10 Harbor Freight Hand Tools Every Woodworker Will Want

Woodworking is rarely viewed as an affordable pastime. Whether it's done in a professional capacity or as a hobby, the act of shaping and molding wood into something completely different is one that requires specialized tools and equipment — and that equipment often isn't cheap. Chisels, lathes, and saws can quickly add up, and that's before we even mention larger power tools or shop necessities.

However, there is a solution for the more budget-minded woodworker: Harbor Freight. The discount warehouse carries a surprising amount of woodworking tools. SlashGear has mentioned discussed subjects like tools that will come in handy for an engine swap before, but this time we're focusing on hand tools for the aspiring woodworker.

As is the case with several Harbor Freight products, it's important to be able to separate great value from tools you should think twice about buying. The hand tools on this list will allow a novice woodworker to get started without breaking the bank, or a veteran to own a set of "beaters," backups, or loaner tools. These 10 all have great reviews from both experienced woodworkers as well as rookies looking to try their hand at the hobby without investing a fortune. 

And, as an amateur woodworker myself, I have some experience in this field. I've used — and, in fact, own — most of the tools on this list for tabletop gaming projects like a Dungeon Master screen, dice tower, and even a convertible table with map insert, dice trays, and a custom wood burned design on top.

One of the first things you're likely to make as a woodworker is a box. It's simple, functional, and teaches several of the techniques you'll use in countless projects to come. And whether you're putting together your first or your 50th, you're going to need to hold the sides of that box together. While clamps are usually the first thing one might think of for that task, there's another solution for boxes of a certain size.

Handy for keeping large boxes held tight while wood glue sets, or for temporarily holding projects together before deciding they're ready for assembly, the Pittsburgh 1-inch x 15-foot Ratcheting Band Clamp is a fantastic Harbor Freight find. Features include a locking ratchet mechanism and a working load of nearly 400 pounds, more than enough to hold those oddly shaped projects that regular clamps don't work for. This ratcheting band clamp also includes four plastic corner clamps, allowing for better distribution of pressure on right angles.

This is an interesting tool I've found useful on a number of occasions, most recently when affixing a replica skull to the top of a "Box of Doom” dice tower I built for my wife. The shape of the skull made regular clamps a no-go, but the surface being glued to the tower required a good amount of pressure while the adhesive cured. This band clamp provided the right amount of flexibility and tension to allow the project to set without needing a jury-rigged system of weights and ties.

The Pittsburgh 1-inch x 15-foot Ratcheting Band Clamp is available for $5 at Harbor Freight, online or in-store.

Woodworking is a delicate craft, and the most skilled artists in the field can transform a raw piece of wood into a beautiful piece of furniture, sculpture, or instrument. And while these craftsmen use a number of chisels, knives, and other tools to create ornate decorative markings in the wood itself, sometimes the desired effect requires a bit of heat and the right tool. Pyrography isn't exactly woodworking, but it's a close cousin to the art form, and a skill that offers another way to enhance a finished project.

Is a wood burner a hand tool if it's plugged in? I'd argue yes — and the Schneider 30-Watt 5-in-1 Hobby Wood Burner is a low-priced option for those looking to get into the hobby. Various tips allow for easy patterns and scripts to be burnt into wood, and the heated scalpel bit is perfect for cutting through craft foam or boards of insulation. My wife and I have used to make Halloween tombstones.

All in all, the Schneider 30-Watt 5-in-1 Hobby Wood Burner is a great entry point into the hobby of pyrography, and with a Harbor Freight price tag of $10 it's definitely worth the investment.

Wood chisels fit into a very specific niche for woodworkers and carpenters. You may not use them very often, but they have a number of uses that make them invaluable in the shop. Whether you're using them to scrape out glue joints, perform mortise cuts, or shave down and remove imperfections, a sharp chisel can make a frustrating job smooth and fast.

The most basic set of chisels available at Harbor Freight is also its highest rated, with a 4.6 star average across nearly 2000 reviews. Each chisel comes with a little cap to protect the tip, and they come pre-sharpened so they can be put to work immediately. And while sharpening is essential for any set of chisels that have seen woodwork, these seem to hold an edge pretty well despite their low price.

