69 Tools That Actually Live in My Shop (And Which Ones I Would Rebuy)

Over the years I have accumulated… a lot of stuff. Some of it is essential, some was a late-night impulse buy that I have used exactly once. Let me walk you through the tools that have earned their spot – and a few that probably have not.

The Screwdriver Situation

I have way too many screwdrivers. Like, an embarrassing number. But here is the thing – you really do need a good set. The cheap ones strip out, the handles crack, and you end up buying new ones anyway.

My main set is about 8 years old now. The flatheads are slightly mushroomed from all the times I have used them as chisels (do not do this, but we all do this). The Phillips heads are still sharp. A decent screwdriver set might run you 40-50 bucks and it is money well spent.

The Swiss Army Knife Collecting Dust

I bought one thinking I would carry it everywhere. It has been in my desk drawer for three years. For actual shop work, I just grab real tools. Maybe it is useful for camping? I would not know, I have not done that since college.

Tape Measures – Why I Have Seven

Every woodworker I know has multiple tape measures scattered around the shop. You would think I could just walk over and grab one. But no, apparently I need one on every surface within arm’s reach.

Here is my actual advice: buy one really good 25-footer and two decent 16-foot backups. The really good one is for precision work when you are marking for cuts. The backups are for the inevitable moment when you set the good one down and it vanishes into another dimension.

Utility Knives: The Unsung Hero

I go through utility knife blades constantly. Marking lines, cutting tape, opening packages, scoring veneer – these things do everything. The retractable kind are safer, but I actually prefer the fixed blade versions. They are always ready, no fumbling with the slider.

Pro tip: keep a trash bag nearby and actually change blades when they get dull. A dull utility knife is sketchy. It skips instead of cuts, and that is when you end up with a nice trip to urgent care. Ask me how I know. (Actually, do not.)

The Adjustable Wrench Debate

My dad calls them knuckle busters because they slip and you punch whatever is behind the bolt. He is not wrong. But for quick jobs where you do not want to dig through your socket set, they work fine.

I keep a 10 inch and a 6 inch around. The small one lives in my lathe toolbox, the big one hangs on the pegboard. Together they have probably saved me 400 trips to the socket drawer.

Pliers: More Variety Than You Would Expect

Channel locks, needle nose, lineman’s, slip joint – at some point I ended up with a full plier collection. The needle nose ones get used constantly. Grabbing small stuff, bending wire, extracting staples from my fingers (yes, really). Channel locks are great for plumbing stuff that randomly becomes woodworking’s problem.

The Cordless Drill That Changed My Life

Back when I started, cordless drills were weak, heavy, and the batteries died in about 45 minutes. The new brushless ones? Completely different animal. I have got a Milwaukee that I have had for four years and it still runs like new.

Do you need to spend 300 bucks on a drill? Honestly, probably not. But spending 150 on a decent one instead of 60 on garbage will save you frustration. The cheap ones have weak clutches and wandering chucks. Not worth it.

Ladders (And My Fear of Them)

I am 6 foot 2 so I avoid ladders when possible. My shop has 10-foot ceilings though, so there is a 6-foot stepladder in the corner that judges me daily. It is fiberglass, it is stable, and I still grip it like I am hanging off a cliff every time I am on the top step.

Stud Finders and Their Lies

Every stud finder I have owned has been a liar. They beep randomly, they miss studs, they find electrical wires that are not there. These days I mostly just knock on the wall and listen. Or I use the drive a small nail and see what happens method, which old-timers call the correct way.

Hammers: The Collection Grows

I have got a 16oz claw hammer that is probably my most-used hammer. Also a dead blow for adjustments, a rubber mallet for assembly, a small tack hammer for upholstery stuff, and a framing hammer I bought once thinking I would build a shed. (I have not built a shed.)

The claw hammer is worth spending on. Mine has got a fiberglass handle with a rubber grip – I have hit my thumb probably a thousand times and the vibration does not travel up my arm like the cheap wood-handled ones.

Flashlights: The Underrated Essential

Power goes out, you need a flashlight. Working in the back of a cabinet, you need a flashlight. Dropped a screw in a dark corner? Flashlight. I keep a small LED one in my apron pocket all the time. Headlamps are even better for hands-free work – I look ridiculous but I can see what I am doing.

Spirit Levels: Digital or Analog?

I am old school, I use bubble levels. A 4-foot one, a 2-footer, and a torpedo. The digital ones are cool but they need batteries, and batteries always die at the worst moment. Bubbles never run out of power.

The Clamp Problem

Ask any woodworker: you can never have enough clamps. I have got maybe 40? And every glue-up, I wish I had 10 more. Pipe clamps, bar clamps, spring clamps, toggle clamps, C-clamps… it is a disease really. A wonderful, useful disease.

If you are starting out, buy parallel jaw clamps if you can afford them. Bessey or similar. They distribute pressure evenly and do not twist your workpieces. Changed my glue-ups completely.

The Circular Saw I Keep Meaning to Upgrade

Mine is a 15-year-old Skil that still works fine. Is it as nice as a Makita or Festool? Definitely not. Does it cut straight enough with a good blade? Yep. Sometimes good enough stays good enough for a long time.

Random Tools I Would Buy Again

In no particular order: my impact driver (game changer for driving screws), a good set of hex keys (the ball-end ones are worth the extra cost), spring clamps (you can never have too many), and a decent caulk gun. Also cable ties. I use cable ties for way too many things that are not cables.

Tools I Regret Buying

That universal socket wrench thing from an infomercial. A paint sprayer I used twice before it clogged forever. A multi-tool that did eight things badly instead of one thing well. An extension cord that was too short to actually reach anything useful.

You live and you learn. Mostly I have learned to stop watching infomercials.