Think Differently in your Approach to Become a Better Woodworker ( A midweek thought)

By Robert Porter

President, Union Mfg Co

Walk into any woodworking store today and it doesn’t take long to feel overwhelmed. There are so many options. Too many to actually be able to sift through to make sense of.

Rows of tools. Endless gadgets. Dozens of brands selling what looks like the same solution in slightly different packaging. Everything promises faster results, cleaner work, better joinery, sharper edges, smoother finishes.

And it’s hard not to wonder:

Am I missing something? Am I that much of an amateur? I need help!

Most of us have been there.

You hear about a tool from a friend, or you see it pop up again and again online. The excitement builds. It feels like the missing piece, the thing that’s finally going to change the way you work. The tool that will make you an expert overnight.

So you buy it.

You bring it home, head straight to the shop, with excitement and a lust to make something awesome, everyone is going to envy your latest creation and for a moment it feels like you’ve just taken a big step forward.

But then you use it…

And something doesn’t click.

It doesn’t do what you thought it would. It doesn’t feel natural. Maybe it even makes things harder.

And that’s when the doubt creeps in:

- Is it me?
- Is the tool wrong?
- Why does everyone else love this thing?

The truth is, it could be any of those.

Sometimes we don’t understand a tool yet. Sometimes the tool simply isn’t what we needed. And sometimes, if we’re being honest, the noise around a product is louder than the value it actually delivers. Did I get taken? You ask yourself. 

You’re Not Alone

This isn’t a rare experience.

Woodworkers everywhere have had that same moment, standing at the bench with a new purchase, wondering why it doesn’t feel like the solution they were sold.

I’ve been there too.

And over time, I’ve come to believe that avoiding this exact frustration starts with learning to recognize two things:

Volume and Noise.

Volume: When Everything Looks the Same

Volume is what happens when the same idea is repeated endlessly across the market.

One tool becomes ten tools.

Ten brands.

Ten different colors.

Ten different promises.

When something is easy to copy, it spreads fast. And the more crowded a space becomes, the more marketing takes over. Gimmicks rise to the top because gimmicks grab attention.

But the tools that truly matter, the ones that last, the ones that actually help, tend to move differently.

They build slowly.

They earn trust over time.

They’re designed to earn their place in your hand.

Noise: When Hype Becomes the Product

Noise is harder.

Noise is when you hear about something so often that it starts to feel unavoidable.

Everyone is talking about it.

Everyone is using it.

Everyone says it’s the thing that will make you better.

But here’s something worth saying plainly:

No tool makes you a better woodworker. A very hard truth, but true nonetheless.

Only practice does. If you don’t make firewood to start you aren't trying hard enough.

Only patience does. Understand each step. Woodworking is a series of steps in sequence. 

Only time spent learning the craft makes you better.

A tool can support your work, but it can’t replace the work.

What Good Tools Actually Do

A truly good tool doesn’t promise transformation.

It offers clarity.

It removes ancillary time to the goal.

It helps you do what you already know needs to be done,  just with fewer obstacles in the way.

That’s the difference.

Some tools, like the Accu-Burr Burnisher or the Union X Plane, aren’t about hype. They exist because the function is real. They solve specific problems with simplicity and purpose. They may go against the established theory but all good things do. There is no improvement without pushing against the status quo. 

Even then, they still require learning. The curve is just smaller and more natural. Thinking differently isn’t a bad thing. 

The more time you hone your skills as a woodworker, the more you realize:

The best tools are rarely the loudest. They don’t need to be. They are the unsung heroes no one would realize were so important. 

They aren’t built for the moment, they’re built for the long haul. They are built and designed to make your journey easier, with you, not for you. 

So the next time something catches your attention, take a step back and ask yourself a few questions. Is this solving a real problem in my work? Is it everywhere because it’s excellent… or because it’s marketed well? Will it earn its place on my bench five years from now? Are the experts selling or helping? 

At Union, we build tools the same way I choose tools for my own bench, if it isn’t good enough for me, it isn’t good enough for you. I  believe the tools worth owning are the ones that grow with you quietly, steadily, and honestly.

Ignore Noise.

Volume supports someone, likely not you. If there are copies upon copies of the same thing is it because they are easy to make, market and sell or is it because it's that amazing? That’s a question only use can answer. 

Enjoy the craft, it is one of the most rewarding things you could ever pick up and do. I’ve spent my entire life obsessed with making wood turn from one shape into another and I wouldn't trade one moment for all of the money in the world!