Is there a winsome woodworking Wonderwoman in your life? Or maybe a wizard of the workshop who devotes himself to cultivating his talent and honing his craft? If so, we’d like to offer a few suggestions for gifts for woodworkers: gifts that will awe and inspire, whether from inside a stocking or from under a tree and give you a bit of fun while you lay the groundwork for truly creative and practical skills to flourish.
When you wonder what a woodworker would wish for, do you wonder where to start? Here’s a little secret: gifts for woodworkers rank pretty high on the list of most-wanted gifts every year. That fact has allowed us the opportunity to gather this list of some of the very best ideas out there for you to choose from this season.
I’m ready – take me to the recommended products.
You may have always thought that woodworking was one of those endeavors that only became accessible if you spend scads of money on expensive equipment and supplies. Nothing could be further from the truth!
In terms of money, woodworking is really more about the value of the tools to the woodworker. What is the value of an item to them? What does it mean to them, and what can it help them accomplish? Woodworking is something you have to learn through direct experience, and there are many things you can learn to do with what you have available around you. So, since there are many ways to accomplish a task, it would stand to reason that there could also be many tools and techniques.
Each woodcrafter, if they have been at it for long enough, eventually morphs into their own version of what it means to be a woodworker. If you want to avoid giving something that could wind up falling under their personal preferences and you don’t really know what those are, you can always give something universal and basic that every woodworker needs.
Just think of it in terms of value, which they understand. Will it help them not to have to stop working and go across the room for additional supplies? Can it act as a third hand? Can it inspire them, motivate them, or make them smile? Just try for a moment to put yourself into a woodworker’s shoes. You can never have too many basic supplies or creative ideas. So if you keep these things in mind, you can’t go wrong!
If you thought you couldn’t ever know enough about it to avoid being laughed out of the room, then we have a pleasant surprise for you. Many of the items below are things anyone can learn to use, not necessarily only for woodworking. It’s all a matter of discovering what you have and being resourceful with it.
Woodworkers really know about this. They spend long hours exploring images or blueprints and visualizing finished products. They consider what kind of materials they want to use, and they get them.
Then, they use the skills and techniques they’ve learned to craft and create their visions out of wood while evolving their own unique styles.
If you look at the list here, you’ll see that many of the items we’re suggesting are simple, relatively affordable, and sometimes seemingly insignificant. But to a woodworker, these items can make the difference between having a good day and a better one.
Combine that with the absolute love that these people have for their craft, and you’ll come to understand that you can do a whole lot more to help them boost their creativity than you may have realized.
So, basically, you can be pretty certain that anything you select from the list below will be appreciated and very much used because these items are all basic to woodworking. If your woodworker already has an item, then they will appreciate your thoughtfulness. If not, then you can be happy knowing that you’ve more than likely just opened up an avenue to their next level of creativity. So, go ahead and jump in!
Recommended gifts for Woodworkers
Starrett Combination Square, C11H-12-4R
Invented by Laroy Starrett in 1878, this tool caught on so quickly due to its versatility that he started to manufacture it in its own new factory a mere two years later, and it’s still going strong even now, a hundred-forty years later.
Tried and true, its versatility makes it a huge time saver in a workshop, especially around power tools. Not only can it be used to calibrate the trueness of saw blades that can go off undetectably due to dust or wear and tear, but it can also serve as a guide to ensure that wood stays locked into the correct angle while it’s going through the saw.
The combination square can support the wood at any angle you choose until the wood has gone all the way through the blade. It can always be used as a regular square to locate the center of the end of a dowel or mark parallel lines. It can quickly prove the accuracy of a 90-degree cut. Plus, it just looks as nice as it is to have around!
Get It On AmazonWoodworker Gift T-Shirt
Get him motivated to enjoy his creative genius, especially if he doesn’t think he has one like so many other unsung heroes. Smiles never held anyone back from achieving great things.
This comical workshop T-shirt washes cold and dries low. It comes in black 100% cotton in men’s sizes (small to 3XL), women’s sizes (small to 3XL), and youth sizes (Kids 2 to 12). Heck, maybe everybody could get one and hang out in the workshop together to learn how to do woodwork…
Get It On AmazonWaxed Canvas Apron
This apron will help to keep sawdust, glues, or stains from working their way into the fibers of whatever she’s wearing. Plus, with pockets to keep small items handy while working, it just looks so darned cool in brown–how can it not at the very least help to get the ideas and plans off the ground? This apron affords a really comfortable yet durable protective covering, so you can work away and finish clean.
Get It On AmazonDrill Handle Ceramic Coffee Mug
Now that the cold weather’s finally here: how many times have you sat down with your workshop wonder to plan the next project together and gotten so involved in a plethora of possibilities that you forgot what time it was?
Nothing can keep you on the right track as a good hot beverage, especially if it’s enjoyed out of this Drill Handle Ceramic Coffee Mug by Home-X. This would be great as a stocking-stuffer or could even just be handed to your woodworker filled with a steaming, aromatic cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate with a big dollop of whipped cream with chocolate shavings on top. This fun little gift holds just under 2 cups of liquid. Motivation in a mug!
Get It On AmazonBlack Permanent Marker Pack
For sure, anyone with a good knowledge of what they’re doing knows the importance of paying attention to the little things… those same little things that can turn out to not really be so little at all when it comes down to it.
For the best outcome, he’s going to need to be able to mark all of his measurements to keep everything properly proportioned from the beginning stages of his projects up to the final stages.
These markers have a fine tip that can eventually start to dull when used to write on wood–but no worry, that’s why we’re recommending this 12-pack. The ink is black and permanent, so if it’s being used on paper, it’s best to plan to use it on one side only.
