DIY Woodworking Project Archives

6 Essential Woodworking Tools

I’ve see a lot of people ask, which tools are the best to have to get started in wood working. I wanted to share my 6 essential woodworking tools for a beginner wood shop that I absolutely need when working my projects. And I’ll share a few that are a bonus to have when you are ready to expand. **Disclaimer** This article contains affiliate links. Check our Privacy Policy for more info.

I’m lucky that I have a large garage for storage, and I have been doing home improvement projects for many years, so I have built my tool collection slowly overtime. I have a full toolbox at this point (maybe several), with hammers, mallets, screwdrivers, wrenches, ratchets, drill bits, putty knives, pry bars and on and on. You don’t need all these tools for woodworking, but a complete tool set with the basics is needed in addition to these 6 tools below.

Miter Saw
Power Drill
Circular Saw
Kreg or Pocket Hole Jig
Clamps
Palm Sander

Up to 50% off Select Ryobi Power Tools

Miter Saw

This tool is my go to for cutting any wood. I have other saws, but the miter saw is so versatile. It’s very simple to use, it can make straight cuts, angled or diagonal cuts for all type of applications. Building any piece of furnoitre will be so much faster and more professional with a miter saw. Its by far my favorite tool for wood working.

I have a very simple miter saw, and I’ve had it at least 10 years. I have a similar model to this new Ryobi 10″ saw from Home Depot and it has served me well completing tasks from trim work, hardwood flooring, woodworking projects, crafts and more.

Today, I would probably opt for the next step up and get a sliding miter saw like this one instead of the one I have. These were not even an option when I bought mine. The 12″ blade will cut thicker materials, which I have run into with my wood slice ornaments. And the sliding portion allows you to cut wider planks like when I made the desk top on my Farmhouse X desk. Both of these features would be a real upgrade to the basic saw I currently own. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t actually opt for a full size sliding miter saw with stand 🙂

Power Drill

A power drill is really an essential tool to have for almost any DIY project around the home. It makes screwing a breeze but is essential for drilling any kind of holes including pocket holes. Your drill doesn’t need to be fancy, but I do recommend cordless. The last thing you want to be worried about is keeping our drill plugged in and all kids of extension cords to use it.

My drill is also 10+ years old, but have had the pleasure of using this Dewalt drill also from Home Depot. This is a really nice kit, with 2 batteries so you never have to wait for the one to charge.

Circular Saw

A circular saw a flexible tool that in many cases can be used in place of a table saw with a few other inexpensive tools to help. This tool also isn’t really an essential for a beginner or for one or two projects as in most cases your local hardware store can cut the large sheets of plywood for you, you just have to bring the measurements.

This is my low end corded circular saw from Ryobi that I purchased last year, and for the little bit that I use it, it has worked well. I prefer a corded saw, I just don’t want the loss of power or worrying about a charged battery especially since I don’t use it regularly. The benefits of cordless saw are obvious, as the cord does tend to get in the way and that would be very dangerous to cut the live cord. Ryobi offers a few cordless circular saw options that won’t break the bank!

Kreg Jig (Pocket Hole Jig)

I just love, love love my pocket hole jig. I never would have been able to build any furniture like I have without it. Now don’t get me wrong, I would also love to learn some more advanced woodworking skills, but the pocket hole jig was a great beginner tool. If you haven’t seen my Farmhouse X Desk free plans or the DIY Picture Ledge you should check them out, I made them will a Kreg Jig.

I bought the Kreg Jig K4 system and the screws in varying lengths to get started about a year ago. This system lets you easily construct strong furniture without being a master craftsman.

Clamps

Clamps are a must have to for so many DIY projects. From setting wood glue firmly, to becoming an extra set of hands during construction, they are always useful. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but a nice variety of C-clamps, trigger and spring clamps to fit the usual size project you are working on. I have a couple large bar clamps and smaller hand clamps available. Recently I was thinking that I would like to expand my collection as I’m ever needed a different size and shape.

I used these large C-clamps for the desk top after gluing and screwing. And I have some small trigger clamps I use often for my smaller projects.

Palm Sander

I’ve blown a couple palm sanders at this point, I really use these for a lot of DIY projects. Everything is better with a little sanding; I sand all my pieces of wood before connecting them to really give a professional look.

I prefer these sheet sanders to orbital sanders, solely because I don’t want to have to track down round sanding sheets. The huge contractor packs of sandpaper are economical and I can just fold and tear to the right size. Even if I bust a sander I know the paper will still fit the replacement. I think I would really like the results of a orbital sander but can’t be bothered with the replacement sheets.

This is my current sheet sander, a Ryobi corded sheet sander, and has been reliable even at this low price point. I usually buy the cheapest on the market since they tend to burn out over time.

I hope this list of 6 essential woodworking tools for the beginner workshop will help you build your first wood shop. Let me know your favorite wood shop tools in the comments below!

Rustic Wood Hanging Shelf

This cute rustic wood hanging shelf is so easy to make and is a great project for scrap pieces of wood.

I made this cute hanging wood shelf to sit above the Farmhouse X Desk I build some time ago. I stained the wood to match in Minwax Honey stain with a clear gloss poly over the top.

Here is what you need:

2 squares of scrap wood, one about 2″ the other about 5″
metal hook screw
jute twine
drill/bit
sandpaper
stain/paint if desired

How to build the rustic hanging shelf

Step 1: Drill holes for the twine in the larger wood block. Drill one hole in each corner, evenly spaced. I placed the holes about 3/4″ from the edges and used a 1/8″ bit. You want to be careful not to place the holes too close to the edges, it will make the wood weak.

