Shop Accessories
Over the past 10 years, I have slowly but steadily build and equipped my shop, putting a lot of effort into researching each of the tools to make sure to always get good value for the money invested. You will find here a list of shop accessories I would recommend to all builders, woodworkers and DIY lovers. Most of them are affiliate links, meaning I will get a small commission in case you decide to make a purchase, which would greatly support this site and its content.
Lumber Rack This Triton lumber rack can be easily installed to a wall or a fence and holds up to 300kg (60kg per level) of wood or other long stock such as tubes and pipes. Buy on Amazon
Band Clamp This strap or band clamp is perfectly suited to provide even clamp pressure for mitered corners, for example for a picture frame. The four corner support pads pivot from 60 to 180 degrees and the strap is 7m long, offering you a wide variety of possible applications! Buy on Amazon
Cyclone Dust Seperator This cyclone dust separator is another important safety feature: all the nasty fine dust and saw dust gets separated in a bucket. Cherry on the cake: your shop vac filters won’t clog up nearly as fast and you will get rid of the costly saw dust bags for your vac! Buy on Amazon
Feather Board An important safety feature for your table saw and router table. Its flexible "fingers" keep the workpiece pressed tightly against the fence or table top throughout the cut, thus producing cleaner cuts with less chance of kickback, chattering or lifting. Buy on Amazon
Parallel Body Clamp Whenever you want to edge-joint boards, for example to create a table top or a cutting board, you’ll inevitably need a clamp that will hold your wood perfectly parallel. These heavy-duty clamps do just that, offering a whopping 1700 lbs. of nominal clamping force. Buy on Amazon
Respirator / Dust Mask Safety goggles, hearing protection, a shop vac and a dust mask should be the bare minimum in terms of personal protective equipment in a shop. This dust mask has a silicone face seal for a tight fit, a quick latch mechanism to be able to take it off rapidly as well as a good choice of available filter cartridges for gases, chemicals, particles such as saw dust etc. Buy on Amazon
Bench Cookies These little bench cookies are such a great invention: just pop them on your workbench, put your work piece on top and thanks to the anti-slippage, high-friction rubber pads your workpiece won’t shift around while sanding, sawing, or routing. Buy on Amazon
Bench Vise A sturdy bench vise is a must-have in any serious shop. This one has a 360º swivel base, a max. 7 in. jaw opening and a 3 in. throat depth. It also comes with a decent powder coat finish and chrome plated hardware. Buy on Amazon
Hearing Protection A hearing protection is one of the essential safety gears you will want to buy first to avoid any serious damage to your hearing capacity. These are particularly lightweight and offer a 27db noise reduction. Buy on Amazon
F-Style Clamp My favorite of all clamps. Bessey TG are simply the best clamps out there, made of durable cast iron and providing 1,320N of clamping force. Make sure you get the heavy duty TG line. Buy on Amazon
Digital Caliper An electronic digital caliper is one of those tools you will use all the time to check thickness, inside / outside diameters and depths. This one has a measurement range of 0 to 6 Inches and offers a quick change button for inch / fraction / millimeter conversions. Buy on Amazon
Foot Switch Very sturdy heavy-duty cast aluminum foot switch, e.g. to safely start & stop a band saw or scroll saw. Buy on Amazon
Pipe Clamp Pipe clamps are extremely versatile in the sense that you can basically swop different pipe lengths for the clamp fixtures at your disposal. These fixtures use 3/4-Inch metal pipes with both ends threaded. Buy on Amazon
Safety Goggles The last thing you’ll want is getting flying wood chips while sawing or hot sparks while grinding into your eyes. Safety goggles are another essential part of personal protective equipment you’ll need in any shop. Buy on Amazon
Apron Now chances are you are just another guy in a garage somewhere like myself, but this apron will make you feel like a pro. Plus it does protect your cloths from getting dirty or – worse yet - from getting too close to any turning power machines or blades. Buy on Amazon
Spring Clamp These spring clamps have a surprising holding power & spring tension and can be used one-handedly for rapid clamping of stop blocks, jigs, small glue-ups and the likes. Buy on Amazon
Spring Clamp Whenever you build a cabinet or some kind of box, nothing is more frustrating than realizing your box is out of square. These clamps will guarantee you achieve a perfect 90 degrees corner by attaching the different sides squarely right at the assembly phase. Buy on Amazon
Spring Clamp Low-budget but perfectly sufficient pocket hole jig I use all the time when building boxes or drawers. Buy on Amazon
Miter Gauge Surprisingly well-build and precise miter gauge matching the Dewalt table saw. This one comes with an aluminum-alloy fence & miter. The fence has a jig included that allows you tu cut finger joints in a breeze. Best thing: the t-track has adjustable expansion discs that remove all side play from the bar, creating a perfect fit and allowing precise cuts. Buy on Amazon
Workbench Casters As a general rule, you will want to have as much as possible on wheels to gain in terms of flexibility. These pivoting heavy-duty workbench casters carry up to 1770lbs in total. Buy on Amazon
Angle Gauge A digital angle gauge allows you to rapidly set any blade angle compared to a reference surface. Just magnetically attach it to your saw blade, set your angle and off you go for any bevel cut. Buy on Amazon
Height Gauge Accurate digital height gauge to quickly set your table saw blade or router bit height. Buy on Amazon
Compressed Air Hose Reel Compressed air everywhere in the shop without having to carry around your compressor! This 3/8" x 50' retractable air hose reel from Dewalt features an automatic spring-powered drive that makes hose retraction quick, automatic, and easy. Buy on Amazon
Retractable Workbench Casters This set composed of 4 retractable workbench casters kit is particularly useful for workbenches, which need to be set firmly on the ground when in use but which also might to be moved around the shop at times. These heavy-duty casters can carry up to 660 Lbs, which should be plenty for most workbenches. Buy on Amazon
Paddle Kill Switch Workbench Casters Paddle switches act as an emergency power off safety switch. They should always be installed in a way they can be easily accessed. Buy on Amazon