3: The Tools You Need to Get Started in Woodworking
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This is the DIY Projects with Pete podcast, episode number three. Welcome to the DIY Projects with Pete podcast. Learn, create, and be inspired. Get everything you need to tackle your next do-it-yourself project. Podcasting from Bozeman, Montana. Your host, DIY Pete. Pete. Pete. Pete.

Hey, DIY Pete here. Thanks so much for tuning in. I hope you're having a great day and I'm excited because we have another do-it-yourself related question that I think you might be able to learn something from. This comes from a young man who recently purchased a property and is trying to find out the essentials he needs to get started with some do-it-yourself projects. So I'm going to do my best to answer his questions. And before we do that, I wanted to give today's resource. Today's resource is actually my resources page.

which can be found at diypete.com forward slash resources. And that has a list of all the different tools that I either use or recommend because I believe in them and I know they're going to work well for you. Now, I'm not saying that you have to get tools by purchasing them off this page by any means, but it's just a good reference point. And then, you know, you can always buy used tools, you can buy at your local hardware store or

or wherever you can find a great deal on quality tools. All right, let's go ahead and get to today's question.

Hey Pete, my name is Paul. I love the podcast, Do It Yourself, workshops and stuff, awesome stuff. I got a quick question here for you. I recently got out of the rental market and now own a condo. In doing so, I'd like to invest anywhere from $800 to $1,500. I've got some money set aside where I can kind of build a workshop. I don't have a workbench. I've got basic tools. I've got a Phillips head.

And another screwdriver. I think it's kind of from like a Mickey Mouse tool kit I had from college. But kind of wondering, you know, with that amount of money, $800 to $1,500, if I could build a workbench, if I could go buy a workbench. What are the basic tools that I need to have to fix basic things around the house? Also brands. I see you've got a lot of DeWalt stuff. I have an uncle named Walt. That's about all I know about DeWalt. I don't really know much about any of the brands.

So if you could help me out with brands, what you use, best times to go buy these tools, I mean, where you go to get them, if I buy all of them at once so I get discounts. I don't know all that stuff.

But anyways, love the podcast. Love to hear your answer. Things like that. Thanks, Pete. Bye. Well, Paul, first off, it's awesome how you just compared DeWalt tools to your Uncle Walt and how much you know about tools. So I like how you're honest right up front. Now, you had a number of questions. They're all good. And so we're going to kind of break it down and do one by one as far as how I'm going to answer them.

Also, congratulations on your house. That's a big step. And you're going to be kept busy as a homeowner. So it's important that you do have all of these tools and the supplies to be able to start working out in your garage on projects because now you have a garage. Why not use it?

Okay, so one of the first questions was, what tools are you going to need to be able to work on various projects around your house when things need to be fixed, when you have home improvement projects? And so what I would recommend doing is buying a good quality tool set. A tool set that has sockets in it, that has crescent wrenches, pliers, bits, screwdrivers, hammers, screws.

You'll want to have all of those at your convenience because you never know when the toilet's gonna be running and you need to fix that. You might need a screwdriver or a socket wrench to adjust something on the door handle. There's just all sorts of things that come up. Maybe you're out mowing and a bolt comes loose so you need to tighten that up. And so if you just have a good set of tools or a toolbox with those necessities, you'll be prepared for whatever comes up next. You're gonna save yourself time and money.

As far as price, I'd recommend spending about $75 to $100 on a good quality tool set with all of those tools in it that I just mentioned. All right, and on to your next question. You had asked if you should build a workbench or if you should buy a workbench. And I think you should know the answer that I'm going to tell you, and that's to build a workbench because it's going to teach you some of the basic skills, plus it's going to save you a lot of money and you're going to have fun doing it.

So I would recommend first getting a couple tools so that you can build that workbench. So Paul, the basic tools I'd have you get in the beginning would be a drill, and that's just going to allow you to be able to connect everything. You're going to need a miter saw so that you can cut all of the 2x4s for the table base and everything else.

You're going to need either a circular saw or a table saw so you can cut the table top out of plywood. And finally, you'll probably want to pick up an orbital sander so that you can get some of the rough edges and smooth things out. Those are the four main tools, and those are going to work for a lot of other future projects you have. As far as the orbital sander, I'd spend about $50 to $60 for that.

As far as a miter saw, a brand new one's probably gonna be in the $200 to $300 range. I'd always check Craigslist locally if you're looking to find a better deal or to check some of your local hardware stores as well. For a table saw, I'm not gonna recommend going out and spending thousands of dollars for a great big permanent table saw. All you're going to need is a portable one. These are nice because you can fold them up, you can put them away, and then you can still park your car in the garage when you need to.

I'm going to say you're probably going to spend around $150 to $500 on a table saw. That DeWalt one that you see on my resources page is going to be in the $500 to $600 range, a little bit more expensive. It's got a few more features, but you can get started with a basic one in the $200 range. Or what I've done in the past is I've bought them used from friends or I found them on Craigslist. I remember buying a table saw for $25. It was a

craftsman, and it's worked wonders. It's worked great. So keep your options open. For drills, here's what I'd recommend. The new technology is the lithium ion drills, and that's the battery. They used to be the nickel cadmium. Well, the nickel cadmium are kind of fading out. They're not really building new drills with them, but they still have a lot in inventory, and so they're sometimes selling them a little bit cheaper, so you can get some good deals on that. But I'd recommend getting at least, like I said, an 18 to 20 volt drill, and

