Power Tools

A continuous abrasive loop moving fast enough to remove serious material in a hurry -- the tool for leveling and stock removal, not the tool for a finish surface.

The tool most people cut their first board with, and the one that never quite leaves the shop even after you own a table saw, track saw, and miter saw.

The tool everyone already owns, and the one most likely to be doing a job it's not actually built for -- a drill drives fasteners fine, but an impact driver does it better.

A loose-tenon joiner that cuts a matched mortise in seconds -- the tool that made mortise-and-tenon joinery fast enough to actually use on everyday projects.

The powered cousin of a bench plane -- a spinning cutterhead in a handheld body, built for fast, rough stock removal rather than the fine shavings a hand tool takes.

A drill that gave up on being gentle -- rotational hammering blows instead of smooth torque, which drives long screws fast but makes it a poor choice for anything delicate.

A pivoting circular blade purpose-built for crosscuts and angle cuts -- ask anyone who's tried to crosscut trim on a table saw why this tool exists.

A thickness planer mills a board to a consistent thickness pass after pass -- it flattens nothing, it just faithfully reproduces whatever reference face you feed it.

The sander that gets reached for the most in a furniture shop -- an eccentric, randomized orbit that sands aggressively without leaving the swirl marks a fixed-orbit sander does.

One tool, absurd range: swap the bit and it'll round an edge, cut a dado, hollow a mortise, or trim laminate flush, all at a speed that demands you pay attention.

A stationary sander built for curves and edges a handheld sander can't get into cleanly -- the tool that turns cabriole legs and curved aprons from a chore into a non-issue.

The tool most shops get built around -- a spinning blade poking up through a table, and the single most important machine to respect rather than fear.

A circular saw that rides a straight aluminum rail instead of a fence you have to clamp and square yourself -- the tool that made cutting sheet goods on a workbench actually pleasant.