5 Beginner Woodworking Tools I Regret Buying
5 Beginner Woodworking Tools I Regret Buying
5 Tools beginners shouldn’t waste their money on.
Here are some of my Suggestions!
3/4″ Pipe Clamp – https://geni.us/JM_PipeClamp
5″ Dewalt Corded Random Orbit – https://geni.us/JM_DewaltSander
Corded Sheet Palm Sander – https://geni.us/JM_DewaltPlateSander
Cordless Compressor – https://geni.us/JM_DewaltCordlessAir
18g Brad Nailer – https://geni.us/JM_18gBradNailer
23g Pin Nailer – https://geni.us/JM_23gPinNailer
13″ DeWalt Planer – https://geni.us/dFVo7Y
How to make a cheap and easy track saw – https://www.tiktok.com/@john_malecki/video/7155520563778276651
Want to see more
– I Tested Pouring Molten Aluminum in Wood – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fiCbxHjhn4&list=PL6r_4s0L34MNxTi4ZlvaRWwf8XGXYvsxN
– I TESTED More Viral Woodworking TikToks – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uey-Gl2of4k&list=PL6r_4s0L34MNxTi4ZlvaRWwf8XGXYvsxN
I TESTED Pendulum Painting An Epoxy Table – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHaLMrGMJAg&list=PL6r_4s0L34MNxTi4ZlvaRWwf8XGXYvsxN
10 Must-Have Tools For Beginner Woodworkers – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eFeB2fTiQY&list=PL6r_4s0L34MOatqBrrme7V4ckTsh5ZQm6
5 EPOXY Tips I Wish I Knew As A Beginner! – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG9mr95od24&list=PL6r_4s0L34MOatqBrrme7V4ckTsh5ZQm6
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My Top Tools and Product Affiliates
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#BeginnerWoodworking #WoodworkingTools #diy
Great advice! Thank you for educating folk! As a 34yr building trades veteran, whenever people ‘ooh & ahh’ over some of the fancy tools… i point them to the hand tools on the wall and tell them that if they don’t have the knowledge to build a deck or a cabinet with basic tools & elbow grease, the cool tools aren’t going to help them. btw, while you and i do different types of woodworking i can proudly say that i don’t have a single tool that you highlighted! Still, enjoy your vids!
Sorry I can’t watch the whole video, you talk with your hands more than your mouth. And it is to .ong and drawn out.
Ditto your opinion on the Festool "palm"/battery sander. I have a lot of Festool tools, including rotex sanders and wanted convenience of a batt power sander, this was total waste of money. Honestly surprised Festool offers it in their line-up it is so bad. I have had their battery powered TSC 55 circular saw for years and it is terrific!!
Belt sander will sharpen your chisels, drill bits, knives, and planes. Just don’t invest in an expensive one. Also good for fitting counter tops and shelves to your walls. I did things like this as a first year apprentice. Unless you frame, finish nailers and narrow gage staplers come in handy. Maybe you re a hobbyist, which is ok, but commercial carpentry, you need these items. Straight edge for your saw can be made from the edge of Plywood and nailed to 1/4 paneling. As far as. Clamps, a piece of 3/4 " pw 4 14" studs and two wedges will make a great clamp. Stay away from battery powered tools, use corded till you know what you’re doing
As a 50+ year pro, I’m both grateful for all the tool opportunities that are now available and saddened by how much you have to spend to take advantage of them. Hats off for this video.
I can’t agree more about the K-Body clamps— they are very good for specific things, but I’ve seen youtubes where the shop has 20 or more hanging there, used for all glueups, and can’t imagine having the spare change to justify buying them all when pipe or bar clamps do it better, cheaper (BTW, Hargraves are my favorite, though quite pricey. Though they hold or increase value with age).
Belt sanders, on the other hand: The first tool I mastered, and my go-to for stock removal or first pass sanding. Try sanding out chipouts with a RO or vibrator, you will be there all day. That said, most brands don’t track or balance well. Some are so poorly balanced that the sander tips over just sitting on a table, practically guaranteeing gouges and digins. It’s been ages since I bought one, but the old Rockwell "locomotive" A3 was a wonderful workhorse, as well as the Black and Decker pro model— both were $300+ several decades ago. Well used, they are amazing. Nowadays I’m more precise, and don’t have to sand face frames down as much at the joints, but can’t imagine using just my Festool 150FEQ RO, it would be laughable. The belt sander, well used, makes a flatter surface faster. Learning curve, sure, but try flattening a glued up tabletop with any RO and you will see what I mean.
