Woodworking On The Cheap

If you’re just setting up shop, and wondering which tools you need right away, here’s the list I’d give you, in the order I’d purchase them.

1. A Good Router can do anything a Dado set will do and oh so much more. A good router in careful hands can tackle decorative edges, cut mortises, rabbets, grooves, cross-cut (replace a sliding miter saw or cross-cut sled on a table saw), flush-trim identical parts, and a million other things. Mounted in a table (even the bench-top ones!) it becomes an incredibly versatile power toolthat can make moldings, edge joint, make frame and panel doors, box joints, etc. The versatility of the router is unmatched. Get a good one, with fixed and plunge bases. You won’t regret it.
2. A Good Hand Drill will be a dependable friend for nearly a lifetime. In addition to the obvious functions of drilling pilot holes for screws, and decorative holes, a good drill makes it possible to use dowels for joinery. Dowel joinery may not be as fancy as biscuits, but it’s just as effective, easy to do, and far more inexpensive. A good drill will do far more than a biscuit cutter around your shop, and you’ll find yourself using it a LOT. Don’t make the mistake of confusing a drill with a screwdriver. Those portable, battery operated driver drills are great for small tasks, but when you really need to drill, you don’t want to spend time waiting on batteries to charge or swap. I strongly recommend a good, solid, plug-in model drill for those occasions. If you have a battery powered driver/drill, you should be able to make due for quite some time, and you should consider getting a small drill-press, rather than a powered hand-drill.