Suggested Tools

Irwin Chisels– Highly Recommended These chisels can be honed to a razor-sharp edge and they will hold that edge for a long time. I don’t think you can find a better chisel at these prices.  6 chisel pack Click here       3 chisel pack with mallet Click here

Irwin 2″ chisel– Highly Recommended I absolutely love this chisel I use it all the time. It is always on my bench. Click here

Irwin parallel jaw 48″ clamps– Perfect for large pieces and has incredible strength. Click Here

Lufkin 6′ folding rule with extension– This ruler is perfect for getting inside measurements in tight places. Click here

Stanley Spokeshave– For an entry-level spokeshave, this one does a decent job. Great for a small piece or for removing saw marks on the edge of a board. A spokeshave is a tool I use often. Click here

Flexcut chip carving knife– Highly Recommended Used mostly for small carvings, I use this for marking out my tenons and dovetails. I absolutely love this tool. Click here

Swanson 6″ combination square- Highly Recommended Wonderful little tool. Great for checking boards for square, measuring the height of a table saw blade or router bit. Great for checking mortise depth. Click here

Pax 10″ tenon saw- This is my go-to hand saw. With 15 tpi it’s perfect for hand-cut tenons and even for making carcass dovetails. Click Here

Kreg track saw-  Perfect for straight clean cuts on plywood. I have the Festool and the Kreg and I prefer to use this one if I can. Click here

Shinto rasp– Highly Recommended Great tool. I use this so much! It can shape curves and be even used to shave tenons. Has both coarse and fine teeth. Click here

Shinwa 10″ bevel– I have a lot of bevle. Most of them are very old. This is one that really locks down tight. Good quality. Click here

DeWalt 20v cordless trim router– I really like this router. Bright light. Slow start and fast braking. Compact and powerful Only downside battery and charger sold separately. Click here

DeWalt orbital sander- I like this one because it does a pretty good job at dust control. I have the corded one, but I’ve attached a link for the 20v cordless as well.    Corded sander Click here    Cordless Click here

Porter-Cable electric hand planer– I do a fair amount of flattening wide boards and slabs. If you haven’t seen my video on doing that I recommend it. Click here for the VIDEO     Electric hand plane Click here

Stanley marking gauge– This style has a pin in it and is made of plastic. But I have had mine from the beginning and have never had any issues with it. Click here

Woodriver marking gauge– Made of much better quality, this marking gauge is very nice to use. Click here

Woodriver #4 hand plane– Highly Recommended I have a lot of hand planes. (over 200) This one is at the top of my list. It can produce ultra-thin shaving. Great tool Click here

Shop Fox Heavy Duty  3/4 HP Mortising Machine- Good to have more making multiple mortises up to 3″ deep. Click here

Milwaukee 12v oscillating saw– Wonderful to have for the hard and awkward cuts. Comes in more useful than I originally thought. Click Here

Milwaukee 1 3/4HP Router– I have had this router for nearly 15 years. It has been my “go-to” router and has never let me down. Click here

Ridgid 18v Jigsaw- I’ve had several jigsaws over the years, and this one I think does a good job. It moves a little slower than some of my others, but I find I have better control with it. However, the batteries are sold separately.    Click here for jigsaw.   Click here for batteries

Ridgid 15″ drill press– This is a decent drill press. There are a few features that I thought could be improved upon, but overall it does the job. Click Here

Veritas Medium Shoulder Plane– Highly Recommended I have several shoulder planes in my collection, but this is the one I mostly reach for. Click here

Woodriver Medium Shoulder Plane– Coming in at a very close 2nd place, is this shoulder plane which does as nice of a job as the veritas but is slightly less comfortable to hold for long periods of time. However, it does cost less than the veritas.  Click here

Freud 1 5/8″ Chamfer router bit with 1/2″ shank- Having a variety of different router bits in your collection gives multiple options in woodworking. This is one I use quite often. Click here

Calipers– I have an old set of calipers however, I have used Dennis Laney’s Starrett calipers. Very Nice! I prefer the dial verse digital because I never have to worry about the battery dying. Click here   Shop Fox makes a set that costs  less Click here

2″ Lathe Roughing Gouge– My turning skills are average, but this works well for me. Click here

3/16″ Lathe Parting Tool– Click here

1″ Lathe Skew Chisel– Click here

Lathe Outside diameter 8″ Calipers– Great for getting a precise size when turning. Click Here

Pattern Makers Vise– Highly Recommended– This vise is fantastic for holding and gripping anything in any odd size or shape. I wish I bought this years ago. Worth every penny. Click here

FastCap Scribing Tool– Highly Recommended– Now this is not a tool used every day, but when precise scribing to make parts fit, this tool is spot on. It can also be used as a regular compass. Click here

Cabinet Hardware Jig– This jig by True Position Tools, is great for mounting hardware and drilling shelf pin holes on cabinets. Built with high quality. Worth it if you work a lot with cabinets. Click here

