11 Woodworking Tools Under $50 Worth Adding To Your Collection

Woodworking delivers a return to simpler times. Those who cut, plane, and attach boards together to transform planks of wood into something spectacular do so as part of an ancient tradition. Humans have been working with wood for the entire span of their existence, and the practice of woodworking itself is even believed to predate the emergence of Homo sapiens. In more contemporary times, the tradition of woodworking has become less about survival and more about creating finer things that give shape to a comfortable and refined living space. Today's woodworkers and carpenters have access to a range of power tools and exotic timbers sourced from  around the world.

The radial arm saw marked a major shift in woodworking. It offers a single cutting solution for a variety of needs; however, it's quite dangerous in untrained hands and can be hard to find these days. Plenty of other great tools exist in the market (see this collection of woodworking tools under $100 for added inspiration), and inexpensive finds are often critically important. Small additions like a carpenter's square or quality wooden mallet can make all the difference. These and other important tools should be at the top of your list when looking to add major value with a small price tag.

Vises are a great place to start in an exploration of important woodworking tools for your long-term success. A vise is a work-holding implement that allows you to clamp a piece of wood, or any other component you may be working with, in place while you manipulate it. Vises are important for tackling all sorts of tasks, from cutting to chiseling and beyond. The ability to hold a board steady as you drill a hole through it or cut a dovetail in its edge, for instance, lets you use both hands for the task at hand. Using one hand to cut or screw something into a board while securing it with the other introduces unnecessary safety risks and slows you down significantly.

Woodworkers tend to keep a variety of gripping tools in their arsenal. The Central Machinery 4-Inch Swivel Vise is an all-purpose work-holding solution that's great for both woodworkers and DIYers tackling all kinds of repair and building needs. The vise features an anvil on its back end and swivels at the base, so you can position it on the corner of your bench for both long and short workpiece holding needs. This vise can be found at Harbor Freight for $35 — or $27 for Inside Track Club members. Another important work-holding tool is a portable carpenter's vise. A 6-inch model from Central Machinery is available at Harbor Freight for $20 and clamps onto the side of your workbench to help with hand planing and other fine-detail tasks.

A digital caliper is a small tool, but one that packs a major punch for woodworkers. This tool is a measurement device, and it's critically important for making minute calculations in your work. Rather than relying on the not-so-precise markings on a tape measure or ruler (which are both fine tools for other measurement tasks), when you need to dial in a precision cut, there's nothing better than a digital caliper. The WEN 6.1-Inch Digital Caliper with LCD Readout is a basic model from a great brand. It can be found on Amazon for $11 and is built with a plastic body. It provides accurate measurements in both SAE and metric systems, and includes both interior and exterior gauges. It offers a resolution of 0.01 millimeters or 1/128 of an inch for impressive accuracy in all the work you may use it for.

Woodworkers who are willing to splurge a little on this critical measurement tool might opt for the 6-Inch Stainless Steel Caliper from WEN instead. Amazon stocks it with a price tag of $61, bringing it slightly out of the price range here. This caliper features a digital dial and an IP67 rating for use in just about any work conditions. It's certainly a nicer tool, but the accuracy of the improved model remains the same as its basic cousin, making either selection equally valuable for the task.

A ball peen hammer is a highly versatile striking tool. It features two striking ends rather than a flat face and a claw on its reverse side. The rounded face on its back end allows a user to deliver precision strikes to a much smaller target area. These hammers have been used as shaping tools in metalworking for generations (and are often key in performing rust repair on old cars), and they're equally at home in a woodworker's toolbox. Ball peen hammers are often lighter than traditional framing hammers and other claw-equipped variants (although this isn't always the case and heavy options are readily available). The reduced weight enhances this hammer type's ability to be used in delicate manipulation tasks where a large and bulky striking face simply won't get the job done without marring a board's immaculate surface.

Available from Harbor Freight for just $25, the Pittsburgh Ball Peen Hammer Set gives users a range of five hammers that run from 8 ounces all the way up to 32-ounce hammer heads. This gives you a tiny half-pound hammer for intricate tapping work and a far more substantial option when a firmer whack is required. Dial in the perfect striking force with one of the in-between sizes, each of which can be added to your collection for a budget-friendly $5 apiece, making this set a highly valuable addition to your collection. Carbon steel forged heads and an impact-minimizing fiberglass handle come together to provide a set of high-quality striking tools you can count on.

