Woodworking (Stationary & Specialized)

This section covers larger stationary machines typically found in woodworking shops, as well as specialized handheld tools primarily used for wood joinery and shaping tasks.

Router

  1. Router

  • A versatile power tool, available as handheld units or mounted in router tables, used primarily for shaping edges, cutting grooves (dadoes, rabbets), creating decorative profiles, and making various joinery cuts in wood. It works by spinning a cutting bit (router bit) at very high speeds (RPMs). Handheld routers come in two main types: Fixed Base, where the cutting depth is set before operation, ideal for edge work; and Plunge Base, where the motor can be plunged down into the workpiece to start cuts away from the edge, useful for mortises, stopped grooves, and template work. Router tables hold the router upside down, allowing the workpiece to be guided past the bit for greater control, accuracy, and safety, especially with smaller pieces or larger bits. Routers are essential for cabinet making, furniture building, sign making, and general woodworking.5 A vast array of router bit profiles are available for different cuts.
Thickness Planer

  1. Thickness Planer

  • A woodworking machine designed to trim boards to a consistent thickness throughout their length and make the two faces parallel to each other. It works by feeding a board (which must already have one flat face, typically created by a jointer) between a rotating cutterhead (above the board) and a flat bed or rollers (below the board). The cutterhead removes material from the top face of the board, making it parallel to the bottom face and reducing it to the desired thickness set by adjusting the height of the cutterhead/bed. Thickness planers are essential for dimensioning rough-sawn lumber to precise, uniform thicknesses required for furniture making, cabinetry, and other fine woodworking projects.11 They cannot flatten a warped board on their own (that's the jointer's job) but ensure consistent thickness once one face is flat. Available in portable benchtop models and larger stationary machines.

  1. Jointer

  • A stationary woodworking machine used primarily to produce a perfectly flat face on one side of a board and a perfectly straight edge that is square (90 degrees) to that flattened face. It features two parallel tables, an infeed table and an outfeed table, with a rotating cutterhead positioned between them. The infeed table is set slightly lower than the cutterhead and outfeed table; as the workpiece is fed across the infeed table and over the cutterhead, the knives remove material to match the height of the outfeed table, thereby flattening the surface. A fence, typically set at 90 degrees to the tables, is used as a reference to straighten and square an edge after one face has been flattened. Jointing is typically the first step in milling rough lumber, creating the essential flat face and square edge needed as references for subsequent operations like thickness planing and ripping on a table saw. Jointers cannot make two faces parallel or thickness a board; that is the role of the thickness planer. Available in benchtop models and larger floor-standing machines, with widths typically ranging from 6 inches upwards.
Wood Lathe

  1. Wood Lathe

  • A woodworking machine used for shaping wood by rotating a workpiece on its axis while applying cutting tools to it. It allows for the creation of cylindrical forms, tapers, curves, and intricate details. Common projects include turning bowls, spindles (like table legs, chair legs, balusters), pens, tool handles, decorative objects, and round components. The workpiece is held between a headstock (which contains the drive mechanism) and a tailstock (which provides support at the opposite end) for spindle turning, or mounted solely on the headstock (often using a faceplate or chuck) for faceplate turning (like bowls). Specialized hand-held turning tools (gouges, chisels, scrapers, parting tools) are rested on a tool rest and carefully advanced into the spinning wood to remove material and create the desired shape. Lathes vary in size from mini/benchtop models for small projects like pens, to midi lathes for bowls and medium spindles, up to large full-size lathes for furniture components. Key specifications include swing over bed (maximum diameter) and distance between centers (maximum length). Variable speed control is a highly desirable feature.

  1. Router Table

  • A stationary woodworking setup consisting of a flat table with an opening through which a router bit protrudes, driven by a router motor mounted underneath. This configuration allows the woodworker to guide the workpiece against the router bit (using a fence or the bit's bearing), rather than guiding the router over the workpiece. Router tables offer increased control, stability, and safety compared to handheld routing, especially when working with small pieces, large bits, or making precise cuts. They excel at tasks like edge profiling (creating decorative edges on trim or panels), cutting joinery (dados, rabbets, grooves, mortises, tenons with jigs), shaping curved parts using templates, raising panels for doors, and making repeatable cuts. Key components include the table top, an insert plate to mount the router, a fence (often adjustable and split), a miter gauge slot, and dust collection ports. Router lifts are often added for precise bit height adjustment. While less powerful than a shaper, a well-equipped router table is a highly versatile centerpiece in many woodworking shops.

