Let us guess: you’ve been procrastinating, and now you have to finish up your holiday shopping fast. Don’t despair. Here are five sure fire woodworking-related gifts that you can still have in hand on the crucial date. Even better, they’re all on sale, so even if you have to pony up for extra speedy shipping, you’ll still be getting a pretty good deal.

(Editor's note: please notice the date of this posting - the products mentioned may no longer be on sale)

1. The Rockler Heavy Duty Flip Top Roller Stand would be a welcome addition just about anywhere: a home shop, the back of a carpenter’s or even a professional cabinet shop. This shop standard performs such a variety useful functions that it would be impossible for a woodworker not to want one. This particular model is especially useful, as it combines the two common styles of stock outfeed stand. It converts in a matter of seconds from a 14-3/4” standard roller, which is great for very narrow stock or just holding up the dumb end of a board, to a support comprised of 8 ball bearings, the best arrangement for most power tool outfeed applications.
 
The Heavy Duty Flip Top Stand is made from heavy gage square steel tubing, and has a hefty 220 lbs. load rating. It comes with Rockler’s own unique cam–style leveling system. With a turn of the specially designed foot pads, the stand can be quickly de-wobbled and made to stand up straight on a wonky basement floor or uneven ground at a jobsite. At the regular price of $99.99, it’s a lot of work support for the money. Now, at $59.99 (40 percent off) it represents an uncommonly good deal on a premium version of this wood shop essential.

2. Designed specifically for woodworking applications, Forstner drill bits fill a unique niche in the woodshop. Unlike most other types of bit, they can be used along with a drill press to bore angled holes, holes that partially overlap, and holes on the edge of the material. And they’re just about the only choice for clean larger sized holes, where the alternative is either an inexpensive spade bit or a hole saw - neither of which are especially well known for producing the smooth, crisp-edged holes that exacting woodwork projects call for. In the end, they’re really the only bit suitable for a variety of woodworking tasks.

In the world of woodworking tools, Forstner bits  are an interesting case. The need for their special capabilities and their especially precise, clean holes doesn’t come up all that frequently, but when it does, nothing else will do. Most woodworkers would love to have a full set on hand when the need arises, but many don’t, because they’re focusing on acquiring the “bread and butter” tools they’ll use most frequently. Consequently, Forstner bits are the perfect gift for a great many woodworkers. Right now, you can pick up a set of 16 of the most common sizes for a mere $39.99, or a starter set of 7 for just $11.49 – a whopping 52 and 58 percent off the regular price respectively.

3. As their careers progress, most woodworker develop and ever greater appreciation for fine tools. Interestingly, for most, it really doesn’t matter what the tool does, just so long as it’s exceptionally well made and performs its function – however humble – in a way that sets it apart from the rest of the pack. With that in mind, we’d like to recommend the Felo 5-Piece Screw Driver Set as a gift that’s almost guaranteed to please.

Crafted to the highest standards, these German-made classics are without a doubt as good as screwdrivers get. Their super-hard black tips are ground to precisely fit the screw sizes for which they are intended, will keep their crisp, screw-gripping shape through years of service. And because the shaft is anchored through the entire length of the handle, will stand up to an incredible amount of torque. The ergonomically designed boxwood handles complete the design, in keeping with a tradition that dates back to early Felo models beginning in the 1870s. All in all, this is a very handsome gift, and at $19.99 (42 percent off) a steal.  

4. Of course, these days there’s more than one way to screw in a screw. Our next pick goes to the all encompassing Irwin 41-Piece Fastener Driver Set. A perfect gift for DIYers, cabinetmakers and installers, carpenters and anyone who routinely deals with various types of screw, this handy kit covers fasteners from A to Z. With 39 drivers for the most common sizes of Phillips, square drive, slotted and hex head screws, the handy person on your list will be armed for just about any fastening task that comes along. Not to be neglected, the included soft carrying case provides a valuable organization system, and helps prevent the typical search for the right driver tip that seem to only crop up at pivotal moments in the course of a day’s work.   

