With the calendar switching over to 2021 it won’t be long before Christmas music starts playing on the radio. That means it is about time to start taking a look at some gift ideas for woodworkers.
One of the best parts about woodworking is there is always a new tool to lust over…or a need for more clamps. Trust me when I say that woodworkers can always use more clamps.
Luckily there are a ton of great options when it comes to finding the best woodworking gifts to give to your friends or loved ones. From cheap glue bottles or marking knives to an expensive new centerpiece in the shop like a SawStop or Festool, there are great woodworking gift options for everyone.
Clamps
Clamps are the #1 best friend of all woodworkers. From small 6-inch clamps to 50-inch monsters we always seem to need just a couple more than we have. If you’re looking for great woodworking gift ideas then look no further than a few clamp sets.
Marking Knife
For any woodworker looking to get started with cutting their own mortis and tenons or dovetails, a marking knife is an indespensible tool. The ability to mark precise cut lines onto their pieces makes for a much smoother process.
Carving Tool Set
Carving tools are a fun and inexpensive way to get started with woodworking. All it takes is some wood, a few tools and a spot to sit and you can start carving your own spoons or wooden bowls.
Glue-Bot
Glue-bots have become a mainstay in most woodworker’s shops. Their drip free use and ease with which you can lay down a bead of glue make them a great gift idea for woodworkers of any skill level.
Extension Cord Reel
Ceiling mounted extension cord reels are one of those things that woodworkers don’t realize they need until they have it. And once they have one they don’t know how they ever lived without it! For anyone in a small shop like ours, this tool is a lifesaver. It keeps us from having to stretch cords across the shop as we roll tools like our dust collector and planer around.
Field Notes Memo Book
Field Notes memo books are a classic gift that is handy for any woodworker to have on hand around the house and shop. Field Notes come in a variety of styles including lined, graph paper, and even left-handed versions!
Bluetooth Smart Speaker
Smart speakers are a great way to stream music, podcasts, audio books or live radio in the shop. With smart speakers you can even integrate tools like a dust collector into the system and simply say “start dust collector” to turn them on whenever needed.
3M Worktune Headphones
Wearing headphones under hearing protection is always a painful process. Luckily 3M has made of set of their hearing protection headphones with built in bluetooth wireless connectivity. Keep up with music, podcasts or audiobooks while also protecting your hearing in the shop.
Woodworking Square
Woodpecker makes an incredible line of woodworking tools including spacer blocks, marking gauges and squares. This woodworking square is perfect for checking the angle on blades or fences, checking for square on wood or ensuring squareness during glueups.
Festool Orbital Sander
Festool offers absolute top of the line woodworking tools and their orbital sander is no exception. Any woodworker would be esctatic to receive a Festool as a gift under the tree. This orbital sander is lightweight and features a top of the line dust extraction system when paired with a dust collector.
Sawstop Table Saw
It’s not a stretch to say that Sawstop table saws are the ultimate woodworking tool. Their safety is unmatched in the woodworking world and the table saw is the centerpiece tool for most woodworking shops. This makes the Sawstop one of the best gift ideas for woodworkers out there.
Microjig GRR-Ripper
The GRR-Ripper is a multifunctional push stick for the table saw that keeps the user’s hands away from the blade. Its inexpensive price, safety, and versatility make it a great gift idea for woodworkers.
Kreg Pocket Hole Jig
Pocket hole joinery is one of the easiest ways to get started building furniture and the Kreg jig is the go to tool for creating pocket holes. We actually received this jig as a gift years ago and have used it to create everything from shop cabinets to picture frames.
Woodworking Apron
We almost never spend any time in the shop anymore without a woodworking apron. It keeps my clothes clean-ish, all my pencils in one place, and puts me in the working mindset. Luckily waxed canvas aprons are also cheap which makes them a great woodworking gift.
CA Glue Set
CA glue is another one of those “I didn’t know how much I need it until I had it” type of things in the shop. I use CA glue to fill in knots or voids in wood, create quick clamps using painters tape, bond wood so we can remove clamps earlier, as a finish on small turnings, glue my fingers together constantly…ok the last one is a joke, kind of. CA glue does make a great gift though and is extremely versatile once you have it on hand.
Japanese Pull Saw
Japanese pull saws are in a class all by themselves and are nothing like a traditional saw you’ll find on the shelves at a hardware store. They are easy to use, make precise cuts and are often quicker to grab off the wall when you need to make a quick cut versus using a power tool. Don’t let the cheap price fool you. These saws are worth their weight in gold.
Chisel Set
There are many many a woodworker out there that got their start in the hand tool world with this set of Narex chisels…including myself! I received these as a gift a few years back and they are still my go-to tool for any work requiring a sharp chisel.
Sharpening System
Playing off our last recommendation, if you own hand tools you have to know how to sharpen them. And if the woodworker in your life is anything like us they probably hate sharpening by hand. Luckily, sharpening systems like these make it almost foolproof to keep tools razor sharp.
Charcoal Pencils
Marc Spagnuolo from The Wood Whisperer recommended these white charcoal pencils on a video a while back and they have quickly become my go-to pencil for making out cut lines on dark wood. We work with a ton of walnut and regular pencil lines were always a pain to follow but these show up extremely well. Definitely worth adding to the pencil cup on the tool bench.
Palm Router
Palm routers have become an extremely versatile woodworking tool over the last few years. Compared to their full size cousins these routers are far easier to handle which makes for safer usage. We keep multiple routers in our shop so a woodworker will never say no to this gift idea.
Derek grew up woodworking in his father’s shop and has since gone on to start up a successful woodworking business on Etsy. In his spare time, you can find him mountain biking, skiing, or writing.
