5 Tools Under $15 You NEED (and great gifts for woodworkers)

(Good news! This post contains affiliate links to products I really do believe in.)

If you're a woodworker, or if you know a woodworker, you know we're tool JUNKIES. But a lot of the tools we buy can end up junking up our space. Here are five tools under $15 worth looking into. If you know a woodworker, these make great gifts!

Countersink Drill Bit

This thing drills a pilot hole and a hole for your screw head so that you have a smooth surface or can even spackle over the hole concealing the screw entirely!

Carpenter Square

It's an odd tool, to be sure. A piece of metal that's a triangle that we call a square... but this will keep your angles straight, your short measurements accurate, and solve a host of other issues. Pick one up.

Self-Locking Tape Measure

We've all been there. You measure it out. You get it just right. And then your tape measure slips back in 1/32 of an inch. Just enough to make you start all over.

Stop starting all over. They sell tape measures that lock on their own. You press a button to release them, not lock them. Pick one up.

Graph Paper Notebook

One of the biggest disciplines is designing your project BEFORE getting started.

Keep all your designs in one place with this notebook. And make sure you anticipate the problems before you cut the first piece of wood.

Wood Clamp

A wood clamp is useful in almost every scenario. Holding two pieces of wood together. Mounting to a piece of furniture to hold a loose piece on top. Securing one piece to avoid the dreaded board "walk" while you're drilling. Sure, you might not be able to buy 20 clamps like all those guys on YouTube. But you can pick one up. And that makes a huge difference.

BONUS: 2 Tools to Consider Around $50

Not all tools are cheap. Here are two that are more of an investment but totally worth it.

Laser Level

After years of hanging things very, very crooked, I picked up a laser level.

I HATE that it took me years to figure this out.

There is NOTHING better when you're building accent walls, doing backsplash tile, hanging pictures, or mounting TVs than to have a bright neon red laser telling you exactly where to drill.

Worth every penny.

Kreg Pocket Hole Jig

I have used this jig more than any other jig I've ever purchased. There's no cleaner way to join two boards together than with pocket holes, and the jig makes the seams easy to fill or look great. Kreg sells a lot of pocket hole jigs. This one is more affordable and gets the job done.