Finally, if the woodworker on your list has been especially good this year and you feel inclined to spend a little more. The Rockler Portable Router Table has been a favorite for years. Recently upgraded, the new bench top table comes with features you’d look for on a floor standing router table: a solid aluminum plate, a plate leveling system, a steel stand, and a 1” thick top.

5. The Portable Router Table is great for small home shops. Measuring a diminutive 24” wide x 16” deep x 16” high, it stores easily under a bench when not in use; the compact size also makes it the perfect jobsite companion. The table comes with an adjustable aluminum/MDF fence of the same basic design as the one that accompanies our extremely popular full sized router table. The 1/8” thick steel frame is predrilled for an optional safety switch, and you also get four adjustable four levelers, which make it easy to keep the table planted firmly on an uneven surface.

If you’re looking for something that the big woodworking kid on your list will have put together before the wrapping paper’s cleaned up, the Portable Router Table could be just the ticket. And right now, with a price cut of 30 percent to $139.99, you’ll get a great deal on a table that does everything you’d expect from a full sized floor standing model.

These are just a few suggestions. If you don’t see it here, you’ll find lots more in our Holiday Gift Guide. Or, if you’re looking for an exceptionally good deal, browse the 200 or so items in the Rockler Outlet. Whatever you choose, don't delay - as of right now you still have time, but you won’t for long.

Well, it’s that time of year again. Time to start figuring out what the woodworker on your list really wants. That’s not always easy, especially if you’re not experienced in the craft yourself. As you’ve probably noticed, most woodworker’s have strongly held opinions about what counts as worthwhile woodworking equipment, but they don’t always make clear what it is exactly that separates the good from the acceptable from the outright undesirable. 

We'd like to help you get started, and that's why each year we put together our Holiday Gift Guide, where you'll find something for woodworkers of all skill levels and interests. But if you’re still puzzling over the myriad of woodworking gift possibilities, here are a few tips and best bets in various price ranges, beginning with the modest “stocking-stuffer”.

(Editor's note: please notice the date of this posting - sale prices mentioned may no longer be in effect.)

Gifts Under $10

In the “gifts under $10” range, you could hardly go wrong with a pocket sized diamond sharpening stone that comes with its own leather pouch. The 1" x 3" fine-grit stone is perfect for touching up the edge on everything from router bits to kitchen knives. It makes a great jobsite companion, and would be especially appreciated by a woodworker/outdoorsman type. A patented process produces these diamond matrix stones and insures that the sharpening surface will stay flat, very sharp and ready for use for years.

If you have a cabinetmaker who’s set up for spray finishing on your list, we can’t think of a better stocking stuffer than a couple of Sure Hook 360 tool-less cabinet door hangers. This Rockler exclusive has been a huge success since the day it hit the market, and consistently wins glowing customer reviews, like this one from professional remodeler Bill Nunez:

"One of my roles as a remodeling contractor is cabinet builder, and I've forever been trying to figure out how to fabricate something like this to allow me to spray both sides of a door without leaving marks or making holes in the workpiece. These are a dream come true.

There's nothing I'd change about them based on my first use yesterday to spray 30 doors...To whoever figured out how to make these things affordably, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

(Right now, the Sure Hook is more affordable than ever. You can pick up a starter set of three without pushing past the $10 mark.)

$10 - $20

The Four Foot T-Track Kit is once again our top pick in the $10 – $20 range.  Here an understanding of the woodworker’s mentality may be required. The T-Track Kit may strike the uninitiated as an un-giftlike box of miscellaneous hardware, but to the average woodworker, it’s a treasure trove of future shop-built jigs and fixtures.  We could go into detail on diverse uses woodworker’s everywhere find for this stuff, but we couldn’t give you a better idea of how much they like it than you’ll get from the T-Track Kit’s 77 customer reviews.

