There are a surprising number of woodworker gifts under $50 that are not only useful but high enough quality to pass your woodworkers “good buy” reaction.
In this gift giving guide you’ll discover:
- Professional-quality supplies that woodworkers use and always need
- Safety equipment that not all woodworkers may have
- Power tools and jigs under $50 to round out tools they might not own
Related Article: Stocking Stuffers for Woodworkers
Page Contents
Woodworker Gifts Under $50 That Can Always Be Used
One of the best gifts is to give something that woodworks use up, is unique enough they don’t own or something they can learn from.
Every woodworker could either use storage or protection while woodworking. And woodworking aprons have evolved recently to be a must-have.
While its obvious if your woodworker uses one, look for an apron that features:
- Ample storage
- Comfortable shoulder straps to distribute the weight of the apron
- Secure place for a phone with a strap to prevent it from dropping out when bending over
But the best reason an apron is a great investment? Well, if you have experienced this, wood glue is the enemy of good clothing. And an apron can be scarred with wood glue and still look good.
Related Article: Best Woodworking Aprons
Drill bits are a mysterious tool in most woodworking shops as they have a habit of just disappearing. Whether its on a jobsite, lost in a drawer or vanishing in a toolbox these are gifts that woodworkers will always take more of.
And, when it comes to woodworking, one of the most popular drill bits is the spade (aka paddle) bit that can make holes in wood quickly.
Serious woodworkers use one thing constantly: glue.
While there are a dozen varieties of glue on the market, Titebond II (not I or III) is the hands down preferred glue by woodworkers.
Boring to some, but important to woodworkers this glue features:
- A fifteen minute set time that allows projects to be glued and clamped in a reasonable time
- Perfect viscosity that allows it to be spread easily without running off the project
Just be careful you don’t let it freeze.
Almost every woodworker owns a miter saw or table saw and chances are good the blades are due to be replaced. Since cutting requires a high quality blade (usually 10″) for both ripping and cross-cutting a two-pack of blades is always welcomed.
- 32-tooth blade is good for the table saw and ripping
- Meanwhile a 60-tooth blade is best for the miter saw and cross-cutting
Not sure what their saws blade diameter is? A quick check on the model number and google search should help you out.
Lastly, while we’re keeping to woodworker gifts under $50 on this list you can spend hundreds on saw blades. And with dizzying technology involved those are best left to the woodworker to purchase.
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The best woodworkers know that woodworking is a journey of learning.
Which makes a woodworking guide that shows the techniques for woodworking welcome. While an expert might scoff at this gift, most beginners will welcome a hands-on guide that can be left in the shop.
Safety Minded Gifts Under $50
There are fewer hobbies in the garage that make more noise than woodworking.
Perhaps you already know that and are accustomed to the constant hum of saws and sanders. But with noise comes decibels, and with decibels over periods of time the risk of hearing damage.
Which makes a Bluetooth-enabled hearing muff set a welcome gift if your woodworkers lacks them.
[amazon fields=”B007JZ1N00″ value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_alt=”Dust mask “
While there are high powered dust collectors for every workshop, the last line of defense is always closest to you: a high quality dust mask.
Few woodworkers know this, but for up to 30 minutes after you shut off a saw there are small micron dust particles that hang in the air. And, these are the dust particles that can ellude our bodies natural (mucus) line of defense.
Which makes both a dust collector and a dust mask important in any shop.
A little know fact about table saws is there are over 30,000 injuries and $2 billion in medical costs every year.
Sadly, a good percentage of those injuries are amputations.
While most woodworkers don’t want to talk about it, there is always a need for another push block or two next to the table saw or jointer. And these innovative GRR-RIP push blocks are a woodworkers favorite.
Everyone knows they can find safety glasses for woodworking. And, while they should be worn at all times, an older woodworker faces a dilemma: nearsightedness.
The solution?
Well, safety glasses with bifocals built in. Since these are a few times more expensive than standard glasses some woodworkers won’t splurge on them. But rather than risk eye injury on up-close work they should invest in these relatively hard to find safety devices.
