Becoming a well rounded woodworker does not happen overnight. In fact, it sometimes takes much more than just practice and inherent skill. The development of better tools has allowed craftsmen and trades people to improve their abilities, with a little help from technological innovation.
Even some of the simplest tools can be essential to improving your woodworking skills, so having a well rounded arsenal of equipment in the shop is essential. Advancing your woodworking skills with tools is a good way to improve your business or productivity, so check out these essentials to help with your woodwork.
Essential Tools For Advancing Your Woodworking Skills
Safety Equipment
It figures that one of the first essentials you would need would be safety equipment! While it might be uncool, it also helps your woodworking skills if you have all of your extremities and eyes intact! Goggles, clothing, and guards for saws are all essential because any good craftsman knows how useful it is to be safe when dealing with sharp edges and power tools. They are cheap and useful, so there is no excuse to not exercise proper safety etiquette in the shop.
Power Drill
One of the primary tools for woodworking is the power tool. The amount of screws that can be involved in a wood project is incredible. If you can imagine how many times you would need to screw through wood, you would not hesitate to include a power drill as one of the primary tools in a good woodworkers arsenal. It is a versatile tool that you will be using for the rest of your life (assuming you keep it in good condition).
Scroll Saw
Keeping with the theme of precision work, a scroll saw can give you a level of maneuverability that most saws do not offer. These saws are excellent for a variety of materials beyond wood, but are best used when making intricate designs on wood. The best way for finding a scroll saw that fits your need is reading reviews, particular ones from trusted brands. While they can go up in price from some other saw varieties, they do offer that level of precision that is hard to come by with power tools.
Chisel
A chisel can provide a level of precision that some power tools cannot offer. Not only is it a tool that can produce very fine work, but it is incredibly small, portable, and cheap. Your budget is going to be primarily concerned with materials and other tools, so this handy little tool is pretty much an afterthought in terms of cost. You can find them anywhere that sells tools, available in a variety of material strength, and will be with you for quite some time as well.
Table Saw
Another powered saw that will be useful for years to come in advancing your woodworking skills. Table saws come in a big range of sizes, price, and use, but they all allow for a significant amount of cutting power on some large chunks of wood or thin metal. Table saws have portable contractor site models, and monster cabinet models that use their different variations of a motor to get the job done. In any case, a good table saw will give you a great level of productivity in the shop or on a job site.
Orbital Sander
After a project is done with the cutting, you do not want to leave the surface jagged and prone to splinters forming. Orbital sanders are handy for smoothing out the wood surfaces because it greatly reduces the effort needed to achieve a proper finish. The amount of elbow strain from sanding paper can take a long term toll on your health, and having your strength is crucial for woodworking. Many orbital sanders include speed control too, so you can get the most accurate sanding power and grain finish.
Jigsaw
What woodworking tool list would it be without a healthy amount of saws? Not a good one! Jigsaws are handheld powered saws that are perfect for cutting smooth edges on a piece of wood. These offer a good deal of movement to help you get the perfect shape in your material. Of course, it is also useful for straight line cutting as well, but it excels in curved cuts.
That is about all you need to know regarding some of the essential tools for woodworking. These woodworking tools are sure to improve your skills and help you get the most out of your time in the shop. Any cut, any wood, and any skill level are going to be handled by these products.
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