The back of the PVC handle looks like it might shatter, but customers often say they haven't managed to break one despite that cheap appearance. Like many finds at Harbor Freight that are under $10, this set normally goes for a regular price of $8. Frequent sale prices can bring the set down to $5, meaning you can easily afford to keep a backup set handy in case a handle does manage to splinter apart.

When you're working with hand tools and wood, the feel of the tool being used is important. Unlike power tools, which can simply brute force their way through imperfections in wood, hand tools allow you to feel those differences in hardness and adjust accordingly. This Japanese-style hand saw is great for learning to feel those differences, and its design is perfect for smaller woodworking projects that require accuracy and a fine cut.

As a pull-style saw, this tool — also called a ryoba — just feels more natural than the standard American hand saw. Its thin, flexible blade allows it to get into tighter spots than any power tool, making it great for projects that require shims to be cut off after assembly. Flush cutting is also a breeze, as you can apply pressure to the far end while cutting to keep the blade up against the work surface. And since the saw has fine and coarse teeth, it's handy to have around for both delicate jobs and rough cuts. I've even seen people use this as a gardening tool, trimming branches off trees and bushes — although for more traditional garden tools, check out our list of Harbor Freight's landscaping tools.

If you've never used a Japanese saw before, I cannot recommend one enough. The Portland Saw 10-inch Japanese Style Double-Edge Saw, which I've owned for a couple years now, holds its edge well and is a versatile addition to any workbench. Available at Harbor Freight for $12, it is a great way to learn about using a more refined hand saw.

A plane can seem mysterious to folks that haven't used one before, looking like an oddly-shaped shoehorn with a door handle attached. I remember seeing one in my dad's workshop and never seeing him use it, and only asking what it was for years after discovering it on a shelf. While it's not terribly essential for everyday DIY jobs, for a woodworker a plane is as essential as a saw. By holding the front and rear handles and pushing the plane across the surface of a piece of wood, you can level out imperfections and create a flat surface, ready to be used in a project.

Professional woodworkers often like to have a less expensive plane available for rough work, the kind of jobs that would quickly dull a finer tool. For a low cost tool, the shoe of this plane is surprisingly flat, although some reviewers note that the blade needs a good straightening and sharpening prior to service. A quick search on YouTube will guide you through that relatively simple process.

However, as a backup tool, or a training piece for someone just learning how use a hand plane, you could do a lot worse than this. The Windsor Design No. 33 Bench Plane is available at Harbor Freight for $13.

Woodworkers simply never have enough clamps. Different projects require different sizes, styles, and lengths, and more often than not a variety of clamps are needed on the same job at the same time. Even a simple picture frame requires at least a pair of clamps, and maybe up to four if you're being thorough. And if you've ever browsed the selection at your local hardware warehouse store, you know each of those clamps can cost a mint: Most brand-name 12-inch clamps can cost nearly $30 each!

Fortunately, Harbor Freight's most ubiquitous brand comes through once again. A 12-inch Ratcheting Bar Clamp from Pittsburgh, the same style as the aforementioned $30 models, has a price tag of just five bucks. And it's no barebones clamp, either — features include a quick-release button and padded jaws to minimize damage to the work surface.

Harbor Freight carries a wide variety of clamps, as well. Whether it's a large 60-inch Aluminum F-Style Bar Clamp or a tiny lil' 4-inch Ratcheting Bar Clamp/Spreader, Pittsburgh's clamps perform as well as higher-priced models, but at a fraction of the cost.

The vise is one of the most important tools in a workshop. Basically an extra set of hands, it's incredibly useful, providing a stable hold on lumber while work is being performed. There are a number of different sizes and styles, and most of us have more than one vise permanently installed in different spots in our work areas. However, for jobs being performed for friends or clients, a vise isn't always readily available.

