Here are some tool gift ideas for woodworkers of all experiences levels.
I tend to find gift guides particularly difficult types of content to work on. Should the gift ideas focus on tools to give, or to get? Rather than stress over that, I pulled the ideas from my own interests, as well as a couple of new releases.
Please chime in with your own woodworking tool gift ideas if something comes to mind!
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Skil Combination Belt Sander
Skil recently launched a new line of benchtop tools, and so far this new combination belt and disc sander is at the top of my list.
It features a 4.5A motor, adjustable angle belt sander, and 6″ disc sander with bevel adjustment. The sander has a 2.5″ vacuum port for dust collection.
Rikon Combination Belt and Disc Sander
This Rikon sander offers a 1″ x 30″ sanding belt and 5″ disc sander.
Kreg 520 Pro Pocket Hole Jig
While not the least expensive way to get into pocket hole joinery, the Kreg 520 is a versatile bring-to-your-work jig. Pocket hole joinery is an easy way to get into wood joinery with minimal tools.
Kreg 720Pro Pocket Hole Jig
The 720 is more of a benchtop jig and can save time and effort when drilling pocket holes into many workpieces for more involved projects.
Kreg 320 Jig + Micro Clamp Set
The most basic – but still very useful – Kreg pocket hole jig is also on sale right now, for $35. This bundle on Amazon (3rd party seller, ships from Amazon) gives you the 320 jig, plus a Kreg micro clamp for the same $35 price.
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SawStop CTS Compact Table Saw
The SawStop compact table saw is their smallest, lightest, and most affordable table saw, and it’s engineered with the same flesh-detection and active injury mitigation technology found in their larger saws.
I have been working with a test sample, and so far it seems to be every bit as capable and precise as other portable jobsite table saws I’ve tested.
Despite this being SawStop’s first table saw in this class, the design seems well thought-out and engineered.
Note: The price is $899 + $75 shipping at most retailers.
Metabo HPT Cordless Pin Nailer
Pin nailers are versatile for helping to align and clamp small glue-ups, or for trim purposes.
This Metabo HPT cordless 23 gauge pin nailer saves you the hassle – and maybe expense – of running an air compressor with a pneumatic nailer.
It can drive 23 gauge nails 5/8″ to 1-3/8″ in length.
Dewalt Xtreme 12V Max Cordless Screwdriver Kit
This cordless screwdriver is my favorite for driving in smaller screws. It has a 1/4″ hex chuck and adjustable clutch.
While a tool like this won’t do much more than what you can already do with a cordless drill or impact driver, it might improve your workflow or provide more consistent results.
At the least, it’s a fantastic size, delivering ample power in a compact and light package.
Halder Rubber Mallet
Sometimes wood joinery requires some tapping to go together, or heavy strikes to break apart.
This Halder mallet is a larger and heavier size (50mm face size, cast iron head), with soft blue and medium-hard grey faces. You can buy Halder mallets in different sizes and with different interchangeable faces.
Happy Holidays, here’s a… hammer? Hey, something that’s useful is better than something that’s not, right?
Read More: Halder Simplex Mallets are My New Favorites
Rockler XL Silicone Project Mat
This huge Rockler silicone project mat measures 30″ long x 23″ deep. You can interlock multiple mats together to cover a larger workbench or work surface.
It has a grippy non-stick surface, and can roll up for easy storage when it’s not needed.
Rockler has many useful silicone gluing accessories as well.
Metabo HPT 1-Gallon Quiet Air Compressor
I love using cordless nailers, but air nailers continue to provide an excellent experience, especially in a more controlled workshop setting.
This Metabo HPT air compressor is compact and quiet, with a 59dB noise rating. It’s best for use with smaller nailers, and can also be used for airbrushing and other such tasks.
If its 1 gallon capacity is too puny for you, consider Metabo HPT’s “The Tank” compressor, which can hold 6 gallons of air at 200 PSI. The Tank’s noise level is rated at 73dB.
Veritas DX60 Block Plane
I have found Lee Valley’s Veritas hand planes to be ready for use right out of the box, which is increasingly untrue for many other brands’ tools.
Veritas planes are a treat to use, albeit a bit pricey. This block plane seems like a great introduction to their lineup and the world of tools that don’t have to be labored over.
I’d go for the PM-V11 blade style. You can opt for A2 or O1 steel to save some money ($16).
