Woodworking Gift Buyer’s Guide
Your guide to buying the right gifts for your woodworker!
Don’t buy the wrong gift for the woodworker in your life! You can be the hero of your woodworkers Christmas, Father’s Day or birthday! Follow the guide below to help you get the right gifts!
I polled my woodworking Instagram followers, Facebook fans, and YouTube subscribers to find out what they wanted most for Christmas gifts. Below I will list the top 5 most requested gift ideas for woodworkers. But first, if you have no idea what to get a woodworker for Christmas, here is an easy way to get what they want!
No Idea What To Buy? Make it easy, Buy This:
Buy any one or a combination of the following and make a gift bag for your woodworker. They’ll love it!
Every woodworker can always use three things. Clamps. Glue. Sandpaper. No matter what type of woodworking they are doing, there are never enough clamps, glue or sandpaper in the woodshop! Here are some items to get:
Clamps:
Budget Clamp Option: https://amzn.to/30SD4ZI
Upgraded Clamp Option: https://amzn.to/2I6Vxey
Sandpaper:
Sanding block with sandpaper: https://amzn.to/33IbKiP
5 inch orbital sandpaper variety pack: https://amzn.to/37de03F
Wood Glue: https://amzn.to/2I7XQy0
Any of the above items or combination of the items are sure to please any woodworker in your life. We can never have enough clamps, glue or sandpaper. That’s a fact!
Personalized Gift Ideas for Woodworkers Here: https://tidd.ly/2SZ4mti
Now on to the most requested gifts!
Top 5 Most Requested Woodworking Gifts
I asked my followers on Instagram and subscribers on YouTube what they most wanted to get as Christmas gifts. Below is the top 5 requests. Word of caution here. If you do not know what brand/model tool your woodworker wants, find out or let them buy the tool. Tools are such a personal choice. Much like what type of vehicle a person chooses to drive, what type of phone they use (iOS or Android), handbags or makeup women choose, etc. As a woodworker there are tool brands they love and some they don’t want. If your woodworker is a beginner, tool brand may not matter as much. If they have battery operated tools (cordless tools), make sure you buy the same brand so their batteries can be interchanged. That is very important. With that being said, there are items all woodworkers can use and most are in the list below. Check it out!
#5 Consumables:
Every woodworker uses glue, sandpaper, drill bits, etc. Below is a list to buy for your woodworker!
Drill bit set: https://amzn.to/3j23Ghc
Assorted sandpaper with sanding block: https://amzn.to/33IbKiP
Assorted 5 inch orbital sandpaper: https://amzn.to/376upa6
Wood glue: https://amzn.to/3nN9WwV
CA Glue: https://amzn.to/2H8ZU8o
#4 Conveniences:
These items are nice to have in the shop. A lot of responses I received from my polls included items like bench cookies, chisels, batteries for their tools (make sure to get the correct brand),
Bench cookies: https://amzn.to/3nRdCxx Bench cookies help hold your wood in place while you sand. These are awesome! I made an entire video about them if you want to see more information on what they do! Check it out here: https://youtu.be/YcvxQG6hYi0
Chisel set:
Budget Pick: https://amzn.to/33VA14Y
Upgraded Pick: https://amzn.to/375mQR9
Batteries for tools: (make sure to buy the same battery brand that your woodworker already has. If you are not sure, don’t buy these.
DeWalt: https://amzn.to/2GX8tDH
Makita: https://amzn.to/2SSvJoT
Milwaukee: https://amzn.to/312sT4P
Bosch: https://amzn.to/2H1cAhQ
Mallet for woodworking: https://amzn.to/3iZEyaM
Woodworking Aprons:
A lot of respondents to the poll wanted an apron. Not just any apron. The Katz-Moses apron was a very popular request.
Budget apron option here https://amzn.to/350HgIj
Several respondents said they would love a customized leather apron like this one. This would truly be a great personal gift for a woodworker.
Digital Angle Finder: https://amzn.to/31913UN
Being able to ensure your saw blades are set to the correct angle is a key factor in woodworking. A perfect 90 degree cut can be the difference between a woodworking project coming out awesome, to just being okay. This is a great stocking stuffer for your woodworker!
Woodshop Organization:
Lumber storage racks: https://amzn.to/2GQPJpz
General organization ideas: https://amzn.to/3lJV0Ok
Small parts organization: https://amzn.to/318wVZz
Power tool organization: https://amzn.to/3lMp1x4
Tool organizer peg board (various colors available) https://amzn.to/3lQ5RX9
An organized woodshop is a safe woodshop!
#3 Wood:
What woodworker doesn’t like wood? It’s like asking if a fish likes water! Or if I like coffee! It’s an obvious answer! You can buy quality lumber shipped directly to you. You don’t need to know about what types of wood are needed. All woodworkers will love getting hardwoods like maple, walnut, oak, and more. Below is a list of lumber you can buy that your woodworker is sure to LOVE!
If you’re unsure, check out this assorted box of hardwood wood strips. Great for cutting boards and small projects. Buy here: https://amzn.to/3lsoksz
You can also buy some nice hand picked hardwood lumber by clicking each one of these: Maple, Walnut, and Cherry in 3/4” thicknesses. Don’t overthink this. A lot of respondents to my poll said they would love getting these types of wood. Pick one or a combination of these and you are guaranteed to be the hero! The more lumber and clamps a woodworker has, the better!