  1. Wood Shaper

  • A heavy-duty stationary woodworking machine used for cutting profiles, grooves, and joinery on the edges or faces of wood, similar in function to a router table but significantly more powerful and capable of handling larger cutters and heavier cuts. Instead of router bits with shanks, shapers use larger cutter heads that mount directly onto a vertical spindle (typically 1/2", 3/4", 1", or 1-1/4" diameter) that protrudes through the table. Powered by robust induction motors (often 1.5 HP to 5 HP or more) via belt drive, shapers offer greater torque and can remove large amounts of material in a single pass, making them ideal for production work, door making (raising panels, cutting stiles and rails), creating large moldings, and heavy profiling tasks. Many shapers feature reversible spindle rotation and tilting spindles, offering greater flexibility in cutter orientation and grain direction management to minimize tear-out. While some shapers can be adapted to use router bits via collets, their lower typical RPM range compared to routers makes them less suitable for small-diameter bits. Shapers require careful setup and safety precautions due to their power and exposed cutters.
Mortiser (Hollow Chisel Mortiser)


  1. Mortiser (Hollow Chisel Mortiser)

  • A specialized woodworking machine designed to efficiently and accurately cut square or rectangular holes, known as mortises, primarily for mortise and tenon joinery. The most common type is the hollow chisel mortiser, which resembles a drill press but uses a unique cutting tool consisting of a square, four-sided hollow chisel with a drill bit (auger) rotating inside it. As the tool is plunged into the workpiece (typically via a lever or geared handwheel), the drill bit removes the bulk of the waste material, while the sharp edges of the surrounding chisel shear the walls of the hole, creating a clean, square-cornered mortise. This method is significantly faster and more accurate than cutting mortises by hand or with a router setup for repetitive joinery work. Mortisers are available as dedicated benchtop or floor-standing machines. Proper setup, including sharpening the chisel and bit and setting the correct clearance between them, is crucial for optimal performance and preventing overheating or jamming. Essential for furniture making and cabinetry involving traditional joinery.

  1. Biscuit Joiner (Plate Joiner)

  • A power tool used in woodworking to create strong, quick, and accurately aligned joints between two pieces of wood. It features a small circular saw blade (typically 4 inches) that plunges into the wood to cut a crescent-shaped slot. Oval-shaped, compressed wood discs called "biscuits" are then coated with glue and inserted into the matching slots of the joining pieces. When the water-based glue is absorbed, the biscuit swells slightly, locking the joint tightly together and ensuring precise alignment. Biscuit joinery is commonly used for edge-to-edge joints (like joining boards to make a tabletop), face-to-edge joints (cabinet construction, attaching face frames), miter joints (picture frames, boxes), and T-joints. It excels at providing alignment during glue-up, preventing pieces from slipping. While not as strong as traditional mortise and tenon joints, biscuit joints are sufficient for many furniture and cabinetry applications and are significantly faster to create. The tool has adjustable depth settings for different biscuit sizes (#0, #10, #20 being common) and an adjustable fence for setting the slot position and angle. Also known as a plate joiner.
Doweling Jig

  1. Doweling Jig

  • Description/Uses: A woodworking guide tool used in conjunction with a power drill to accurately drill holes for dowel pins, enabling the creation of strong and often invisible dowel joints. Dowel joints use cylindrical wooden pins (dowels) inserted into precisely aligned holes in mating workpieces, secured with glue, to join them together. A doweling jig clamps onto the workpiece and features hardened steel drill guide bushings positioned at specific intervals and centered relative to the jig's reference edges. By referencing the jig consistently on both pieces being joined, it ensures that the drilled holes align perfectly when the pieces are brought together. This accuracy is key to the strength and appearance of the joint. Doweling jigs are used for various joints, including edge-to-edge (panel glue-ups), end-to-face (cabinet construction, drawer corners), and miter joints. They offer a strong, cost-effective joinery method accessible to most woodworkers. Different jigs accommodate various wood thicknesses and dowel diameters. Some jigs are self-centering, while others require careful alignment based on markings.
Pocket Hole Jig

