This is where I am always a kid on Christmas. I look for new tools and creative ways to get the job done. In the best carpentry tools section, I will show you some of my best picks for what I use to build furniture, repair my home, remodel my home, and more. I enjoy trying new tools, new technology and have never met a tool I didn’t like. I would like to share some of my recommendations of tools for carpentry that I currently or have used over the last 15 years of DIY home repair, remodeling and finish work. Like most things, the cost is a factor but I tend to keep a small percent of my budget to try new things so keep an eye out for the updates on this page as I add to the list and help you know before you buy. You may notice some model numbers differ slightly, but I will try to link to the latest and greatest version.
Kreg Jig
Kreg Jig is by far one of the most used tools in my arsenal for woodworking, building furniture, holding material, cabinet making and more. I love the products from Kreg Tool Company. I have their complete system, several versions of their famous pocket-hole jig, their clamps, screws, shelf-pin system, drawer slide system and hinge jig. Their products last a long time, help me save time with my projects and allow for a more professional end result. If you have not tried any of the Kreg products you need to jump on board!
Glue Bottle
I was a bit apprehensive about buying the Glu-Bot since I wasn’t sure what the big deal was; it’s just a glue bottle, but I have grown to rely on it and it is a great addition to my toolbox. If you are not familiar with the Glu-Bot it is basically a glue bottle that doesn’t drip, allows for a constant flow of glue and you don’t have to hold it upside down to use it! For Glue I only use Titebond III for its reliability, initial tact, overall hold, and smooth finish.
Incra Ruler
This is much more than a ruler! Incra has taken the ruler a thousand steps step further with the Incra IRSET06 6-Inch Marking Rule Set. I don’t know if it is due to lack of time or that I am getting older and my eyes are not as good as they were, but I purchased the Incra Rule set to help speed up my measuring and marking for my projects and to help avoid the need for measure, mark, and repeat that can cause variation. The Incra marking ruler is a set of steel rulers that have perfectly placed micro-fine holes that all you to mark and move the ruler to create constant lines, or marks at intervals and they even wrap around the edges so you won’t need to use the side of a speed square to wrap the mark around. It comes with a T-square guide that draws precise lines and it has made its way into my tool back for everyday use. I am happy with this purchase and just wish I did it sooner to save my eyesight!
Angle Finder
I am not math major and I used to use a protractor and an angle finder to help determine what I would need to set my miter saw at for cuts for molding, corners, crown, base and more. Needless to say, I made my share of mistakes. Then, I found the Starrett 505A-7 ProSite Protractor and I was blown away at how simple the tool was to use, error-free and how I no longer needed to do the math to come up with the angles to transfer to my miter saw – all in one tool! The protractor is a scale that shows the angle for a miter joint and single cut, which you can transfer directly to the miter saw with ZERO calculations! The savings on no longer needing to order more material to make up for my many mistakes has paid for the tool after one project!