Workshop tools: names, pictures and what each one is used for

The three things that matter more than tools

People fit out a workshop by buying tools and then wonder why the work is awkward. The three things that actually determine whether a workshop is pleasant to use are the bench, the light and the dust extraction, and all three tend to be left until last.

A bench needs to be heavy enough not to move, flat enough to work on, and at the right height for you. Too low and you bend all day, too high and you cannot put weight behind anything. Roughly wrist height standing is a good starting point, higher for detailed work and lower for planing and sawing.

Light needs to come from more than one direction. A single overhead fixture puts your own shadow exactly where you are working. And dust extraction is the one that gets skipped entirely, which is a mistake with a decades long payback.

Heavy, flat and the right height

Roughly wrist height standing. A bench that racks or shifts when you plane is worse than a smaller solid one.

Light from more than one direction

One overhead fitting puts your shadow on the work. Add a task light you can aim.

Extraction at the tool, not the room

Capturing dust where it is made beats filtering the air afterwards. Fine dust is the lasting hazard.

Power where you work

Sockets at bench height rather than trailing leads across the floor, which are the main trip hazard.

Somewhere to put things down

A clear metre of bench is a tool in its own right. A cluttered bench is why work gets damaged.

Heat and ventilation

A cold damp workshop rusts tools and never gets used. Both are worth solving before buying more kit.

Workholding is what makes accuracy possible

The difference between a workshop and a shed with tools in it is usually the ability to hold things properly. You cannot cut, drill or plane accurately while also holding the work, and trying to is how both mistakes and injuries happen.

A vice, a set of clamps and a couple of bench dogs cover most of it. The general rule is that you always need one more clamp than you own, and that clamping something twice as securely as feels necessary costs seconds and saves the piece.

The second rule is that clamps mark. Anything visible needs a scrap of softwood or a soft jaw between the clamp and the work, and remembering that after the fact is too late.

Clamp it, do not hold it

Both hands free means an accurate cut. Holding the work means a wandering cut and an eventual injury.

You always need one more clamp

Nobody has ever finished a glue up thinking they had too many. Buy them in pairs.

Pack under any clamp on a visible face

A scrap of softwood spreads the pressure and stops the clamp printing into the surface.

A vice on the bench, bolted through

Screwed to the top it works loose. Bolted through with a backing plate stays put for decades.

Dogs and a stop beat clamps for planing

Work pushed against a stop is held by the action itself, with nothing in the way of the tool.

Support long stock

Roller stands or a second pair of hands. Unsupported weight pulls the cut off line and drops the offcut.

Buying in the right order

The tempting order is to buy the exciting tools first. The order that actually produces finished work is to buy what every job needs, then add for the specific job in front of you.

That means measuring and marking, then holding, then cutting, then fixing, then finishing. Within that, buy the tools you use weekly properly and everything else cheaply until it annoys you. A cheap tool that annoys you has told you exactly what to replace, which is far better information than a review.

The one exception is anything where cheap is dangerous rather than just irritating: ladders, jacks, extraction and anything that holds weight above you.

Measure, hold, cut, fix, finish

Buy in that order and every stage of a job is possible rather than three quarters of it.

Buy the weekly tools properly

A tape, a knife, a drill, a saw, a hammer. These get used constantly and cheap ones cost more in frustration.

Buy the rest cheaply first

Let the tool tell you whether you use it enough to justify better. Guessing that in advance wastes money.

One battery platform, then stay in it

Three chargers and four battery shapes is how a workshop accumulates dead tools.

Never cheap out on anything load bearing

Ladders, jacks, stands and extraction. Here cheap is dangerous rather than merely annoying.

Consumables are not the place to save

Blades, discs and abrasives are what actually cut. A blunt cheap blade makes a good saw useless.

What to buy first, in order

Stage one: measure, mark and hold

A tape, a combination square, a marking knife, a pencil, a spirit level, a bench vice and a set of clamps.

Stage two: cut and fix

A hand saw, a utility knife, a claw hammer, screwdrivers, pliers, a cordless combi drill and impact driver, and a set of drill bits.

Stage three: power and accuracy

A circular saw or mitre saw, a jigsaw, a random orbit sander, a drill press or a stand, and a workbench with a proper vice.

