Wall Control
Does having a disorganized shop stress you out? Does it stress out other members of your household (i.e., your wife)? One of the easiest ways to keep it organized is with Wall Control. Simply mount it to your wall and create space for all your hand and power tools. Stick with this setup and you’ll never misplace another tool or hear anyone ask when you’re planning to clean up the shop.
Straight from the Wall Control Instagram: “Check out the newest set up for #handtools from our friends @baynecustomwoodworking that we met while at #workbenchcon2019”
Bora PM-4500 Speedhorse
Whether you’re a contractor who needs to move from site to site every day or a woodworking hobbyist who appreciates cool tools, the Bora PM-4500 Speedhorse will satiate your need for speed.
This testimonial from Rob Rein at Ginger Woodworks shows that when you have to move your work site from the garage to the driveway every time, these are great for quick and easy setup. “If you’re like me, you’ve got a small shop, that your significant other has graciously formed over . . . AKA the garage or basement . . . maybe both. That said, I’m stoked about these new @bora_tool Speedhorses that just arrived. With everything mobile and needing to move around, and fold up, I’m no longer going to be wasting time cleaning up or setting up!”
Leigh Super Jig
If you want to learn more about joinery and improve the quality of your projects, one of the best ways to start is with a Leigh Super Jig. It takes the complicated work out of getting beautiful, sturdy joinery so that every one of your projects is professional-level quality.
Check out the top-rated review on Amazon if you’re on the fence: “I am by no means an experience[d] woodworker and this is the first time I have attempted dovetail joints. If the tool helps me make them successfully, then I am happy with and so I’m giving it a five-star recommendation. . . . I’m confident that with a few more cuts, I will get both perfect.” Read the rest of the review here.
Chisels
Whether you want to start exploring the world of hand tools or want to upgrade an entry-level set, these Wood River Butt Chisels are a great quality set that doesn’t demand your entire paycheck. Even Rob Cosman himself loves them.
In his review, Rob says, “I have been looking for a quality, but medium priced bench chisels and I finally found them in the WoodRiver® Bevel Edge Socket Chisels. Inspired by the classic socket chisels of the past, but improved upon by using modern metals and by making some design tweaks. The result is a chisel optimized for detailed woodworking.”
Forstner Drill Bits
Tear-out is frustrating, especially when you’ve just spent money on good lumber. High-quality drill bits like FISCH Wave Cutter Forstner Bits leave clean, smooth drill holes worthy of professional-level furniture.
Dan Fisher of A Perfect Five workshop loves using his FISCH bits. “Working the night shift. Trying a new Fisch WaveCutter Forstner bit. So smooth. Sharp. Cuts this hard maple like butter. Tear out….zero. None.”
Bowtie Inlays
Live-edge tables and slabs with natural cracks are all the rage right now — and one of the easiest ways to strengthen these pieces is with inlays. Slab Stitcher makes some really awesome kits to help you work with these natural wood features to produce gorgeous pieces.
Archer Woodworking can vouch for the effectiveness of his inlay kit: “The Slab Stitcher made this super quick and classy!!”
Hand Plane
Sometimes it’s nice to do things the old-fashioned way — and flattening material is no exception. Get curls like your grandpa did with a Lie-Nielsen Tool Works hand plane.
Fine furniture maker Brian Hendricks of Hendricks Design uses his Lie-Nielsen hand plane often and produces beautiful results with it. “Just added a low angle block plane from @lienielsentoolworks to my hand tool arsenal. This little guy is incredibly versatile and will be used on almost every project.”
Bora PM-8000 Portacube
If you typically work out of your garage or shed — or even the driveway — it’s critical to make the most of your space. The Bora PM-8000 Portacube Miter Saw Station is a portable 2-in-1 machine that transforms from a miter saw station to a workbench in seconds.
Grayson Wood Design loves using his, especially since he works out of a small shop: “I have had this for almost two years now & absolutely love it. Its compact footprint is 31″x 29″ & the extensions give you 7ft of work surface. The tool attachment side will accommodate pretty much any miter saw up to 26.5” wide & when not being used the flat surface on the opposite side is a great work bench. If you are like me & work out of a small garage with no space for a large miter station, then this thing is perfect for you. No more setting your saw horses out & trying to level them up to your miter saw. This has saved me so much time & space. It can also be used for planers as well as other bench top power tools.”
Planer
If your local wood supplier hasn’t had wood in dimensions you need, you know how time-consuming it can be to get your boards to the right thickness. A thicknessing planer is the easiest way to beat this problem so you can complete projects faster.
Martin Holsinger uses a DeWalt planer and had big plans the moment he got it. “I finally got one of these. Now I can get busy in the evenings building the reclaimed wood picnic table I’ve been wanting to build.”
Rockler Sign-Making Kit
If you’re fairly new to woodworking or looking to expand your skill set, this Rockler Sign Maker’s Kit is perfect. This makes it easy to create personalized signs for friends, family, and even your Etsy shop.
Here’s a review from Rockler’s site: “The templates work perfectly and once I got the sequence of moving frequently used letters to the next spot, I can finish a big sign with three lines of 40 or so letters in a day. . . . This is one of the best and most useful things I have from Rockler.”
Sjobergs Workbench
If you’ve watched any Stumpy Nubs videos, you’ve seen the hefty Sjobergs workbench he has in the center. Stumpy has the Elite model, but Sjobergs makes a variety of benches to meet the needs of anyone — from the DIY hobbyist to the professional craftsman.
Stumpy Nubs provides a great workbench overview if you’re looking to upgrade yours.
Microjig
Gotta keep your fingers safe — if not for you, then at least for your family. The Microjig GRR-RIPPER makes it easy to cut thin pieces of wood on your table saw without endangering your fingers. Even if you have a SawStop, the extra safety measure won’t hurt.
Penalty Box Woodshop makes good use of his on a regular basis. “Doing some edge banding on these maple ply drawers. I’ve really enjoyed working with maple on this project. Once these are glued down I’ll come back and flush trim them.”
Honing Guide
Whether you’re experienced at sharpening tools or just starting to dip your toes in the water, the Veritas Honing Guide is a great tool to help you sharpen all your hand tools at the right angle to keep them at their max sharpness.
Lee Valley sums up the usefulness of this honing guide well: “The key to consistent and fast honing is repeatability — and this guide delivers it in spades. Whether you’re a sharpening veteran or just starting out, this versatile guide lets you concentrate on sharpening without worrying about controlling blade angle at the same time. This makes your honing reliable, accurate and consistent.”
Lumber Rack
Whether you truly have lots of wood to store, or the shed needs some serious cleaning and organizing, the Bora Lumber Rack is a great gift. Both the 4-tier and 6-tier versions allow you to take advantage of vertical space.
Johnny Brooke from Crafted Workshop makes good use of his wood rack: “#tbt to getting this hallway that’s attached to my shop nice and organized. I’ve got more shop organization projects planned for January, just something so satisfying about getting things dialed in the shop.”
Branding Iron
If you’re starting to make some money off your woodworking projects, it might be time to invest in a good branding iron to make sure no one forgets who made the pieces they bought. You put a lot of time and effort into making each piece — you deserve to have your name on them.
Mullen Woodworks finishes all his projects by adding his logo with a custom-made brand. “I used my @gearheartindustry Electric Branding Iron to leave my mark on this piece. I love leaving my logo on every piece. It gives it that extra little touch of authenticity. Make sure you go follow @gearheartindustry and get your own branding iron.”
