Those who have just started in woodworking should get tools that are designed for beginners. These tools are easier to use and safer for beginners who not yet have any experience in handling them. These tools may be designed for beginners but they have enough functions to complete anything that you want done in the woodworking project. The following are the top 7 power tools for beginner woodworkers.

1. Power Drill

Power drill is a L shaped handheld power tool with a replaceable bit at the end. The size of the replaceable bit can range from 1mm – 10mm. The bits can be various types of slotted/phillips screwdrivers, hex keys, and standard/masonry drill bits. Power drill can be corded which requires you to plug into a switch outlet. Corded power drill has more functions and they are also cheaper than the cordless version. On the other hand, cordless power drill operates on battery and can be carried anywhere. Near the grip, you will find the on/off trigger and the forward/reverse switch. The torque selection ring allows you to change the spinning speed of the power drill.

2. Power Jointer

Power jointer is used in flattening the faces and edges of a wood that has uneven surfaces. The jointer has an infeed table and outfeed table. Passing the wood through the cutter head will flatten the surface and the cut wood will be transferred over on the outfeed table. The fence serves as a guide when you are flattening a wood surface or joining board edges. You can adjust the fence to various angles. Power jointer is ideal for flattening rough lumbers and S2S wood board. S2S wood board refers to a wood board that only has 2 finished sides with the other 2 sides being not finished. Rough lumbers and S2S wood are cheaper compared to S4S wood which has all four sides finished.

3. Power Planer

Power planer is an electronic planer that can cut out wood board to the desired thickness. It is also used for flattening the up and down sides of the wood board. It has a planing platform that allows you to set the thickness of the board that you want to cut. The cut depth should be set prior to turning on the machine. The infeed roller will carry the board forward as it passes through the blades to the outfeed roller. With a planer, you can save money from buying wood that is readily cut to your desired thickness. You can buy wood with just about any thickness and cut it to the desired thickness yourself. You can also reuse wood from old furniture for your woodworking project.

4. Jigsaw

Jigsaw is a type of portable saw that can be used to cut curves on various types of materials including wood, metal, fiberglass, and drywall. Different types of blades can be fitted onto the jigsaws. Some blades are measured by TPI, which stands for teeth per inch. There are also special blades designed for cutting soft materials and tighter curves. To change the blade, you must turn the dial in the anti-clockwise direction. After you have fitted in the blade, you can let go of the dial and it will lock it in place. Cordless jigsaws allows you to turn the jigsaw at any direction without having to worry about pulling out the cord from the switch outlet.

5. Random Orbital Sander

Random orbital sander is a power sander equipped with a disk that rotates at various axis. The random orbit action prevents the same scratch pattern from being produced. It prevents marks such as swirl marks and cross grain scratching from appearing on the wood surface. Many random orbital sanders have speed switches for adjusting the sanding speed. If you want to sand professionally, you must keep changing to progressively finer grits. Therefore, before you purchase it, make sure your supplier or other nearby hardware stores have various sizes of grits for your power sander model. You should look for a model with a hook-and-loop system so that it is easy for you to change the quarter sheets.

6. Router

Router is a tool that can hollow out an area on the surface of a hard wood. Nowadays, power router is more common than traditional hand router. Power router has a spindle that is powered by an electric motor. A good router will have a variable speed control and plunge base for affixing it to a static position. Router with soft start feature is safer to use because it allows the motor to start slowly and progress to higher speed gradually. For safety purposes, you should always check to see if the switch is off before turning it on. When working, make sure you hold the machine with two hands. Router has many uses including dove tail joints, routered edge, and template cut.

7. Circular Saw

Circular saw is a type of electric saw with a round spinning blade that can cut various types of materials including wood, plastic, masonry, brick, and metal. There are different types of blades for making different kinds of cuts such as rip cuts, and cross cuts. The blade on the saw is held in place by the arbor nut. Whenever you want to change the blade, you must remove the arbor nut. The blade is protected with a blade guard when it is not in use. The foot plate allows you to work on your project steadily. You can adjust how deep the blade will cut. There is also a bevel adjustment for adjusting the tilting of the foot plate to make bevel cuts.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the list of power tools above are the essential tools that every beginner woodworker should have. They will help you a great deal in your woodworking projects. They are affordable and can be easily purchased from your local hardware store.