Beginner Woodworking Tools to Avoid: Watch Before You Buy!

I've bought a lot of tools over the years. Some of them have been great investments and I use them all the time. Others though have not worked out so well! In this video I'm sharing with you some of my biggest tool buying regrets so hopefully you won't make the same mistakes!

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[biscuittreewoodworks]

Do you have any tool purchase regrets?

[timdoyon]

Biscuits! I just came across your channel, and I like what I see. I’ve been working with wood for nearly 30 years, and am a firm believer that I can learn something new from every video I watch. Your tips are spot on! There are two things I learned along the way that every new woodworker should know. 1) Take the time to ensure your wood is PERFECTLY square. I remember trying to cut a mortise for the first time. I drew my line around the board, but my last line didn’t meet up with the first one. The frustration that ensued was enough to make me almost quit woodworking, and it was all because my board wasn’t square. 2) Take the time to be precise. Use a marking knife whenever possible. The thickness of a pencil line is sometimes too much. Rushing will only create more work for yourself. Slowing down and being precise made me a much better woodworker. Anyhow, I just wanted to say hi and share that with everyone. Take care, I have liked and subscribed! ☮️

[CaptainHowdy]

Those old folgers cans in the background just got you a new sub. Utilizing old coffee cans and containers speaks to my heart.

[babounous]

I completely agree about the belt sander. I bought one at a garage sale for $40, it was a Porter+Cable that's not made anymore. It really did a fantastic job of removing material quickly that I realized this tool wasn't for me. I ended up re-selling it to a contractor I hired for some renovations, for the same $40 I paid for it. So I didn't lose any money over it, but I did gain the knowledge that a belt sander doesn't belong in my particular workshop.

[Lisa-skzz]

Biscuit! As a newbie just getting going I haven’t had a chance to buy enough tools to regret any (yet). It’s actually encouraging to hear how experienced woodworkers like yourself can still make mistakes about what tools to get. Great video.

[amdan]

Biscuit. I don't regret buying my small 6" Wen benchtop jointer. It's fine for what I do now and was cheap enough that I won't feel like it was wasted money if I later upgrade to something bigger. Meanwhile it works a whole lot better than the 0" planer I had to use before. ;-) Like you said, it depends on your own needs and workflow. I do regret buying a contractor saw that was not tunable in any way and with a fence that pointed in a different way each time it was locked. That's sitting on my garage floor unused. Between what I spent on it and the much nicer but still lower-end saw that I use now, I could have bought something much nicer than either. Your content is always worth watching, and there's lots of good advice in this video. Thanks!

[obiwuncanoly]

Biscuits. Thank you for sharing your experiences. One of the nice things about the woodworking community is how we learn from each other, whether it be about tools or techniques.

[ManWorkingHere]

Biscuits 2! I appreciate using Cubitron sandpaper with my Dewalt orbital sander. Their multiple grit types are really effective at material removal and finishing efforts. Good comments about watching other woodworker comments about tool choices 'for the type of work that I prefer to do'. Putting comments in the context of what you 'need' versus what you 'want' is important.

[MrShadyCash]

I have used so many joinery methods, and while there's an immense satisfaction I receive from doing traditional joinery and taking the time, I wouldn't trade my Domino for anything. No more time consuming dowels, everything always lines up perfectly. I love it so much, and have made some insane looking shelves with it.

[MrJohnnyboyrebel]

Biscuits, I agree with everything you said here. I have a mixture of parallel clamps, and so far my favorite has been the Bremen from Harbor Freight! I won several Bessey K body clamps and are they expensive. I saw a few reviews of the Bremen clamp and decided to take a chance on a couple. Very pleased with them! Someday I’ll get a Saw-Stop but I need to save up for a while. Great video!

[rexpeckinpaugh]

Biscuits!! Thanks. I have just started doing some woodworking and have made a mistake or two, I found your videos and have begun watching them. I find you to be one of the more down to earth people I have watched, What you say makes sense and has been very helpful.

[CncSky]

Biscuits! Thank you so much for all the advice, it must really have taken you a while to make your list but everything you've said is absolutely true and I cannot express enough how grateful I am for this honesty and you sharing this insight with everyone. I'm really looking forward in watching all your other video tutorials. Many Blessing for you and your Family and please continue to make more tutorials I just love your channel 😇🙌

[halsti]

good video! I think the best advice is something i remember Steve Ramsey saying that saved me a lot of money: Buy tools when you need them, not when you think you might need them in the futur. its very easy to buy a lot of stuff, only to use it only once, because you are exited about the purchase, then let it collect dust. Buy if you notice yourself actually needing stuff.