John Blair
Sadly the Tank air compressor is 73 db not 37. I like the fence on the new SawStop better than their older models but sadly they got rid of the one turn raising and lowing the blade.
fred
I’d add that this Sawstop (like many other table saws meant for portability and jobsite use) is woefully inadequate for serious woodworking. I guess that you could build it into a table that that provided adequate room in front of the blade – and for supporting the offcuts – but you would still be left with an underpowered saw with limited rip or dado capability. The saw might be a good choice for trim carpenters, but a serious woodworker would be better served IMO with a Sawstop or European cabinet saw.
Nate
Fred, I agree this is not the best solution, but I have seen some folks build some great furniture with these portable saws. I currently have a hybrid saw (Jet) and would love to have a cabinet saw. However, I might need to move overseas due to a family emergency. In that case, 220 volt version of the DeWalt Jobsite or this saw might be all I have capacity for. The DeWalt saws can fit a dado stack. I am currently a 110v festool guy, but would strongly consider the Makita cordless track saw. I’ll hate giving up my current table saw….
Stuart
Whoops – thank you, *fixed*.
I don’t think any compressor can be that quiet.
Nathan
Interesting.
One thing I would add is the bench cookie set or sets. One thing I use very often is my bench cookies with either the painter points or just the set of 8.
From there I made my own riser set, with threaded rod. but again they are or were not terribly expensive and useful.
I also love their silicone glue tray and brushes.
KokoTheTalkingApe
I’d agree that the Veritas DX60 is an excellent gift. Their regular block plane is pretty great, but the DX60 looks and feels like a work of art. It’s something a woodworker would drool over but could rarely justify the cost. That’s what makes it a good gift, IMO.
A step up even from that is the NX60, which is nearly completely mirror-polished, and made of a rust-resistant iron alloy that’s 20% nickel.
PM-V11 steel is kind of remarkable. It has high hardness AND toughness (or impact resistance) and is reasonably easy to sharpen. Or at least that’s what they claim, but my experience bears that out. You can read about it here.
https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/discover/woodworking/2020/september/the-pm-v11-story
Bonnie
I’d also recommend the bronze-bodied 102 from Lie Nielsen in the same vein. That thing is a beauty and probably one of my most-used planes.
fred
Lie-Nielsen sort of started the return of what I’d call “craftsmanship, quality and attention to detail” in modern production plane making. During the 1960’s Stanley, once the gold standard for quality mass-produced planes – started making mostly stuff to sell to the undiscerning. Soles were not always dead flat; frogs and castings could be a bit rough; irons came requiring a lot more than simple honing. There were still custom-made planes to be had – but you would pay a premium – and hunting for a vintage Stanley to tune-up was difficult before the Internet. Lie-Nielsen solved that – mostly copying old Stanley designs – sometimes adding bronze bodies – new tool steels for irons and sometimes alternative frog/lever cap configurations. Lee Valley – Veritas took this a step further innovating with new looks and feel on many planes.
BTW – when we hired a new “lead carpenter” or promoted someone to that position – we’d present them with a Lie-Nielsen block plane of their choice. The message of the gift was to inspire leadership, craftsmanship and our trust that they were capable of delivering it.
Aaron SD
The Rigid oscillating spindle sander used to be an awesome deal around $100 years ago. I just saw it is now over $300
Bonnie
Triton and WEN now have cheaper alternatives to the old Rigid. They seem to get good reviews but I haven’t tried them. I like my rigid, but the table is a bit flimsy and unreliable.
Bonnie
That Skil sander looks pretty flimsy, and way too expensive for what it is. You can get what looks like the same thing from Grizzly for $99 right now on their website, or Rikon on Amazon for $154. Neither Grizzly or Rikon are top brands, but I’d definitely trust them over Skil.
frampton
Any feedback on that Rikon sander? I’m looking to add one like that, but I don’t know the brand.
Stuart
I can’t speak about that particular product other than about how I’m considering it for myself.
Rikon is a long-time brand in the benchtop woodworking tool industry.
I can never tell if they’re an OEM or if they put their name on OEM products. That’s an issue in the industry, as you can usually find the same equipment with different brand names on it.
For instance, PowerTec has a similar machine at Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/POWERTEC-BD1502-Belt-Disc-Sander/dp/B078QWL1JB/?tag=toolguyd-20 .
Rikon seems to have a good reputation.
Julian Tracy
In the case of the Rikon 10” bandsaw, it’s exactly the same as any other similar looking 10” bandsaw – same wheels, same 1/3HP motor, same fence, etc. Certainly I’d trust Rikon over some no name, but at times, they’re priced a fair premium for not much actual difference . Not as bad as Jet pricing – same product higher priced in most cases with Jet these days.