And I would recommend the 20-volt lithium-ion if you do have a few extra bucks that you can splurge on it. I'd say that a good quality 20-volt lithium-ion drill is going to be in the neighborhood of $100 to $200. And a lot of times you can find some combo kits where that normal drill comes with an impact driver as well. And if you don't know what an impact driver is, that's one of my other favorite tools.

and especially when you're working with 4x4s and doing some more construction type projects. It also comes in really handy for that farmhouse table that I have a build for that's made out of 4x4s for the base. And so it has a couple rotating forces, one that goes to the right. It also has a pounding action, and it just makes those screws go in much easier, and you'll just be amazed.

at the comparison and you'll strip a lot fewer screws as well. So that's certainly something to look into, but not something that you necessarily have to have when you're just getting started for sure. All right, so back to your question about building that workbench. Now that you know the tools that you're going to need, I definitely recommend building it. And you're going to need a combination of four by fours, two by fours, and some three quarter inch plywood to build it. It's probably going to take a good...

morning or an afternoon to do the build project and then you can always stain it and add a poly to protect it a little bit more. There's a couple different places I'd recommend in going for plans. One would be Anna White at Anna-White.com. She's got hundreds of free plans and

And I know she has some different workbenches that you can maybe base yours off of. Another excellent place to check out would be jayscustomcreations.com. He also has some workbench plans and some videos, I believe, on how to construct your own.

So those are some great places to check out. Okay, and on to your question about brands, Paul. Let me first off say that there's a lot of great brands to choose from. There's some that are geared more towards your person who fixes a couple things a year. There's some that are geared more towards people who are trying a few projects here and there. Some that are geared toward your average DIYer. And then some that are made for contractors. So there's going to be a big difference in quality between some of those brands

Now, if you're just getting started or you don't want to spend a whole lot or maybe you're just trying to test the waters to see if do-it-yourself projects are a good fit for you, I'd recommend looking at introductory brands more like your Ryobi and your Black & Decker. And these are geared more toward your average DIYer who might do a few projects every once in a while.

Now, if you get to the point where you're building more projects, maybe you're doing a DIY project every single weekend or you're building houses, maybe you're a contractor, then you're going to want to spend a little bit more money and get a tool that's more durable, that has a few more features, and that you know has quality written all over it. So those are going to be tools by brands like Makita, DeWalt, Milwaukee,

rigid. Those are just some that come to the top of my mind right off the bat. But you're going to be spending a little bit more and I think it's going to be worth it if you're going to be doing projects that often. Paul, you also asked about deals on tools, best times to buy, and quantity discounts. So let's talk about deals first.

Now, one thing I'm always doing is checking the end caps at the stores like Home Depot and Lowe's to see if they have any clearance items. Maybe there's some old inventory they're looking to clear out. Sometimes people will bring back tools. There might be nothing wrong with them, but then the company has to sell it at a deeply discounted rate.

So then you'll be getting a great deal. I also like to check bargain bins. You can always find some amazing deals there as well. And keep your eye open for flyers in the newspaper and around town for annual tool sales. I know a lot of farm and ranch stores do that. We have one specifically in our town of Bozeman, Montana called Murdoch's.

Murdoch is actually a big farm and ranch store throughout a lot of the western part of the United States. Great place, by the way. But they have an annual sale where they really push DeWalt tools. And so that's where I've just gone and racked up, picked up all sorts of DeWalt tools. And I go every year and I'm just set. Like absolutely love it. So check your local stores, see if there's any annual sales that you can...

you know, score big on. Moving on to your question about best times to buy, Paul, we just mentioned some of those annual sales, but another great time is during the holiday season. Those manufacturers, they want to get their tools given as gifts for the holiday season or put into stockings. And so they'll often be doing some deeply discounted rates. So pay attention at that time.

And lastly, you asked about quantity discounts. And to be honest, I haven't really seen a whole lot of quantity discounts being given at any of these larger stores. From time to time at these farm and ranch stores, you might see when they're running a big sale that they'll give you a little bit of a discount if you buy more tools at the same time. But for the most part, I don't think you'll probably find that great of discounts if you buy a large quantity.

All right. Well, I think we got all those questions knocked out. So, Paul, I hope that's helpful for you. And everyone else who's listening, I hope that helps you out with your current setup. Paul, I'm looking forward to seeing some pictures of that finished workbench. I want to see those to make sure that you've made it.

And also, if you have any other questions at all on tools that you need, just let me know. I'm happy to advise and to kind of give you some guidance and direction. Hopefully, though, that toolbox will get you taken care of and you'll be able to make all those home repairs that you're lucky enough to get to do with that new condo of yours.

I just wanted to say thanks so much for tuning into the DIY Projects with Pete podcast. I hope you're enjoying it. I hope that it's helping you out or inspiring you in one way or another. And if you have a couple minutes to leave some feedback to help me continue to improve this podcast so I can provide more valuable content for you, just head over to diypete.com forward slash iTunes.

There you can leave a review. The more reviews I get, the better my rankings, and that means more people will be listening to this podcast. So if you have a couple minutes, just do that. I'd really appreciate it. Also, you can keep up to date with all of the projects by just checking out the diypete.com website. You can also sign up for the newsletter. You can do that at diypete.com forward slash newsletter. And lastly, if you do need some advice on some of the tools that I recommend, you can

you're more than welcome to check out that link on my website as well, which is diypete.com forward slash resources. And just so you know, if you didn't have a pen and paper handy for all those different links and resources throughout the episode, just head over to diypete.com forward slash episode three for the complete show notes. All right. Thanks so much for tuning in today. I hope you enjoyed the episode. Good luck on your next project.

Remember to take action. And finally, cheers from Bozeman, Montana.