A set of chisels is one of the most common sights in a woodworker's domain. In fact, chisels are so crucial that many woodworkers continue to grow their collection long after they've added enough variations strictly necessary to get the job done. There's a kind of personality in this tool, and every chisel approaches the task of wood removal in a slightly different manner. Long-bladed chisels (slicks) are often used without the help of a striking tool and are most prominent in timber framing projects. Smaller chisels also have a place in a woodworker's toolbox, and these help deliver delicate cuts to complete the intricate joints that feature in just about any task a woodworker may take on.

A standard set of chisels is a critical inclusion on this list and in a woodworker's arsenal, regardless of experience level or typical project parameters. The Irwin 4-Piece Blue Chip Beveled Edge Chisel Set is a great place to start when adding your first set of precision cutting instruments or expanding an existing collection. The beveled edge allows you to get closer into a recess, and the set includes standard blade widths ranging from 1/4 inch to 1 inch (in quarter-inch increments). Irwin is a hand tool brand synonymous with quality, and it's also a uniquely valuable producer of low-cost, high-output tools across the board. The polypropylene handle and hardened steel blade make for a comfortable grip and a durable cutting edge that will continue to perform long into the future.

Woodworkers who perform even basic joints in their craft will understand the precision required when cutting tenons, dovetails, and a variety of other holes, notches, and pegs to join workpieces. These cuts are different from the typical sawing tasks required of general carpentry and woodworking. When ripping down a piece for use in a project, you might use a circular saw or table saw, or hand-cut segments with a large blade to make quick work of the task. Cutting tenons and other joinery elements takes a bit more precision.

The Spear & Jackson Brass Back Tenon Saw is available at Amazon for $30 and features a carbon steel blade and a traditional brass back ridge to lock in rigidity across the cutting surface. It features a 10-inch blade that can tackle precision work both along and across the grain of a board. The teeth are not hardened, which means they can be resharpened when the need arises throughout the course of your work with the tool. Other options include Japanese dovetail saws like a Dozuki saw (also available at Amazon). Here, you'll need either a two-bladed variety or two separate saws to handle both crosscuts and rip cuts, though.

Much like the essential nature of a chisel, hand planes take up a critically important space in a woodworker's toolbox. Hand planes come in a range of sizes and layouts, but the most iconic has to be the vintage Stanley No. 4. This is a fabulous tool to find used at a garage sale or even an online tool marketplace. You can find good quality vintage examples for under $50 with ease. However, in many cases, you'll need to do a bit of setup work before the tool is ready to continue its life of service. For those who want to avoid flattening the base of their plane or sharpening the iron, buying a new Stanley No. 4 is also an option. Available at Ace Hardware for $39, the contemporary Stanley No. 4 Adjustable Bench Plane features a slight variation on the classic design.

The open-top style offers increased adjustability so you can set up the plane for use as a surface-scrubbing tool or a final cleanup option as you perfect the face of a workpiece. The cast iron base follows the tradition set forth by Stanley's original metal planes, and a modern, quick-release cam-lock frog makes adjusting or removing the iron entirely a simple task.

Many tools used by woodworkers fall within the world of hand power. But battery-operated and corded electric tools also have a place in the modern woodworking arena. The Bauer 5.8 Amp 4-1/2-Inch Corded Compact Circular Saw is a great example of a tool that can bring plenty of functionality into your workspace. Found at Harbor Freight for $50, this circular saw features an alternative body style that looks a bit more like an oscillating multitool than a circular saw. Even so, this small-bladed, straight-line cutter has more than enough power to chomp through 2-inch dimensional lumber, and can do so with one-handed operation. The saw is 35% lighter compared to standard saws in its class and features four dialed-in angle stops in 15-degree increments, up to a clean 45-degree cut angle.

Circular saws are a crucial resource for woodworkers and renovators of all types. They help speed up the process of ripping raw lumber down to size. Regardless of whether you're someone who works with hardwoods or soft construction timber, a compact circular saw is a fantastic option to bring into your workshop for making fast cuts at the start of a project or performing nuanced trimming work later on.

Layout tools often don't receive the love they deserve. These tools are frequently inexpensive and tend to stand in the shadow of some bigger players on the workbench. Cutting implements like chisels and hand planes deliver a physical, responsive experience, while other tools like a circular saw or router sit on the shelf until you need them to deliver fast and accurate performance.

