Accessory and Consumable Guides

Drill bits, saw blades, safety gear, and the other stuff that wears out or gets used up. Each guide covers types, prices, and what to buy first.

Drill Bits

Drill bits wear out. Cheap ones wear out fast, expensive ones wear out slowly, and the wrong bit for the material wears out immediately. Thi...

A $300 saw with a $5 blade cuts like a $50 saw. The blade does the actual work, and most saws ship with a mediocre combination blade that th...

Sandpaper grit numbers tell you how coarse or fine the abrasive is. Lower numbers remove material fast but leave scratches. Higher numbers s...

Router bits shape edges, cut joinery, and make decorative profiles. A $200 router does nothing useful without the right bit, and most router...

Angle grinder discs are the fastest way to cut, grind, and finish metal in a home workshop. The grinder is just the motor. The disc does the...

Safety glasses are the one piece of shop gear you should never skip and never cheap out on. A flying chip from a grinder, a wood splinter fr...

Power tool noise causes permanent hearing damage. A circular saw runs at 100-110 dB, which damages hearing in under 2 minutes of continuous ...

Work gloves protect your hands from splinters, cuts, abrasion, and impact. But the wrong gloves for the wrong tool are worse than no gloves ...

Wood dust is a known carcinogen. MDF dust, fiberglass, concrete dust, and paint fumes are all hazardous with repeated exposure. The basic wh...

You never have enough clamps. Every woodworker says it, and it is true. Glue-ups, jigs, fixtures, and temporary assembly all need clamping p...

An undersized extension cord drops voltage, overheats, and can start a fire. This happens regularly. The cord that works fine for a phone ch...

A cordless tool is only as good as its battery. The tool itself might last 10 years, but the battery will need replacing long before that. A...

A workbench without hold-down accessories is just a table. The bench itself provides a flat surface and some mass. The accessories are what ...

Measure twice, cut once only works if your measuring tools are accurate. A tape measure handles rough measurements, but layout work (marking...