Step 2: Smooth the wood blocks with 220 grit sandpaper. Pay extra attention to the drill holes to smooth any splintering in the wood. Feel free to get creative with the finish, you can make a weathered look, or a more polished smooth finish.

Step 3: Screw in the metal hook in the center of the small wood square. Use a small dot of wood glue to hold it in place. Wipe away any excess glue with a damp cloth before it dries.

Step 4: Cut four pieces of twine 2.5 times the desired length of the shelf. If you want the shelf to hang 2′, cut the twine at 5′. Then run the ends of 2 pieces together through 2 of the bottom holes on one side. Repeat the same for the other side and knot them evenly at the bottom of the shelf.

I also have a post with instructions for the picture ledge shown above.

DIY Farmhouse X Desk Free Plans

Some of you may have already seen my post for the DIY Farmhouse X Desk I built about a year ago. This is a great article with lots of color photos but it isn’t detailed enough to actually build the exact same desk. Wait no more because I created free downloadable plans to create this exact DIY Farmhouse X desk!

The farmhouse styled desk is simple to make with a little time and the right tools. It took me a few days to assemble in my free time around the holidays and could easily be completed in a weekend! This farmhouse corner desk fits perfectly in my dining room giving me a ton more space for my work items.


			
			
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Click below to get your free DIY Farmhouse Desk plans. Just enter your email address and the link will be sent directly to you! If you don’t receive the link to the free diy farmhouse x desk plans within a few minutes check your spam or junk folders. Enjoy and let me know if you like these free plans to make this Farmhouse X desk.

Don’t forget to order your own pocket hole jig, I used the Kreg Jig, but there are other brands out there.

Industrial Pipe Shelves

A lot of the projects I write about are around my house. It’s certainly been a work in progress. The half bath upstairs that was renovated fairly recently, so it was clean and somewhat modern but was in need of a refresh. These easy and inexpensive DIY industrial pipe shelves were just what it needed to add some character!

I have seen similar products in pictures and thought that it would match with that space, a bit rustic and a bit modern. I also have brushed iron hardware already in this room so it tied it all together.

What I really like about these is the versatility you can get just by changing the wood color, tone or effect. They look great with light raw wood, dark stained, grey washed or weathered wood. You can use thick slabs of wood or go for a thinner sleek look. Everything looks good!

Installation

At the moment, I’m using 2 pieces of sanded 2×4’s! I intended to darken them and give them a rustic worn finish but I haven’t had the time. I actually plan to make a coordinating wood and hook curtain “rod” to match but I have been waiting to find the perfect piece of free wood 🙂 It’s easier to finish them all together to keep them with a consistent look.

Well there is not much as far as directions for these industrial pipe shelves. Here are some links to the products I ordered. *Disclaimer – these are affiliate links that may earn a small commission if you purchase a product at no additional charge to you.

You will need wall anchors if you are not directly drilling into studs. Make sure you use a level to hang the pipes. I would have a space of 24-48″ between pipes. I cut the wood with about 3″ overhang on each side.

DIY Picture Ledge

This simple DIY picture ledge project is super versatile and simply elegant. I made this picture ledge with scrap wood from my Farmhouse X desk project and it now holds my painted mason jar pencil holders.

Picture ledge as a shelf — DIY picture ledge

I used equal length pieces of wood; two 1×6’s and one 1×2. but if you look closely the ledge strip has a mitered corner. The space I needed to fill was about 18″ long, but you can make these in any length. I used my Kreg Jig to screw the back to the bottom along with wood glue. This length needed 2 screws

Then, I glued and hand nailed on the 1×2 with some finish nails.

I wanted this to sit flush on the wall so I routered two hanging holes in the back and anchored screws to the wall using a level.

What I love most about these DIY Picture Ledges is the versatility. I love the look of these in black with a gathering of black and white photos and frames. You can go super rustic with a drift wood look to sleek and modern. Look at these other great images of picture ledges!

Beautiful photo ledge and gallery wall — From Ikea

DIY Wood Slice Ornaments

Tutorial

I have been making wood slice ornaments for a few years. They are solid, but something easy for kids to make and are nice decorations for the Christmas cookies we give out. This DIY wood slice ornament tutorial is super easy and also inexpensive if you have access to the logs and a saw. I have included links to the products I used and may earn a small commission if you make purchase at no additional expense to you.

Two winters ago damaged my birch trees and they were laying on my roof. Unfortunately, I had to cut them down, but bright side, I have birch logs to make these rounds from with my chop saw. I slice up 2″-3″ logs about 3/8″ thick. Don’t havea woodshop yet? Check out my article for 6 essential tools for your woodshop.

I used white and black chalk paint along with acrylic craft paint to make a first round of paint.

Next was time to put on the details. I would mark lightly in pencil my design or lettering. I’m not great at lettering, so I printed some samples from my computer, and used that to help free hand the outline of the letters on the wood slice. Then I used acrylic paint pens carefully over my design.

Aren’t they so cute?! All that is left is to drill holes in the top and tie them up. I centered the hole over the design and made sure there was enough space from the edge that they didn’t split.

I used a natural jute twine and threaded them this way so that they hang facing out when on the tree.

These DIY wood slice ornaments are a quick project and make really unique gifts and will also look great on your own Christmas Tree.

Up to 50% off Select Ryobi Power Tools

Miter Saw

Power Drill

Circular Saw

Kreg Jig (Pocket Hole Jig)

Clamps

Palm Sander

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Here is what you need:

How to build the rustic hanging shelf

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Farmhouse X Desk Plans

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Installation

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Tutorial

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