Also in the $20-or-less category, we’d like to suggest any of three Crown Tools angle measuring devices. All woodworkers need to measure and mark angles on a regular basis, and with a Crown Try Square, Try-Miter Square or T-Bevel, they’ll do it in classic style.  With solid brass rub plates, handsome rosewood handles, hardened steel blades and unsurpassed accuracy, these woodworking standards make common angle-measuring and marking operations a pleasure to perform.

$20 -$50

The All-In-One Clamp Guide is great place to start in the $20 to $50 gift range. This popular tool is something that just about any woodworker can use, but woodworkers with limited shop space and tool collections tend to be the clamp guide’s biggest fans. It gives them an easy, accurate way to achieve professional-quality cutting and routing results on larger materials - without having to own an industrial-sized shop. Craig Maynard sums up the benefits in his review of the 50” All-In-One:

“This all in one clamping guide is the best guide that I have ever used with a circular saw or router. With the 50" Clamp and a circular saw I can now cut a sheet of plywood perfectly straight and square. When using the clamp with a router I can put an edge on a board straight enough without any flaws that can be joined together. This clamp is one of the best tools I have invested in.”

$50 - $100 Gift Ideas

If the woodworker in your life is dropping hints about dovetail joinery equipment, have we got a deal for you.  A great value at the regular price, Rockler Complete Dovetail Jig comes with everything you need (except a router and wood) to start making perfect dovetails. You get the jig, two templates, the necessary guide bushing, the three router bit you need for both half-blind and through dovetails and a detailed set of instructions. In other words, you can start cutting dovetails as soon as you take it out of the box. Best of all, with the price knocked down by a third, it’s an honored special guest in our $50 to $100 gift price range, and our top pick for the category.

When you think of really great woodworking gifts, the term “extension cord” may not spring immediately to mind. But in truth, anyone who’s spent a few too many clean-ups engaging several yards of electric cord in much the same way they would a giant python will love a cord management system that actually works. Again, our customer reviews bear this out. Here are a few thoughts on our 12 Gauge Electric Cable Reel from Mark, in Anaheim Hills, CA:

“I purchased this item for my garage. Got weary of always yanking out extension cords and then coiling them for storage after a chore. What a great feature of just reeling-in your extension cord! After my first purchase...promptly went out and bought another for work!”

A long time favorite and a gift of truly universal appeal, this extra-heavy gauge, 30’ self retracting time and hassle saver earns its usual spot as a top pick for a gift  priced around $60.

Gifts for $100 or More

Once you pass the $100 mark, the sky’s the limit. But you don’t have to lug home a 700 lb. table saw to make a woodworker very, very happy. In keeping with the sense of frugality that seems likely to prevail this holiday season, we’ll stay close to the lower limit in our suggestions for the $100 plus category, beginning with our top pick: the Pack Rack Clamp and Tool Storage System.

Priced around $150, the Pack Rack neatly solves an extremely common woodshop problem: the lack of orderly and convenient clamp storage. With this robust rolling storage system, your woodworker will be able to keep a variety of the most useful woodworking clamps - along with glue, rags, dowels, biscuits, and other clamping related equipment – organized and close at hand. Every woodworker uses clamps – lots of them. In a small shop especially, a storage solution that keeps them all together and out of the way when not in use is truly something to get excited about.

Finally, we’d be remiss if we didn’t include at lest one power tool. Here’s one we think will be a big hit this season and won’t set you back too terribly much. The new Cordless Max Multi-X Tool from Bosch is a great choice for a carpenter a DIYer or just about any woodworker. This multipurpose tool performs a variety of handy functions. Built like a detail sander, the Multi-X can also be outfitted with attachments that saw, scrape and rasp in tight quarters where other power tools can go. But unlike other popular multi tools, the Multi-X is cordless and powered by the latest in lithium-ion battery technology – an interesting added convenience, we think. All in all, it’s a great tool, reasonably priced and an excellent value for the money.

