15 Power Tools Woodworkers Must Have in 2024

While working with wood, you will find that you will have to resort to a slew of woodworking tools. Each one adapted for a particular job, and without the best woodworking tools for the job, it can be quite difficult to accomplish a project. Today we will go through some of the best power tools for woodworking you need in the workshop.

1. Jointer

best-jointer

Having wood boards that are nice and flat makes the job so much easier.

A jointer has one job to do. It is to make things flat. Different from a planer, a jointer can straighten wood in a way that removes bows and arches and deliver an entirely flat plank.

It is recommended to use the jointer as a preliminary wood treatment before feeding it to the planer. It sets the foundation for everything that comes later on and it is one of the most valuable tools in the workshop.

>> Read More: 6 Best Wood Jointers

2. Surface Planer

DW734 Planer

A surface planer is one of the several tools you will need if you are going to mill and square rough lumber. Additionally, the surface planer has one further function, and that is to reduce the thickness of the board.

A surface planer can also be used as a thickness planer, as well as a surfacer. There is a set of blades in the middle section of the planer and a set of rollers at the edge. The wood gets grabbed by the rollers and the blades skim off materials as it gets passed through it.

Good surface planers can skim off wood at a 1/16 of an inch, which is remarkably thin. It does so relatively quickly, without fatigue and with high accuracy delivering a mill that is ready for your woodworking project.

A surface planer is a heavy-duty power tool that can be very aggressive with wood. If your plank has some curvature and bow, it is recommended to use a jointer before using a surface planer to get wood down to the exact thickness that you want.

>> Read More: 7 Best Planers

3. Drill Press

benchtop drill press review

Most people already have a drill in their workshop. So why exactly do you need a drill press?

A drill press has a table that sits perfectly flat and allows you to drill perfectly straight hole with high precision and no fatigue.

If you have a lot of wood drilling to do, a drill press is a perfect companion. It will drill at an angle that is exactly perpendicular to the board, and you will always get straight holes whether you are working on one hole or a thousand.

Drill presses have a variable speed control, and the drill bits can also be swapped with smaller or larger tip forceners. Those are difficult to do with a portable drill machine.

One significant advantage of the drill press is that the tips can be exchanged with a great variety of bits, like using a round drum sander bit to sand wood. This makes the drill press a versatile power tool that does more than the mundane task of drilling.

>> Read More: 7 Best Drill Presses

4. Radial Arm Saw

Radial Arm Saw

The radial arm saw has an intimidating name. But behind the complex nomenclature lies a relatively simple device.

The radial arm saw is used to cut tons of wood, and it does so very quickly. The radial arm saw is as accurate as the user using it. It is, however, not the most accurate power tool even by the most expert of hands for cutting wood. What is excels in, is cutting a lot of wood very quickly, faster and less tiresome than portable saws.

Radial arm saws are quickly becoming relics of the woodworking industry, mostly because of security concerns and advancements in circular saws (see below) making them just as convenient for cutting wood.

Even so, it is a handy power tool to have, and if you have the room in the shop, then the radial arm saw can make a nice addition. Bear in mind that extra caution should be observed while operating this device.

>> Read More: Radial Arm Saw vs. Table Saw

5. Band Saw

Cordless Band Saw

The band saw is a versatile woodworking power tool. The mechanical innards of the band saw are pretty old-fashioned. However, it can be used to deliver all sorts of contours and wood forms that few other tools can.

Despite using it for accurate and artistic crosscuts, the band saw is also handy when sawing lumber into small pieces. In fact, for this very reason, the band saw is one of the most popular power tool in the lumber mill.

>> Read More: 7 Best Band Saws

6. Wood Router

Wood router reviews

The router is hands-down the most versatile power tool in the workshop. It is a semi-portable device that can easily be guided by the hand. Routers can be used to hollow out wood and make cutouts with extreme precision. Its usage extends further than woodworking, as routers can also be used on almost any material, from plastic to aluminum cutting.

>> Read More: 7 Best Wood Routers

7. Compound Miter Saw

miter-saw-reviews

The compound miter saw is another power tool that comes in handy when working with wood. Especially if you need wood cutting at an angle.

The compound miter saw can skew to any angle you want to deliver the perfect angled cut. From making frame corners to simple dicing wood in half, the compound miter saw is an incredibly powerful and easy to use wood cutting tool.

>> Read More: 7 Best Miter Saws

8. Bench Grinder

Bench Grinder Review

The bench grinder, as its name suggests is a fixed grinder. It is used mostly for sharpening tools quickly and easily. It is also easily maintainable, as all you need to clean the grinder is a diamond dresser or metal brush.

