Gift Ideas for Woodworkers: What We Wish You’d Buy Us


The world of woodworking is a big one – there are 100’s, if not 1000’s of products out there to buy for people who enjoy working with wood.

There are many types of woodoworking products that are seen as ‘essential’, such as tools like saws and drills. But, beyond that, there are accessories as well that are helpful to woodworkers and complement the equipment most woodworkers already own.

To help save you as much time as possible, we’ve compiled a list of exactly 25 gift ideas for woodworkers – the accessories we’ve chosen to include in this article are not ‘gimmicks’, but real gifts that are valuable for anyone who enjoys the wonderful craft of woodworking.

Gift Ideas for Woodworkers

1.Woodworking Magazine Or Book

This is an easy gift idea for any woodworker who has a true passion for their craft… which, as you can expect, is most woodworkers.

Whether they are an expert or a ‘weekend-warrior’ type, a magazine subscription to a good woodworking magazine is a true pleasure.

Some magazine subscriptions you might choose to give as a gift include:

The prices of these subscriptions will vary.

Try, if you can, to make sure they don’t already subscribe to any of these magazines before you buy them as a gift!

2.Handsaw

You will be hardpressed to find an avid woodworker without a range of saws, electric or manual, in their workshop.

But, it is very common that most woodworkers – even advanced ones – have lost the art of using a good handsaw.

This style of manual saw is a true pleasure to use, especially if it’s a good one; we suggest buying one that both looks good and is proven to be versatile and useful.

You can expect to pay anywhere from $10 to $100+.

3.Wood Plane

The wood plane is a tool that has many different uses in woodworking; by removing rough surfaces of wood or slimming wood down to size, it is commonly known for finishing.

A good wood plane is a great gift idea for any woodworker that is serious about their craft.

Now, fair warning – these can be expensive. For a solid wood plane, you might expect to pay at least $150, but likely more. You can get cheaper versions but they will not be as good quality.

4.Silicone Glue Brush Set

This little tool helps to spread glue over broad surfaces with even distribution, something that can be quite difficult to do for even the more experienced woodworker.

A little silicone glue set makes the process a whole lot easier.

This acceessory goes for about $15, and is a great small gift idea.

5.Multipurpose Tool

A multipurpose tool is a nice little gift to give for any level of woodworker, beginner to advanced.

What you want is a tool that can perform the following functions:

  • level
  • measurement (adjustable)
  • reveal gauge

This is an incredibly useful gift – not before long, the woodworker you have in mind will not leave their house for a job without packing their multipurpose tool.

6.Clamps

You can really never have too many clamps in your arsenal.

At least, that’s what the woodworkers say – if you’re looking for an easy gift idea then clamps are a perfect choice.

These come in a wide range of prices and styles, although you can expect to pay around $10-40.

7.Honing Guide

A honing guide makes the process of setting the proper bevel much easier – this is a task that is difficult to do and a cause for frustration, so a honing guide is a very useful accessory for any woodworker.

A honing guide should be able to set various bevel angles and accomodate a wide range of blade widths; it should also include settings for correct registration and preset bevels.

This gift will make any woodworkers life a lot easier.

You can purchase a quality honing guide for about $15.

8.Bench Cookies

Bench cookies act as substitute clamps – they elevate a project off of a surface so that you can sand, rout, or carve the wood without the need of clampings it down.

If you decide to buy bench cookies as a gift, make sure they are the ‘non-slip’ kind – these have a material on them that will prevent projects from slipping off, which is obviously something you do not want!

9.Guide to Finishing

This is not a tool, but a helpful instruction manual for what is a very difficult task: finishing wood.

If you happen to know that your woodworker in mind struggles with finishing (which, to some extent, they likely do) then a little ‘Finishing Guide’ is a perfect gift idea.

There are many of finishing guides out there, costing around $20-40 usually; make sure to do your research and read reviews before you purchase!

10.Chisel Set

Chisel sets are an essential part of any woodworkers arsenal – because of their usefulness, make sure the woodworker you are buying these as a gift for does not already own a set of their own!

The prices for a chisel set can be anywhere from $4 per chisel, up to $100+ – you can buy either a 4- or 8-chisel set… anything more is overkill and uneccesary.

The more you pay, the better the quality and the longer they will last.

11.Countersinking Bit

A countersinking bit accelerates the process of drilling, countersinking, and counterboring a pilot hole; in other words, it makes any woodworkers life a lot easier.

This gift costs about $20 or less for a set of five and will be greatly appreciated.

12.Pipe Clamps

Pipe clamps are another great gift idea for a woodworker, especially if you are on a budget.

These come in packs of one, two, three, or more – these help make bar clamps of any length and can cost anywhere from $15 to $100+, depending on how many clamps come in a specific set.

13.Magnetic Wristband

A magnetic wristband is a useful yet inexpensive gift idea for any woodworker who hates to have to search for screws, scissors, and other small tools… which, in fact, happens to be every single woodworker!

This is a wristband that magentically holds small metal objects – it is basically a ‘third hand’ and is incredibly helpful.

You can get a solid magnetic wristband for about $10.

14.Japanese Marking Knife

You can never have too many knives, especially if you are a diehard woodworker.