Don’t see the perfect gift here? You’ll find lots more in our Holiday Gift Guide. Or, if you’re shopping for a bargain, check out the 200 plus items in the Rockler Outlet. As always, you’ll find everything a woodworker could possibly want – and this season, some especially great deals – at Rockler.

For anyone who’s still having trouble picking out a woodworking gift, here’s a little more advice: if you’re not an experienced woodworker yourself, rather than guessing which one of the mysterious gadgets you’re trying to pick from are the best and most useful of the bunch, let other woodworkers tell you. Rockler customer reviews (ever growing in number) contain a wealth of unbiased information on what woodworkers really like, and why they like it. To help you get started, here are a few examples of field-tested and approved tools, chosen from our Holiday Gift Guide.

The All-In-One Clamp Guide is an obvious place to start. This popular tool is something that just about any woodworker can use, and it’s also one of our most reviewed tools. A clamp guide, in case you’re not familiar with the term, is most often used as a straightedge to help guide a router, circular saw or other tool in a straight line across a material. Woodworkers with space and/or funding limitations tend to be the clamp guide’s biggest fans. It gives them an easy, practicable way to achieve accurate cutting and machining results with a compact, affordable tool. Beyond being sold on the general idea of the clamp guide, many woodworkers favor the All-In-One version specifically. In his review of the All-In-One, Craig Maynard writes:

“This all in one clamping guide is the best guide that I have ever used with a circular saw or router. With 50" Clamp and a circular saw I can now cut a sheet of plywood perfectly straight and square. When using the clamp with a router I can put an edge on a board straight enough without any flaws that can be joined together. This clamp is one of the best tools I have invested in.”

And there’s this from Ray Labulis, in Poughkeepsie, NY:

“What a gem of clamp. I bought the 50" clamp and used it to build an HDTV stand. I liked it so much, I have just ordered the 24" version along with the squaring guide. The clamping mechanism is solid and secure. The clamp is very well built and is a pleasure to use. Everyone I show it to loves it. Keep up the great product selection.”

For more on what the woodworking public thinks of this handy shop standard, read the remaining 41 All-In-One Clamp Guide customer reviews. Along with several heartfelt endorsements, you’ll find valuable information on what other woodworkers and DIYers do with tool, and a few tips to pass along on how to use the All-In-One to its best advantage.

When you think of really great woodworking gifts, the term “extension cord” may not spring immediately to mind. But in truth, anyone who’s spent a few too many clean-ups engaging several yards of electric cord in much the same way they would a giant python will love a cord management system that actually works. At least that’s the impression we get from customer reviews of the 12 Gauge Cable Reel, like this one from Mark, in Anaheim Hills, CA:

“I purchased this item for my garage. Got weary of always yanking out extension cords and then coiling them for storage after a chore. What a great feature of just reeling-in your extension cord! After my first purchase...promptly went out and bought another for work!”

Besides providing unbiased opinions, information from woodworkers who are practiced in assessing tools can really help ferret out the subtle differences in quality between one version of a tool to the next. Here’s a review of the same Cable Reel from Ernie, in Elkhart, IL:

“I purchased this reel for my woodshop. After looking forever for one that was 12 gauge through and through...I came across this one. It is very well built...metal housing, and retraction seems to be very good. I would recommend this one over the 40' reel that [another tool supplier] offers any day. Theirs is plastic, and the cord is too long to retract properly. Kudos to Rockler!”

We love that: the review zeros in on the features that really matter to people who actually use this stuff: a metal housing instead of plastic, heavier gauge wire to handle the higher levels of current that many woodworking tools draw, and a length of cord that retracts the way it’s supposed to.

