Gifts for woodworkers can be difficult if you don’t understand the basics of woodworking. With a huge variety of jigs, sanders, saws and other tools making up a modern woodworkers shop there just isn’t a simple checklist of tools they need.
Woodworking tools can be a mystery to non-woodworkers.
In this article learn how to buy gifts for woodworkers by:
- Skill level from just starting out to professionals
- Budget
- Tools they don’t have
- Tools they have, but need to upgrade
- Tools by project type
Page Contents
Unique Gifts for Woodworkers
If you’re looking for a safe bet that your woodworker is unlikely to own, then the next five gifts are almost a sure fire bet to be, well, unique.
And, as your woodworker might do for you, validating your purchase is needed is as simple as poking around the shop.
Every woodworker could use another measuring tape. But, few woodworkers have a tape like this one from FastCap.
And as a fun fact you can share later, most woodworkers don’t know about FastCap – who is a custom tool maker that produces a line of tools that make woodworking BETTER.
Key features:
- Works for left and right handed users
- Has an easy-erase note pad on the side for capturing measurements
- Heavy duty steel tape
When it comes to woodworkers of any skill level almost all will need to mark angles or have a small level on hand for installation tasks.
And that makes this woodworking gift a sure-hit if you’re not sure of their needs (and can’t dig around in their shop).
Key features:
- Built-in level
- 3/16″ reveal gauge that is great for trim installation
- Scale for transferring measurements
- Set and hold angles for reproducing cuts
Need more convincing? Well, this tool is from KREG, who is a trusted brand known to every woodworker.
From using in the shop to showing off out in public a t-shirt is a never-fail woodworkers gift that most will appreciate. And, if your wood gluing recipient is into any sort of heavy gluing they’ll be sure to mark this shirt up with enough wood glue to quickly make it their own.
The only problem? Wood glue resists regular washing – and wood glue scrapers aren’t much help either.
If you ask any woodworker they’ll quickly confess to using YouTube or Facebook as a source of learning woodworking tips. But, as you know, social media is a targeted search and find way of learning.
So, most woodworkers will appreciate a book like this they can thumb through, bookmark and not lose when the moment comes to setup their dovetail jig for a half-blind joint.
As Benjamin Franklin once quoted “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.
And in woodworking there’s not always a cure when it comes to damaged body parts. Which makes having safety tools for table saws, jointers, miter saws, and well, anything with a blade or that spins.
All of which makes this five piece kit from Fulton a great gift as you’ll be putting safety tools in fingers reach of almost all the most popular woodworking tools.
Woodworkers need clamps.
And not just a handful of simple clamps, but a wide variety of clamps for everything from cabinet hardware jigs to clamps to glue wood panels.
But one of the least-owned but most useful clamps available is a face clamp, which is versatile for:
- Clamping jigs
- Use in installing drawer slides
- Leveling boards during panel glue-ups
- And lastly, furniture assembly
While this seems like a basic concept, joining two pieces of wood together is actually one of the most difficult parts of woodworking.
But Kreg has a complete lineup of jigs made just for this job. And, for a reasonable price, you can set your woodworker up with a pocket hole jig.
Lastly, this combination of a clamp with the jig is a MUST as the Kreg pocket hole system requires an exact placement while drilling tools.
While not an experience a woodworking gift giver may have encountered, one of the most damaging tools in the shop is a bottle.
A bottle of glue, that is. Since woodworking glues like Titebond are masters at securing wood they also destroy fibers in clothes if not washed immediately.
Which makes a gift woodworking apron great for:
- Saving good clothes from glue stains
- Keeping loose clothes tucked in and away from moving saws and sander belts
- And, of course, a handy place to store a dozen or two pencils
While these are inexpensive as a single clamp, with pipe clamps your woodworker will need at least a half dozen. Or a dozen or more.
As a cabinetmaker I actually have few dozen hanging on the wall in my Shop Fox Clamp Rack since gluing a kitchens worth of clamps takes a huge quantity of clamps.
