What tools are needed to start woodworking? Well, this list can vary greatly depending on your budget. The best beginner woodworking tools are subjective but can vary largely depending on how much money you are willing or able to invest to start out in woodworking. It can also vary depending on if you are wanting to start out woodworking just as a hobby or as a side-hustle business. Most of the best beginner woodworking tools on this list are either tools I own, have owned, or at least have used in the past.
While there are certainly tools beyond this list that would make certain tasks easier, I feel confident that you can build pretty much anything you could possible want using this beginner woodworking tool set. Everything on this list is also purposefully portable and does not take up much space at all. The goal here was to compile a list of the best beginner tools that would allow you to build almost anything, anywhere, and only take up a small cabinet in your house or garage.
Once you have your beginner tools, don’t forget to check out some great projects!
For each of the 5 best beginner woodworking tools in the list, I will discuss what they can be used for and provide a low, medium, and high budget option. Here are the totals for the complete list at each budget level at the time of writing this article (prices subject to change):
LOW BUDGET: $270.07
MEDIUM BUDGET: $599.39
HIGH BUDGET: $1,908.55
And here is the complete list of the Top 7 Best Beginner Tools (may contain affiliate links):
1. Circular Saw
The circular saw is pretty much the first tool I grab for any project. You can use it for both rough cutting your lumber to get started on a project or making finish cuts before final assembly of your project. You can use it to make half lap joints and a variety of other joinery methods. While a table saw or stationary miter saw might make a certain task easier, it is hard to beat the cost, portability, and versatility of a circular saw. While most of these come with a blade, here is a good all-around blade that I use.
MID-BUDGET CIRCULAR SAW (the saw I own and use)
2. Cordless Drill
Another staple in the beginner woodworkers tool kit has to be the cordless drill. Used for either drilling holes or driving fasteners, this tool gets used on almost every project. There a tons of options here regarding size of batteries, aka power, but something around the 18-20 volt range is a good all-around size that will not leave you constantly wishing you had something larger or smaller. Here is a large accessory kit at a good price that should give you most of the drivers a bits you will need.
MID-BUDGET CORDLESS DRILL (the drill I own and use)
3. Orbital Sander
I cannot think of a project that the orbital sander was not used. Whether painting, staining, or just applying a clear finish, you will want to sand to some level to smooth out the wood. Even when using barn-wood or reclaimed wood, I often at least sand the edges to get rid of sharp edges and revel some of the underlying fresh wood. I usually have about 4 or 5 different grit sandpaper on hand for my orbital sander, here is my favorite brand.
MID-BUDGET ORBITAL SANDER (the sander I own and use)
4. Pocket Hole Jig
Pocket holes may get a bad rap from “fine” woodworkers, but they are the most accessible and versatile form of joinery for any woodworker. You will find tons of pocket holes in the highest end custom cabinetry kitchens, so I don’t hesitate to use them when needed. They are great for quick DIY furniture projects like my pub table here. I actually own bow the low and medium budget options below because they both have their place in my shop and I can choose which to use depending on the application. If you’re not sure what size pocket hole screws you will need to start out with, here is the variety pack that I first purchased.
LOW-BUDGET POCKET HOLE JIG (one of the jigs I own and use)
MID-BUDGET POCKET HOLE JIG (one of the jigs I own and use)
5. Router
While the router isn’t exactly necessary to build the most basic projects, it will really allow you to put that extra level of detail on a project so it isn’t quite so bland looking. Routers are also an extremely versatile tool that can be used in lieu of a jointer to get a straight edge on rough lumber, put a nice detail edge on a table top or piece of furniture, cut mortise and tenon joinery, cut dadoes and rabbets, mount in a table, or a countless number of other uses. Router bits can be pricey, so my advice would be to add bits as you need them for specific uses and projects. There are some variety pack kits available if you want a set to get started though. Also, there are smaller (trim) routers and full-size routers available. For the purpose of a beginner woodworking tool set, I recommend starting out with the small router and seeing just how much you can accomplish with that.
MID-BUDGET ROUTER (the trim router I own and use)
Well there it is, my top 5 list of the best beginner woodworking tools. Let me know your thoughts or some of your favorite tools for each category. Of course this isn’t an all-encompassing list, there are all of the little extras like tape measure, square, clamps, glue, etc. To see what I use for all of these options check out the complete list of tools from my shop.