Couple things i regret:
a very cheap pocket hole jig. i bought the wolfcraft one, thats a cheapo german brand. its terrible. its a clamp on one and it cant even clear chips, so i need to manually vacuum every single hole out, before i even finish one hole. otherwhise it just gets jammed. it works, but its so annoying to use. Buy a good one if you do buy one.

Cheap router bits. I bought a rather cheap set of router bits, thinking "better to have them all in okay quality in case i need one, then replace the ones i actually use"... well, i bought the set of 15 from bosch and 3 years in, i have used 4 of them. And one of those ones was a v grove bit that i wanted to use for some carving, that was so dull, every piece was burnt, even at tiny depth. So i replaced it with a festool one that was worlds better. Overall the bosch set is fine, but its never great, and as i mentioned before, its mainly collecting dust. Buy the bits you need and buy those in good enough quality. for the money that i spent on 15 okay-ish ones, i could have gotten the ones i actually need in great quality.

Cheap casters. Man does it suck to replace casters a year or two in because you wanted to save 20 bucks

Things i do not regret:
Good japanese pull saw, i use Zsaw.
I also love the 3m extract cubitron 2 sand paper.
The Incra Tiny T is an amazing marking tool for joinery.
A decent blockplane, i have never had an absolute need for one, but i grab it so often for things.
Cerax sharpening waterstones. they last a good time before needing to be flattened and are just overall great value.
... this one is gonna be stupid, but a metal Stanley tape measure. it doesnt work any better, its just a tape measure... but it feels really nice :D

[scottturner]

I have the rolling dewalt job site saw and I love it. The rack and pinion system is awesome to use and it can take a dado stack, which not all models can, so double check before you buy.

[tektrixter]

Biscuits. I both regret and don't buying a cheap box store block plane. It wasn't good quality, but showed me that I enjoy using a plane and what they can do. I just got three used planes (Stanley #4, Stanley S5 Jack, and a Dunlap block) that I'm restoring and I'm looking forward to using them.

[keithbrock]

Biscuits! Still using my old craftsman tablesaw, saving and researching between Harvey and Sawstop. Thanks for the video

[markpapp]

Nice video, but too late for me, over here in the UK!

Table saw:
I bought a used Kity table saw (didn't realise it also had non-standard mitre slots (without those silly tabs)) which drove me mad. Eventually I bought the DeWalt and discovered that it was the Kity as much as my incompetence that made cutting straight impossible. I love that bevel-geared fence. Also, the blade was utterly parallel with the mitre slots; I couldn't detect any deviation at all, even with a fancy dial gauge. Thoroughly recommended, but the downside is that here we're not considered grown up enough to be allowed to used dado stacks on smaller saws ... I wonder if I can modify mine to take them...

My "workshop" is a damp garage, so everything ferrous rusts in the blink of an eye. I have to buy things with aluminium work surfaces, so the DeWalt scores another point.

Chisels:
🤣🤣 Been there with the cheap chocolate chisels. I use them as pry bars. I bought another set from my about to emigrate brother in law which are much better, but I'm still wearing out my fingers flattening them. At least they took an edge... once I'd got rid of the nail inflicted abuse. I fancy a set of Narex Richters but couldn't bear it if they rusted.

Belt sander:
They serve a purpose - I use one for scribing board edges that need to fit wobbly walls. The amount of material a belt sander removes in a very short time is amazing. Whoever told you they're any good for finishing needs to be left in a dark room with eternity to contemplate their sins. I love my 150mm random orbital sander with amazing dust extraction. It's the mutt's nuts, as we say here. Sometimes.

Fancy dovetail saw:
I have one of those and I love it. I never got on with a pull saw and dovetails. It's possible I'm simply weird. I *love* my little Japanese flexible flush cut saw.

I agree with everything else, but the best part of your video? The surreptitious Domino removal. I really want one of those but can't afford or justify it... yet.

Thanks for making the video and, by the way, "biscuits".

[adamdolch]

Biscuits! Good advice brother. Had me rolling with the domino! Keep up the great work!

[bobafett]

Biscuits! Great advice, I switched to using 3m Cubitron and am very happy that I did. The dust removal from using it is second to none

[rogerwhoareyou]

Biscuits! Speaking of biscuits, one of my regrets was buying a biscuit jointer back when, as it never did quite work right.