Woodworkers generally use a mixture of hand tools and power tools in their work, depending on the project. For basic woodworking, there are a few tools that you should keep in your woodworking kit.
1. Cutting Tools - Woodworking requires a few different types of cutting tools, depending on your taste and the particular project. You will generally want to invest in a few saws, like a jigsaw, circular saw, or even a handsaw. Your specific project will help determine the type of saw you want to use, and you may need a few different types depending on the stage of your project.
2. Filing and finishing tools - No matter what type of saw you use to cut pieces for your woodworking project, you will need to clean up the edges at some point, using some type of file, sander, or planning tool. Common types include jack planes, joining planes, orbital sanders, and hand files. Remember that planers are not abrasive tools, like sanders and files. Rather, they are cutting tools that allow you to shave off small bits of wood, smoothing the shape.
3. Measuring tools - For any woodworking project to be successful, several measuring tools should be used to verify lengths, angles, and other important aspects essential to putting a project together. Old advice says to measure twice and cut once, and that’s important in woodworking. You will also want a good tape measure and an assortment of squares available to use. There are many different types of squares available, and they often come with measurements marked on them as well, allowing them to double as a measuring tool. Squares help you to verify and create many different types of angles for your woodworking projects.
