5 Beginner Woodworking Tools I Regret Buying

Pro tip: never buy short sections of pipe. It costs many times more per linear foot as buying a 10' section and cutting it down, which they'll do for you right in the store, most times, and even thread them for you if you want threaded ends for later coupling them together. You can also very easily cut them down yourself with an angle grinder if you need to. Current example: a 3' section of 3/4" galvanized is $25 or a 10' is $33.

You can get a porter cable pancake compressor, 25ft of hose and a 16,18 & 23 gauge nailers for $199. It’s the best deal.

Love how brutally honest this is. So many YouTubers out there going soft so they can get the brand endorsement. I feel like I can actually trust this. Thank you!

Agree on all except the belt sander. You can remove a lot more material quickly than with any palm sander. Of course, finishing requires using a palm sander or the like. But for quickly bringing a surface within the limits of a palm sander, you need a belt sander.

Those Parallel clamps were honestly my single absolutely best buy for me, they make my life a lot easier... Getting them on sale helped though.

I have been woodworking for 3 years. I finally broke down and bought the Rigid spindle/belt sander. It is a game changer for me. I build toys and furniture with curves so it gets used a lot. Amazing tool.

I definitely think the Kreg saw guide is worth is if you don’t have the money for a track saw or a table saw. I used mine for years. It was great and it broke once after 6 years and Kreg sent me another one without any questions. It was worth the 30 dollars it cost.

The first big tool purchase I made was a Bostitch air compressor combo kit that came with a 16 gauge finish nailer, 18 gauge brad nailer and stapler. I've had it for at least 15 years now and everything still works perfectly. I have the 12" Dewalt planer also and I never have issues with it.

For nail guns for a beginner I'd suggest one of the 3 gun and compressor kits. Their all Identical but sell under porter cable, craftsman, bostitch and many others brands for around $200.

I have never worked with wood and I don’t think I’ll ever woodwork but I’ve seen almost every video you’ve posted in the past year purely because I enjoy watching your videos

The 18g brad nailer was the best thing I have added to my home reno kit. Best thing ever.

I have that very DeWalt Orbital Sander. I use it literally all the time because I have to work outside a lot, and because I use rough, dirty wood (old discarded pallets) it's great for just throwing some low-grit pads on and running over everything to get off dirt, mold, rough edges and other stuff to make the wood nicer to handle, or prep for painting. I also use it for quail cages so they dont have a ton of rough surfaces to hurt themselves on or for their mess to work into. And without a cord, it makes it especially wieldly and handy to have at the ready. Admittedly it wasn't something I originally wanted, since I only got it with a package deal for something else and thought I could give it away as a gift. And granted I'm not some experienced master woodworker, as I've only started doing anything significant the past few months, but so far I am very glad I kept it, because honestly I use it more than any other tool so far besides my drills for wood stuff, and while it takes a bit more time, the finished project is that much nicer. It helps that it's also rather cathartic and soothing to use. That doesn't mean I'm advocating a beginner get one, but it certainly still has it's uses.

Hi John, just wanted to let you know I don't even really do woodworking but I watch all your videos because you and your team produce such entertaining content. Thank you!

I have that planer and the spindle sander. I rarely use the planer because I mainly work with plywood but the spindle sander has been a huge help when fine shaping templates.

Used the heck out of my Rigid spindle/belt sander. Loved it. Also had the same dewalt planer and used it constantly for everything I did. I put it on a dedicated rolling home made cart and loved it. Couldn't afford the 13" at the time.

I have made a lot of furniture. Nice to know I made the right choices for a lot of my tool purchases. I use the Pipe clamps for panels. an attachment on the drill press for spindle sanding, a corded orbital sander, and the bigger DeWalt planer. I do, however love my 18 ga brad nailer. It has limited uses, but the places where I do use it chef's kiss

As a guitar builder, that Ridgid spindle/belt sander was a game changer for me. Outstanding tool

I have the Ridgid oscillating sander and I use it all the time. Ironically one of the reasons I like it most is a one-stop-shop sanding station and I like it BECAUSE I don't have to have Several different sanding tool.

Hi John. I always appreciate your videos. I agree 100% about the Dewalt planer. Top quality and professional results. You just can't replace a good track saw. I use the Makita and love it. Just wish I could afford the 105 inch piece of track... As far as the cordless nailers I am on the Milwaukee platform and love them. I used to use the compressor and pneumatic guns but a lot of my work I find myself in locations that people in the offices or work areas do not want to hear a compressor running all the time. I do not have to deal with untangling hoses especially when I am up working on a scissor lift. The battery life is excellent and I do not mind the weight. I use a 18 gauge and the 15 gauge DA angle nailer and they handle almost all my needs. Thanks again for the videos. dd

To be fair, I found the Kreg circular saw guide you showed very handy. For anyone reading this and not knowing what it is, it's actually a parallel guide, so you can set the width of the cut, and run the outer guide along the reference edge of the wood you are cutting. This allows for accurate repeatable cuts (in lieu of having stable saw) which I found very handy when building some ornament display shelves for our house.