Addicting Woodworking Tools: The 5 That Hooked Me for Good

Written By Matt Outlaw

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By Matt Outlaw  ·  731 Woodworks  ·  September 14, 2026

There are five addicting woodworking tools that changed how I build, and the thickness planer, the DeWALT DW735X, is the one that hooked me hardest. I started with nothing but a circular saw and a drill, so I know what each of these actually unlocks. This post covers all five, the models I run, and what I would buy first.

The Short Answer

  • The five that hooked me are the router, the random orbit sander, the thickness planer, the pocket hole jig, and the miter saw.
  • Cheapest way in is the DeWALT DWE6423 sander at about $99, sometimes $79 on sale.
  • The single biggest change for me was the planer. Running a rough board through a DW735X and seeing the grain come up is what got me.
  • You do not need all five at once. I started with a circular saw and a drill and built from there.

The Most Addicting Woodworking Tools, and What Each One Unlocks

Woodworking is one of the best stress relievers I know of. You walk into the shop, make some sawdust, build something, and then stand back and cannot believe you built it. Certain tools make that feeling happen faster, and those are the addicting ones.

Here is the short version of all five before I get into each one.

  • Router. One of the most versatile tools on the planet. Round overs, profiled edges, slots, rabbets, dados, box joints, and jointing with a router table.
  • Random orbit sander. This is where the finish comes from. Prep the surface properly and walnut with an oil finish comes to life.
  • Thickness planer. Dimension your own lumber so every board in a tabletop or cutting board is the exact same thickness.
  • Pocket hole jig. My first real avenue into joinery past a butt joint with two screws showing.
  • Miter saw. Repeatable accurate cuts at 90 and 45 degrees, every single time.

If I had to rank the hook, the planer wins. I wanted one for a long time before I could justify it. I brought that DW735X home, set it on the workbench, ran a rough board through, and that was it. The grain reveals itself and you realize you control the material now instead of taking whatever the store sold you.

DeWALT DW735X thickness planer on a workbench with a rough board feeding through the infeed table
The DeWALT DW735X, the tool that hooked me the hardest.

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Watch the Full Test

The video shows each of these tools in my shop, including the cut quality differences that are hard to describe in text. You can also see the workbench and router table that got built with these exact tools.

Best Sander Under $100: DeWALT DWE6423 vs CRAFTSMAN CMEW231

Sanding is the one nobody expects on a list like this. Most people hate it. I love it because of what happens right after. You finish sanding, you put the finish on, and the surface is butter smooth. Put oil on a cutting board and watch the grain and the color come through. Put Rubio Monocoat on walnut and that board comes to life. All of that is surface prep.

My first sander was a Hyper Tough from Walmart and it lasted a week or two. It was never meant to sand for long stretches. Then I bought the DeWALT DWE6423, which I still think is the best sander under $100. It runs about $99 and I have seen it at $79 on sale. The CRAFTSMAN CMEW231 is about $20 less and just as good, it simply does not have variable speed.

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Sander DeWALT DWE6423 CRAFTSMAN CMEW231 Festool ETS 125 REQ
Price About $99, sometimes $79 About $20 less than the DeWALT About $300
Variable speed Yes No Yes
Pad size 5 inch 5 inch 5 inch
Who it is for Best all around under $100 Tightest budget First step into high end

Going Cordless or High End

If you want cordless, Festool makes one of the best on the market right now. It has a rake light that shows every imperfection as you work, which is a great feature, but it is wildly expensive. Makita's 40v sander is butter smooth. The Milwaukee M12 FUEL sander is smooth too, especially in the finer stroke rate. I ranked a whole pile of these against each other in my test of 14 cordless sanders from worst to best if you want the full breakdown.

On stroke rate, higher end sanders usually give you a choice of 3/32 or 3/16. The 3/32 is finer and lighter, so that is what I pick for finishes, veneers, and delicate work. For regular woodworking, 3/16 or 5mm is perfect. It removes plenty of material while still leaving a nice surface.

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If you want to upgrade without spending six or seven hundred dollars, the Festool ETS 125 REQ is where I would go. It is a 5 inch sander at about $300. That is pricey for a sander, but it is one of the least expensive high quality options, because most everything else in that tier starts at $450. The corded 6 inch Festool is fantastic and runs closer to $650 or $700.