Lastly, safety glasses tend to be used and abused and replaced in a short period of time. So the risk of returns is low on this safety minded woodworker gifts under $50.
Power Tool Woodworking GIfts Under $50
First, if you woodworker is a “tool snob” then the following tools might not be for them.
But many woodworkers start out on a budget and need a dozen tools. And the sub-fifty dollar woodworking gifts are a welcome class of tools.
Before deciding, just take a tour of their workspace and make sure they don’t own any of these tools. Most are obvious.
[amazon fields=”B00OW5AJTG” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_alt=”Woodworker gifts – electric hand planer “
With a benchtop planer running anywhere from $300 to $1000 they are sometimes out of a new-to-woodworking budget.
And while hand sanders can flatten boards, one simple trick for getting a board ready for an orbital sander is a hand plane. With a simple design and ability to remove wood quickly this device can help a woodworker get started on simple projects like breadboards.
There are over a dozen sanders available to a woodworker.
But one sander is uniquely designed to be the “only” sander a woodworker needs: the random orbit sander.
Since this machine can use low grit sandpaper (think rough and bumpy) for removing a lot of wood, or high grit sandpaper for a final finish it is versatile.
And, interestingly, a lot of woodworkers end up owning a couple of them to have a backup always on hand.
Related Article: Best Random Orbital Sander For Woodworking
From installing trim to assembling a cabinet or furniture box a professional will reach for a power nail gun.
First, nails and glue go together. A nail will provide a fast and secure initial hold while glue dries. And then after the glue has dried the nail, in most situations, is just there as a remnant of the assembly.
But without a nail gun, a project cannot be quickly or accurately assembled. And options like the popular pocket hole jigs are available, but tend to leave a large hole (or holes).
Back to the theme of dust control in small workshops.
Most woodworkers will start dust collection with a shop vacuum. And quickly find that large wood chips either fill the vacuum quickly or prevent it from operating with top performance.
Of course, woodworking tool makers came up with a solution: the vortex pre-filter. And the gold standard in this is the Dust Deputy, which simply sits on a five-gallon bucket between the vacuum and woodworking tool.
Tool brands tend to dominate a woodworkers hop by their color. Dewalt is yellow, Milwaukee is red and Kreg is blue.
And with woodworking any beginner or professional knows that Kreg pocket hole jigs are a must-have for that woodworking joint that is best assembled with this simple tool.
Looking to spend more? Wow your woodworker with a 720-series pocket hole jig that was newly released in 2020/21.
Related Article: Best Pocket Hole Jigs for Woodworking
A reciprocating saw is a tool you didn’t think you needed until, well, you need it.
Both easy to spot in a workshop and always welcome when not on the shelf, this saw will:
- Make quick work of tearing apart existing woodwork (perhaps for that remodel you have planned…)
- Shear studs off, including nails
- Wood deck demolition
- And just about anything else a 6-inch blade would be suitable to attack
Just remember this isn’t a “finish tool” as there is little to no precision with this power tool.
There are over a dozen jigs for woodworking.
But while many are specialty made for installing cabinets or stairs, one of the best for making hidden joint jigs is a simple doweling jig.
Perhaps you used something like this in a woodworking shop class during school. Or maybe its new to you. But odds are, most woodworkers will find a use for this tool until they can afford its $1000 alternative.
17. Marking Scribe
Most woodworkers will choose to invest in specialty marking tools like this scribe once they have a garage full of tools.
But once they do, woodworkers discover a tool they wished they had for decades. With a simple capacity to just mark a straight line these marking tools will quickly allow acurate tracing of outlines for the bandsaw, hand-cut dovetail joints or simply center marking.
Related Article: Woodworking Scribes for Every Toolbox
Conclusion
With a little looking around their workshop and contemplating their current and future projects its easy to find woodworking gifts under $50 that a woodworker will use and enjoy.
- 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.
