Here’s a breakdown of the tools I bought to kick-start my woodworking toolkit.
I’ve broken down the tools I purchased upfront to give you an idea of a pretty baseline setup. I’m also planning on coming back to this article occasionally to give any updates on a certain part or tool —
| Name | Purpose | Price (AUD) |
|---|---|---|
| Ryobi 18v Brushless Drill / Driver kit | Drilling and driving, duh 😅 I preemptively purchased it for some renovations, but I’ve no doubt it’ll be handy for driving screws and drilling holes. Also included 2x4.0Ah batteries which is very handy. | $349 |
| Ryobi 18v Random Orbital Sander | Sanding! Finishing off pieces, and tidying up reclaimed wood. My partner is also planning to ‘upcycle’ some furniture, so a sander is a must. | $119 |
| Ryobi 18v Trim Router | For running edges and grooves along pieces; I’m also hoping to be able to re-edge some furniture ‘upcycles’. | $199 |
| Ryobi 18v Brushless Circular Saw (184mm) | For cutting! I went brushless (like the drills) since I’m hoping it’ll lead to the tool holding up well over the years. 184mm seemed like a more typical choice than the mini 165mm tool. | $289 |
| 600mm Ryobi Rolling Tool Bag | Did I get sucked into buying more Team Green paraphernalia? Maybe. But I compared ~5 different bags and this was a good balance of size, build and price, so I bought it. | $59 |
| Milwaukee Shockwave Impact 50 Piece Screwdriver & Drill Bit Set | Despite choosing Ryobi tools, I read that their drill & driver bits are atrocious. This brilliant driver bit comparison video found the Milwaukee bits held up the best, so I grabbed those. | $65 |
| Router Bits | Some cheap router bits to get me started. A 5-piece set — 6.4mm & 12.7mm straight bits, 12.7mm core box, 12.7mm v-groove and a 5mm round over bit. They’re probably pretty terrible, but I just wanted something to try out. I can always go back and buy nicer bits as I need them. | $15 |
| Hammer & Crowbar | A funny duo, but they’re great for breaking down pallets. I want to try reclaiming some wood, and this was cheaper than buying a sledgehammer or a pallet breaker. | $11 |
| PVA wood glue 500ml | A classic glue for wood<>wood joints. | $15 |
| Scandinavian Oil 250ml | I’ve heard good things about Danish / Scandinavian oil and wanted to try it as my first finish. I particularly liked that it seems like quite a light finish and is easy to apply. | $24 |
| Beeswax 50g | I’ve also heard that a bit of beeswax buffed into a Danish oiled piece can improve its longevity, so I thought I’d give it a try. | $10 |
| Clamps! | Just 2x quick-release clamps and 2x F-clamps to start with — I was hoping to grab a bunch cheaply from Facebook Marketplace, but there wasn’t much available so I grabbed a few in-store just to get started. | $40 |
| Squares from Temu | I’ve taken a bit of a gamble and purchased a cheap machinist square and speed square from Temu. Fingers crossed they’re straight! 😅 | $7, $5 |
| A bunch of other stuff | There are so many little bits and pieces needed to round out a tool kit! Center punches, a backup speed square, a box cutter, brushes, sanding discs and more. | ~$80 |
| Total | $1287 |
Note: I went with Ryobi / Team Green!
I couldn’t justify spending 1.5-2x for tools from more professional brands when I’m just going to use these for DIY and home renovations (I live in Australia which likely affects tool prices). I’m hoping that investing a bit more into the brushless drills and circular saw will future-proof them a bit.
Apart from the prices, I was attracted by the long-lived battery platform, the huge range of Ryobi tools beyond the woodworking classics (particularly for gardening / home care) and the 4+2 year extended warranty. Fingers crossed 🤞 I made the right choice!