Here is a great tape measure for not much more than the junk ones.

A decent level is needed for everything from installing chair rail molding to hanging pictures to putting up curtain rods.

Almost everyone uses a hammer. A good one does not cost much more and will result in better naling, less finger hits, and less user fatigue. Estwing hammers are also great in this price range.

A hack saw belongs in every workshop. Get a nice one like this hight tension blade Dewalt instead of something from the bargain section at Walmart. The difference will amaze you.

Cordless drills are very handy and useful for drilling and driving screws. This is a great one. Strong, light, balanced, reliable, and great battery life. Has 2 gears - low RPM/high torque and high RPM/high speed. 3 year warranty. Well worth the money. Avoid low end consumer/discount store drills - even the 18v ones as they are low on power, low on battery life, and long time to charge.

This is not your father's vibrating jigsaw. The Bosch is an incredible tool, highest rated, and well worth the money, May be the only power saw you ever need. Perfect for ripping [cutting lengthwise] floor planks and much safer than using circular saw. Use Bosch blades for it!

Very useful for the type of jobs it does such as prying boards apart and removing nails.

Very useful book! Shows many common home repairs with terrific pictures/illustrations and how to use and select many tools. Perfect gift for anyone needing such info.

Just what is needed in situations where you need to grip larger diameter objects such as removing nuts that hold on sink traps. They come in various sizes and jaw configurations.

I recently bought one of these. What a great tool for power screwdriving with clutch settings to help prevent over driving. I found my Bosch Impactor too big and clumsy for light and medium duty work and in awkward places. Light and easy to handle. Much better quality than B&D, etc.

This is great for sawing the bottom of door jambs and in other places that a regular saw will not work. Very sharp and cuts smooth. Takes suprisingly little effort to use. Blade easily flexes to make sawing easier in tight spots.

"Most will want a circular saw in their arsenal also. This Milwaukee is widely regarded as being a top tier sidewinder. Durable, very powerful, and easy to handle with the Tilt-lock handle a real plus. With a home made or store bought guide you can cut almost as good as with a table saw. Avoid the temptation to buy a cordless circular saw first as they don't cut very long on a battery charge."

Assuming you have a workbench a vice is neccesity for holding objects while you work on them such as hacksawing PVC pipe or metal conduit or to hold while cleaning with a wire brush. I use a circular wire wheel in my drill for cleaning up rusty parts/tools.

If you are going to be doing an remodeling you will REALLY appreciate the way this can help remove molding and nails. You can pry away molding and do mimimal if any damage to the molding.

A must for when you need to find wall studs behind drywall such as when you need to attach mounting brackets to the stud or nail chair/crown molding.

Handheld power grinders are more useful than many think. There are a lot of accessories for them including abrasive wheels, wire wheels, and sanding wheels in addition to normal grinding wheels. The Bosch is a superior grinder not only in quality but for comfort and safety of use.

Maybe not an essential for every workshop but a power miter saw is a worthy addition if you are going to be doing a lot of cross cutting including miter and bevel and molding - particularly crown. Models vary widely in quality, capacity, and features so be sure to compare 10 or 12 inch and fixed versus slider and how tall a fence you need for cutting crown upright.

If you are using any type of power circular saw be sure to get a good blade suited to the job you are doing! Freud makes great reasonably priced blades that are usually much better than you get with the tool. Forrest blades are top notch but carry premium price tag for the most demanding woodworker. 40 tooth blades make great all around choice for table saw.

A table saw will be of great help if you do a lot of sawing particualry for rip cuts. There are many benchtop table saws but this Jet stands out in quality and performance with a belt drive for smoothness and decent fence for accuracy which makes it well worth the extra money compared to bottom line table saws. Put a Freud TK306 blade on it and you are ready to go.

Finally we all need to clean up our mess. A good shop vacuum is invaluable. They can also be used to connect directly to a lot of power tools for dust control. This one may be overkill for more modest needs. In addition to capacity of container and power be sure to check hose diameter, hose length, power cord length, and included attachments before choosing one.