The not-always-apparent differences between similar tools are extremely important. Here’s an excellent example: Apart from a few obvious differences, to the uninitiated one hand saw may look pretty much like the next. But an experienced woodworker will find huge differences in individual saws, even within a narrow range of specialization. Clyde, a fine woodworking student from Lakewood, CO, for example, had this to say about the Ikedame Dovetail saw:

“I am currently a fine woodworking student at RRCC in Lakewood. The school has a wide variety of handsaws anything from a gentleman's saw, a traditional western saw to dozuki and ikedame saws. After trying many of them I seemed to favor the Japanese saws for the thin smooth cuts, however the western saws kept rigid and the cuts were straighter. The only problem with the westerns was that they had slightly larger teeth and on smaller projects it would just splinter the edges n try to tear the wood. In comes the Ikedame my personal fav, slim and smooth benefits of the Dozuki saws yet the straightness and rigid back of the western. The outcome was a clean, easy, accurate cut. 2 thumbs waaaay up. When doing dovetails or even hand mortise and tenons I only touch the Ikedame.”

If the woodworker on your list leans toward traditional furniture making techniques, Clyde’s opinion offers valuable insight. Designed specifically for fine joinery by author and master craftsman Toshio Odate, the Ikedame saw has a short stiff blade that many converts to the Japanese pull-stroke style saw find easier to control. It makes an especially useful gift for woodworkers who’ve been at it for a while but are still working out their preferences when it comes to the finer points in tool design.

We’re not saying that you should avoid any woodworking gift that doesn’t come with a legacy of glowing reviews, but if you’re looking for gift that will be both a surprise and a success, it pays to do a little research. Gathering the opinions of other woodworkers is a great place to start learning which woodworking tools and supplies work best in actual practice, and why.

Tis’ the season to start whittling down that long, long, long holiday gift list. And if there’s a woodworker, DIYer, or power tool enthusiast on yours, you might want to take note of this: Right now, Rockler is offering great deals on two professional-class Metabo compact cordless drill/drivers.

While the name may be less familiar elsewhere, in Europe Metabo Corp. has been a leading power tool manufacturer for years. But the company is gaining a worldwide reputation quickly for designing exceptionally durable and well-engineered power tools. Among the most lauded are two compact and powerful cordless drill/drivers: the PowerMaxx Plus and the more recently introduced lithium ion powered Powergrip II. For both of these two drill/drivers the defining feature is guts in a small package. Going a long way toward breaking the longstanding power/maneuverability dichotomy in cordless drill / drivers, both offer performance suitable for professional woodworkers and cabinetmakers in a tool that literally fits in your front pocket.

A couple of years ago, the PowerMaxx Plus entered the market as the most compact, lightweight drill/driver in its class. At only 5-3/4" long and weighing a mere 1-1/2 lbs., it’s easy to handle, hold up, and maneuver in tight spaces. Powered by a long-lasting 4.8 volt Ni-Cad battery, the PowerMaxx delivers 80 In-lbs. max torque, and features a 2-speed gearbox, 20-level clutch and a standard-equipment 360 degree angle attachment for even greater flexibility. If you’ve ever struggled to cram yourself into a cabinet opening or other tight space wielding a whopping 18 volt “full-sized” cordless, you’ll understand why cabinet installers everywhere quickly jumped on the new, more compact design.

More recently, Metabo introduced the Powergrip II, and joined numerous other cordless tool manufacturers in taking advantage of recent advances in lithium-ion battery technology. Following the basic PowerMaxx design almost exactly, the Powergrip offers twice the power of its predecessor simply by virtue of its more advanced power system. But there’s more to it than that:  Besides a superior power-to-weight ratio, lithium-ion batteries offer several advantages over Ni-Cad or Ni-MH batteries, including twice the number of battery life cycles, greatly decreased self-discharge when stored, less power drop-off toward the end of the cycle, and best of all, no discharge “memory”, meaning that the batteries don’t have to be run down to nothing periodically for conditioning.

