker opening a shop, apparently, needs more expensive and better tools in order to produce best quality of wood working products and crafts.

One of the basic tools in woodworking is a drill. For starters, the corded drills which are less expensive may be bought. In buying one, you need to check if the corded drill has attachments for screwdrivers.

Another basic woodworking tool that a starting woodworker should have is a circular saw for basic cutting and trimming. Circular saws come in different sizes yet the rule of thumb in choosing a circular saw is not to choose the biggest circular saw but to select a higher horsepower specification among same sized circular saws.Next basically needed woodworking tool is a sander. The finishing sander is preferable when rounding the shape or edges of the wooden pieces and creating fine finishes to the pieces. It is also economical as it uses only 1/4 sheet of sand paper. Cordless sanders are convenient to use yet are heavier and requires frequent recharging. High speed sanders can remove lots of materials with less effort but leaves a rough finish on the wood. Low speed sanders, however, provide a smoother finish.

A jigsaw may be needed in cutting curves and performing rough outlines. Two blade options are available when choosing a jigsaw, the teeth per inch (tpi) and the material used for the blade. If you want versatility in your jigsaw, choose the orbital-action model with a cord as the blades can easily be changed and feels quite good when held.

Another must-have for a woodworker is the table saw. With this tool, you will really need to spend money and if possible, choose a high quality table saw. With virtually all woodworking tasks, the table saw is likely to be used. Choose a table saw with a powerful motor. Table saw with smaller motors will only just stall out.

Tags: Choose, Tools, Woodworking