How tools actually work, and how to choose one
Find Tool Editorial Team 
A planer takes a board that is already reasonably flat and reduces it to a consistent thickness from end to end. A jointer takes a board that is warped, twisted or has an uneven edge and flattens one face or edge so it can sit true against a fence or another board. They solve different … Read more
Kickback is when a spinning blade or bit suddenly grabs the material or the workpiece grabs the blade, and the energy throws the workpiece back at the operator or throws the tool itself upward and backward. It happens in a fraction of a second, with enough force to cause serious injury, and it is almost … Read more
A riving knife is a thin curved plate of metal mounted just behind a table saw’s blade, rising and falling with it. It keeps the freshly cut kerf from closing up and pinching the blade, which is one of the main causes of kickback — so it matters because it is a core defence against … Read more
A mitre saw is a power tool with a circular blade mounted on a pivoting arm, used to make precise crosscuts and angled cuts across boards, mouldings and trim. A sliding mitre saw adds rails that let the blade move forward and back, so it can crosscut much wider boards than a fixed head can … Read more
A reciprocating saw is a rough, fast cutting tool built for demolition, remodeling and cutting materials in place where a precise finish does not matter. It pushes a blade back and forth in a straight line, which lets it cut wood, metal, plastic and even nail-embedded lumber that would ruin most other saws. What does … Read more
An angle grinder spins a small abrasive or cutting disc at very high speed to grind, cut, sand or clean metal, masonry, tile and some plastics. The disc — not a blade in the saw sense — does the work through fast abrasive contact, and swapping the disc changes the job the tool can do. … Read more
A router and a trim router do the same basic job — spinning a bit to cut, shape or hollow wood — but a trim router is smaller, lighter and less powerful, built mainly for one-handed edge work and laminate trimming. A full-size router handles heavier cuts, bigger bits and joinery that needs more mass … Read more
A random orbital sander moves its round pad in two ways at once: it spins in a circle and it wobbles off-centre, so no single point on the disc ever travels the same path twice. That randomness is what stops it leaving the curved swirl marks other sanders create, which is why it’s the sander … Read more
A jigsaw is best at cutting curves, circles and irregular shapes in sheet material and boards, and at cutouts where the blade needs to plunge into the middle of a panel. It struggles with long dead-straight cuts, thick hardwood, and any job where a clean, splinter-free edge matters more than flexibility. What is a jigsaw … Read more
A circular saw is built to make fast, straight cuts through sheet goods and dimensional lumber — ripping a sheet of plywood down to size, cutting a stack of studs to length, trimming a door. It struggles with curves, intricate shapes, very short pieces, and cuts that need factory-level flatness or precision. What is a … Read more
About what you read here. Everything on Find Tool is general information and our own editorial opinion. We research carefully and we say when the evidence is unclear, but we can be wrong, things change, and no article can know your particular situation. Please do your own research and make your own judgement rather than treating anything here as the final word. Prices, products and specifications around tools and workshop equipment change constantly, and what suits one person will not suit another. Check current details yourself, and where a decision involves real money, safety or something you cannot undo, it is worth confirming with the manufacturer, or a qualified electrician or tradesperson before you act.