Stuart
Looking around more, there’s also a Wen model with similar construction – https://www.amazon.com/WEN-AT1305-30-Inch-Sander-Sanding/dp/B0B5FMHZGM/?tag=toolguyd-20 .
Are they the same or just very similar?
It’s very difficult to tell whether benchtop tools are identical or very similar with hard-to-see differentiators.
fred
As long as your expectations about longevity and need for continuous duty are modest, I would guess that the Rikon might be OK. If I were needing a replacement for my somewhat ancient Delta – I might look at Jet too – but would have to do some research before I’d pull the trigger.
I see that HD has a Shop Fox on “special buy” but it gets mixed reviews
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Shop-Fox-1-in-x-42-in-Belt-with-8-in-Disc-Sander-W1850/309626484
Bonnie
Amusingly, I searched out your previous post on WEN from 2014 and noticed the same belt sander as the Skil above in a handful of brands.
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/wen-tools/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Rikon at least owns a factory in china, but I’m pretty sure both they and WEN act as white labels in addition to their own branded products.
Ct451
The disk sanders of this quality are very disappointing. If you try to grind anything more than an inch wide it will not be flat. If you don’t need a large flat area a decent 750-900W belt sander that sits upside down will be more capable.
John
Aside from the mallet and the Kreg jig, these are all >$100 gift ideas. IMO most serious DIYers (and certainly anyone who makes a living with tools) will want to choose ‘serious’ tools for themselves.
When I think “gift”, I gravitate towards smaller purchases, things that someone will appreciate but hadn’t thought to buy for themselves.
When I was just getting into woodworking a friend gave me my first Japanese pull saw. Changed my life! Some time later I got him a hook that holsters a cordless drill to your belt, and he loved it.
What other things come to mind?
A machinist’s square?
A magnetic sleeve that Velcros around your wrist, to hold fasteners?
A Dremel?
I’m just scratching the surface, but you get the idea.
Bonnie
1-2-3 blocks are great, and still (somehow) seem to get overlooked a lot. Bonus points if you get them clamps that work in the holes so they can be used for squaring.
It’s hackneyed but you can never have enough clamps. I’d lean towards the slightly more niche but still generally useful ones like deep F-styles (both Bessey and Irwins versions are excellent) or heavy-duty quick-clamps (I prefer the DeWalt versions over the Irwins). Makes it a little better than just two more of the same exact F-style or Parallel clamps they already have 15 of.
Magnetic goose-neck worklights (also sold as sewing machine lights) make great stocking-stuffers. Similar to clamps you can almost never have too much light available when working, and personally I love having dedicated task lights on basically any tool or bench I’m working at. You can cover your bases with ones that are battery+cord if you’re not sure where they need one.
If they’re into small crafts or soldering, I really like the octopus-style 3rd hands over the oldschool ones.
Flapajacks
I think any of the squares or gauges from DFM toolworks would be a great gift, and all well below $100.
Stuart
Gift guides are hard.
Those who could benefit from a gift guide aren’t likely to land at ToolGuyd, and so I tend to focus more on “alright, what am I getting for myself or asking for this holiday season?”
I have at least one more in progress.
John
I don’t know the ins and outs of how readers discover ToolGuyd… SEO, etc.
But, I think a well curated “gift guide” around holidays is surely a way to further grow your readership, by drawing in visitors shopping for others rather than themselves.
I like to see gift suggestions <$100 to fill in my gift list for my adult children, or a good friend. And, sure, even a suggestion I could make for a gift for myself, if I’m asked.
Stuart
Ideally, yes, realistically, no.
I had fun with a deals under $20 post (https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/10-hot-black-friday-2022-tool-deals-under-20/%3C/a%3E%29 and will try to work in a gift guide like that as well.
Derek
Always good to have straight edges, tape measures, decent squares, or an electric pencil sharpener.
Derek
Forgot to say sanding blocks or Preppin Weapons.
Mopar4wd
Lowes has the Metabo pin nailer (tool ony) for sale for $99.00 Which seems like a good deal to me.
Stuart+Y
Great list! Thanks for putting together for us woodworkers. I’m torn on the cordless or air 23 gauge pin nailer, and if Grex is worth the extra cost.
fred
My go to is a Cadex CPB21.50 – 21 gauge pneumatic. I also have a Grex P635 – but find that the extra size afforded by the Cadex suits my work (mostly reproduction furniture) better. I still use the Grex on really tiny trim pieces. Both are more used to position and hold trim while the glue dries than they are structural fastening tools. For cabinets and such – particularly when I’m away from my shop air supply – I go 18ga – with a Ryobi P320.