Stage four: the workshop itself

Dust extraction, task lighting, wall storage, a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher and somewhere dry to keep everything.

Mistakes that make a workshop unusable

No dust extraction

Fine dust is the hazard with the longest payback, and it also coats every tool and surface you own.

A bench that moves

Every bit of energy you put into planing or sawing goes into rocking the bench instead of cutting.

One light overhead

It puts your shadow precisely where you are looking. Add a light you can point at the work.

Leads across the floor

The most common trip hazard in any workshop, and it damages the leads at the same time.

No clear space to put things down

A bench covered in tools is why work gets dented, lost and glued to something.

Storing tools on a cold concrete floor

Concrete wicks moisture upwards and everything standing on it rusts from underneath.

Buying machines before storage

A workshop full of machines you cannot get around is less capable than a tidy one with fewer.

Blunt consumables

Forcing a blunt blade is how kickback, burning and inaccuracy all happen. Change it far sooner than feels justified.

Keeping a workshop working

Sweep and extract at the end of each session

Ten minutes at the end beats an hour later, and dust left settles into every moving part you own.

Everything back in its place

The system fails at the pile that was going to be sorted. Put away as you finish, not at the weekend.

Oil bare steel before winter

Machine tables, plane soles and vice screws. An unheated workshop rusts everything left unprotected.

Keep a dehumidifier in a damp space

The single most effective thing for tool life in a garage or outbuilding. It pays for itself in saved tools.

Sharpen on a schedule

Waiting until a tool is unusable means a long recovery. A few minutes regularly keeps everything cutting.

Check leads and plugs

Workshop leads get run over, crushed and cut. A damaged lead in a damp space is a real hazard.

Frequently asked questions

What tools do I need for a basic workshop?

A tape measure, a combination square, a marking knife, a pencil, a spirit level, a bench vice, clamps, a hand saw, a utility knife, a claw hammer, screwdrivers, pliers and a cordless combi drill with bits. That covers most jobs.

What is the most important thing in a workshop?

The bench, the lighting and the dust extraction, in that order, and all three usually get left until last. A heavy flat bench at the right height improves every job more than any individual tool purchase does.

How high should a workbench be?

Roughly wrist height when standing, as a starting point. Higher suits detailed work like assembly and carving, lower suits planing and sawing where you want to put your weight over the work. It is worth adjusting to you rather than to a standard.

Do I really need dust extraction?

Yes, and it is the most commonly skipped item. Fine dust from wood, masonry and MDF causes long term respiratory damage, and capturing it at the tool is far more effective than filtering the room afterwards or wearing a mask.

What is the difference between workshop tools and hand tools?

Hand tools are the non powered subset: hammers, saws, chisels, screwdrivers. A workshop list is broader and includes power tools, machines, workholding, storage and the fixtures that make the space work, like lighting and extraction.

Should I buy cheap or expensive tools?

Buy the tools you use weekly properly, and everything else cheaply at first. A cheap tool that annoys you has told you exactly what to upgrade. The exception is anything load bearing, where cheap is dangerous rather than annoying.

How many clamps do I need?

More than you have. It is the standing joke in every workshop because it is true: nobody finishes a glue up wishing they had fewer. Buy them in pairs, in a couple of sizes, and add as jobs demand.

Why does my workbench move when I work?

Either it is too light or the joints are racking. Mass and rigidity are what a bench is for, so add weight low down, brace the frame diagonally, and if possible fix it to a wall.

What lighting should a workshop have?

General overhead light plus at least one adjustable task light. A single overhead fitting puts your own shadow exactly where you are working, which is the commonest complaint and the easiest to fix.

How do I stop tools rusting in a garage workshop?

Keep them off the concrete floor, which wicks moisture upwards, wipe bare steel with an oily rag, and run a small dehumidifier. Temperature swings in an unheated space cause condensation on cold metal, which is what starts the rust.

What safety equipment does a workshop need?

Safety glasses, an FFP3 dust mask, ear defenders, a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher suited to electrical fires, and an RCD on the power supply. Then extraction and guarding, which protect you without needing to be remembered.

Is it worth buying a tool set or individual tools?

Individual tools, in most cases. Sets pad the piece count with sizes and types you will never use, and the quality is levelled down to hit a price. A smaller set of tools chosen individually outlasts and outperforms it.