Want to get started in woodworking, DIY or property maintenance but not sure what tools you should buy? Hopefully the below will help. These are all tools we either currently use, have used or would consider using – please read the note at the bottom of this page for a bit more information. If you’re based in the US visit this page instead. These are all trusted affiliate links and you can read more about that here.
Health, Safety & First Aid
- Toolfreak Safety Glasses
- Draper Expert 13500 Respirator / Dust Mask
- Professional Air Quality Monitor
- Record Power AC400 Air Cleaner
- NVR Safety Switch 240V
- St. John Ambulance First Aid Kit
- Advanced Clotting Sponge
- 3M Micropore Surgical Tape
- Steroplast Wound Closures
- Savlon Antiseptic Cream
- Elastoplast Water Resistant Plasters
- Sterile Cleansing Wipes
- Sterile Eyewash Pods
- Sterile Non-Adherent Dressing Pads
Big Joinery Power Tools
- Charnwood 14″ Premium Woodworking Bandsaw
- Record Power 9″ Bandsaw
- DeWalt DW745 Job Site Table Saw
- DeWalt DE7400 Heavy Duty Mobile Table Saw Stand
- Festool TS55 REBQ-Plus Track Saw (240V)
- Festool FS1400/2 Guide Rail
- Festool FS800/2 Guide Rail
- Festool D27 x 3.5m Anti-Static Dust Hose
- Festool Quick Lever Clamps
- Evolution R210CMS Compound Mitre Saw
- Evolution Universal Mitre Saw Stand
- Makita LS1040 260mm Mitre Saw (240V)
Smaller Joinery Power & Air Tools
- Makita Combi Drill & Impact Driver Pack
- Makita HR2630 SDS Drill
- Makita 4350FCT 720W Jigsaw
- DeWalt Combi Drill & Impact Driver
- DeWalt DWE6423 125mm Random Orbit Sander
- Milwaukee ROS150E 150mm Random Orbit Sander
- DeWalt DW682K Biscuit Jointer (240V)
- Bostitch BT1855E 18g Air Brad Nailer
- DeWalt DPC10QTC 9.4L Super Quiet Air Compressor
- Bosch GOP 30-28 Multi-Cutter (240V)
- Bosch Professional GKF600 600W Palm Router
- Triton TRA001 2400W Plunge Router
Saw Blades
Drill Bits
- Silverline HSS drill bits (various sizes)
- DeWalt Extreme 12mm HSS bit
- Drill Depth Stops
- Bosch TCT masonry bit set
- Bosch TCT masonry bit – 7mm
- SabreCut tile bit set
- Self Centre Drill Bits
- Countersink Bits
- DeWalt Tri Flute Bit Set
Glues, Fixings, Spacers etc.
- Everbuild CA Glue with Activator
- Titebond 2 Premium Wood Glue
- Titebond Liquid Hide Glue
- Trend No. 20 Biscuits (1000 x)
- Trend No. 10 Biscuits (100 x)
- DeWalt 18g / 35mm Brad Nails (5000 x)
- DeWalt 18g / 25mm Brad Nails (5000 x)
- Space Plug Regular 30-50mm (50 x)
- Space Plug XL 45-80mm (50 x)
- Nylon Spacers (various sizes)
Wall Plugs & Setting Tool
- Fischer GP / LDF Light Duty Hollow Wall Plugs
- Fischer DuoPower 6mm Wall Plugs
- Fischer DuoPower 10mm Wall Plugs
- Fischer Duotec Multi-Purpose Wall Plugs
- Fischer 5mm Yellow Solid Wall Plug
- Fischer 6mm Red Solid Wall Plug
- Fischer 8mm Brown Solid Wall Plug
- Fischer Frame / Hammer Fixings
- Fischer Wall Bolts M8 x 60mm
- Fischer Self-Threading Concrete Bolts
- Fischer Expanding Metal Anchors (heavy duty hollow wall fixings)
- Fischer Drywall Anchor HM Pro Setting Tool
- Forgefix Cavity Anchor Setting Tool
- Corefix Heavy Duty Dot & Dab Fixings (24 x)
Filling & Sanding
- Ronseal 2-Part Wood Filler (White)
- Ronseal Multi-Purpose Wood Filler (Natural)
- Bonda Decor Fill 2-Part Filler (Grey)
- Bosch 150mm P80 Sanding Discs
- Bosch 125mm P120 Sanding Discs
