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Woodworking is creative and tedious work. Woodworking also ingrains patience, organizing skills, and attention to detail. Whether you are a beginner, an expert, or interested in jumping into the world of woodworking, there are a few tools that can make your life easier, and you must have a few necessary power tools in your possession.
Power tools make woodworking more accessible and less tiring, but they are efficient in terms of cost and time and increase the overall work quality. To tackle simple to complex woodworking tasks, it is essential to have power tools near you, not to have to hire professionals to do those tasks. If you are someone who just dived into the world of woodworking or you are already a professional who needs to increase productivity and need to get some insights, this list will help you clear the confusion about which tools to have in your workshop. This article will help you get ideas about the essential power tools.
Essential Saws Used For Woodworking
Woodworking projects start with cutting the components into a rough estimate of sizes and shapes. Saws are the only way to cut the materials according to the desired shape and size. These are the types of essential saws that a woodworker needs to have in their workshop.
Circular Saw
A Circular saw is used to cut large or cumbersome pieces of wood. This tool can smoothly cut a sheet of plywood, cut a large slab of wood to its size, or cut into random shapes and sizes as needed. Circular saws are primarily used to make cross cuts, rip cuts, and bevel cuts in some cases. Circular saws are all run by electricity, but they have different power ratings.
They have circular blades, and the blades are of different types based on what kind of cut is to be made on the wood. Ripping blades, for instance, are used for cutting materials according to their lengths, cross-cut blades are essential for sawing across the grain, and there are combination blades used both for cross-cutting and rip cuts.
This is the first essential power tool on the list for woodworking. And this is an excellent addition to your toolbox if you do not have this already.
Miter Saw
Miter saw, also known as a chop saw, is very good to start building some basic projects. It is used to make repeatable cuts that are angled and cross-cuts. It is the quickest and simplest way to cut wood boards down. The saw is very stable and powerful. Miter saw is placed on a workbench, it is highly unlikely that it will move while making a cut.
It is very handy for flooring and DIY projects. Bevel or compound cuts are an advantage while using the Miter saw. It can cut into complex angles with ease. The other feature of the miter saw is that it allows sliding, for instance, when the board is too wide and it needs to be flipped over.
In short, Miter saw comes into work in varieties while making regular cuts, angled or miter cuts, compound angle cuts, and fine trimming cuts.
Table Saw
A table saw is a must-own tool for any woodworker. And it is a great addition to the arsenal of a woodworker. The table saw is the centerpiece tool in the woodworking shop. This is the number one tool that is versatile, agile, and accurate when it comes to cutting down materials. There are a number of jigs available for the table saw.
A table saw can be turned into a jointer, it can cut at a 45° angle, cross cuts, bevel cuts, rabbeting, cutting dadoes- which is important for building shelves and cabinets, and it also does the job of a lathe machine. Table saw blades are designed to cut through wood, plastic, and aluminum. And the blades vary in a few categories, the diameter of the blade, number of teeth, and revolutions of the blade.
Table saw is a great additional power tool to be added to the tools list. The table saw can be the foundation of the saw collection and it lasts decades if used with proper care.
Jig Saw
Jigsaws, also known as saber saws, are mainly used for cutting irregular shapes. Most of the power tools mentioned above are stationary, but jigsaws are hand tools. Jigsaws help in cutting curves, circular cuts, or serpentine shapes. Jigsaws are different from most other saws. Jigsaws can also be used to cut a piece of wood from the middle, which can be handy when building a kitchen countertop.
They can also be used for decorative cuts. Jigsaw blades come in a variety of teeth numbers that are used when cutting through metal, plastic, or wood. Additionally, jigsaws can also be used for cutting concrete and ceramic. Since this is a hand tool, jigsaws come in corded or cordless versions.
This is why jigsaws are an important power tool of a workshop, and it is very essential to have one in the tool kit.
