Tools

1. Essential Tools

Safety glasses – Essential eye protection when cutting, drilling, or sanding.

Dust mask – Protects your lungs from fine dust, especially when sanding or working indoors.

Workbench – A stable work surface or a pair of sawhorses for safe cutting and assembly.

Circular saw — For cutting plywood and solid wood lumber.

Japanese pull saw – Cuts on the pull stroke for a thin kerf and smooth, easy-to-control cuts.

Cordless Drill/driver — For basic assembly and fastening.

Measuring tape & square — For accurate layout and checking corners.

Bench chisels (chisel set) – For mortises, cleaning corners, and fine shaping.

Clamps (assorted) – F-style clamps, quick-grip clamps, and C-clamps for holding boards during cutting and glue-ups.

2. Nice-to-Have Tools

Random orbital sander — Speeds up surface sanding and gives a smoother finish.

Miter saw – For accurate crosscuts and angle cuts in boards and trim.

Table saw – The core machine of many workshops, ideal for ripping long boards, cutting panels, and making repeatable cuts.

Band saw – For resawing, cutting curves, and rough shaping.

Thickness planer – Machine that flattens and thicknesses boards to a consistent dimension.

Hand plane – For flattening and smoothing wood by hand.

Brad Nailer – For trim work, case construction, and quick assembly.

Router — For rounding edges or cutting grooves.

Pocket hole jig – Jig for drilling angled “pocket” holes and joining boards quickly with screws.

Doweling jig – Guides drill bits so dowel holes line up perfectly across mating parts.

Dovetail jig – Template-based jig for cutting dovetail joints with a router.

Shop vacuum (wet/dry) – For general cleanup and small-tool dust collection around the shop.

Dust collector – For collecting dust and chips from table saws, planers, and other stationary machines.

Materials (Imperial Units)

1. Primary Materials

Plywood & Solid Wood — The two primary materials used in most 8ridge projects.

3/4" plywood — Main sheet material for most 8ridge furniture. We recommend purchasing it from Home Depot or a reliable local lumber supplier.

Solid wood — For major structural components and visible wood parts. Available at Home Depot or most local lumber yards.

2. Joinery & Assembly Materials

wooden dowels — For aligning parts and reinforcing wood joints. The most common size is 5/16" × 1 1/4".

Wood screws — Common sizes for joinery.

Wood glue — For stronger joints together with screws or dowels.

Flat washer – Metal spacer under screw or bolt heads.

Figure-8 fastener – Connects tabletop to base while allowing wood movement.