I have a kreg tracksaw rig thing and it’s fucking great. Doesn’t look anything like yours though
"You’re better off making a track saw guide"
No. You’re better off buying a track saw & track. Don’t cheap out on such an important and accurate tool.
I have only bought 1 of the 5 tools you mentioned (parallell clamps) so I feel smart. 🤣
100% accurate! Wish I saw this 5 years ago when I started my journey!
Yea… The compressor is tool only.. With a battery its like $300+
I think it depends a lot on what you need your tools for – is there really a "typical" beginning woodworker? Decades ago, I was assisting a male friend as he slowly, agonizingly, measured and then reconstructed a simple deck which had fallen away from the house two years after being built by the previous owner. He wouldn’t trust me to screw the deck boards down, so I sanded and stained them, over and over. I killed a cheap orbital sander, and applied so many coats of stain that it was translucent and beautiful, but it began to peel. I was so frustrated that I bought a 12" drill bit, a Makita corded drill and a Makita belt sander, and began secretly creating my first project – some redwood benches that are still in use 36 years later. That was the beginning of my learning about remodeling.
I later bought a different house, eventually designing a new, fanciful deck from scratch and remodeling the bathroom and kitchen; a third house needed a total redo, most of which was done by me and my partner, who was totally inexperienced in this, and hated it, but learned well. My belt sander and I became as one – I learned to use it for every sanding occasion, even for curves, and I got a miter saw, 2 routers, a Sawzall and other tools. I put in new fir flooring, moved walls, and used my basic tools extensively.
I later moved back to house #2, and requested a (bench) table saw for Christmas to put in oak stairs going up to the former attic. I needed the belt sander for endlessly smoothing a huge number of rough cedar boards to be used for siding on a new garage, and I bought a zillion staplers, which mostly broke to secure garage insulation, and then an air compressor and brad nailers, which I barely used, and a Kreg pocket-hole system.
In recent times, I decided to try woodworking, and went to an open woodshop, where I struggled to learn the more exacting art of woodworking, and the more complicated tools for this. I now have a good corded RO sander and have learned to use many of the woodshop tools – the planer, jointer, various table saws and sanders, bandsaws and routers, but even though they’re helpful and often needed to do decent woodworking, I’m less familiar with them, they’re still awkward, and I’m still only an advanced beginner at best.
As a beginner, the best buys have been tools that I frequently use. My remodeling background has guided my tool-using experiences. Drills, the tablesaw, miter saw, sanders and Kreg’s pocket-hole system were essential for both; jointers and planers are tools I have and use in woodshop, but didn’t need for remodeling; I rarely use the circular saw, Sawzall and belt sander now, but they were major staples when remodeling. The other tools I’ve bought sit around too much.
It’s just my experience, but I have to disagree with the Ridgid tabletop sander.
I make a lot of things out of repurposed/reclaimed wood, and its cut my sanding time in half (at least). The stationary/tabletop part is just so much more convenient for sanding lots of smaller pieces at once.
I also got mine secondhand, and live a few minutes away from a well stocked hardware store that carries the sandpaper belts necessary, so I didn’t run into the price and hard to find sandpaper problems you mentioned.
Great video today, thank you
Bro you put Finland in there!! Great job. Subbed!!
Yes, battery powered orbital sanders are terrible. I like my old fashioned, plug in, Black and Decker Mouse better. Thanks for this video, John. I wish I had seen it before the battery powered orbital sander purchase.
Why use nailgun for nailing. A for a beginer not better option a hammer.
I totally agree. Bessey K-Body are the worst clamps I ever bought
so I’m wanting to continue my wood working i took my schools shop classes and even just hand sanding a box I loved it and I got a old planer that only needs new blades should I buy those or figure something else out and if so what are my options
The harbor freight clamps don’t have a lot of grip and tend to slip when tightening. It’s best to sand the paint off the clamping area. Use a rough grit and just leave it. 👍🏼
Finland💙🤍
I hate battery powered tools
Agree with some of what you say but not all Built a mortis machine never use it, got a Ridgid sand machine it collects dust but when needed it really helps and was cheap to buy, have a Delta planer without all the problems of your Dewalt and it really helps ready raw lumber from suppliers Probably will never buy Bessy clamps I worked very hard for my money and they are WAY too expensive TY 4sharing
I’d like to see a video talking about value/cost of a better table saw. Considering buying a 230v one off of FB marketplace to replace my shitty ridgid hybrid contractor/cabinet something table saw.
