Start from what you own
| You have | Project page | What it builds | Level it states |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand tools only | Hand tool projects | Six published builds made with hand tools alone | Beginner to intermediate |
| A saw and a drill-driver | Small woodworking projects | Bookends and a desk riser from one board | Beginner |
| A saw and a drill-driver | Scrap wood projects | A boot rack and door wedges | Beginner |
| Clamps and glue | Glue-up project | An edge-grain cutting board | Beginner |
| A circular or track saw | Track saw projects | A shop-made saw track and a sheet-cutting platform | Beginner |
| A mitre saw | Mitre saw projects | A mitred picture frame and a splayed sleeve | Beginner |
| A table saw | Table saw projects | Shop jigs from the saw manuals | Beginner |
| A router | Router projects | A dado guide and a flattening sled | Intermediate |
| A band saw | Band saw projects | A drawer box and a circle jig | Intermediate |
| A lathe | Lathe projects | A rolling pin and a spurtle | Beginner |
| A CNC router | CNC router projects | A slot-together organizer and a pocketed tray | Intermediate |
Each page lists the other tools its builds need; check them before you start.
The saw-and-drill rows assume a drill-driver used as its manual describes — drilling with the collar at the drill setting and driving screws with the clutch. The level column is each page's own statement; a beginner page for a machine still assumes you have read that machine's manual.
When you add a tool
- Jigs come first. Several machine pages begin with a jig that makes the machine more useful: the crosscut sled and the box joint jig for a table saw, a split fence for a router table.
- Then a build that uses two tools. The keepsake box, bookshelf and other beginner plans combine a saw with a router or dado stack; beginner woodworking projects puts them in order.
- Turning grows on the lathe. After the rolling pin, wood turning projects move to faceplate work.
Where the tools are explained
What each machine does is in the power tools guide, and the hand tools in the hand tools guide. Which tools to own first is a separate question, answered in woodworking tools for beginners.
Safety— Each tool, its manual
A project page assumes the tool is set up and used as its maker's manual says, with its guards fitted. Read the manual before the first build on a new tool; see woodworking safety rules.
Before picking a project by tool
- The tools you own listed
- The project page for your main tool opened
- Its other tools checked against your list
- Its stated level matched to your experience
- The tool's manual read
Sources
The routing is BenchRoot's; each destination's builds, tools and level are as its own page states them. No plan is added and no tool is recommended for purchase.
- 1.
Hand and Power Tools (OSHA 3080). Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2002.
Used for: Using the right tool for the job, and operating each tool according to its maker's instructions.
- 2.
DCD777 Cordless Drill/Driver instruction manual (English). DEWALT.
Used for: A drill-driver's two jobs, drilling and screwdriving, with the clutch used for driving screws.
About this guide
Written by BenchRoot Editorial. How BenchRoot sources, checks and corrects its pages is set out in the Editorial Policy. If something here is wrong or unclear, the contact page explains how to tell us.