- 3M 5m P80 Aluminium Oxide Roll Sandpaper
- Stanley Filling Knife – 50mm
- Stanley Filling Knife – 75mm
Bits & Bit Holders
Measuring & Marking
- Vice-Versa Double Sided Metric Tape Measure (Gosforth Handyman version)
- Vice-Versa Double Sided Metric-Only Tape Measure (Advent version)
- Draper Carpenters Framing Square
- Johnson 12″ Professional Rafter / Speedsquare
- Johnson 7″ Professional Rafter / Speedsquare
- Stanley Chalk Line
- Silverline Adjustable Bevel / Angle Finder
- Starrett 505 Pro-Site Protractor
- Bosch Digital Angle Measurer and Mitre Finder
- Sealey Locking Divider / Drawing Compass 150mm
- Digital Cable Detector (Unbranded / Bosch)
Woodworking Clamps
Paints & Finishes
- Leyland Trade Acrylic Primer Undercoat (White – 2.5L)
- Leyland Trade Fast Drying Water Based Gloss (White – 2.5L)
- Johnstone’s Multi-Surface Primer
- Dulux Trade Diamond Water Based Eggshell (White 2.5L)
- Osmo Polyx-Oil High Solid (Satin)
- Rota Premier Concave 4″ Foam Mini Roller Set
- Briwax Dark Oak Wax
Shelving & Brackets
- Twin Slot Shelving Upright Rail (1m)
- Twin Slot Shelving Bracket (10 x 220mm)
- Twin Slot Shelving Bracket (10 x 270mm)
- Twin Slot Shelving Bracket (10 x 370mm)
Woodworking & Other Books
- Good Wood Guide (Albert Jackson, David Day)
- Finish Carpentry (Taunton Press)
- Shelves, Cabinets & Bookcases (Taunton Press)
- Built-ins and Storage (Taunton Press)
- Bookcases, Cabinets & Built-ins (Taunton Press)
- Trim Made Simple (Gary Katz)
- Get Your House Right (Marianne Cusato & Ben Pentreath)
- The Impractical Cabinetmaker (James Krenov)
- Good Clean Fun (Nick Offerman)
- Making Time (Bob Clagett)
- Electrical Regs On-Site Guide
Other Stuff
- Stanley Sortmaster Junior Organisers
- Yellow Frogtape Delicate Surface (36mm)
- Electric Pencil Sharpener with Helical Blade
- Etekcity Wireless Remote Control Sockets (5 x)
- Air Duster Blow Gun with Hose
- Slater Speedo Mechanical Bathroom Scales
- Custom Brass Branding Iron Logo Stamp
- Brass Locking Stencil Set 2″
- Saburrtooth 4″ Donut Carving Wheel
- 48W LED Lighting Panel for Workshop Lighting
Camera & Tech Gear
- Zoom H1n Portable Digital Recorder Pack
- Canon EOS 800D DSLR Camera with 18-55mm Lens
- Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 Lens for Canon
- Anker Vertical Ergonomic Wireless Mouse
- Wacom Intuos Medium Pen Tablet with Bluetooth
- Contour Design ShuttlePRO v2 Remote Jog Wheel
- OnePlus 6T Mobile Phone
- OnePlus 6T Aluminium Case
A quick note about buying your own joinery tools
We have a very simple attitude to buying tools – we buy the best tools we can afford to get the job done. We’re not tied to any particular brand or sponsor and prefer to keep options open so that we can buy the best tool available. Obviously some of the joinery tools used are old and you can’t buy them any more, so we’ve tried to find equivalent newer models where possible, or models we’d consider purchasing when our tools finally give up the ghost. As such this list is constantly evolving so please keep checking back! Do your own homework – our product links are just intended as a starting point so you know what we’d consider using. Keeping this list up to date is a bit of a challenge so if you spot a mistake please get in touch – thank you!
Last updated: 13 June 2020