Woodworking Tools Under $100

This list could also be used as a woodworking gift under $100 if you are looking to buy someone a great gift!

I base this off of my experience with the tool brand, brand recognition and/or user reviews. There are Amazon affiliate links used in this post. What that means is, if you choose to purchase a tool on this list and use a link below to go to the Amazon site, I will get a very small commission from that sale. It doesn’t cost you any extra but it helps us maintain this website and we greatly appreciate it!

Circular Saws Under $100

I would recommend any of the following circular saws in the less than $100 range to anyone in woodworking.

First I would recommend is the tried and true Skilsaw brand. This brand is so recognized in the woodworking community a lot of people will say “get the skil saw” when talking about the circular saw. I would recommend this SkilSaw SPT67VM-22 one for $99 https://amzn.to/2HbkdjS and it comes with a Diablo blade! Diablo blade are excellent blades. I use them myself!

Bosch also makes excellent tools. I have a Bosch jig saw and it has performed very well. I have worked with numerous Bosch tools in my construction days. A nicely reviewed Bosch CS10 here https://amzn.to/2GMFaTc for $99

Another good one that is highly rated is the Makita 5007F. Coming in just under the $100 mark at $99, I would recommend this saw. I would certainly upgrade the stock blade though. https://amzn.to/2EAScwT

If you want to save some money, going with a circular saw made by Porter-Cable may be the way to go. The Porter Cable PCE300 is a highly rated saw for under $60. I’ve heard good things about Porter Cable tools. https://amzn.to/2GRK40U

SkilSaw has lower end circular saws as well. The Skil 5820-01 can be purchased for around $60 as well. https://amzn.to/2IK0k0B

And if you are a fan of Ryobi, you can buy a 13 amp Ryobi circular saw for less than $40 at Home Depot. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-13-Amp-7-1-4-in-Circular-Saw-CSB125/205216317

Random Orbital Sanders:

If you are going to do woodworking, you will certainly need to sand your work. A random orbital sander will make your life easier. Here are my recommendations for sanders under $100.

The sander that I use and highly recommend is the DeWalt DWE6423. https://amzn.to/2qov8fJ It is a 5” variable speed random orbital sander and is a part of DeWalt’s perform and protect series. This sander doesn’t vibrate your hands as bad as some others I’ve used. This sander is under $90 most places and comes with a tool bag and dust collection bag.

Next up, I would recommend checking out the Bosch ROS20VSC 5 inch random orbit sander. https://amzn.to/2HqgKMl I almost bought this one instead of my DeWalt. At the end of the day, I went with the DeWalt simply because of brand recognition. This one comes in under $70.

The Makita BO5041 is another good choice in my opinion if you are a fan of Makita tools. It is worth checking out coming in under $90 https://amzn.to/2JzAEVL

Dewalt DWE6421 will save you some money over the other DeWalt I recommended above because it doesn’t have variable speed control. If you don’t need or want the variable speed control, look at this one. https://amzn.to/2GPenpn

Ryobi RS290G is another budget offering that may be worth looking into if you are a Ryobi fan. I’ve never personally owned any Ryobi tools, so I can’t speak to their reliability. I’ve read a lot of reviews on them and they are mostly positive for the weekend warrior or occasional DIYers. https://amzn.to/2qrwPt9

Jig Saws:

When picking a jigsaw, I prefer the ones with the T-shank style blades. They are easier to change and

Bosch makes excellent tools in my opinion. That’s why I have no trouble recommending their jig saws. I purchased a Bosch for the jig saw I use in my shop. The 6 Amp Bosch JS260 Jig Saw can be purchased from Amazon for $79. https://amzn.to/2JAfF5d I think that is a great price for this saw. You can get a 6.5 amp Bosch JS365 Jig Saw for just $20 more at $99 https://amzn.to/2GOYy1R

DeWalt also makes great tools and have a long history of professional grade tools that last. The DeWalt DW317K is 5.5 amps and is very highly reviewed on Amazon. I think, all things considered, this is an excellent choice if you are in the market for a great jig saw. https://amzn.to/2IKMo6H

I have a Hitachi belt sander and it has worked well for me. Hitachi makes good tools in my opinion. I think the HiTachi CJ90VST 5.5 Amp Jig saw is a great choice. It is well reviewed on Amazon. https://amzn.to/2GMwZ9a