  1. Pocket Hole Jig

  • A specialized jig used with a power drill to create angled "pocket" holes in one workpiece, allowing it to be joined to another piece using self-tapping pocket hole screws. The jig guides a special stepped drill bit at a precise low angle (typically 15 degrees) into the edge or face of the wood. This creates a pocket for the screw head and a pilot hole for the screw shank. The screw then exits the first piece and drives into the second piece, pulling the joint tightly together without the need for complex clamping or long glue drying times. Pocket hole joinery is known for its speed, simplicity, and strength, making it extremely popular for building face frames, cabinets, bookcases, furniture, and for general repairs. Jigs range from simple, portable single-hole guides to benchtop systems with integrated clamping and multiple drill guides. Key components include hardened steel drill guides, material thickness settings, and often a clamp mechanism. Kreg Tool is a dominant brand in this category.

  1. Festool Domino Joiner

  • A unique power tool from Festool that combines the functionality of a biscuit joiner and a traditional mortiser to create strong, precise floating tenon joints. It uses a patented mechanism where a specialized spiral cutter bit both rotates and oscillates side-to-side simultaneously, quickly plunging into the workpiece to cut a smooth, flat-bottomed mortise (slot). Pre-fabricated loose tenons, called "Dominos" (made of beech or sipo wood, available in various sizes), are then glued into the matching mortises in both pieces being joined. This system creates joints that are significantly stronger and more rotation-proof than biscuits or dowels, approaching the strength of traditional mortise and tenon joints but created much faster and with less setup. Features include adjustable mortise width (for alignment tolerance), precise depth control, adjustable fence for angled mortises, and indexing pins for accurate spacing. Used extensively in furniture making, cabinet construction, door making, and other applications requiring strong, accurate joinery. Available in different models (e.g., DF 500 for smaller tenons, DF 700 for larger ones).

Outdoor Power Equipment (Gardening & Landscaping)

    This category covers power tools specifically designed for lawn care, gardening, tree maintenance, and managing yard waste.


Lawn Mower

  1. Lawn Mower (Walk-behind/Riding/Robotic)

  • Description/Uses: An essential machine for lawn maintenance, designed to cut grass to an even height. Available in several types based on propulsion and operation: Push Mowers (manual or reel) require the user to provide forward motion, suitable for small, flat yards; Self-Propelled Mowers have powered wheels, reducing user effort, ideal for medium yards or slopes; Riding Mowers (lawn tractors or zero-turn mowers) allow the user to sit and steer, best for large lawns (1/2 acre or more); Robotic Mowers operate autonomously within a set boundary, suitable for small to medium yards and tech-savvy users. Power sources include gasoline engines (powerful, suitable for large/tough lawns but noisy and require maintenance) , corded electric (quiet, emission-free but limited by cord length), and battery-powered cordless electric (quiet, eco-friendly, mobile but limited by battery runtime and potentially less powerful than gas). Features may include mulching, bagging, side discharge, variable speed, and smart technology.
String Trimmer

  1. String Trimmer (Weed Eater/Weed Whacker)

  • A versatile lawn care tool that uses a rapidly spinning monofilament line (string) to cut grass, weeds, and light vegetation. Primarily used for trimming grass in areas inaccessible to lawn mowers, such as along fences, walls, trees, and garden beds, and for edging along sidewalks and driveways.Can also be used to clear taller grass and weeds. Available with different power sources: gasoline engines (powerful, suitable for large areas or thick weeds, but heavier, noisier, and require fuel mixing/maintenance) ; corded electric (lightweight, quiet, but limited by cord); and battery-powered cordless (mobile, quiet, low maintenance, but limited by battery life and potentially less powerful than gas). Shaft designs include straight shafts (better reach under obstacles, often compatible with attachments) and curved shafts (often lighter and easier to maneuver for basic trimming). Line feeding mechanisms vary (bump feed, automatic feed). Some models accept blade attachments for cutting thicker brush.
Leaf Blower