For this reason, we see a Japanese marking knife as a perfect gift idea for any and all woodworkers, especially if they already use box knives and don’t know the benefit of using this improved version.

This knife can be used for woodcarving and marking – it is small, compact, and a pleasure to use.

You can buy a Japanese marking knife for less that $25.

15.Oscillating Belt Sander

Because of the price of this equipment, most definitely make sure that the woodworker you are buying this for does not already own one of their own!

The oscillating belt sander is a $200+ item used to sand wood; it is powerful, compact, and very useful. The finishing this piece of machinery does on wood is as good as you need to it be, and although the price may be slightly intimidating, it is surely worth how much it costs.

16.Pinless Moisture Meter

A pinless moisture meter is a great gift idea if the woodworker you are buying a gift for doesn’t already have one and they like to build useing live edge wood.

It’s worth noting that there is a difference betwwen a regular pin meter and a pinless moisture meter.

Basically, with this tool, you lay it on wood and it will tell you its moisture levels without having to use a pin.

It is a great gift idea as long as you are prepared to spend at least $300- there are many cheaper versions available but most of them are not good quality at all.

17.Rasp Set

A ‘rasp’ is used to shape wood and other materials; it is a manual tool, and you can get a set of 2-3 rasps for less than $100, sometimes even $50 or less.

The beauty of a rasp set as a gift for a woodworker is that you don’t need more than two or three rasps at a time, so it’s a simple and small purchase that is sure to be appreciated.

18.Isometric Paper

If the woodworker you are buying for is into building furniture, the isometric paper is a fantastic gift that they will greatly appreciate (even if they don’t know it exists yet!)

What this does is allows you to draw up 3-dimensional plans in order to sketch what you’re going to build before they build it; the diamond isometric grid is much more advanced than a simple sketch pad, and it is relatively cheap for how useful it is.

19.Leather Apron

Now, before you purchase a leather apron for the woodworker in mind, you may want to make sure that they actually wear an apron in the first place – although this gift looks great, it is meant to be a ‘step-up’ from a regular apron.

In other words, the fact that this apron is made out of leather may not be enough to force the woodworker in mind to start wearing an apron all of the sudden.

That said, if the woodworker you are buying a gift for wears an apron when building, this is a perfect gift – these leather aprons look great, last much longer than your typical apron, and actually offer a bit more safety as well by protecting the body.

Prices will vary depending on how much you are willing to pay and how high of quality you choose.

Read more: Best Woodworking Aprons

20.Wood

Yes, surprise, surprise; woodworkers like lumber.

This is a simple yet often overlooked gift idea for woodworkers – why not (especially if you are struggling to come up with ideas for gifts) give them some wood?

All you need to do is go to a big box store like The Home Depot or Lowes; or, if you want cheaper lumber, you can go to your local lumber yard if there is one in your area.

No doubt your woodworker friend will appreciate the extra wood – the better the quality, the happier they will be.

Read more: Is It Cheaper To Buy Wood At A Lumber Yard

21.Cabinet Hardware Jig

If your woodworker in mind happens to build cabinet doors or drawer, than a cabinet hardware jig is a very helpful tool.

What this does it helps to install the ‘knobs’ – it has adjustable guides, built-in measuring scales, and an edge guide to help install knobs with accuracy and ease.

You can buy this gift for less than $30.

22.Woodworking Square

A woodworking square is a step-up from the traditional carpenter square; it helps woodworkers with measuring and accuracy.

The better quality of woodworking square, the longer it will last – you can find models made of aluminum with built-in handles and grooves for easy handling.

A solid woodworking square made out of good material will cost over $100.

23.Digital Angle Gauge

This is a small yet very useful gadget than can be used on the blades of saws, such as a miter or table saw.

A digital angle gauge helps with accuracy by measuring angles – that’s it, that’s all. You place it on an angle (after calibrating) and it pops up on the screen the exact measurement of the angle.

A good digital angle gauge will cost around $25 – they usually take batteries, so it would be helpful to buy a set of batteries as well if you plan on giving this as a gift.

24.Flush Cut Saw

These are a handy little gift idea for any woodworker that trims dowels or long joints; these are handheld, manual saws and can even be used for standard crosscutting.

You can get a solid flush cut saw for around $20-40.

25.Smart Hook Pushblocks

This makes the proccess of cutting with a table or band saw much safer which, if you didn’t already know, is necessary – cutting wood with these tools is inherently dangerous.

What a smart hook pushblock does is protects your hands by acting as a hand extension – instead of holding the wood and running it through the saw blade with your bare hands, you hold these by the handles and ‘clamp’ the wood the same way you would with your hands.

The handle on these push blocks keep your hands further away from the saw – you can get a 2-set of these for around $25.

Conclusion

There you have it – 25 different gift ideas for a woodworker, ranging from less than $10 to $200+.

With most of these gifts, we highly suggest checking to make sure they do not already own it before you purchase it! Perhaps it is worth it to ensure that you can return the gift if it ends up that they already own it.

Whatever the case, you should now have plenty of ideas as to what you can gift a woodworker.

Paul Smith

Hi, I am Paul Smith. I am the man behind this blog. I am a passionate woodworker. I would like to share with you guys the experience of learning woodworking.

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