Again, I think Porter-Cable makes good quality tools for the price you pay for them. The Porter Cable PCE345 6 amp jig saw would be a good pick if you wanted to save some money but get a decent tool. Coming in under $60 I think this is a good buy https://amzn.to/2qlAKIC

Routers:

Finding a decent router under $100 is difficult to do. Buying one under $100 will be a trim router and not a full size, full powered router. You will be able to round over edges, cut small holes, etc. with a trim router. But the bigger jobs will require a bigger router. So with that in mind, these are the ones I recommend in the trim router category.

The Bosch PR20EVS Colt is a 1 horsepower variable speed router, coming in at $99 (or $89 at the time of this writing). https://amzn.to/2Hf8WiH I think this is the best bang for the buck router right now. It is very highly rated on Amazon.

Makita makes good tools and the Makita RT0701C reviews on Amazon shows that with over 250 reviews drawing a rating of 4.5 starts. It is variable speed, soft start and has a fine depth control. At $99 this is a good deal in my opinion. https://amzn.to/2GMl4bn

Next up I think I would look at the Porter-Cable PCE6430. It is a single speed router coming in at around $90 and has high ratings. https://amzn.to/2Jzn3O9

I have the Ridgid R86044B 18-Volt Brushless Compact Router. https://amzn.to/2qnni65 I really like it. However, if you aren’t in the Ridgid eco system and have the batteries, then this won’t be under the $100 criteria. It just gets an honorable mention here because I have it.

Drills:

Finding a drill under $100 is not that difficult. You can find some off brand ones for less than $50 however, I would not recommend those. I would go with a brand that is well known and has been in the drill making business for quite some time. When I think of a quality drill, DeWalt comes to my mind. And you can get the DeWalt DCD771C2 cordless 1/2” compact drill / driver with a battery and charger for $99. I think that is a good deal. This is a small drill, so keep that in mind. https://amzn.to/2EB2H3e

For a corded drill, again, I think Bosch has a good track record for their tools. I’d take a look at the Bosch 1006VSR 3/8 inch keyless chuck drill. Having a keyless chuck will save you so much time and hassle. This one comes in at $69 and think that’s a good deal. https://amzn.to/2qlf935

Porter-Cable has a brushless cordless 20 volt drill, the PCC608LB for less than $100. It has good reviews and might be worth taking a look at if you like Porter-Cable tools: https://amzn.to/2v04T56

One of the highest rated corded drills on my list is the DeWalt DWD112. It is an 8.0 amp, 3/8 inch drill with an all metal keyless chuck. If you’re going with a corded drill, I think this one is the one to get. It comes in at less than $65 and is very highly rated on Amazon. https://amzn.to/2v3pTaP

Hitachi has a variable speed drill/driver that is 3/8 inch and features a keyless chuck for under $50 if your budget doesn’t allow the others in the list. Check out the Hitachi D10VH2 7.0 amp drill. https://amzn.to/2GRXie4

And last but not least, the Porter-Cable PC600D comes in under $40. Highly rated and has a keyless 3/8 inch chuck. For budget conscious shoppers, this is the way to go https://amzn.to/2IKe1wx

Painting:

If you are building items you will need to finish them either with stain or paint and some type of clear coat. Finding a quality paint sprayer under $100 is more than a challenge and different applications will require different tools. HomeRight sent me their HomeRight sprayer to try and I have to say, I think it is a good spray gun. I’ve never used another spray gun so take my review with a grain of salt. It works well for me and I have used it to paint numerous pieces as well as spray clear coat. I have only used it to spray water based paints and clear coats thus far. The HomeRight Super Finish Max Extra C800971 is the one I have and at $99, I think it is a good value. It comes with 3 different tips for spraying a variety of finishes. https://amzn.to/2GN1NXE

Another very highly rated HVLP paint sprayer is by Wagner. The Wagner 0417005 HVLP. It is less than $90 (on sale at the time of this writing for $57). https://amzn.to/2v2LY9C I have no experience with Wagner products but it seems comparable to the HomeRight mentioned above. This sprayer doesn’t come with extra spray tips though.