Tell this builder what the shop is for, how big it is, your budget and the power you have. It returns a buy-in-this-order tool list: the first tool, the second tool, and the essentials around them, with dust collection sized by CFM, a compressor, a workbench, socket and wrench sets, drill and bit sets, safety gear and storage.
Buy the tools you will use on every job first (cordless drill, workbench, eye and ear protection), then one big tool for your main work, then dust collection sized to your hungriest machine at 1.5 to 2 times its CFM. Everything after that is a bonus. The builder below puts it in that order for your shop and budget.
Your kit
16 items to buy firstEstimated total: Under $2,000
You chose 110V only, so every pick runs on a standard circuit. Give any tool that draws 12 amps or more its own 20 amp circuit, and use the electrical load calculator to check the panel.
Cordless drill kit Essential
DEWALT 20V MAX XR Drill/Driver Kit (DCD771C2)
The tool you will use more than any other, so it goes first. A drill-and-impact combo handles drilling and driving without swapping bits.
Factory direct: Grizzly T30290X2 PRO 20 V Hammer Drill Kit with 2 Batteries Check price at Grizzly
Workbench Essential
WORKPRO 60 in Adjustable Workbench, Rubber Wood Top
Every job starts on a stable surface at the right height. Check yours with the workbench height calculator, then size the top to your wall.
Factory direct: Grizzly T34011 6 ft Adjustable Heavy-Duty Workbench with Outlets Check price at Grizzly
Safety glasses Essential
3M Solus 1000 Safety Glasses, Clear Anti-Fog
Cheap, fast to lose, and the one thing you cannot replace after a chip or a splinter. Buy before the first cut.
Hearing protection Essential
Howard Leight Impact Sport Earmuffs
Saws, routers, planers, compressors and grinders are all loud enough to damage hearing over time. Earmuffs go on and off in a second.
Dust masks (N95) Essential
3M 8210 N95 Respirator, 20 Pack
Fine wood dust stays in the air after a dust collector has done its job. An N95 is the minimum for sanding and sawing.
Miter saw Tool
Metabo HPT 10 in Compound Miter Saw (C10FCG2)
The fastest way to cut accurate lengths, and the cheapest saw that makes a bench, a shelf or a frame look square. Many shops buy this before a table saw.
Bar clamps Essential
IRWIN QUICK-GRIP 24 in One-Handed Bar Clamp
Glue-ups, assembly and holding work square. Buy at least four; woodworkers tend to say they never own enough.
Random orbital sander Tool
SKIL 5 in Random Orbital Sander
Takes a rough surface to a finish-ready one without swirl marks, and it is the tool that makes dust collection worth having.
Shop vacuum Essential
DEWALT 6 Gal Wet/Dry Shop Vacuum with Blower (DXV06P)
Cleans up, connects to sanders and small tools, and covers dust until a real collector arrives.
Table saw Tool
DEWALT 10 in Jobsite Table Saw with Rolling Stand
The heart of a woodworking shop: ripping, crosscutting and joinery all run through it. Pair it with a good blade and a push-stick set.
Factory direct: Grizzly G0869 10 in 2 HP Variable-Speed Benchtop Table Saw Check price at Grizzly
Dust collector Essential
WEN Rolling Dust Collector, 12 Gal Bag (3403)
Your hungriest port is the table saw at about 400 CFM. Collectors lose airflow to hose, elbows and filters, so aim for 1.5 to 2 times that: about 600 CFM or more. This one: rated 660 CFM, 12 gal bag.
Factory direct: Grizzly G0785 1 HP Wall-Mount Dust Collector with Canister Check price at Grizzly
Router Tool
Makita RT0701C 1-1/4 HP Compact Router
Edges, joinery, flush trimming and templates. A combo kit with fixed and plunge bases covers most jobs.
Drill bit set Essential
DEWALT 21-Piece High Speed Steel Drill Bit Set
A general set for wood and light metal. Buy once, then add specialty bits as jobs demand.
Brad point bits Essential
Brad Point Drill Bit Set, 8 Piece (3 mm to 10 mm)
The center point stops the bit wandering and leaves clean entry holes in wood. Standard twist bits tear the surface.
Jointer Tool
WEN JT3062 6 in Benchtop Jointer
Makes one face and one edge flat and square. Without it, a planer only copies the warp of the board into the finished piece.
Factory direct: Grizzly G0945 6 in Benchtop Jointer Check price at Grizzly
Air hose Essential
Flexzilla 3/8 in x 50 ft Air Compressor Hose
A compressor is only useful with a hose that stays flexible in a cold garage. Buy it with the compressor.
These come after the list above and are not counted in the total.
Thickness planer Tool
WEN PL1326 13 in Spiral Benchtop Thickness Planer
Buy rough lumber and surface it yourself. It is the tool that turns cheaper boards into project stock, and it pays back over time.