Whether you’re buying a drill/driver for yourself or your favorite woodworker, either the PowerMaxx or the Powergrip will give you more than adequate power, enough stored capacity that you won’t frequently run out of juice with one battery while the other one is still on the charger, and an especially user-friendly, ergonomically advanced drilling / driving experience.

At the regular retail price, the PowerMaxx Plus is a worthy investment, and will serve all but the most demanding users perfectly well. Right now, the PowerMaxx is featured on the Rockler Website as one of our “Two Day Deals” at half off – a very uncommon opportunity. On the other hand, f you - or that special woodworker on your list - needs the added power and longevity provided by state of the art Li-Ion technology, don’t despair. You’ll find a very attractive deal on the Metabo Powergrip II right now as well.  

It isn’t always fun and easy to pick out gifts the woodworkers on your list, especially if you're not a woodworker yourself. They have all the expertise - you have all the responsibility.  Ideally, we'd send a team of experts to drop by and size-up your woodworker's shop for areas that could use a little beefing up. We can't, but can make an educated guess or two.

A surprising number of woodworkers amass a sophisticated collection of power tools, clamps, router bits, specialized jigs, and all manner of hand tools designed to saw, plane, abrade, join and otherwise transform pieces of wood. And yet they measure every expensive piece of hardwood that comes through their shop with a beat-up tape measure, and mark their cuts with an inexpensive tool that, if accurately named, would be called a "sort-of square" or a "90-ish degree marking gauge".

In other words, accurate, useful marking and measuring tools are a pretty safe bet for a good many woodworkers. And there is no shortage of them, even in the "stocking-stuffer" range. Here are a few ideas:

The ability to precisely judge squareness is absolutely central to accurate woodworking, and the try square is the woodshop's "authority" on squareness. The "try" in try square actually derives from the fact that the square is used to judge whether an angle is a perfect 90 degrees - you "try" other angles against it to see if they measure-up.

Crown Tools' Mini Try Square and Try-Miter Square are professional class squares, and are guaranteed to measure squareness with state-of-the-art accuracy. Along with that, they're handsome tools - aesthetically, they're just pleasant to have around.  Either one would be a great gift for a woodworker whose skill is on the ascent, and who is coming to the common realization that some of their less-than perfect marking and measuring tools are holding them back.

Another great gift for a woodworker whose projects are demanding more and more accuracy would be any selection from Incra's line of measuring tools.  Incra measuring tools' unique positioning hole system makes measuring and marking accurate lengths easy and foolproof. The positioning hole system is especially appreciated by those of us woodworkers who are “of a certain age”.  It prevents us from having to get our good eye up close and focused on the workpiece to make sure the mark is in the right spot, and not just in the vicinity.  To make matters better, one of Incra's most useful tools, the Incra 18" Precision Rule, is on sale.

You'll also find great deals on other classic measuring and marking tools. The Rosewood Mortise Gauge offered by Rockler is a refined example of a tool that's been around for a long time, and is still preferred for precise layout work. In the same vein, the Marking Gauge / Cutting Gauge set would be perfect for a veneer enthusiast. Crown Tools' T-bevel Sliding Square is another must-have tool for reproducing angles other than 90 and 45 degrees. 

Finally, here are a couple of gifts that even woodworkers who seem to have everything may have overlooked:  The Starrett Protractor Angle Finder is a tool that vast numbers of pro finish carpenters would love to (but don't) have in their toolbox. And for cabinetmaker types, the clever EZ-Mark Marking Lines are a unique and useful stocking-stuffer that we'd bet they don't already have.

You can read more about the value of good marking and measuring tools in Rockler’s article, "Marking and Measuring Tool Basics". But this is just one approach to a case of woodworking gift choice anxiety; there are lots more.  Woodworkers are easier to please than you might think. You'd be surprised how much sex appeal a new bar clamp holds for the average woodworker, for example.  The Rockler Gift Guide is great resource if you'd prefer to design your own strategy. On it you'll find something for woodworkers of every kind.