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Does Sandpaper Quality Matter

It matters, just not the way most people think. I use a lot of 3M Xtract mesh paper and it works really well. Festool Granat is good paper too. I have run plenty of cheaper abrasives over the years and the finish was not noticeably different. The difference is lifespan. Cheap discs wear out faster, so you swap paper more often and buy more of it.

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Thickness Planer Snipe, and Why Helical Heads Cut Better

Here is why a planer changes things. Go buy dimensioned lumber at any store and measure it. The thickness varies board to board. One is a little thicker, the next is a little thinner. Glue those into a tabletop and it does not look right, and if you try to sand the difference out you end up with humps. A planer takes that problem away entirely.

The thing that separates planers is snipe. Snipe is when the cutterhead digs in as the board enters or kicks up as it exits, leaving a divot near the ends. The CRAFTSMAN CMEW320 is a good budget benchtop planer, and it does have a little snipe. I worked mine almost all the way out, but a little remains.

Close up of planer snipe showing a shallow divot cut into the end of a board
Snipe on the end of a board. This is what you are trying to dial out.

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The DeWALT DW735X is the tried and true pick. It is still a three blade planer, meaning three straight knives chopping the wood. It does a really good job without snipe, or at least you can dial it out using the tables. Good planer for the price, and you can drop an aftermarket helical head in it later if you want.

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A helical head makes a real difference. It has a bunch of small blades set at an angle, so the head is actually slicing the wood instead of chopping it. You get shavings instead of chips, and the surface comes off closer to a 120 grit finish. Oliver's 13 inch planer has one and is back in stock. I reviewed it several years ago.

Fine wood shavings from a helical head thickness planer piled beside a planed board
Shavings, not chips. That is a helical head slicing the wood.

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If you need more width, Grizzly and Oliver both make 15 inch planers. For most garage shops, 13 inches is the sweet spot. It comes down to your size needs and your space.

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Best Router for Woodworking: Bosch 1617 vs DeWALT 618

My first router was borrowed, and I dropped it and broke it. So I bought a Ridgid router, and once I figured out what it could do, it blew my mind. Round over edges so projects looked finished. Drop that round over bit down a hair and you get a profiled edge. I thought I was fancy. I could suddenly make edges no other tool in my shop could make.

That is only the start. You can cut slots, joint with a router table, and cut rabbets, dados, and box joints. The grid pattern in my workbench top came from a router. The list of what a router does just keeps going.

If you are buying one router, buy the Bosch 1617 with both the fixed and the plunge base. It runs around $250 or less depending on the sale and it is one of the best routers ever made. The DeWALT 618 kit is equally good, so if you prefer DeWALT or you just like yellow, get that one instead.

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Cordless Trim Routers

For a trim router I do recommend going cordless, and I recommend buying whichever one is in the battery platform you already own. DeWALT, Milwaukee, and RYOBI are all good in this category. My personal favorite is the Milwaukee. The DeWALT is very good too, it is just big around the body, so if you route a lot and have smaller hands it can get uncomfortable.

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Which Router Bits Are Worth Buying

Bits make a huge difference. My first set was something like $20 for three bits. Dirt cheap, and it got me hooked. Then I used a good quality bit and understood the difference. Clean finish, no burning, no splintering.

The set I recommend most is the Whiteside four piece. You get a round over, a chamfer, and two flush trim bits for around $100. Those are four of the most common bits you will ever use. It sounds like a lot until you price good bits individually. Whiteside is a small family owned company making them in the USA. The Bosch six piece set is a good one too, and I own it. It just depends where your budget is.

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Best Miter Saw Blade and Zero Clearance Upgrades

The miter saw was my first expensive power tool. I bought a DeWALT DWS779 in 2017 and it is still in my shop. I stretched to afford it and I did not really have the money at the time. I did it anyway, and it changed everything. Repeatable accurate cuts at 90 or 45, every time. It is still one of my favorite tools to use.

The fastest way to make any miter saw better is the blade. Most come with a low tooth count blade, because a lot of these saws get sold to contractors for framing and rough construction. For woodworking, go with 80 teeth or higher. I run an 80 tooth, which is enough for clean crosscuts without bogging the saw down. I ran Diablo blades a long time and they are good, especially for the money. I run a CMT orange chrome on the DeWALT now.

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The other upgrade that matters is zero clearance. You can buy an insert for your saw, or go the budget route with Fastcap zero clearance tape. It sticks right on the table, peels off when it is used up, and comes with five strips for about ten dollars. One of the better upgrades you can make to a miter saw for the money.