Every woodworker has heard the adage “measure twice, cut once.” With a Milwaukee 48-22-3100 Inkzall Jobsite Fine Point Black Permanent Marker 12 Pack, he’ll be marking up a snowstorm for a job well done.
Get It On AmazonBessey GearKlamps
Once we have gotten the woodcut, sanded, and ready for assembly, our beloved woodworker will need a good set of BESSEY GK30 12″ GearKlamps.
The handle and a quick-release button work together to position the clamp to its desired position, where a covered gear train moves the tightening forces onto the spindle.
These bar clamps are special because the handle is positioned far enough away from the spindle to fit and be activated in especially tight spaces. Just set these third hands in place and let them do their thing.
Watch the delight on their face when they experience getting consistently even, sustained pressure into those tight spots. They’ll be setting really secure joints without skinned knuckles or lost alignments from pieces slipping out of place.
Get It On AmazonMagnetic Wristband
If he’s one of those woodworkers who hold nails or screws between his teeth while he works, then he might enjoy the convenience of having a Vastar magnetic wristband to keep a ready supply right at hand.
Everything about this wristband is heavy-duty. Not only will it lighten the load on his enamels, but its 5 magnets are strong enough to hold small tools as well as nails and screws. This would include things like drill bits, small files or wrenches, and even small braces. This wristband is lightweight and made out of heavy-duty polyester.
It secures itself on his wrist via heavy-duty velcro for easy-on, easy-off action. With heavy-duty construction, he can keep various things sorted and on hand while he focuses on the project in front of him.
Get It On AmazonWood Planer
Love those little curlicues of wood shavings? Any woodworker worth knows that once they’re ready to reach for their block plane, most of the heavy prep work is already behind them.
A Stanley 12-220 Block Plane would fit the bill pretty well for the refinement stage of just about any light woodworking project. This plane is black and red and just plain nifty. The best block plane will fit easily and comfortably in the woodworker’s hand.
Getting this right will help to prevent fatigue and improve accuracy during use. The Stanley 12-220 is epoxy-coated cast iron for a solid glide along the wood’s surface. A good block plane does a really nice job of smoothing out the surface of the wood.
It’s also well-balanced and easily adjustable to where it’ll hold the blade tightly enough to get smooth, consistent strokes–yet not so tight that it won’t engage well with or even skips along the wood’s surface. The Stanley 12-220’s blade is angled at 21 degrees, and the depth and alignment of the blade are both adjustable. It can also be used for crafts.
Get It On AmazonA Descent Roller
Everyone, no matter how good or steady-handed they are, needs a brayer at some point. It’s really no fun when glue glops. To stop the glop, we recommend the Ranger Inky Roller Brayer.
It’s small enough to easily handle smaller areas that need a smooth, even application. It comes apart for cleaning, and it’s durable enough to last for a long time. Brayers speed up things like gluing and varnishing so you can get to other things.
Notice we said “you” again. Well, it wouldn’t be fair to do all of this legwork to find gifts for your woodworker without walking away with a little something for yourself now, would it?
Get It On AmazonWood Chisel Tool Sets
A set of EZARC wood chisels can save a lot of time and energy that would otherwise be spent on trying to coax the right shapes and curves out of a jigsawed piece of wood.
Wood chisels can be like the queen on a chessboard. They can be both workhorses and game-changer. A wood chisel can pave the way for things like hollowing out a space for nails or screws to go into a joint. On the other hand, they can provide the means for anyone with an artistic bent to create some of the most extraordinary things.
I watched fascinated for hours one day while an artist friend carved a handmade business sign with wood chisels and mallets. He knew how to work 3-D in his head while bringing an original landscaped and lettered image out of the wood with the chisels. Once the gold leaf and colors went on, I saw how much can happen when someone knows how to use chisels on wood to express a vision.
In the right hands, they’re magic. There’s a sharpener and guide with this 6-piece set. The set also comes in an 11″ x 12-1/2″ wooden craftsman’s case with notched wooden supports to keep the chisels separate, well supported, and stationary during transport. Each chisel is made out of strong chrome-vanadium steel rated at HRC60 and fitted with an ashwood handle.
Ash is one of the hardest woods–which is why baseball bats have traditionally been made out of it–so the handles are tough enough to withstand the forces of a mallet. The blade’s beveled edge sits at 25 degrees. Blade sizes are: 1/4″, 3/8″, 5/8″, 1/2″, 13/16″ and 1″. (In millimeters that would be: 6mm, 10mm, 12mm, 16mm, 20mm and 25mm.) So, they’re ready to take out and start tapping out shapes to your woodworker’s heart content.
Get It On AmazonLeatherman Multitool
And no way would any list of gifts for woodworkers be complete without a Leatherman Wave Plus Multitool. This is the item you want for any workshop or anywhere else, for that matter. This little beauty comes in a case and has wire cutters, scissors, a can opener, and the kitchen sink… or at least, it could, as it seems to have just about everything else.
It’s made of stainless steel and weighs in at over half a pound, which would seem solid enough to be called heavy-duty. The wire cutters are replaceable, which we like because once you’ve used this tool, you’ll probably be using it a lot. Besides that and the wire stripper, it comes with a total of 18 tools, most of which are the kinds most commonly called for: screwdrivers, files, rulers, knives, and bottle openers.
Get It On AmazonSummary
To conclude, we hope this article has helped you find the gift you’re looking for. Thank you for taking the time to consider these ideas! And don’t forget to give yourself something, too.
Got some great products to recommend on adding to our article; please send them to us in the comments.