Woodworking POWER Tools // Watch Before Buying

A complete guide to buying beginner woodworking power tools. If you haven't made any purchases yet, watch this before buying anything. Woodworking power tools can be intimidating but I will give you no nonsense advice based on my own experience.

We will cover the essential tools needed to build amazing furniture. Miter saws, Table saws, battery power hand tools, sanders, planer and jointers. But unlike what you may have read or seen online - you don't need a top of the line purchase for every item listed above.

I explore what is a good and bad buy from entry level brands like Harbor Freight and Ryobi. Also why I think most beginner woodworkers get bad advice on their first table saw purchase.

Follow This Link to Purchase T -Shirts - *MY T SHIRT ACCOUNT WAS SHUT DOWN DUE TO COPY RIGHT ISSUES. I AM SORTING THIS OUT AND WILL UPDATE ONCE I HAVE A NEW SOLUTION. I WONT DENY EVERYONE DARTH BLADER SHIRTS!*

[Lincolnstww]

Support the channel by visiting my Etsy Shop and using affiliate links in the video description. Do it - and I'll keep making videos.

[thomasarth]

I once heard the suggestion that you buy the cheapest tools you can get when you're starting out. If you break it or wear it out then you move up to better quality because it's probably a tool you use a lot. If it doesn't wear out then you probably don't use it that much and you didn't waste more money than you had to.

[VarunVargheseMuriyanat]

"Sometimes it's the archer and not the arrow, my friends"

I second that.

[accousticjett]

Seen a lot of Ryobi hate - but I can thoroughly recommend their impact driver. I bought it when I had very little money because I needed it for a job. Used it heavily, daily, for a year, dropping it off of multiple first and second story roofs.

2.5 years later still probably the most used tool in my house. One battery charge lasts over 2 months with general house hold use - truly couldn’t be happier with it.

[AC-rfud]

Well, refreshing to hear someone actually give good advice on YouTube. I made my first cabinet for a client in 1979. I grew up nailing things together with my dad on a ranch. He had absolutely no idea what he was doing but we built stuff anyway. After that I went to work and became a carpenter. Then one day an elderly lady asked me to build a vanity for her and I did. Guess what, I didn’t even have a table saw. I owned a jigsaw, a drill and a 6 1/2” Skillsaw. I drilled a couple of holes in my saw, built a table and bolted that sucker to the bottom and built that cabinet. I built a bunch more like that until I got a used craftsman table saw. I had to clamp a board down for a fence but I did it. Yes it took longer but the cabinets I made really looked good and people keep asking me to build for them.
Long story but I ran a professional cabinet shop for years and studied furniture making at a place called The Primrose Center in Missoula MT. I still build cabinets and furniture and have learned leather working for variety. I still laugh at that kid making cabinets with a homemade table saw.
Try to buy decent stuff but don’t get hung up over tools. You can make a lot of nice stuff with what you have!

[xCustomTamar]

Haha, someone just sent me this video... thanks for the kind words! I can't wait to upgrade that saw one day though... ha

[erikcervantes]

"Sometimes it is the Archer and not the arrow my friends" I love that! And that goes for EVERYTHING. Great work my friend👍

[rondatesini]

I just watched 3hours of your stuff. Good stuff young man. I started at 17yrs. Old. I tell the story five 5 year Jobs over 30 yrs. . All in one; two; three; four man shops. I'm 63 and just now setting my own low budget shop in Idaho. I will revisit your channel

[AndrewJersey]

The Skil brand was baught by chevron and their new model had excellent quality as far as anyone can say. Rack and pinion fence that locks on front and back, integrated stand, and a steal of a price.

You probably should look into it, no need to trash them anymore.

[eddyy]

I’ve been watching woodworking videos on YouTube for at least 3 years now and never came across this channel for some odd reason. Stumbled upon the dust collection video yesterday and have been catching up on his videos since then. Either this guy is really underrated or the algorithms somehow thought I wouldn’t like his content but man this is refreshing, no bullshit, perfect amount of humour woodworking! Keep it up!