Drills And Other Essential Tools
Power Drill
A power drill is a multipurpose tool that can be used for many different jobs. Power drills are used for drilling holes in not only walls but can be used to screw in while building different types of furniture. They give clean and straight drills that make repairing or building easier for any woodworker. They can be used to make small or big holes; they can also be used as drivers, for mixing purposes, metal grinding, and removing rust. Power drills come in different versions as well. Corded and cordless.
This is an essential addition to the power tool list for anyone who will be working on different projects at home and also in any workshop.
Random Orbital Sander
A very important handheld power tool for any woodworker is the random orbital sander. And if you want to have a versatile sander in your workbench, a random orbital sander is the go-to power tool. This machine eases the strain and does sanding very fast.
The sandpapers fitted into the front face move in a circular motion. The basic working principle is that it spins the sandpaper in a circle. The orbital sander helps to make the wooden surface very smooth and removes any marks that were visible during the building process. And it helps give the furniture or any item a silky smooth finishing touch to it.
Sanding the wood by hand is not any fun. An orbital sander will definitely make the work very easy and efficient. It will definitely help to sand any surface and make it very smooth within a very short amount of time which makes it another essential power tool to have in the collection.
Power Planer
A planer is a necessity to have in possession. A planer will help in planning any rough piece of wood and bring it into the exact size, width, and smoothness. Planes are mostly used to shave off wood fibers. It can remove a lot of material in a moment. They are small and stout. Planes can be used for making rabbets. Hand planers are very essential to create gorgeous woodwork. It can be used to remove face defects, and level two pieces of wood, Power planers come in a few versions, gas-powered and electric.
Power planers are a great addition to the toolbox and it is one of the most important power tools to have in the workshop.
Wood Jointer
A jointer is used to flatten one side of a wood, to remove warps, twists, and irregularities before the piece of the wood are placed into a planer. Woods are first to be sent into the planer than the jointer because wood that comes directly from the sawmill or after sawing is very rough and not parallel to each other. A jointer makes both sides of the wood flat and parallel before they are glued together. The jointer is a critical part of the tool list and is very important for projects that need perfect dimensions.
Every woodworker should have a jointer because if the faces of the wood are not perfect, inconsistent, and irregularly shaped, the output wood will be out of proportion.
Router
The router is one of the most essential power tools other than the table saw. There is rarely a project or furniture that does not require a router. Routers are used to shape edges, create grooves, joints cutting plunges, rabbets, and inlays, and decorate grillworks. Routers are much more versatile and have many uses other than just cutting edges.
It can be used to create creative wood patterns, and hollow out any area or route out. Routers have different designs too. They can be D-handled and double-handled. Routers have different speed settings and lock-in bases. Routers can be used to create many different items. From picture frames, cabinets, edges, desks, doors, and a lot of other items. They are also used to create holes in the wood slab.
This is an important power tool recommended to have in possession as they are always required for any type of decorative work.
Nail Gun
Nail guns are known as electric hammers. They are widely used in woodwork workshops. It does not require individual pounding on each nail to put it in place. Rather the nail gun puts the nails inside as the trigger is pulled. And it is a crucial tool to have when installing or putting any item together with nails. And they come in different varieties as well and it depends on what type of work is going to be done with them. There are nail guns for framing, which are mostly used for construction, household woodwork, fencing, sheathing, or decking.
In conclusion, all nail guns have their field of work and their importance can not be compared to anything. Nail guns are an essential power tool to have in possession if you are a beginner or a professional.
Conclusion
Woodworking is a hobby itself because it needs a lot of practice to create wonderful items.
The essential woodworking power tools are a dire need for several reasons. Power tools always come in handy, and they play an integral role in the development of any sophisticated and tidy project. If you plan to carry on woodworking for years and are willing to build projects more efficiently, power tools are a necessity. Power tools make up for a time, they provide smooth results, they allow you to complete complex projects and it gives a great sense of accomplishment. And buying the proper power tools will serve you for a long time.
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