Power tools

Power tools, both handheld and stationary, are used by most woodworkers for cutting, drilling, screwing, sanding and all the things you do to wood. Some of the most common are circular saws, (pillar) drills, electric screwdrivers, jigsaws, miter saws, sanding machines, routers, band saws and lathes. There are however more types of power tools out there than you and I can probably imagine, and the range of price, quality and durability that they can have is very broad. Here we look specifically at how power tools compare to industrial woodworking machines and automated cutting tools from the environmental perspective.

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The life cycle	Pro	Con
	Low investment Investment costs are low if you use power tools, compared to industrial or automated machines

		Time consuming Although it depends on the type of tool, in general power tools have longer setup, processing and cleanup times than larger or automated machines Show Alternatives » Alternatives tools Quick CNC mill Industrial machines Laser cutter Waterjet cutter	Tips Energy use The energy use to process pieces is small compared to the rest of the life cycle, where transport and materials production dominate. For cutting, power tools can use more energy per piece compared to CNC milling, but less than large industrial machines because of the energy they need during startup and when idle. However the comparison is really dependent on the specific tool or machine (1).