A serious woodworker cannot do without the basic power tools in his workshop. You will come across many woodworkers who advocate the use of hand tools for making things out of wood. But, the thing is hand tools are powered by your hand muscles and they are not as fast and efficient as power tools. On the other hand power tools are powered by electricity that is why they can carry out woodworking projects in a fast and cost-effective way.
So, now you have decided that you need to invest some money in woodworking power tools, but one look at the catalogue of the famous woodworking supplies company, you are all confused. There is an exhaustive list of power tools to choose from. How can one decide which one need to be bought first and which one can be bought later? Well, it is true that there are power tools for all sorts of wood working works. But, there are some basic power tools that are indispensable. So, you need to buy them first and others can be bought later as and when you feel its need.
Here is a handy list of power tools that a serious woodworker should have:
Circular Saw: This is one of the most versatile power tools that a woodworker should have in his workshop. A circular saw can be hand held or can be mounted on a table. In order to cut with a circular saw you need to set the depth of cut, after which you can make the cut on the stock – right from narrow slots to dado cuts, it can do everything with ease.

Table Saw: You will not find a woodworking workshop that doesn’t have a table saw. It is an indispensable power tool. It would not be wrong to say that this is in fact one of the most used power tool in any woodworking workshop. It can rip, square, miter and groove a square. When buying a table saw, put special emphasis on its quality. A cheap table saw that compromise on quality is a waste of money.
Router: Woodworkers have two choices when it comes to router – a stationery base router and a plunge base router. The stationery base router is the basic one and is quite sufficient for beginners in the field. However, if you are an experienced woodworker, buying a plunge base router would make more sense. Ideally, you should choose a router that comes with variable speed and its motor should be at least 2 HP.
Power Drill: Do not go after the fancy cordless drills as they are not really as powerful. The corded power drills are better as they are powered by steady supply of electricity.
Jigsaw: A great hand held power tool for cutting curves and circles.
Compound Miter Saw: This equipment will help you in flawlessly executing crown molding and similar other projects. So, if you are carrying out projects, buying this tool is a must.
Random Orbital Sander: This power tool does an awesome job for giving finishing touches to a particular project.
One thing you have to remember that power tools are quite powerful, so they must be used with caution. Even a small mistake can be dangerous.