If you have a lot of tools to sharpen, the bench grinder is a handy tool to have in your arsenal. Alternatively, you might want to consider a belt sander that also comes with a disk grinder. This does the job of sharpening tools equally well.

>> Read More: 7 Best Bench Grinders

9. Circular Saw

Best Cordless Circular Saws

The circular saw is an indispensable device and one of the best woodworking tools out there. It is used for crosscutting wood and is it is quite easy (and fun) to operate.

You can easily and quickly replace the saw for one adapted to the job you are doing. Once you get used to using the circular saw, it will accompany you everywhere.

It has a small learning curve, as the hardest part of operating the circular saw is learning how to use the measuring gauge. Once you do, you can cut and dice wood with an extreme level of precision.

>> Read More: 7 Best Circular Saws

10. Power Drill

best cordless drill

There are three types of power drills. Regular drills, hammer drill and impact drivers. Power drills can be portable and battery-powered, but they also come with a cord. Regular power drills are used in both residential and commercial, so they are very versatile power tools. If you are using a regular power drill for business purposes, make sure to get one with a high voltage and power.

Regular power drills offer one significant advantage. By just changing the bit, you can quickly turn this power drill into an electric screwdriver. By simply flipping a switch to the side, the bit will change from a clockwise to an anti-clockwise rotation.

Hammer drills offer more force. The bit goes back and forth which allows you to bore easily through concrete and other solid materials with relative ease.

Impact driver power drills work on the same principle as hammer drills, but with less force. It is a particularly handy power drill when drilling through thin metal sheets and sturdy plastic.

Power drills are one of the most versatile and best woodworking tools you can buy.

>> Read More: 7 Best Drills

11. Sander

Best detail sander

Single-handedly, sanders are the most versatile power tools in the woodworking industry. There is a rich diversity of sanders, ranging from belt sanders to random orbit sanders that are specifically designed for a particular job. If you work a lot with wood, chances are you will reach out for a sander (of any type) every 5 minutes.

The contribution of sanders to any woodworking project is undeniable. They are this practical and one of the best woodworking tools in existence.

>> Read More: Best Sanders for Woodworking

12. Scroll Saws

scroll saw reviews

Their design form factor is reminiscent of a sewing machine. Scroll saws are a neat addition to any workshop. There are so many things you can do with scroll saws.

Scroll saws are used to create delicate wood ornaments and artsy cutouts. They deliver a level of precision that no other woodworking power tool can rival.

One major advantage of scroll saws is that they are quiet power tools. You can easily use them at night and nobody will notice. They also do not make a lot of dust, therefore, require no dust bag.

>> Read More: 7 Best Scroll Saws

13. Table Saw

Best Portable Table Saw

The table saw is considered to be the foundation of any commercial woodworking project. The table saw makes the task of cutting wood incredibly easy and efficient, particularly if it involves cutting a lot of wood to the same dimension.

The blade of the table saw, while fixed, can also be adjusted to make it cut at an angle, which makes it a very versatile power tool.

>> Read More: 5 Best Table Saws

14. Jigsaw

How to buy best jigsaw

The jigsaw is a simple, yet handy power tool that offers a lot of versatility when cutting wood. The blade of the jigsaw moves up and down to cut wood.

Most jigsaws have a variable speed control that gives you more maneuverability and control over your cutting. The blades are easily replaceable with a quick release mechanism. You can use either a U-shape blade or T-shape blade, depending on the type of blade the jigsaw uses.

The jigsaw sits right between an electric power tool and a hand tool. It offers the maneuverability of a hand tool and the efficiency of a power tool. Jigsaws are must-have power tools for woodworking.

>> Read More: 7 Best Jigsaws

15. Sabre Saw 

Best Reciprocating Saw

The sabre saw is pretty much the same as any other jigsaw-type cutting tool. The major difference, however, is that this jigsaw has a prolonged saw blade protected by a guard. The saw goes up and down (at variable speed), which cuts through wood. The saw bit can easily be replaced, and you can retrofit saws of all sizes at the push of a button.

The sabre saw is not the most accurate tool, or the fastest cutting power tool out there but it offers tremendous control and ease of use with no fatigue. Compared to a regular saw, this tool is a lifesaver.

>> Read More: 8 Best Reciprocating Saws

Last Updated on March 5, 2020 by Tom Bradly

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Tom Bradly
 

My entrepreneurial journey started in 2006, when I dropped out of university. I wanted to work with my hands, to build things. Now I mix my background with computers with my first-hand experience with woodworking to provide insights into the tools I like best. I love everything about woodworking and have been building stuff for over 20 years of my life. I hope to pass some knowledge and expertise. See more at TomBradly.com

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