Help Shopping for a Woodworker

[greenmonkey1]

I have gifts for everyone except my own Dad and am just drawing a blank.  He has a wood shop in his basement so I was thinking something fun for his hobby.  I'd get him the palm router he wants, but it is way over our budget even adding in the amount we'd spend for his birthday next month.

Any ideas?  I have done so well with everyone else and my brain is just out of ideas.  Don't want him to feel like I phoned it in for him.

[peachy]

Do you have any woodworking or wood supply stores near you? We have one that carries all kinds of beautiful/fancy wood for doing inlays or really anything.

Rockler is also a good source for practically anything woodworking related. It’s difficult to answer not knowing what he already has, but you might get some ideas browsing their site.

[sudokufan]

A book maybe? One with designs for the types of things he likes or wants to do, or maybe a new to him technique? I craft and I know those are things I like to get.

Also sometimes kits if they have a nicer than usual material or new technique - could be even a small kit to make something like a toy or small box. Or a smallish tool, like fancy rulers or wood burning irons.

[justcheckingin73]

My Dad also does woodworking and if something is over my spending limit, I just give him a gift card. Typically I’ve talked to my mom about it beforehand so he knows what it’s for or I’ll mention in the card that I hope he can use it for_______. I don’t even try to buy him tools on my own. He’s been doing this for over 50 years and I won’t pretend to know what sorts of features he wants - it’s way too overwhelming

You could also do a gift card and a small gift along with it - maybe some nicer shaving accessories or a woodworking magazine.

[186momx]

Buying wood working stuff is so hard. My DH is into it and I usually just let him buy what he is wanting. I will buy sandpaper, saw blades, saw horses, so the small kind of stuff but tools he is too picky. One year I got him this electrical cord storage real with outlets and a speaker that he really liked.

I would buy a bunch of different grain sandpaper to that will work with the sander he is eyeing and then add cash or a gift card with a note saying hope this helps you get your new sander quicker.

My DH really wants this lath than is over 2K and I just go no. We have no room for it and it is a total I want to try lathing things to see if I like it kind of mentality vs I love doing this I wish I had one myself so I can do it.

DH has these www.walmart.com/ip/Protocol-47-Sawhorse-67103-PK4/531615953?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=1122&adid=22222222222080898088&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=e&wl1=o&wl2=c&wl3=83769044096068&wl4=kwd-4587368670697101&wl12=531615953_10000001195&wl14=protocol%20sawhorses&veh=sem Not from Wal-Mart but from our local hardware store and loves them.

[greenmonkey1]

Thank you for all the suggestions. I ended up getting him a pack of bench cookies and a Rockler gc. While I would really like to buy him the power tool he really wants it is out of our budget even if I get my sisters in on a group gift. He'll use the gc and I think the bench cookies will be useful for some of the detail work he is doing on his current project.