  1. Leaf Blower

  • An outdoor power tool designed to propel air out of a nozzle to move light debris like leaves, grass clippings, light snow, and dirt. Primarily used for clearing lawns, driveways, patios, decks, and gutters of fallen leaves and other yard waste, making cleanup faster and easier than manual raking or sweeping. Available in handheld models (common for general use), backpack models (more powerful and comfortable for extended use over large areas) , and some models offer vacuuming and mulching capabilities (leaf blower/vac). Power sources include gasoline engines (most powerful, suitable for large volumes or wet debris, but heavy, noisy, and produce emissions); corded electric (lightweight, quiet, but limited by cord); and battery-powered cordless (convenient, quiet, eco-friendly, but limited by battery runtime and power compared to gas). Key specifications include air speed (MPH) and air volume (CFM).
Hedge Trimmer

  1. Hedge Trimmer

  • A power tool equipped with a reciprocating cutting bar with multiple teeth, designed for trimming, shaping, and maintaining hedges, shrubs, and bushes. Provides a faster, cleaner, and less laborious method for shearing foliage compared to manual hedge shears. The cutting bar consists of two blades with teeth that move back and forth against each other, cutting small branches and leaves that enter the gaps. Typically designed to cut branches up to about 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch in diameter; not suitable for thick branches. Available power sources include gasoline engines (powerful, cordless, but heavier and noisier) ; corded electric (lightweight, quiet, but limited by cord) ; and battery-powered cordless (combining portability with low noise and emissions, but limited by battery life). Blade length varies, affecting reach and cutting swath. Some models feature articulating heads or extended reach (pole hedge trimmers) for tall or awkwardly shaped hedges.
Chainsaw

  1. Chainsaw

  • Description/Uses: A portable power saw that cuts with a set of teeth attached to a rotating chain driven along a guide bar. Primarily used for tree felling (cutting down trees), limbing (removing branches from a felled tree), bucking (cutting a felled tree into logs), pruning thick branches, cutting firewood, and clearing brush. Specialized chainsaws can also be used for cutting concrete, stone, brick, or ice. Available in various sizes, determined by engine displacement (for gas models) or voltage/amperage (for electric/battery models) and guide bar length. Power sources include gasoline engines (most powerful, suitable for heavy-duty work but noisy, require fuel mixing, and produce emissions) ; corded electric (quieter, lighter, less maintenance, but limited by cord) ; and battery-powered cordless (convenient, quiet, emission-free, easier to start, but limited by battery runtime and power compared to gas). Chainsaws require careful handling and proper safety gear due to the risk of kickback and injury.
    Pole Pruner

  1. Pole Saw (Pole Pruner)

  • A specialized chainsaw or pruning saw attached to a long, often extendable (telescopic) pole, designed for trimming tree branches and large shrubs that are beyond reach from the ground.14 Allows users to safely prune high limbs without needing to use a ladder. The cutting head typically consists of a small chainsaw bar and chain. Available with different power sources: gasoline engines (powerful but heavier and noisier), corded electric (lighter but limited by cord), and battery-powered cordless (convenient, quiet, increasingly popular). Some models are attachments for compatible string trimmer power heads. Useful for routine tree maintenance, removing dead or hazardous branches, and clearing limbs after storms. Requires careful operation due to the weight at the end of the pole and the potential for falling debris.

  1. Log Splitter

  • A piece of machinery designed specifically for splitting logs (pre-cut sections of tree trunks or large branches, called rounds) into smaller pieces suitable for firewood. Most commonly uses a hydraulic system (powered by an electric motor, gasoline engine, or tractor PTO) to drive a ram or wedge through the log with significant force (rated in tons). The log is placed on a beam or cradle, and the hydraulic ram pushes the log against a stationary wedge, or pushes a moving wedge into the stationary log, splitting it along the grain. Electric models are suitable for home use, while gas-powered models offer more power and portability for remote use. Manual log splitters using leverage also exist. Log splitters significantly reduce the time and physical effort required compared to splitting wood manually with an axe or maul.Essential for homeowners who heat with wood or anyone processing large quantities of firewood.