So, simply said, if you are concerned about a woodworkers gift they own you can be rest assured they will own pipe clamps. But, they will WANT more.
Unless your woodworker spends their days on carvings, odds are really good they aren’t protecting their hearing.
Which makes these (rare) OSHA compliance 27dB reduction headphones a great gift for:
- Listening to music through a Bluetooth connection
- Making and taking calls
- Or, just pure decibel reduction tool
A table saw to new woodworkers is an intimidating tool.
While most saws hide the blade in a shroud and generally out of sight, a table saw exposes the blade. And, while unfortunate to know, there are many amputations EVERY DAY from improper use of table saws.
So, while no push block can guarantee safety, this innovative 3-D pressure block will help beginners to advanced woodworkers.
Best of all? Most woodworkers don’t know this unique (but popular) pushblock exists.
While pipe clamps are a commodity clamp that woodworkers truly appreciate a quantity of, a parallel clamp is a clamp most woodworkers want.
But, because of their precision and accompanying cost, quite a few haven’t splurged on.
So, a pair of 24″ or 36″ parallel jaw clamps are a welcome addition to any woodworkers clamp collection.
If woodworking produces one thing it’s DUST. And while most woodworkers have setup a shop vacuum you might have heard complaints about how well it works.
Which, for beginner woodworking projects, makes a Dust Deputy an excellent pre-filter that drops large particles into a bin. And sends finer particles towards the shop vacuum in smaller quantities.
For woodworkers that need more space when the cars out of the garage, a folding woodworking workbench is a welcome gift.
And, these aren’t your average folding tables as most new workbenches come with sliding track systems, holes to use clamps in and even storage for larger jobs.
For novice to advanced woodworkers the Kreg K5 Master System is like that “special” car, bike or other gadget that draws a pause when mentioned.
Because of Kreg’s popularity there are many tools woodworkers want, and pocket hole systems are easily the most popular. So, for a larger budget you’ll find the master system is a great gift for woodworkers.
Not many hand tools are mounted in a table. But, when you take a hand router and flip it upside down, mount it in a table you’ll get a tool that can make anything from trim to cabinet doors.
So how do you know if your woodworker is ready for this gift? Well, here’s a few clues:
- Their ambitions have grown to cabinetry
- Projects involve making trim
- Or, they need to discover a tool that will open up options
Dust is always in the air, and most woodworkers don’t know that fine 1-2 micron dust hangs in the air for 30+ minutes AFTER the tools are shut off.
And, this type of dust isn’t as easily filtered by our airways due to it’s size. So one of the solutions is to use an air filtration system (usually mounted to the ceiling) that constantly circulates the air to remove these fine particles.
Buying tools is a daunting process.
Do I start with the types of projects they work on and guess what they could use (and hope they don’t own)?
Or, should I punt and buy a gadget gift that checks the box but didn’t help them solve a problem?
While asking is an option, there are other ways to approach buying gifts for woodworkers and it doesn’t have to involve buying tools.
Editor: There are GREAT gifts you can buy your woodworker that will improve safety, open doors to new projects and even prevent dust from coming inside.
Buying Gifts by Types of Woodworkers
Classification is risky.
But, to help point you to the right gift, one way of approaching a gift buy is by classification:
- New to woodworking and eager to learn
- Intermediate skill with 2-10 years experience and at least 2-3 projects a year
- Advanced skill with 10-25+ years experience and a weekend shop addict
- Woodturners that center around lathes
- Carpenters that work in the field all day
With experience and specific woodworking focus comes, well, specific gifts to consider.
Conclusion
Buying gifts for woodworkers doesn’t have to resort to buying gift cards and letting them choose what they want or need. Instead of falling back to this approach make sure to take this list, wander through their workshop and see what’s missing.
They will appreciate your initiative (even if they have to return it).
- About the Author
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Eric has been a professional woodworker for over thirty years and has worked in small cabinet shops making everything from kitchen cabinets to hand-made furniture. Now working from a home woodworking shop Eric is sharing his passion for woodworking, tool advice and how-to knowledge from his Minnesota-based woodshop.