A solution is available in the form of Central Machinery's 6-inch Portable Carpenter's Vise. This portable vise attaches to any table via a finger-operated auger, and its jaws provide a grip on the lumber you might be using. It's designed with holes in its jaws to mount wood or another soft material for a less damaging grip, and those jaws have a slight toe-in to allow for a better grip.

This vise also serves another, less obvious function. For woodworkers who don't have a permanent shop available to them, or only have space for a small workbench, the ability to remove a vise like this after you're done with it is a fantastic benefit, keeping smaller areas clear or temporary shops easy to clear out. And if your situation changes, the vise also has mounting holes for a more permanent installation. At just $20 at Harbor Freight, it's a tool that could have easily made SlashGear's list of top rated Harbor Freight finds under $25.

Wood turning tools are some of the most important ones in a woodworker's collection. Usually available in sets, these dedicated chisels manipulate wood as it turns on a lathe, for quick shaping and molding. However, even sets of wood turning tools aimed at beginners can cost a small fortune. Woodcraft, a popular chain of woodworking specialty shops, sells a beginner's set for $300. Meanwhile, Harbor Freight carries a six-piece set for under $50. The quality difference in these sets is miles apart, but it's important to remember that you don't necessarily need the best tools available when you're just starting out.

Harbor Freight's woodworking brand, Windsor Design, produces a two different versions of this set. Both include the same set of gouges, chisels, and parting tools, and both come in a nice wooden case for storage. The only differences are in wood used in the handles, with the darker hardwood-handled set costing $45, about five bucks more than the ash-handled option. Customers say that both sets of tools are a great deal for their price, and that they cut well and hold an edge, which you might not expect from a budget-priced product.

It is worth mentioning that while both sets are listed on Harbor Freight's website at the time of writing, they are labeled as "clearance priced." The only other wood turning set on the site at this time is Bauer's Lathe Chisel Set; however, that set is about $50 more than Windsor Designs' sets, and it only includes six tools.

A perfect 90-degree angle isn't just aesthetically pleasing; it's the cornerstone of any good project, from the beginner's cigar box to a master's piece of heirloom furniture. During cutting and framing, this can be achieved with careful measuring and the liberal use of a speed square, but when those parts are ready to be affixed to each other, an angle can require the creative application of several clamps and some scrap wood. However, for certain sizes of wood, a handy corner clamp is also an option.

One of the easiest ways to maintain a perfect corner is to use the Pittsburgh Corner Clamp with Quick Release while your wood glue is setting, or when you are preparing to drill a hole for a dowel or use a biscuit joiner. Quick release jaws allow for fast removal of the tool, but that feature is also great for making sure you're not dragging an accidentally under-loosened clamp across your wood's surface, marring it. In that same vein, soft plastic protector caps are provided to further assist in keeping those clamping jaws from damaging soft woods.

With a jaw opening of 2⅝ inches, it won't be applicable to every job, but at the cost of just $12, it's worth the investment to have one or two of these clamps around. And if you're looking for other tools from Harbor Freight that will help with that next DIY project, SlashGear has you covered!

As anyone who's put together a piece of furniture from IKEA can attest to, wooden dowels provide an easy solution to project assembly. Dowels, and their cousins in woodwork, biscuits, fit into holes and slots and then expand when a water-based wood glue is applied. This makes for a seamless and firm connection once the glue sets and the dowel or biscuit has expanded into its fitting.

While they may technically stretch the definition of "hand tools," especially considering one will likely use a biscuit joiner or doweling jig when installing them, biscuits and dowels are a great purchase from Harbor Freight. It's hard to find anyone who has a bad thing to say about them — although, to be fair, they're pretty difficult things to screw up.

Warrior's biscuits are made of straight-grain hardwood and are available in the most common biscuit sizes: #0, #10 , and #20. The company's dowels also use straight-grain hardwood and they're fluted to help with insertion. At seven bucks a bag for the biscuits, or $3.50 for an assortment of dowels, these are definitely worth tossing into your cart while you're wandering around Harbor Freight. And if you're headed there anyway, it wouldn't hurt to take a look at the biscuit joiner that appears on SlashGear's non-hand-tool focused list of Harbor Freight's woodworking tools.