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  1. The order and selection of tools DEPENDS on what you are going to do! After being a home owner for 50 years and always improving something I have the following comments:
    Bandsaw, even a table top, it will cut, rip, and do curves. I have a miter saw and never use it!
    Squares, hammers, nails, screwdrivers and numerous more Get at garage sales
    Moisture meter?? what for? you know most lumber is wet and will move
    Nailer?? a hammer does the job
    All sizes of clamps are a must
    Dust collector?? Most small sanders have a dust pickup. Open the door, use a fan to blow it out
    Just a few comments to save the reader a lot of money

    1. Hi Rob! I appreciate your comment, however, I have to disagree with a few of your statements. First, most everyone I know uses their miter saws on the daily for nearly every single project. I use mine so much I have two. Yes a moisture meter is a MUST!!! Not all wood is wet when you buy it unless you are buying fresh cut wood off a mill. But wood from lumber stores and kiln dried wood from specialty lumber stores is usually always pretty dry, but always good to test that moisture! My nailer is my second most used tool in the shop, sure you could use a hammer and nails but that would make your project take 20x longer to complete and the nails would be much larger and more obvious than brad nails.

      BUT, I do agree with you on getting your basics such as hammers, screwdrivers, squares, etc from garage sales as a beginner. I also agree about clamps, you can never have too many clamps! And I didn’t recommend to beginners to get a dust collector, that was on my list of what not to buy right away as I agree on using a simple shop vac or fan.

      In regards to saving money, I believe in buying quality items first so you’re not wasting your money buying replacements later down the road. I have gotten quality tools from yard sales so when I say that I don’t mean buy everything brand new. However, I don’t recommend buying brands such as Harbor Freight for example.

      Again, thank you for your comment! But these are the tools that I recommend as they are they ones I use the most. Everyone is different and will require different things. This is just a basic guide for my readers who have asked me personally to discuss the tools I deem most useful for beginners 🙂

  2. Christina,
    Thank you so much for this list. It makes total sense. I have some of the tools but not all and this is something that helps all of us beginners. Your time and wisdom is very appreciated.
    Doug

    1. Thanks for reading Doug! And as always, feel free to reach out to me either email or my Instagram if you have any specific questions! I am always glad to help!

  3. Great suggestions and I have most of these tools but the kreg jig, so I feel like that is one I see a lot of DIYers use and think I need that one – for sure!!!

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