[roberthubbard]

My GF bought me the combo pack of Ryobi with that gawdly huge plastic carry case they first came out with, back in the late 90s. Used them for everything as a storm chaser for over 20 yrs. Still using them today as I build a custom casting deck for my canoe now that I can enjoy retirement. The only thing I've had to do is buy batteries. I'd highly recommend them whether new or old to construction work.

[drick]

My first major tool purchase for my shop, when I was 17 years old, was a used Delta Professional cabinet makers table saw from probably the forties or fifties. It was eighty dollars with a new blade worth more than the cost of the saw. One of the features of this saw was that for miter cuts the blade remained fixed and the whole table tilted for the angle cut. At first I thought it was strange, however I discovered that the board being cut was pressed against the fence with gravity, making for a beautiful cut every time. Eventually I thought it was time to upgrade to a newer saw with all the bells and whistles even though the saw never failed I gave the old Delta to my son. Boy I wish I had that old saw back, fifty three years later, but I'm sure he is enjoying it. The point is, like you, we don't need more than what works for you. And you don't always get good results from a fancy name brand tool. I'm still looking for good used tools with quality and safety in mind. Don't focus on name brands because of the name but quality you can usually spot, but you may never know until you use it, some times we get burned . Very nice video.

[thTek]

Love your videos because they are not biased and you always tell the truth about woodworking tools, techniques and materials, you had saved me a lot of time and money and I really appreciate it, wish you success !!

[jakobvanklinken]

I have watched a lot of these "beginner" videos throughout the years. This is the first one that really hits the nail on the head for me! Quite precise about price ranges and expectations

[hopkinshome]

I’m a GC and we also do a lot of trim and finish carpentry for clients. We use a combo of the dewalt table saw and a Festool track saw. The dewalt table saw has ripped miles of lumber and it impresses every time it just keeps going.

[tommacfarlane]

I've been woodworking since I was an early teenager. I'm on the leading edge of 73 now. I've built houses, garages, barns, sheds, furniture and cabinetry with the odd canoe, sailboat, rowboat and dory thrown in for variety. My grandfather taught me the basics of carpentry and cabinetmaking using hand tools only. Over the years, I began to use power tools and learned to adjust and maintain them to get the best results while speeding up productivity. A lot of my workshop power tools are old time Craftsman (Contractor Table Saw with expanded table and modified fence, old school cast iron jointer, etc.) These have been enhanced by using my abilities with milling machines and lathes to either alter or remanufacture parts. (The problems that some people have had using dado stacks with some Craftsman table saws was actually a pretty easy fix.) I have added a Dewalt 735 and love it. I do have a DeWalt miter saw that I have "tuned" and still use it for doing non-repetitive cuts. Repetitive cuts are done with a table saw and sled. A lot of mistakes are made by the woodworker and blamed on their tools. Taking the time to do things correctly is critical to good results. Take the time to plan, measure and set up before putting tool to wood. Power tools are great and save a lot of tedious, fatiguing effort, but can ruin a project if not applied properly. Take the time - you'll be glad you did.

[gateway]

I started with a factory rebuilt ShopSmith with a 4 inch jointer. It was a great all around work horse. Solid cast iron bed and fence. Held settings very well. Table saw function wasn't great, but by building a plywood fence box that fit over stock fence, accuracy was improved to within 1/64. Plus the fence had a outfield support, just 4x6 inches. Perfect for most needs. Down fall of the shopsmith as a table saw is depth of cut is controlled by height of table.

[davidcaverly]

100% agree with 95% these recommendations! I used small and old table saws with plenty of success, but by when I upgraded to the Delta you flashed on the screen my life got way better.

[Gwatson]

This is great stuff! I have always said, "You soon forget how much you paid, but you will always remember the quality." Still, if the amount you think you need to spend is more than you can afford, you never get the tool. Nice of you to put the whole thing is perspective! Keep up the good work.

[patricksmith]

I've watched a ton of videos about recommended beginner woodworking tools. This is the first one that I've ever "liked" and "subscribed" to.
It's also the only one I've ever saved to refer back to later.
Keep up the great work! (And thanks for the straight-up honest info!!!)