I want to put some gifts under the tree for myself, hehe. I need some ideas.
I also thought it would be interesting to know what everyone’s top tools they couldn’t live without.
Maybe some good gift ideas for a woodworking friend, too.
Big or small, expensive or cheap.
I suck with traditional hand tools so mine reflect that but i’ll start with some of my favorites:
The top of my list is the Festool Domino. The world seems to love it or hate it, but I love it.
Since I got it, I have made far fewer mistakes, and it speeds up everything so much. Working is less stressful, smoother, and just more enjoyable.
Honestly, I dread the thought of not having this machine in my shop, and despite the cost, I’d replace it immediately if it died.
I don’t have the skill or XP most of you do, and it lets me bring what’s in my head to life and enjoy it along the way.
Next up are these little Paolini pocket rules. These are by far the most used rules I have. I will buy another set or even two because I want to save more critical measurements throughout a build.
https://www.woodpeck.com/ppr-2019.html
My Dewalt planer’s helical cutter head upgrade.
This also changed the game for me—more enjoyment, 200% quieter and smoother, with a fantastic surface after. I’ll never go back to straight blades.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0973MQR4X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1&tag=a7b2c4d8e96-20
Dewalt biscuit joiner. Nice tool. I upgraded from a no-name Amazon brand (it worked fine for a long time), but since I got this guy, I feel much better about biscuits, which I use often.
Back on the cheap end is these battery adapters. I have a 1/3,1/3,1/3 mix of Makita, Milwaukee, and Dewalt tools and batteries. Sometimes I have batteries/tools in the truck, shed, or job site and don’t have the brand I need at home. These things make that issue irrelevant. I ALWAYS have a charged battery anywhere I am since I’ve stocked everywhere with a set of these.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08C2PS5VK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&tag=a7b2c4d8e96-20&th=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09L8JBZLH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1&tag=a7b2c4d8e96-20
Strap clamps. I am a bit embarrassed to admit I have too many expensive tools that don’t work pertaining to clamping odd shapes and even just normal boxes, but these strap clamps have proven to be the MVP in my shop every time. I don’t know how i’d get by without them.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006JSPX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1&tag=a7b2c4d8e96-20
Last is my Laguna MBAND18BX2203 18″ bandsaw. This thing has saved me so much money. I’m also embarrassed to admit I used to turn so much great wood into wood chips, which always hurt…. I’m mad that I waited as long as I did for this purchase, but it’s my favorite big machine at this point, and I love it more every day.
https://beavertools.com/mband18bx2203-laguna-tools-18-bx-3hp-220v-18-bandsaw.html
Replies
Im asking for a handmade in Berea shop broom
A LN 102 is one of the best gifts Ive ever received. I do love my DF500 though
Router lift with a 3hp router and a downdraft cabinet in the wing of my table saw: I do as much routing as possible on the router table. This setup has many of the benefits of a shaper without the cost or extra footprint of the machine. Especially when you spring for a shaper spindle.
My porter cable speedbloc 330 with a sheet of 3M synthetic steel wool. If I could find a new sander with the heft and balance of this machine I would retire it. Since I can't I've purchase several replacement parts to hopefully keep it running for another 25 years. With the optional soft base this is also a fantastic profile sander.
Byrd Shelix cutterhead for my 6" jointer. It's a base level machine from Grizzly that turned into a beast with that cutterhead.
Lastly the workbench. Double seperate end vices have proved invaluable.
Starrett Combination Squares - because there is nothing more rewarding than to know you can trust what the tool is showing you - it is what it is;
Veritas PMV11 chisels
A well tuned block plane, and
a comfortable sanding block that conforms perfectly to your hand
Merry Christmas
If cost is no difficulty .....
A European-style tablesaw, inclusive of the built-in precision (to 0.1mm) and a sliding table for cross cuts and large panels. You'll be amazed then addicted, after struggling with that awful unisaw thang for years. :-)
Whilst you're at it, why not get a proper European-style planer/thicknesser machine? A 12" version will square, flatten, straighten and otherwise make perfect planks with one powerful machine - planks of any size you're likely to use. (Yes, you can get them with helical heads of screw-on rotatable multi-edge cutters).
Drill/driver: the small 12V items from the likes of Bosch or even Festool, with various additional heads for getting at anything, are fine wee things to use. Get one paired with a small impulse driver and never cam-out & mangle a brass slotted screw again.
How about a drill press made for woodworking rather than metal working? Consider the likes of the Nova beast, with 6" of downward travel rather than the usual 3.5", not to mention many truly useful controls such as immediate speed change, fine depth control, auto stop/start and much more.
A two day or one week course on use and maintenance of hand tools. Why "suck" if you can learn to be skilled? All it takes is a small effort to learn and, of course, the will to do so. Their use vastly expands the creative abilities of a machinist.
Small things:
A small portable worklight with various means to mount it (magnetic, dangle hook, multi-angle stand, etc.). A strong light directed aright at a workpiece can reveal or enable very fine detail work.
A pair of high quality small backsaws (crosscut & rip) and/or a set of three high quality Japanese saws. Mind, you have to learn not to "suck" with them. :-)
Another big thing ....
A workbench. Many think their Sjoberg or similar is good. The wobble of YouTube vid demonstrators who use such things reveal that they aren't stable enough. And the vises are often primitive, to say the least. Build your own behemoth with large section dense hardwoods and mount two Veritas twin screw vises on it. You can mount specialist sub-vises in the jaws of one of the twin-screws. A proper bench makes a vast difference to even machine woodworking.
My LN 102 block plane. I use it on every project.
presently my new veritas dovetail jig. What i'm really missing is my stanley type 15 smoother that was lost due to a wildfire.
something old and something new:
10" Witherby Drawknife (made pre-Civil War MA)
No. 4 Lie-Nielsen Smoothing Plane (bronze)
Although the Euro table saw mentioned above would be a helluva nice gift!
I find that my favorite tools often end up being the ones that I happen to use the most. In some cases, it was a matter of finance and that was all I could afford initially. For example, my making knife is under $10 or $20 and was nothing special. I've used it so much that when I've tried other ones that have cost close to $100, I've gone back to my inexpensive one. It's an old friend as are some of my other hand tools. It's kind of like my greeting them at the begining of the day is me saying "hello old friend."