Equiping yourself with Woodworking Power Tools, on a Budget

To any beginner to woodworking who is blessed with all the beginner's ardor that he could want, any empty and unused space in the house likely looks like a potential woodworking workshop. If you're planning on setting up a woodworking bench somewhere around the house, every wall things to look like potential space to hang all your shiny new woodworking power tools off. Well, those shiny new tools happen to be expensive.

You can't possibly hope to equip yourself in complete fashion on a small budget. That's why you need to know what tools you absolutely need to get started. You'll have everything you need right now, and you'll be able to build your equipment up over time.

The first thing that you need to add to your collection of woodworking power tools, is the ever popular circular saw. Most people don't really consider a circular saw a woodworking tool. They consider it a carpentry tool – where you would want to cut big heavy, slabs of wood.

But that's not really how you should see it. A circular saw is a really versatile tool. Get a clamp-onon straightedge, and you can use your circular saw as a tablesaw, which is a fine and precise tool. You can cut plywood, MDF and so on. When you are collecting woodworking power tools on a budget, a circular saw can be the greatest asset.

Most would go for a cordless drill when they set out to build a small workshop. But if you’re on a budget, you want the most versatile, multipurpose tools for your money, possible. A power drill is more powerful and far more versatile than any cordless drill.

If it's woodworking that you're after, you don't want to have anything to do with a hammer drill. Usually, a 3/8 inch, keyed rotary  drill is the best bet for woodworking.

And finally, on your list of basic woodworking power tools, is the  jigsaw. You can't possibly do any fine woodworking without the ability a jigsaw brings to you, letting you cut wood into curved shapes.

Now that you have your basic toolset together, consider buying a few conveniences. A random orbital sander, for instance. Yes, you could do the job by hand with sandpaper. But that's very time-consuming. Make sure that you buy this.

When you have the money for it, the first thing you want to buy is compound miter saw. If you have money left over, a router would be an invaluable addition to your toolset.