#2 Gift Cards:
My second most requested item in my poll was gift cards to their favorite stores like Home Depot, Lowes, Menards, Rockler, etc. Woodworkers can be picky about their tools. Don’t know what to choose? Buy us gift cards so we can buy our own tools. Some people think that gift cards are impersonal. From the responses I got, most would prefer the gift card over the wrong tool!
#1 Clamps:
I received dozens of responses saying they would love to get more clamps. I know, if you look in their shop and see what seems like hundreds of clamps you may think they have enough. They need more. You see thousands of clamps? They need more. Woodworkers always, ALWAYS need more clamps. You cannot go wrong if you gift a woodworker clamps! Check out the clamp options I think would be great below.
Budget Clamp Options
Quick clamp set: https://amzn.to/351b6fC
2 pack clamp set: https://amzn.to/3k01wjk
4 pack clamp set: https://amzn.to/2GXNtg3
60” Clamps shown in video: https://www.harborfreight.com/60-in-aluminum-f-style-bar-clamp-60673.html
Upgraded Clamp Options:
Bora 2 pack clamp set: https://amzn.to/3nLX8Hj
Jet 2 pack clamp set: https://amzn.to/34Udrcs
Bessey 2 pack clamp set: https://amzn.to/33U4vV4
Bora 4 pack clamp set: https://amzn.to/2SQybfz
If a woodworker wants big tools like a miter saw, table saw, jointer, or a benchtop planer, I highly recommend letting them pick out the tool they want unless you want to surprise them BIG and know what they want. If you want to give the biggest surprise of all, let them unwrap that big tool! You’ll have to do your research on these. You will have to go into full Sherlock Holmes detective mode and ask sly questions and have them show you exactly what they want, without them knowing they are showing you what to buy. This means not waiting until the last minute to start asking questions. They’ll get suspicious. Good luck!
My picks for large power tools:
Delta 36-725T2
Table Saws:
budget option Ridgid contractor table saw https://go.magik.ly/ml/11bf4/
upgraded option: Delta 36-725T2 https://go.magik.ly/ml/11bf2/ I have the previous version of this saw and did a review of it here. It is an excellent table saw.
Table saws are probably one of the most essential tools a woodworker can have. Buy nice or buy twice!
DeWalt DWS779
Miter Saws
budget option is the DeWalt DWS715 https://amzn.to/3lMDqco This model doesn’t slide, which means it’s cutting capacity is limited whereas the upgraded pick slides and can cut a wider board.
upgraded option is the DeWalt DW779 https://amzn.to/3dr9cIW I have this saw and love it. I did a review of the DW779 here: https://youtu.be/OQBCTEB_CaQ
Upgraded option # 2 is the Delta Cruzer saw https://amzn.to/3dvta5p This saw has a great space saving design that allows it to be mounted near a wall and doesn’t take up as much room as other saws in this size. I did an unboxing of the Delta Cruzer here: https://youtu.be/zrA7lIBOM-w
Planers
budget pick is the WEN 13 inch planer: https://amzn.to/350r49I
upgrade pick the DeWalt DW735X https://amzn.to/3nQvlpa This is the planer I have and love it. I did a review of this planer if you want to check it out here: https://youtu.be/l3YhPiQOVt4
Planers can help your woodworker make all the boards they are using the exact same thickness. This is especially important when making projects like cutting boards, tables, etc. Planers also allow the woodworker to use rough cut lumber and finish it themselves.
Jointers
budget: 6 inch Porter Cable bench top jointer: https://amzn.to/3o0JLDc
upgrade: 8 inch Wahuda benchtop jointer: https://amzn.to/2GYVqS3 I recently received this jointer as an amazing gift. If you would like to hear the story on how I got it, I made a video of it here: https://youtu.be/BAQmLDpwnvI
Jointers are important in the woodworking shop to help make the edges and faces of boards flat. When you can get true, flat boards, your projects go to the next level and look more professional. I did without a jointer for years and got by with using my level to edge joint lumber. See how I did this here: https://youtu.be/9HMMWGkI1ZI
Drill Press
budget: Wen 8 inch drill press https://amzn.to/3iSHgyU I did a review on my Wen drill press here: https://youtu.be/EL8wua4K5vg
upgrade: Jet Drill press https://go.magik.ly/ml/11bfc/
Drill presses are great to have in the shop because you can make repeatable, straight holes to various depths. While I wouldn’t consider a drill press an essential woodworking tool, it is very conveinent to have in the shop!
Personalized Woodworking Gift ideas:
If you are looking for personalized gift ideas for woodworkers, there are a few options that are sure to please.
Branding Irons. Branding irons are a great way for your woodworker to make a mark on their creations. It also creates brand awareness for your woodworking business as well. There are the kind that heats up with electricity and ones that heat up by external heat like a torch.
Rockler sells branding irons here: https://www.rockler.com/hand-tools/wood-burning/wood-branding-irons
Custom branding iron here: https://www.gearheartindustry.com/
Buy from a maker on Etsy: https://tidd.ly/31bbYgH
Personalized Apron:
Other Personalized items like pencils, mugs, shop signs, etc are also a great option. Etsy is a great place to find these items and support small creators at the same time.
Woodworking books and magazines
Finally, woodworkers also like learning new techniques and tricks as well as see other woodworking projects. A subscription to a woodworking magazine or woodworking books might be a good option for your woodworker. Check out these options.
Woodworking Books like the following would be nice to give:
If you have gift ideas that I missed, be sure to comment below and let others know!
Disclaimer: Amazon and other affiliate links are used in this post. By clicking on the links and purchasing these items provides me a very small commission but cost you nothing extra. It is a great way to support small creators like me. I appreciate the support more than you know!