Whiteside 1/4″ spiral up-cut router bit– This is one of my most used router bits. The up-cut helps pull the wood chips out of the grove or mortise you might be making. Click here

Freud Router Rabbet Bit Set– Making a rabbet joint is used a lot in woodworking. This bit with different sized bearings allows you to make a variety of different sized rabbets. Click here

Freud 3/16″ round-over router bit– A common decorative profile is that of a round-over. This bit will get used often on your projects. Click here

 Bahco Camping Axe– This is not a tool used in the shop every day. In fact, it’s mostly used in my yard/woods. Nice balance, and sharp edge. Just an all-around decent little axe. Click here

Drawer Locking Bit– This is a Freud drawer locking bit for the router table. It can be a little tricky to set up. But once a pair of set up blocks are made, it’s fast, accurate, and strong. Click here

 Kreg Foreman Pocket-Hole Machine– Highly Recommended If you enjoy the speed and strength of pocket screws, then this machine is for you. It drills accurate pocket holes in meer seconds. If you do production work, this machine will save you money in the long run. Click here

 Flexcut Detail Skew Knife – I enjoy carving and this double-beveled little skew knife is good at getting into tight areas to allow me to get a smooth clean cut. Click here

 Pfeil Intro Carving Set of 4– I have many carving chisels by Pfeil. And just like having shop clamps, you can never have enough carving chisels. Here is a set they recommend to begin learning to carve. Click here  

 Pfeil Intermediate Carving Set of 6– This is a set the Pfeil recommends for an intermediate carver. In my opinion, I think this would actually be a good set to start out with. Click here

 Card Scrapers set of 4– Highly Recommended On any workbench of mine, you will find a card scraper. I especially love the one with just the mild curved radius. Works just amazingly Click here

 Bosch Lazer Tape Measure– I use this mostly in measuring a room for cabinets. It can measure up to 65 feet and is accurate up to 1/8″. Very helpful when doing estimates Click here

 Lee Valley Toothed Hand Plane Blade– Highly Recommended- This iron for my hand plane is great for dealing with highly figured woods. Helps reduce tearout. NOTE- this iron only fits my Lee Valley Hand Plane. Click Here

 Arbortech Turbo Plane– This round disk attaches to an angle grinder and can shape, grind, or hollow wood very fast. Click here

 IRWINQUICK-GRIP One-Handed Bar Clamp, Heavy-Duty, 12” –Highly Recommended– I used a pair of these clamps all the time. Not too big, but has awesome clamping strength. Click here

 Earlex HV5500 HVLP Spray Station Paint Sprayer –Highly Recommended– This spray gun system has really made the finishing process easy. This system is virtually goof-proof. Fast, easy, and great results. Click here

Woodstock W1100 Chamfer Hand Plane– This little hand plane is perfect for knocking the sharp edges off of the corners of your boards. Click here

Starrett 12″ Pro Site Niter Angle Protractor– Highly Recommended– I have used this for many years and it never lets me down. It will tell you the degrees of any angle and also the miter angle needed to make the cut. Click Here

 Veritas Variable Burnisher– For some people making the burred edge on a card scraper can be a difficult thing. This tool makes it so simple and allows you to choose the angle you want. Click here

 Trend Depth Gauge- Does a good job at checking the height of table saw blades, router bits, etc. It’s a little on the flimsy side, but for the price, you can’t beat it. Click here 

Woodriver Forstner 16 Bit set– Forstner bits do a good job of making holes with a nice flat bottom. This set has all the basic common sizes you will find yourself using in your shop. Click Here

Porter-Cable 23 gauge Pin Nailer– I have had this nail gun for years. It shoots small brad to the point you can hardly see them. Great for trim work. Click here

 Sawset Pro plastic Miter Saw Protractor – I recently got this and I think it is great for using a bevel and finding the angle plus the miter angle to make a cut. Click here

 Sawset Pro metal Miter Saw Protractor – Much like the plastic one but made of metal, this will help find that angle to make a precise cut. Click here

Irwin Flush Cutting Saw– This is listed as a “dovetail saw”. Maybe it can be used for that, but for years I have been using it to cut wood flush to the surface with no harm to the wood. Click here

General Moisture Meter– If you are working with green wood, or even kiln-dried, it’s always a good practice to double-check the moisture levels in the wood to prevent future problems. Click here

Good Mask Co.– This is a step up from just a simple paper mask. What I like about it is it doesn’t fog up my glasses when I wear it. Click here

  Flexcut Detail Knife– I’m back doing some carving again and I have found this knife to be extremely useful. It’s great for getting into tight areas. Click here

 Stanley 60 1/2 Block Plane– SweetHeart Plane. I collect hand planes so I’m glad I have it for my collection. It’s not a bad plane, but it’s not my favorite. It looks great and is made of quality materials. But if you are on a budget you might find a better plane to start with. Click here

Newly Listed Barrina LED Shop Lights– Highly Recommended– I was amazed at how bright, light, easy to install and so affordable these lights are. Definitely worth having in your shop or garage. Click here