If you want the short answer: the best hand plane sets for beginners are the Faithfull No.4 and No.60 two-plane bundle for most people, the boeray spokeshave and plane pack if you mostly shape curved parts, and the Jorgensen low angle block plus No.4 10-inch smooth plane pair if you want a traditional bench setup. … Read more

The best sharpening jigs for chisels are the ones that hold a blade at a true 25 degree bevel, every single pass, without you thinking about it. After putting twelve of them through weeks of use on bench chisels, mortise chisels and plane irons, the ATLIN Honing Guide stood out for sheer volume of owner … Read more

Most panel glue-ups do not fail because the glue was wrong. They fail because too few clamps were spaced too far apart, or because every clamp sat on the same edge and pushed the panel into a bow as the adhesive cured. I have watched beautiful quartersawn panels come off the bench warped after a … Read more

The best type of light for a workbench is a linkable LED bar or under-cabinet bar mounted 18 to 24 inches above the surface, so the light source sits between your eyes and the work instead of behind your head. That single change is what removes the shadow your body casts, and it matters more … Read more

A mortise gauge is a woodworking layout tool with two adjustable pins or wheels that scribes two parallel lines at the same time, so you can mark both walls of a mortise, or both cheeks of a tenon, in a single pass. That single pass is the whole point. It is the only common layout … Read more

A bench dog is a removable peg that drops into a hole bored through your workbench top and stands proud of the surface, so a workpiece can be pushed flat against it and held there while you plane, saw, route or sand. If you are searching for the best bench dogs for woodworking benches, you … Read more

A shop stool is a heavy-duty, height-adjustable garage or workshop seat built on a thick powder-coated steel frame, usually with a padded vinyl or tractor-style seat, a 360-degree swivel, and either a footrest ring or a set of swiveling casters. It is built to survive oil, solvent and shop-floor abuse while letting you sit or … Read more

The blade that came with your miter saw is almost always the weakest part of the machine. It ships as a general-purpose 40-tooth or 60-tooth plate that rips through softwood acceptably and shreds the face of a piece of walnut. The best miter saw blades for fine woodworking are high-tooth-count carbide crosscut blades, and the … Read more

A sliding table saw attachment is an add-on crosscut platform that mounts to a standard cabinet, contractor or jobsite saw so a full sheet of plywood rolls across the blade instead of hanging off the side. It is the single cheapest upgrade that turns a normal table saw into something you can break down 4×8 … Read more