I am a beginner. Please, what tools are needed for woodworking? This question is common among people who are just starting the woodwork business. The truth is that you need certain tools, whether you are a beginner or not.
In this article, we will explain some tools that are of paramount importance to woodwork specialists. By paramount importance, we mean tools that you must have in your workshop. They are useful for virtually all projects.
Woodworking Power Tools for Beginners?
We already told you that we would introduce some necessary tools for woodwork projects. These essential tools are described as 8-must-have tools for beginners. You can find these tools below.
1. POWER DRILL + DRIVER:
This is probably the most important tool that you’ll need for your first wood-making project. It makes the job much easier and faster than the screwdriver. This is so because it is the tool you need to drill holes in walls, wood, metal, plastic, and pretty much any surface, and screw things in them.
The power drill/driver is compact and lightweight. So, the user can comfortably make drillings. It provides precise control for drilling. Also, with this machine, you can drill and screw in confined spaces. These tools are either corded or battery-powered, while some function via both power sources. One great feature of these tools is that they are durable. The power drill/driver is designed to perform all screwing tasks without damaging the material or surface.
2. MITER SAW:
Another essential tool for beginners is the miter saw. It is also called a drop or chop saw. You need this machine to make quick crosscuts in your workpieces at selected angles. It is ideal for almost all types of woodwork or carpentry work.
The miter saw is perfect for cutting down boards into smaller lengths. It is equally ideal for cutting different angles. Two simple cuts you can make with this equipment are the 90-degree cuts and the 45-degree cuts. The 90-degree cut is straight while the 45-degree cut is for corners.
When working on a workpiece like crown molding, you need a 45-degree angle for the corners- both the inside corner and the outside corner. And this is achievable when you understand how to use the miter saw correctly.
3. CIRCULAR SAW:
You can never ignore the circular saw if you want to be successful in the woodwork business. A circular saw is suitable for cutting large pieces of wood. A miter saw is an essential tool too, but the circular saw is much better for cutting larger workpieces.
Apart from cutting wider timber into narrower sizes, it is equally suitable for bevel cuts. Despite being a powerful saw, it is portable, compact, and handy. Besides, it is straightforward to use. Circular saws are durable, and they produce high performance.
When you know how to use this saw, you can make demanding cuts with ease. One advantage of this tool is that it is ideal for small workshops or when you do not have a lot of space to keep tools. As explained earlier, the circular saw is portable, so it does not consume a lot of space.
4. NAIL GUN:
The nail gun is another tool that you need to learn how to use as a beginner. A nail gun is more comfortable to use than a hammer. With this tool, inserting nails into wood is so much fun. It eliminates the fatigue of the hand resulting from hitting nails using a hammer. Nail guns support different nail sizes.
By just pulling a trigger, you can insert a nail into the wood. With this development, you will agree with us that this is an invaluable tool for every woodworker or carpenter. You can also call it a nailer, as you can use it to drive a nail into any wood.
5. RANDOM ORBITAL SANDER:
The random orbital sander is another essential tool for beginners. This tool produces an ultra-smooth sanding. Apart from sanding, random orbital sanders are suitable for various other purposes, including painting jobs such as furniture painting, bathroom, and kitchen cabinet painting, etc.
With a random orbital sander, you can sand any surface quickly and smoothly, with ease. This tool reduces the amount of time you can spend finishing a furniture piece. And it is a work tool that you’ll continuously need as a woodworker.
6. PAINT SPRAYER:
A paint sprayer is another essential tool for woodwork professionals. It makes painting jobs a lot easier and much faster. You can use this tool to paint any piece of furniture, whether it’s a new furniture piece that you just made or an old piece of furniture with worn-out paint.
One nice feature of a paint sprayer is that you can control the paint flow during any painting project. With a paint sprayer, you can paint the interior and exterior of small houses. The equipment is easy to store since it has a storage compartment.
The power cord, spray gun, and extra spray tips can be kept in the storage compartment to save some space in your workshop. For hard-to-reach areas, paint sprayers come with long hoses to aid the painting job.
7. JIGSAW:
The jigsaw is another useful tool for woodworkers. You need it to make intricate cuts in wood. The tool is ideal for making curved cuts. So, in more precise terms, you need this tool to cut non-linear lines or make cuts that are not straight.
You can carve out different shapes out of thin wood with this tool. If you can use this equipment excellently, you will realize that it is a great tool, although you may not make use of it regularly. Apart from shapes, jigsaws can also be used for cutting letters.
8. TABLE SAW:
The last on this list but not the least tool is the table saw. It is the most heavy-duty of all the saws. Table saws are perfect for straight cuts, although they perform similar functions to circular saws.
When you’re working on light workpieces or wood that you can easily lift, the table saw may be the most suitable cutting machine. Cutting large wood into smaller pieces that you can easily and conveniently work with is called ripping. Ripping is arguably the most common use of table saws. Another use of table saws is for crosscutting. Crosscutting is when you cut across lumber to get the exact length you want to work with.
You can use a table saw for bevel cuts as well, but you need to know how to adjust the blade to the required angles to use the saw for these cuts. Joints, rabbets, and grooves are other cuts that you can make using a table saw.
How to use Random Orbital Sander?
An observation on the use of random orbital sanders shows that beginners use this tool wrongly. And when you do, you will not get the best result from the use of the equipment. Hence, we decided to explain how best to use the tool.
Avoid fast sanding:
You don’t have to be fast when using the random orbital sander. The essence of the tool is to make your job faster, easier, and more comfortable. It is quite different from the handheld sanders. The machine requires you to be slow when sanding, but notwithstanding, it gives you the best result. You will agree that it is, indeed, a valuable tool.
Do not press too hard:
Another mistake among beginners is that they press too hard into the wood. When using this tool, you do not have to press down into the wood as that can damage the tool and even affect the workpiece. This tool requires you to hold it lightly when sanding your wood. Remember that your focus is on the surface and not the thickness of the material.
Do not tilt your sander:
Another mistake that you can make as a beginner is to tilt your sander when sanding. A lot of pro woodworkers did this when they were beginners and regretted the action. You can damage your sander when you tilt it. Whenever you’re sanding with this tool, always keep in mind that your concentration is on the material surface. The aim of sanding the wood is to create a smooth surface.
Final Verdict:
What tools are needed for woodworking? A lot of beginners are interested in the answer to this question. So we listed some essential woodworking tools for beginners. Now you have it. The tools discussed above are the 8-must-have tools for beginners. It would be wise to learn how to use these tools perfectly to become a pro in the woodwork business.