For the first several years of me making stuff, I used hand saws for all of my cuts, and removed layers of wood with sandpaper or files. The only electric tool I regularly used was a drill, and even at that one of my earliest posts here were about prototyping a pump drill. I certainly had visions of making without electricity. Then one day my wife told me she was pregnant. And from pregancy to the first year and a half of my child's life, the pump drill project has stayed on hold. And more and more I find myself using power tools first, not only appreciating the speed, but the increased accuracy. Still, I like doing things inexpensively. I do not own, nor have ever used, a table saw or even track saw (though I have recently made a station that gives a circular saw a short track, which is not technically the same thing). But first a word of advice: 1.) Fuck Batteries. Back when it was easier to find versions of power tools that came in both corded and cordless, the corded version was was the cheaper one, which reflects the real cost of manufacture. So it is entirely possible that following this advice will be first-order cheaper. But tool companies have figured out that it is in their interest to get you locked into their battery system so they can do fun things (for them) like using microcontrolers to prevent the tool from working with other brands of batteries. Yes, there is a market online for tools and microcontrollers to fool, say, a DeWalt into accepting a Harbor Freight tool's battery, but I would rather avoid Amazon as well. If it ever comes to it, I would pay a slight premium to get a corded tool. I am also willing to lug around extension cords, and if I even had an absolute need to word away from the reach of my cords, I have a power station that I bought to keep charged for emergencies. Don't sacrifice the open standard of your country's power grid just so some company can pretend they need a walled garden to make an induction motor go spin. 2.) Climbing Mt. Jigsaw Jigsaws tend to be cheaper than circular saws. Also, they feel a lot safer to use for newbies, and I am not going to ask anyone to challenge that feeling. The problem with a jigsaw is that the blades are flimsy and so when they hit the material they are going to go off to the side. This is called deflection. We must solve deflection if a jigsaw is going to be anything beyond a demolition tool. For the impatient, here is one of the shortest videos with one of the easiest methods: https://youtu.be/80bgLQuCLuk?si=0Vm_rRKrcl-oAs8X Another channel, similiar, but easier (though longer vid): https://youtu.be/KgRVVZSy1ik?si=L1rlHXY_VTAIPKm1 The YT channel Woodworking with DIY tools is about making jigs, and he tackles the jigsaw topic well. Some accuracy: https://youtu.be/VrxuEWq1JZQ?si=bNzlYQaXZTeZY3ZY The masterpiece: https://youtu.be/X-_vY8CTHBY?si=Z26_-Hd-dlKq5oHK Another creator, another good idea: https://youtu.be/bBmFkEOdU6M?si=xajHIvsKf0teIw7E 3.) circular saw I got my circular saw several years for less than $40 retail. I only bought it because I was trying to use up a gift card to the Home Depot, and it sat there for years. Recently, I finally built a cross cut station for it. I don't plan on going back to cutting 2 by 4s any other way. This section is organized by YouTube Channel One Minute Workbench: --------------------- https://youtu.be/68v9JlSM6OQ?si=C1gGGsCaSllRgXyw DIY Creators ------------ https://youtu.be/N1-Pxik-u4U?si=LFGovo_pMT9f5Tim https://youtu.be/CStLQkg3GLQ?si=I87_k5iHYBNrf6La Imagine then Make: ------------------ https://youtu.be/ujMxPkuzDYY?si=mGD7V8t6QV8reean https://youtu.be/LRYbhwfQAfg?si=7NlYyq1dTB1OWaVg https://youtu.be/wvKZPp_mPgM?si=1Z-Y4HvD8D5ELia2 Yasushiro TV: ------------- https://youtu.be/QCnCP1hdg9g?si=Z_OtGIJG3QXIOStU https://youtu.be/Y0gBT_FK62s?si=ve0U7coEhThHeu0t Advoko MAKES: https://youtu.be/c1Jfx4ccFFA?si=9w-nGJ1qPeWJ4L6V