Damn, over the years I’ve bought 3 of the 5 tools you just listed. LOL
Yooo!!! Shade on the kreg. I use it weekly to rip my sheets. Well worth the $50 vs $1000 on the green machines
Thank you
If your getting a battery nailer paslode is the way to go I’ve had metabo dewalt and Milwaukee bat nailers and they all suck compared … and it’s cheaper then the dewalt and Milwaukee once u add the ridiculous battery price
Milwaukee has the best cordless brad nailer
Great advice on the pipe clamp! Thank you. Regarding the air compressor and nailer, I would argue that, you WILL find yourself eventually moving from pneumatic to battery in certain applications. It’s going to happen. So the earlier you choose your battery platform, the earlier you build your collection of battery tools and batteries, therefore making it cheaper in the long run to add to your collection.
My advice, start at pawn shops, you’ll likely get the tool for a quarter of the price, and usually the battery is included for free. Before you know it you’ve got 5 or 10 batteries now you can start buying the tools new.
I have the Delta tabletop planer and I love it.
I would put my Porter Cable bandsaw, drill press, and laminate router as my least used tools. I can never keep the blade tracking straight with the crappy blocks on the bandsaw.
Without having watched… my definition of regret is knowing better but still doing. If a newbie is learning, there is no such thing as a wrong tool.
I turned it off after him pitching harbor freight pipe clamps over Bessey K Body’s. Look…most everyone who gets into woodworking needs to be budget conscious. However, the more cheap crap you buy, the more money you’re tossing away in the end when you realize the cheap tools generally are garbage and yes I know there are exceptions. If you can’t afford to even buy good clamps…honestly you really have no business trying to set up a shop. Setting up a shop is a black hole from which your wallet will not recover unless you’re VERY disciplined or you have the resources. My advice would be to spend about $200 on medium sized Bessey’s, then add 1 or 2 at a time as able and as need arises. A set of 4 36" Bessey’s will go a LONG ways. You’re investing in these clamps once and you will have them for a lifetime. The other thing he doesn’t mention about pipe clamps is that the longer they are and the more pressure you crank into them, the more the pipe can flex, which is going to cause you a problem. And just the fact that you’re having to crank that much pressure into your glue up means that you’re boards aren’t prepared properly…if you can’t afford a jointer and planer to prep your boards, then you can buy dimensioned lumber at a HUGE premium or you can learn to use hand planes at a fraction of the cost. The bottom line is to buy the tools as you need them and buy the best you can afford. No one ever regretted having a quality tool on hand, but garage sales are had every weekend with guys selling off the cheap crap they regret buying.
I would never recommend a cordless compressor
The thing you “plug” into to get power is an outlet. The plug is the thing at the end of the cord.
Too dear- every thing is too dear- for beginnings??????????
Buy a tool everytime he says "sucker".
I do use a cordless nail gun but that’s when I’m doing hundreds of feet of trim work in a day so that I’m not dragging the compressor and line allover today.
The pipe clamp alone was worth watching the video
Hey can anyone tell me where/how/under what name these pipe clamps are being sold in europe?
You can’t use a belt sander? Wow.
You’re telling beginners to buy a cordless compressor? WTF.
US wood working is simply different…
I will have to agree that the Kreg saw guide is junk. I invested in the Festool system. Money well spent, IMHO. The DeWalt planer is also junk – I was fortunate enought to buy a Powermatic 22" planer. 7-1/5 hp and the machine weighs in at a whopping 1,300 lbs. With a shelix head you can’t go wrong. I like the Bessy clamps but I found there is a learning curve to operating them. I don’t know if there is a better "F" style clamp design out there – but have yet to find it.
I got one of those track saw Greg thingies … used it once ….
Good tips
Distracting music needs to stop. Music track is annoyingly overpowering your useful advice.
I agree with the cordless sanders. I only got my ryobi sanders since there were on sale at my location for $40 CAD (so basically $10 USD) but my corded sander is by far better
I got a bunch of those Bessey years ago about over 1200 dollars worth for 160 bucks a Lowes Clearance. Super cheap