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Beginner Tool Kit for Wooden Toy-Making
People email us asking what tools they need to start making wooden toys. The honest answer is "less than you think." My first ten toys were made with a $35 hand saw, a $40 cordless drill, and a $25 sander. Every workshop I've ever owned has eventually filled up with shiny single-purpose tools that get used twice a year and gather dust — and what I've learned across twenty years of hobbyist woodworking is that the best beginner tool kit is the one you actually use.
This guide is the kit I'd give a friend who said "I want to start making wooden toys, what should I buy?" It's opinionated. There's a tier-one essentials list (under $200 total) that gets you through the entire MAKE series. Then a tier-two "once you're hooked" upgrade list. Skip tier two until you've built at least three toys.
Tier 1: the essential beginner kit
If you have nothing, buy these. Total under $200. This kit will build every toy in our MAKE series.
Tools & materials
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Tier 2: the "once you're hooked" upgrades
After you've built three toys with the tier-1 kit, these are the upgrades that actually pay off. None are necessary; all are worthwhile once you've confirmed the hobby has stuck.
Tools & materials
Links go to Amazon — we earn a small commission at no cost to you.
What we don't recommend (yet)
These are the tools people buy because they look impressive in workshop photos but won't pay off until you're building serious furniture, not toys.
- Router. Powerful, useful, but overkill for toy-making. Most toy edge-rounding can be done with sandpaper.
- Track saw. Beautiful tool, $400 minimum, only earns its keep when ripping plywood sheets — not toy work.
- Table saw. The most dangerous tool in a hobby shop, and a mitre saw + bandsaw + jigsaw covers 95% of toy cuts.
- Planer / jointer. Only needed if you're milling rough lumber. Buy dimensioned hardwood until you're building serious furniture.
- Lathe. Tempting (peg dolls!) but unfinished peg-doll blanks cost $10 for 12. Skip until you want to turn bowls.
Where to source wood
For toy-making, you don't need a specialty timber yard. Here's the realistic supply chain:
- Big-box hardware (Bunnings, Lowes, Home Depot). Pine boards, dowels, plywood. Cheap, available, fine for most builds. Quality varies — pick straight boards by eye, leave warped ones.
- Specialty timber yards. Maple, beech, rubberwood, oak. Pricier but huge quality difference. Worth it for heirloom builds.
- Off-cuts from cabinet makers. Local cabinet shops often sell their off-cuts cheap. Best source for premium hardwood at pine prices.
- Recycled / reclaimed wood. Old furniture, pallets (heat-treated only), construction reclaim. Free or cheap. Check for nails before sawing.
Safety: the non-negotiables
- Safety glasses every time. Even for hand-saw work. Wood chips travel.
- Dust mask for sanding. Wood dust is a known carcinogen with long exposure. Especially MDF.
- Hearing protection for power tools. Mitre saws and routers will damage hearing over time without earplugs.
- Push sticks for table saws. If you have one — never use bare hands closer than 150mm to the blade.
- Kids out of the shop during cutting / sanding. Once the cutting is done, they can paint and sand with you — but not during power-tool work.
The total cost equation
If you build 4 toys with the tier-1 kit, you've spent about $200 on tools + $80 on materials = $280 total. The equivalent toys, store-bought, run $200-$400. Tools pay back in ~1-2 builds. After that, every toy is essentially free except for the wood.
Frequently asked questions
What's the single most important tool?
The cordless drill. Universal, indispensable, used in every build.
Should I buy cordless or corded?
Cordless for everything portable (drill, sander, jigsaw, mitre saw). Corded for stationary tools you're always plugging in (bandsaw, table saw). Battery technology in 2026 is good enough that cordless cordless isn't a compromise.
Should I buy quality tools or budget tools?
Mid-range. DeWalt, Makita, Bosch in cordless. Avoid no-name brands (they break and parts disappear). Avoid Festool / premium brands until you're serious — the marginal benefit isn't there for hobby work.
What about used tools?
Excellent. Used hand tools and stationary tools are bargains. Used cordless tools — check the battery health. A new battery is half the price of the tool.
Where should I keep my tools?
If you've got a garage, a workbench + pegboard wall is the classic setup. Apartment-friendly: a rolling tool cart with drawers. The tools you can see, you use.
Related: More LEARN guides · Start here: build a wooden door hanger · Child-safe finishes for wooden toys.
