6 Mini Power Tools For Woodworking That Are Actually Worth Buying

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Power tools are an essential component of any woodworking project. We've covered the essential power tools you should use for woodworking projects. However, for certain projects, having the biggest tools available might not always be what you need, and you might also be limited by how much space you have available. Some power tools require a lot of room and storage space when you're not using them, regardless of how useful they are, and often you plan to use them. Thankfully, there are mini power tools out there that fill a variety of needs, but it's important not to crowd your workbench with subpar stuff. 

We've tracked down six worthwhile mini power tools you may want to consider adding to your collection. They all vary in use and are used at different stages of your woodworking project. We'll be breaking down why we chose these particular tools at the end.

A drill press can be a large machine that you have in your workshop, designed to cut precise holes through wood. There are things you want to consider before buying a drill press for woodworking projects, but rather than having a huge piece of equipment take up a good portion of your table, there's the smaller Drill Press Rotary Tool Workstation Stand from Dremel. It's a 3-in-1 machine that works as a drill press, rotary tool holder, and flex shaft tool stand, giving you versatility when working on a project. It weighs less than 5 pounds, is under a foot tall, and is 6 inches long and wide, meaning it won't take up such an enormous part of your table. 

After setup, you can adjust the tool angle from the standard 90 degrees to 15 degrees. When it comes to rotary tools, this workstation accepts a wide range of Dremel models, from the 4300 to the 8220. It has a drill depth of 2 inches, and you can adjust the tool stand's height from 16 to 29 inches. You can get it for $49.99 on Amazon, where it has a 4.6-star rating from 7,000 reviews.

Another useful tool to have in your workshop for any woodworking project is a hand planer. You can use it to shave, flatten, or level lumber pieces to ensure they line up with your project or to prepare them for the next stage. A worthwhile power tool that you can use to help is the DeWalt 20V Max Cordless 3-1/4 inch Planer. It makes up to 30,000 cuts per minute and has a maximum depth of 5/64-inch, with a calibrated depth adjustment up to 1/256 inch on an easy-to-use knob. This allows you to carefully slice alongside any section of a board with precision that you can repeat across other pieces or on other sides of the same section.

The DeWalt Planer weighs a little under 7 pounds, and customer reviews reflect how easy it is to carry around when using it in a workshop or when taking it outside. Plus, as a cordless power tool, don't worry too much about having an outlet nearby. When you need to set it down, there's also a built-in kickstand to make sure you don't damage or mar any of the exterior. You can get it for $258 from Home Depot, where it has a 4.7-star rating from over 400 customers.

For portability and mini power tools, there's the M18 Fuel Table Saw Kit. It allows you to have the power of a table saw to slice through lumber and large board pieces, which is a crucial component of many woodworking projects, while still allowing you to have enough space for one in a garage or workshop and the flexibility to bring it with you to different locations. At under 45 pounds, it's lighter than many traditional table saws, with a 22.5-inch width and depth and a height of about a foot. You can expect to cut through at least 600 linear feet per charge with the 18-volt, 12 Ah battery, or you can switch to corded when you're working near an outlet.

The blade is 8 1/4 inches in diameter, capable of reaching a maximum speed of 5800 RPM. When you need to make angled cuts, you can shift the blade up to 47 degrees to the left, using a rip fence to hold your lumber in place as you ease it through the saw. The rip fence has a dial-in adjustment that you can use to make quick measurement changes before you cut into anything.

It's available at Home Depot for $749, where it has a 4.6-star rating from over 1,100 customers. As a cheaper table saw option, it's one of Milwaukee's many tools that can keep your next project under budget.

When you're looking to do precise decorative edge work or roundovers, a hand router is a good power tool to have somewhere in your workshop. When it comes to a mini version, the Milwaukee M18 Fuel 18V Compact Router is a reliable option, especially if you're planning to take it with you to a jobsite or if you expect to move around a lot. This handheld compact router weighs less than 3 pounds and is cordless, making it effortless to carry around, with the option to use it with a cord.

The hand router itself has a variable speed dial that you can shift from 10,000 to 31,000 rpm. There's also a 4-inch sub-base added to the device to make it sturdy while you operate it, providing more control as you make your cuts. Depending on how precise you need to be in your work, you can change your adjustments to 1/64-inches, or you can make larger adjustments using a dial. You'll also be able to use this device in darker locations, as it has built-in LED lights that you can leverage to brighten up your workstation.

You can get it for $389 from Home Depot, and it has a 4.7-star rating from over 1,200 customers. Milwaukee's wood routers are some of the best to use, according to reviews.

A unique tool for woodworking is an angle grinder, capable of being a power tool you use on metal or for hand-cutting techniques. It's a capable tool for woodworking projects, as you can use it for sanding, removing pieces, or shaping, as you might need to adjust certain things during a project. When you're looking for a mini power tool, the Teeno Cordless Angle Grinder is a worthwhile option to consider. It's lightweight and less than 8 inches long, meaning you can use it one-handed, and it won't take up too much room in your toolbox when you travel with it.

With a 500W brushless motor, the grinder can go up to 19,500 RPM as you use it, with a 90-degree adjustable base guard for optimal protection as you use the device. If you're planning to get closer with your grinder and are expecting debris to fly everywhere, there's a semi-enclosed cutting guard you can use to ensure it doesn't get everywhere while you work, and we share other ways to reduce sparks when you use an angle grinder. When you need to swap out the grinder, unsecure the central bolt and swap it out with any of the available discs, allowing you to cut any wood or use it for sanding and polishing projects.

The Teeno Angle Grinder is available on Amazon for $43.19, with a 4.2-star rating from over 450 customers.

A band saw is an exceptionally versatile tool that you can expect to use on multiple woodworking projects, big and small. It's effective at making precise, long cuts, curves, circles, notches, and many others. These are normally large tools that you have in a workshop, but there's the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Cordless Compact Bandsaw that you can take with you from your workshop to other locations. It's less than a foot tall, 18 inches in depth, and 6.3 inches wide, weighing less than 8 pounds. It's one of a few other Milwaukee power tools that also work well with metalwork.

The horizontal blade is 35 inches long and 1/2-inch thick, capable of cutting wood that is 3.25 inches tall and wide. The variable-speed trigger lets you adjust blade speed as you cut, up to 550 SFPM. With a fully charged battery, you can expect to make 78 cuts at the 1-5/8" Unistrut before needing to bring it to a charger.

You can get the Milwaukee M18 Band Saw for $349 at Home Depot, where it has a 4.7-star rating from over 1,900 customers. A larger 5-inch model is also available for $399.

All products listed above have at least a 4.2-star rating or better from Home Depot or Amazon, with at least 400 submitted ratings. All items listed require some type of battery or outlet to operate and have internal motors that drive the hardware and go above and beyond traditional hand tools. These items are also portable, smaller versions of a tool that someone could use a larger version of when attempting to complete a woodworking project. These were chosen not only for their size, but their efficiency, usefulness, and versatility made them standout choices for this list.