12 Tools Under $20 Every Woodworker Needs

These must have woodworking tools are all under $20! Pick up these cool tools to help you with your DIY & woodworking projects.
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[coreyz.]

Possibly the most obvious "must have under $20" is the speed square. Straight lines, angles, short measurements, it can do a lot. And not just for drawing the straight line but you can also butt the sideplate of your jigsaw or circular saw against it for perfectly square cuts.

Depending on the size you can also get a contour duplicator for under $20 and this is an invaluable tool if you find yourself needing to make a complex cut to fit around something.

A couple more great tools to have on hand that you can usually find really cheap (even dollar stores will have them) is sanding sponges and sponge brushes. Sanding sponges are great for contours as they mold into the shape pretty well while still keeping fairly even pressure throughout. And sponge brushes are useful for applying stain, clearcoat, and higher viscosity paints that tend to dribble off of bristle brushes.

And as someone who has had wood chips, sawdust, and flakes of fiberglass fly into his eye while working on various projects over the years easily the most important tool you can get for under $20 is a good pair of safety goggles and/or a plastic face shield. Yea, these aren't as "cool" or "fun" as a lot of other tools out there but it's far better to look dorky than to have fragments scratching your eyeball from the inside.

[dboyd]

Why take a tape measure to the hardware store? I just grab one off the shelf real fast if I need to measure something🤷‍♂️😂

[Daynaleo]

One of my favorite less expensive tools is the Nicholson 4 in Hand rasp/file. It has always been in my tool set whether I need to clean up a notch in wood, smooth an edge of sheetrock, or sharpen a point.

[TheLovelyMissBeans]

You'd be surprised how many things from the craft room are helpful in the woodshop (and vice versa). When I upgraded some of my quilting rulers to some that don't slide on fabric as easily, I took the old ones to the shop. They are awesome! You can see through them to line up marks, they have graph dotted lines all the way across them, 3 to 5 inches wide and the longest ones I took out there are 24 and 36 inches long! I also have some tiny ones too. They also have several angles marked on them as well.

Additionally, I find washi tape, repositionable double sided tape, and card stock handy in the woodshop.

[Geoff_W]

I would add 1-2-3 blocks to this list. SUPER useful, and you can pick one up for ~$20.

[no_handle_required]

That irwin saw is DA BOMB. It's absolutely worth every penny and twice that.

[countrymagic]

As far as using the claw to reach for things, I just used mine yesterday (1/2/2022) doing some wiring for my brother in his Toyota FJ. However, I did not use it to reach for things...I used as a fish t help run wires in and up under his dash. Came in really handy and made the project go along much easier. With the snap off blade/cutter, I get mine from Harbor Freight. Comes in a 3 pack of different sizes, or you can get each one individually.

Good tips!

[MrMcTavishOBS]

A transfer punch is nice to have. I just bought a set from harbor freight for $9. I always have trouble transferring the exact center of a hole on to wood/metal for caster or a name plate and those put the indent smack dab in the center.

[robvegart]

4 of these items can be had from dollar general, dollar tree, family dollar, or just about any dollar store... The pop sticks, the syringes, the snapoff blade knife, a screw driver. I agree with this vid, as i have used 18 of these items as mainstay tools and implements that can be had for under $20....

[joelesko]

All great pics but I have to say Handy shims are simply amazing!!!! you get for different sizes and are extremely useful when doing cabinet drawers. I have them all over my shop and they are cheap and reuseable!. LOVE YOUR CHANNEL! Thanks so much for all the inspiration and education you continue to bring to this maker community!!!!

[lancelavallee]

Painters 5-way. I'm not a painter, but this tool is so versatile. I use it every day. It does so much. Once you start using one, you'll wonder how you functioned with out it before.
I'm 40 years in construction. Have to say this is the tool I make sure is in my pouch.

[willneisler]

Definitely in the "Get you weird looks" category: Trashy red lipstick. Seriously, you can use it as transfer paint for marking mounting holes to walls. Dab a bit on the keyhole mounts and press (kiss) it to the wall, pull away. And your marks (smooches) will show you exactly where to put those mounting screws.

[DeputatKaktus]

Coffee stirrers are also highly useful. You can of course stir and mix with them, but you can also use them in model making for anything wooden like little crates, walls or roof shingles.

[vol]

Papermate Sharpwriter pencils.

-Cheap
-Disposable
-“spring loaded” tip prevents premature breakage.

Best I’ve found.

[meperson]

One of my favorite cheap toolsis Milwaukee 6 ft. Keychain Tape. It has both metric and imperial and is super compact and less than five bucks. Another great tape is self lock evolution tape - all tapes should be like that!

[michaels]

Great ideas, Brad!
I pick up old hand mixer blades at yard sales, Goodwill and similar other second hand stores. They are great in a cordless drill for mixing small amounts of drywall compound is a mud tray, larger batches of two part epoxy in a coffee can or other two part compounds. The nice part is they are cheap, so if lost or ruined, they are easily replaceable from my box of spares.

[buddythompson]

I found that the claw device works really well for unclogging sink & tub drains.

[matthewbryant]

I keep plastic straws on hand to help clean squeeze out for glue/finish in tight corners

[jeffhatcher]

Auto-hole punch is a great tool. Also really good for keeping in your car for emergencies. Used to be an aircraft engineer in the Navy, and these auto hole punches are ideal for metal work, but also for breaking through strengthened glass in an emergency without a hammer and in a tight place where you can’t swing one. Worked crash rescue and it is a really handy to get through a window in an emergency .

[BillMacfarlane]

The other end of that spring loaded nail set is actually a center punch, replacing the next tool on your list 😎