  1. Wood Chipper / Shredder

  • A machine designed to reduce yard waste, such as branches, twigs, and leaves, into smaller, manageable material like wood chips or mulch. Often combines two functions: Chipping, which uses rotating blades to chop larger branches (up to a specified diameter capacity) fed through a dedicated chute; and Shredding, which uses flails or hammers in a hopper to shred lighter debris like leaves, grass clippings, and small twigs. The resulting chips or shredded material can be used as mulch in garden beds, added to compost piles, or disposed of more easily. Available in electric models (suitable for light-duty cleanup of leaves and small twigs) and more powerful gasoline-engine models (capable of chipping larger branches). Key specifications include engine horsepower (or motor amperage), chipper capacity (maximum branch diameter), and reduction ratio (e.g., 10:1 indicates 10 bags of debris reduced to 1 bag). Helps manage yard debris efficiently, especially where landfill disposal is restricted.

  1. Garden Cultivator

  • A gardening power tool designed for loosening and mixing existing garden soil, typically in smaller areas like established flower beds, vegetable gardens, or around shrubs. It uses rotating tines (blades) to break up the top layer of soil, aerate it, mix in amendments (compost, fertilizer), and remove small weeds. Cultivators are generally smaller, lighter, and less powerful than garden tillers, making them easier to maneuver in tight spaces and around existing plants. They are not designed for breaking up hard, compacted soil or creating new garden plots from sod; that is the role of a tiller. Available in electric (corded or cordless) and small gas-engine models. Ideal for seasonal garden preparation, weed control between rows, and working soil in raised beds.

  1. Garden Tiller (Rototiller)

  • A more powerful gardening machine than a cultivator, designed for breaking up hard, compacted soil, turning over new ground for garden plots, and working in larger areas. It uses rotating tines to dig deeper into the soil (typically 8-10 inches) than a cultivator, effectively loosening and aerating it for planting. Tillers are ideal for preparing new garden beds, breaking up sod, mixing large amounts of soil amendments (compost, manure), and deep soil cultivation. Two main types exist: Front-Tine Tillers, where the tines are located under the engine and pull the machine forward, suitable for smaller to medium gardens and previously worked soil; and Rear-Tine Tillers, where the tines are behind the engine and often counter-rotate (spin opposite the wheels), providing more power for breaking new ground, handling hard or rocky soil, and covering large areas. Typically powered by gasoline engines due to the power required.

  1. Power Earth Auger

  • A power tool equipped with a rotating helical screw blade (auger bit) designed for drilling holes into the ground. Primarily used for digging holes for fence posts, deck footings, planting trees and shrubs, mailbox posts, and taking soil samples. Significantly faster and less labor-intensive than digging holes manually with shovels or post hole diggers. Available as one-person handheld units (typically with smaller gas engines or electric/cordless motors) or larger two-person models for bigger holes or tougher soil conditions. Some augers are attachments for tractors or skid steers. The diameter and depth of the hole depend on the size of the auger bit used. Essential for contractors involved in fencing, decking, and landscaping, as well as for homeowners undertaking similar projects.

  1. Lawn Edger

  • An outdoor power tool specifically designed to create clean, defined edges along sidewalks, driveways, curbs, and garden beds by cutting a vertical line between the lawn and the hard surface or bed. Uses a spinning blade (metal or sometimes heavy-duty string) oriented vertically to trim encroaching grass and create a neat border. Provides a more manicured and distinct edge than can typically be achieved with a string trimmer turned vertically. Available as dedicated walk-behind machines or as attachments for some string trimmers. Power sources include gasoline engines (more powerful for tougher jobs or larger properties), corded electric, and battery-powered cordless (convenient for smaller yards). Helps maintain a tidy landscape appearance and prevents grass from overgrowing onto pathways.

  1. Pressure Washer

  • A machine that uses a pump to generate high-pressure water spray for cleaning surfaces effectively. It removes dirt, grime, mold, mildew, loose paint, mud, and other contaminants from various outdoor surfaces such as driveways, sidewalks, decks, patios, fences, siding, vehicles, outdoor furniture, and equipment. Pressure washers are powered by electric motors (suitable for home use, quieter) or gasoline engines (more powerful, portable, suitable for larger or tougher jobs). Key specifications are pressure (measured in PSI - pounds per square inch) and water flow rate (measured in GPM - gallons per minute); higher numbers generally indicate greater cleaning power. Often come with interchangeable nozzles that alter the spray pattern and intensity (e.g., narrow pinpoint for tough spots, wider fan for general cleaning).Detergent tanks or injectors allow for the application of cleaning solutions. A versatile tool for home maintenance, construction site cleanup, and vehicle washing.