By contrast, your carpenter's square is a mainstay in just about all work you might tackle at the bench, but it's not flashy or fancy. Even so, a precision measurement tool like this is essential to everything you do as a woodworker. A carpenter's square features a sliding ruler that is connected at a perfect 90-degree angle to a stop block. Woodworkers can slide this measurement component through the stop block to make repeatable and precise marks on workpieces. The WORKPRO 12-Inch Carpenter's Square and 7-Inch Speed Square Set takes this functionality a step further. Many woodworkers have a small, 6-inch carpenter's square at their disposal. However, there will frequently come at a time when a larger layout solution is required. This model features a 12-inch ruler to accomplish just that. It also includes a speed square that isn't adjustable but incorporates a range of integrated layout elements to help with all kinds of angular measurements and markings.

A woodworker's toolbox contains all kinds of hammering tools. Ball peen hammers are a given, but they're absolutely not the only solution woodworkers rely on as they work through their building processes. Whether you're a novice or someone with plenty of experience in the craft, you'll certainly understand the importance of a wooden mallet. But not all mallets are created the same. Basic tools (like the $13 QWORK two-pack) offer a wooden striking face and plenty of surface area to deliver a strike. But that's not all that goes into a high-quality wood mallet. The Two Cherries Solid Beech Wood Mallet showcases exactly what this tool is supposed to be. Beech features a tight grain pattern and delivers tremendous durability for anything you might make with it. It's frequently found in hardwood flooring and furniture, and it also lends itself perfectly to the development of striking tools. Both the handle and mallet head are made from beech in this example, and buyers can find it for $33 directly from Two Cherries.

A solid beech construction will help dampen vibration and allow you to continuously strike your workpiece. The angled faces are also a core design feature of high-quality wooden mallets. An angled face actually helps preserve your arm strength throughout a day of physically demanding woodworking tasks. By introducing this angle, you can keep your arm closer to your body as you strike. This conserves energy and allows you to hit with greater accuracy.

A router is a natural inclusion on any fine woodworking tool list. Trim routers are an essential cutting implement, used to finish edges on the boards you're working with. Whether you're installing hardwood shelves in the living room or building a set of cabinets for the kitchen, you'll frequently be looking to put a soft edge, or perhaps even an intricate design, on the faces and corners of your boards.

A router is a tool that accepts uniquely shaped cutting bits. These bits spin at tremendous speeds and shave off edge detail in particular groove patterns. The modern marketplace for router bits is vast, and you can find all kinds of detail-oriented options to give an intricate personality to your work. Routers also offer straight cutting bits for channeling out plunge cuts. The WEN 6 Amp 1/4-Inch Variable Speed Trim Router is available from Amazon for $49. It features a 1/4-inch collet and an adjustable straight base with 1/16-inch markings and a maximum travel distance of 1-5/8 inches. This corded trim router can deliver speeds ranging from 12,000 to 30,000 RPM. It includes a guide fence and a trim guide alongside a two-year warranty. WEN is known for its hand tools, and you may be tempted to splurge a little on a more established power tool brand like DeWalt or Bosch. However, in keeping with the $50 ceiling, this is a potent option that can get the job done.

A sander is another critical power tool that modern woodworkers rarely want to live without. Unless you're a dedicated hand tool woodworker, a powered sander is a must when it comes to finishing workpieces and then applying wax, paint, or stain to the product of your labor. Sanders are a unique kind of power tool. Your impact driver and circular saw are likely going to last for many years if you take good care of them. Sanders, on the other hand, find themselves subjected to all kinds of abuse. Even if you take good care of your sander, it's almost certainly going to need replacing before many of your other critical power tools. This is true for both high-end models and inexpensive equipment alike.

Therefore, opting for a well-known brand in the power tool marketplace at a great price is generally going to be your best approach here. The Skil Corded Detail Sander features a microfilter dust box and multifunctional attachments to expand the tool's versatility. Not only does the triangular sanding face help you get into tight corners better than a circular orbital sander, but the added attachments also let you tackle odd edges, rounded surfaces, and tight crevices. This whole package is available from Amazon for $40, giving you a highly versatile tool from a great brand without breaking the bank.