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Which Miter Saw Should You Buy

It comes down to budget. The SKIL TS6307-00 is the best budget miter saw in my opinion, around $279 depending on the sale. It is a 10 inch saw with one of the better clamps out there, better than saws costing two or three times as much. It is a sleeper hit.

With more budget, look at the new Bosch EXCM341-305GD. I reviewed it a few weeks ago and it is a fantastic saw for the price with a really smooth glide. I wrote up the whole thing in my full Bosch glide miter saw review if you want the details. Makita is worth a look too depending on where you land. Festool is about $1,800 for a 10 inch miter saw, which is too much for most people. It is a good saw, it just costs a lot, and I would steer you to the Bosch or the Makita unless you specifically love Festool.

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Are Pocket Hole Joints Strong Enough

The pocket hole jig changed my life. Before it, I was screwing straight through one board into another. That still counts, by the way. Put two pieces of wood together and you are a woodworker. That is really all it is.

But hiding those screw holes changed everything for me. It gave me a path into joinery beyond a butt joint with two screws staring back at me. I built hundreds of projects with pocket holes after that. Pocket holes catch a lot of grief and I think it is nonsense. They are plenty strong for almost anything you will build for the house or the shop.

A lot of this workbench has pocket holes in it. So does my miter station and my router table. They are years and years old and they have been perfectly fine. For a beginner especially, this is the easiest way into joinery, and that is exactly what makes it addicting. The KREG 720 Pro, model KPHJ720PRO, is the jig I would point most people toward.

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See Massca Pocket Hole Jigs at Faith Valley Tools

A Word About the Term Addictive

I use the word addictive loosely in this post, and I want to be careful with it. I grew up with a mother who was addicted to prescription pills from the time I was four years old. She overdosed in 2012 and has been in a nursing home with round the clock care ever since. She remembers very little, including names and faces, including mine.

So I know what real addiction does to a family. If you or someone close to you is struggling with drugs or alcohol, please reach out and get some help. Your people would miss you more than words can say.

The flip side is that a drive to do something over and over is not bad on its own. I have an addictive personality and I believe I inherited it, so I steer it into good things. Exercise. Woodworking. Building something and standing back to look at it. Call it a passion more than an addiction. Point that energy somewhere that gives back to you.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best sander under $100?

The DeWALT DWE6423. It runs about $99 and I have caught it at $79 on sale. It has variable speed and it holds up to real shop use, which the cheap store brands do not. The CRAFTSMAN CMEW231 is about $20 less and just as good if you can live without variable speed.

What is snipe on a planer and how do I fix it?

Snipe is a shallow divot the cutterhead leaves near the beginning or end of a board as it enters or exits. Dialing in the infeed and outfeed tables is how you work it out. On the DeWALT DW735X I can get rid of it or very close to it. On budget benchtop planers like the CRAFTSMAN CMEW320 you can reduce it a lot, but a little usually stays.

Are pocket hole joints strong enough for furniture?

For most of what you will build around the house or the shop, yes. My workbench, my miter station, and my router table all have pocket holes in them and they are years old with no problems. Pocket holes get a lot of grief that they do not deserve. They are also the easiest entry into joinery for a beginner.

Do I need both a fixed base and a plunge base router?

You do not need both, but buying the kit is the smart move. That is why I point people at the Bosch 1617 combo at around $250 or less. You get both bases for one price, so you are covered for edge work and for plunge cuts. The DeWALT 618 kit does the same thing just as well.

What blade should I use on a miter saw for woodworking?

Go with 80 teeth or higher. Most miter saws ship with a low tooth count blade because they get sold to contractors for framing, and those leave rough cuts. I run an 80 tooth CMT orange chrome on my DeWALT. That is enough teeth for clean crosscuts without bogging the saw down.

Is the SKIL miter saw good enough for woodworking?

Yes, and it is my pick for best budget miter saw. The SKIL TS6307-00 runs around $279 depending on the sale and it is a 10 inch saw. The clamp on it is better than what you get on saws costing two or three times as much. Put a good 80 tooth blade on it and you are in good shape.

What stroke rate should I choose on a random orbit sander?

For general woodworking, 3/16 inch or 5mm is the one to pick. It removes plenty of material and still leaves a nice surface. The finer 3/32 stroke is lighter, so I save that for finishes, veneers, and delicate work. Most sanders under $100 do not give you the choice anyway.

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Matt Outlaw
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