5 Expensive Woodworking Tools that are Actually Worth It

These are 5 ridiculously expensive woodworking tools that are actually worth the price. No, the Festool Kapex is not one of them. More on that in a little bit.

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#1 - Track Saw - The first tool on the list has to be a track saw. They are stupid expensive for what you think you’re getting - a rail and a circular saw. It’s much more than that, and the reason is that the track saw rides on that track to give you perfectly straight, 90-degree cuts every single time. You don’t have to worry about, “Is the cut going to be straight?” or “Is my straight edge going to move?” or anything like that.

These saws work perfectly every time. That’s why I love having a track saw in the shop. It’s one of those tools that you look at, and you think, “Man, do I want to spend that money?” If you regularly cut table tops that are thick, whether you want to put bevels on it or just a 90-degree cut, these things are perfect for that. For years I used a straight edge and a circular saw. That worked okay, but the cut wasn’t always perfect, especially on longer runs. Whereas with a good quality track saw, I’ve had zero issues.

Now, with some of the budget options I do get some accuracy issues in certain applications. Which is why I suggest the more expensive ones. You really do get what you pay for here. My suggestion is either Festool or Milwaukee. Both of these are extremely well made, and they both work well.

The Milwaukee is an excellent saw with zero issues, and I’ve really enjoyed having it in the shop. So much so that I’ve got both Milwaukee’s and Festool’s saws in the shop, and I can’t get rid of the Milwaukee. I use them both in equal amounts, going back and forth between them from project to project. Milwaukee’s saw even goes on sale from time to time.

#1b - Guide Rail Square - My 1b recommendation if you get a track saw, and you really want to speed things up, is to check out the TSO GR16 PEv2 (there’s a lot to that name). This is a guide rail square. What this is going to do is turn your guide rail into a giant speed square. You don’t have to worry about lining up each end of the track. The new version fits both the Festool and the Milwaukee as well as several others. They do have a Kreg version available separately because the Kreg tracks are different.

The great thing about this square is that it slides onto the track, clamps down, and that’s it. It takes 2 seconds to put on or take off. That’s why I love having this in the shop. In fact, I have a whole video on 5 track saw accessories you need, and this is definitely one of them.

#2 - Dust Extractors - I 100% believe these expensive tools are worth the price. I’ve had the pleasure of using both the 3M and the Festool dust extractors, and they are equally good at what they do. If you buy the 3M one from TayTools, he’ll send it to you with a bag. If you buy them elsewhere you don’t get a bag.

I didn’t realize how much I would appreciate a dust extractor and why it’s a little different than a regular shop vac. In fact, I like them so much I have one at the workbench for sanding, using the Domino, track saw, routers, whatever I’m doing at the bench. I have another one at the miter saw station because it works so well.

If I’m recommending a dust extractor to rule them all, I think the Festool CT 48 is probably the best pick. It has a 48-liter capacity, so it will hold a lot of dust. At the miter saw station I wanted something smaller, so I have the Festool CT 36. They both have the same CFM. In other words, they have the same suction capacity, so you’re not losing out anything there.

I can dial up or down the amount of suction it has, and it has a switch between Manual and Automatic. I have it on Auto so that anytime I start up a tool that’s connected to the unit (like my sander), it powers itself on and off with the start-up or shutdown of the tool. You can even opt for the Bluetooth accessory, which allows you to put a button on the end of your hose that can be pressed to start the extractor remotely. That’s what I use when I’m using my Domino or my track saw so that I don’t ever have to unplug my sander.

Where the dust extractor made a huge difference in the dust collection in my shop is with the fine dust (like what I’d generate with my sander). These tiny particles are defined as 1 micron or smaller, and when they get in the air and get in your lungs, they are super dangerous.

I have seen much less fine dust all over the shop ever since I got one of these almost two years ago. This is one of the most highly recommended tools I can tell you to go get, especially for the sander. It does work really well on bigger tools, too, like my miter saw.

Speaking of miter saws, I have the Festool Kapex, and it’s something like $1,600. I honestly don’t think it’s worth that much money, even though I paid that much. I think it’s way overpriced for what you’re getting. It is an absolutely amazing saw, and I love it, probably one of the best saws on the market. However, it’s almost double the price of the competitors, and I just don’t know why I paid double for it. I call it the Fan Boy Tax, because that’s basically what you’re paying for the Kapex, in my opinion.

#3 - Table Saw – Table saws and track saws can do similar things, but they are very different. I have a whole video on track saws vs. table saws - https://youtu.be/UAIr27EOoCc?si=hoyFSwZqokuLMiYD. A table saw is crazy expensive, especially when you first start looking at them and you’ve only purchased cordless tools up to this point. The DeWALT jobsite saw is comparatively very inexpensive, and it’s my pick for a budget option or if you have a small space. For about the same price, there’s also a Skil jobsite saw that I reviewed, and think is also a really good option.

If you’re looking for a premium table saw, that’s when you start getting into big money. Most of the time, though, you’re getting what you paid for. When you start looking at premium table saws, SawStop’s got to come into the equation simply because of the safety. They’re not the only game in town though. There are other really good table saws out there to choose from. Harvey makes a good table saw. I’ve heard really good things about the Laguna line. There are also the Grizzly and Powermatic. There are tons of choices for you when you start looking at these options.

I’ve got the SawStop 3hp PCS, and I’ve been nothing less than impressed with this saw. At 36” cut capacity, I’ve got plenty of capacity for me in my space. If I’d have had the space for a 52”, I would have gotten that, but this fits my space nicely. I’ve got plenty of power at 3hp, and it’s super accurate, which is the main thing you’re looking for in a table saw. The fence on this thing is dead on. The fence does have micro-adjustments if you ever need to adjust it, but I’ve been absolutely 100% pleased with this saw. The flesh-sensing technology should also give you peace of mind because should you slip up and accidentally touch the spinning blade, you should not encounter any major damage.

But, if we’re being honest, most woodworkers and especially garage hobbyists would never spend three or four thousand dollars on a table saw. I do think that if you’re going to be doing this for multiple years to come, you do owe it to yourself to check out the $800 to $1,500 range. There are a lot of good options in that range, and I’ve linked several of my favorites below.

#4 – Chisels – I’ve included chisels here because they are ridiculously expensive when you start looking at quality chisels. I recommend the Narex Richter line of chisels for most people. There are some other good options, like Two Cherries and Sandvik, but to me I think the best bang for the buck is the Narex. There have been a lot of tests and reviews on these chisels. They seem to always come out in the upper spots.

The reason you’re paying bigger money for these chisels is the steel that they use. If they used a lower quality steel, it won’t hold an edge, and it would dull really fast. When you spend a little extra money on real quality chisels, you get a nice hard metal that doesn’t dull very fast. The metal on them isn’t so hard though that you can’t sharpen them with ease.

You’re paying for that happy medium where the metal isn’t too hard or too soft, like the Goldilocks of chisels.

#5 – Jointer – A jointer is one of those tools that, when you look at them, they’re very expensive for basically two operations. They can do edge- and face-jointing. If you don’t have a jointer, there are ways to get around it. I’ve made a video on how to do this - https://youtu.be/1nYDBL7Xv1o?si=v_LxuPz88eStKn2E.

For the most part though, a jointer will make your life much easier and allow you to work much faster. This is especially so if you have a board that has a twist or a bow in it. It also helps if your edges are straight and you’re making a lot of panels, such as cutting boards. It will up the game in your woodworking life, which is what makes this tool well worth it in my opinion, even though they can get upwards of $500 or more.