Bandsaw Tool
WEN BA3959 9 in Benchtop Band Saw
Curves, resawing and joinery cuts a table saw cannot do safely. The only machine that resaws a board into thinner ones.
Factory direct: Grizzly G0555 14 in 1 HP Bandsaw Check price at Grizzly
Router bit set Essential
Bosch RBS015MBS 15-Piece Carbide-Tipped Router Bit Set
A router is only as useful as its bits. A general set covers roundovers, chamfers, straight cuts and rabbets.
Air filtration unit Essential
POWERTEC 3-Speed Remote Air Filtration System (300/350/400 CFM)
Collectors catch chips; fine dust stays in the air. Plan six air changes an hour: about 384 CFM for a 480 sq ft room with an 8 ft ceiling. This unit is rated up to 400 CFM, so it suits a small room.
Factory direct: Grizzly G0738 3-Speed Hanging Air Filter Check price at Grizzly
Air compressor Essential
Makita MAC2400 2.5 HP Big Bore Air Compressor
Brad and finish nailers need little air, so a compact compressor is enough for trim and assembly. Add a bigger tank only if you plan sanders or spray guns.
Factory direct: Grizzly T32337 PRO 20-Gallon Oil-Free Quiet Series Air Compressor Check price at Grizzly
Tool chest Essential
Goplus 5-Drawer Rolling Tool Chest Cabinet
Drawers keep hand tools out of the dust and where you can find them. Rolling chests double as extra work surface.
Factory direct: Grizzly T34658 42 in 6-Drawer Top Tool Chest Check price at Grizzly
LED shop lights Essential
hykolity 4 ft LED Shop Light, 4400 lm
Shadows cause mistakes and eye strain. Bright, even LED light over the bench and machines is cheap and changes how the shop feels.
CNC router (optional) Tool
FoxAlien Masuter Pro 3-Axis CNC Router
Not a first tool. Add it when the basics are covered and you want sign work, inlays or repeatable parts.
As an Amazon Associate and a Grizzly Industrial affiliate, WorkshopCalc earns from qualifying purchases. Prices change daily, so every button goes to the live listing to check price. Picks come from product listings and specs, not from hands-on testing.
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Most new shop owners buy the exciting machine first and discover they have nowhere to clamp the work, no way to collect the dust and nothing to protect their eyes and ears. The builder reverses that. It starts with the tools every job needs, adds the first big tool for the kind of work you picked, and only then adds machines that depend on it.
The list leads with the best fit for your budget level. If the whole list would run past the budget, the items at the end of the buy order step down to lower-cost picks first, so the early tools stay good. What still does not fit moves to a "next up" list that is not counted in the total. Every line also shows a lower-cost option beside the lead pick.
Each machine in the list carries the airflow it wants at its dust port. The collector is sized for the single hungriest machine, with a margin of 1.5 times for hose and filter losses, and the page tells you the figure it used. Fine dust that a collector misses is the job of an air filtration unit, shown once the budget has room for one.
Shed and one-car shops get folding benches and benchtop tools. Basements get ventilation and dust advice. Only a two-car shop is offered the largest jointer. Machines that need 220V appear only if you say 220V is available.
Buy the tools you will use on every job before the machines: a cordless drill kit, a workbench, safety glasses, hearing protection and a dust mask. Then buy one big tool for your main work, such as a miter saw or table saw for woodworking, a mechanics tool set for auto work, or an angle grinder and welding helmet for metalwork. The builder puts every item in that order and shows a running total.
Find the machine with the biggest dust port in your shop. A table saw, jointer or planer typically wants about 350 to 450 CFM at the port. Collectors lose airflow to hose, elbows and filters, so aim for a collector rated 1.5 to 2 times that figure. The builder does this for the machines in your list and picks a collector that clears the target. See the dust collector CFM chart for each machine.
It depends on the air tools. Brad and finish nailers need little air, so a compact compressor is enough. Impact wrenches, die grinders, sanders and spray guns need much more, so check the CFM at 90 PSI that the tool asks for and choose a compressor that delivers more than that. The builder picks a compact model for woodworking and a larger one for auto and metal work.
Yes. A standard 120V circuit runs a jobsite table saw, miter saw, router, benchtop planer, benchtop jointer, drill press and a 120V MIG welder. The builder only recommends 220V-only machines when you say 220V is available. Give any tool that draws 12 amps or more its own 20 amp circuit.
A shed or one-car garage cannot hold floor machines and still leave room to work, so the builder favors folding benches and benchtop tools there. A basement holds dust and noise, so it adds air filtration advice. A two-car garage can take a cabinet saw and a larger jointer.
Most tools are shown as an Amazon pick, with a lower-cost option beside it. Grizzly sells its machines only through its own site, so where a Grizzly machine fits your list it is shown as a factory-direct option. Prices change daily; every button goes to the live listing to check price.
No. We have not used these tools. Picks come from the product listings and manufacturer specs, from the same products featured in our buying guides. Read the reviews on the listing, and check the specs against your shop and your panel before you buy.