Top Tools of 2022

As we embark on a new year, we hope the world of tools has kept you busy and ignited your creative spirit. Let’s see which tools made the cut into our favourites this year with our top tools of 2022.

Our annual Top Tools roundup is here again! Take a look at which tools stood out for us this year. What do you think?


UJK Parf Mk II Guide System

A revolutionary guide system, which allows you to make perfectly accurate 45 or 90 degree cuts, every time. If you need to make fast, regular cuts, this tool could significantly reduce your working time, increase your efficiency and save you money.

This kit is not just a great idea but a solid, precision built kit

Axminster Tools customer

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Axminster Woodturning Evolution SK100 Chuck Package - T38

It’s been nearly 40 years since we first designed and developed our woodturning chuck and over those years we’re proud to have become experts in the world of woodturning. Our Axminster Woodturning Evolution Chuck Systems are a true example of our consistent efforts to ensure we continually develop and produce innovative tools for the woodturner. Designed, developed and manufactured with pride in Axminster, UK, the chuck systems are devised to maximise work holding on the lathe. They have been cleverly thought out and are now used by professional turners worldwide.

The Axminster Woodturning Evolution SK100 Chuck is the latest to join the range and is, in our view, our best chuck yet. Super slim, incredibly accurate and compatible with all of our previous accessory and dovetail jaws, it’s the perfect way to celebrate our woodturning heritage.

Reassuringly heavy and very well engineered, this is a great chuck and I doubt, together with the 114, that will need another chuck.

Axminster Tools customer

Rider Shooting Board

Achieve beautifully clean and square end grain edges with the Rider Shooting Board. Made from hard wearing phenolic, the Rider Shooting Board retains its accuracy and allows the plane to glide effortlessly along its track, meaning you can repeatedly achieve silky smooth cuts with ease.

The ideal way to dial in the cut, bring it to the line, square and true.

Axminster Tools customer
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UJK Expanding 20mm Dog Set

Featuring the same locking mechanism as the UJK Super Dog but slightly shorter and simpler, the UJK Expanding Dogs definitely live up to their name! Expanding the possibilities and uses on any workbench with 20mm dog holes, the dogs are CNC machined from 303 stainless steel in our own workshops in Axminster and are fully compatible with the UJK Multifunction Workbench and Festool Multi-functional MFT/3 Table.

These dogs are made and function at the highest level.

Axminster Tools customer
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arbortech-power-carving-unit

Arbortech Power Carving Unit & Turbo Plane Package

Experience power carving like never before with this ultimate power carving package. Use the Arbortech Power Carving Unit and Arbortech TURBO Plane Blade to create extremely flat, levelled surfaces or free form sculpt your workpiece.

As an alternative to an 'off the shelf' angle grinder, the Power Carving Unit helps you get the most out of any Arbortech attachment. Specifically created to optimise all the Arbortech accessories, it ensures you can achieve the best results. It is a highly versatile tool, the variable speed allows you to use it for carving, planing and sanding.

The Arbortech TURBO Plane is a great addition to the very popular Arbortech range of products. Using this cutter is just like adding a rotary plane to your angle grinder. Proving very popular with woodcarvers and sculptors, the Arbortech TURBO Plane removes stock very quickly and leaves a great finish. Can be used on green or seasoned timber.

With a small amount of practice it is easy to use with great results, with the benefit of get the job done in half the time.

Axminster Tools customer

Veritas MK.II Honing Guide

If you're looking for fast, consistent and repeatable honing, choose the Veritas MK.II Honing Guide. Hard working and dependable, this honing guide makes sharpening easy, and is a fantastic addition to any workshop.

Very easy to set up, super smooth on the waterstone and you get impeccable results.

Axminster Tools customer
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Tormek T-8 Original Sharpening System with Hand Tool Kit

Get your tools performing at their best with the ultimate water cooled sharpening system from Tormek. With its unrivalled precision and extensive accessory range, it's the first choice for tool users everywhere. Ultimately, this package has every jig you'll need to keep your hand tools at their sharpest!

This machine makes you want to sharpen everything you own and your friend's tools!

Axminster Tools customer
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proxxon-fbs240e-multi-tool

PROXXON FBS240E Drill Grinder + Flexible Shaft

This fantastic package deal comprises the PROXXON FBS 240/E Precision Drill/Grinder Multi -Tool and the PROXXON 110/P Flexi-Shaft.

The 100W Precision Drill/Grinder Multi-Tool has a keyless chuck (0.3-3.2mm) to accept a wide range of accessories, well balanced and with variable speed for maximum control. The tool is well designed and the two inset rubber grips on the body ensure a good purchase, important for fine detail work.

Also included is a truly flexible, metre long shaft with delicate hand piece complete with six steel collets (ranging from 1mm to 3.2mm) for accurate holding of rotary tools and collet nut. Suitable for use with any of the PROXXON range of tools or indeed any type of power source that can grip the 3mm male shaft of the unit.

I use this tool with the shaft all the time mainly for enlarging bearing fine work and for cutting sheet metal.

Axminster Tools customer

Axminster Workshop APF 10 Evolution® Powered Respirator

Light, comfortable and easily adjustable, the APF 10 blows air down over the face much more effectively than a negative pressured respirator. The respirator can run for 8 hours on one charge, so you can be protected all day. Pair with the Big Blue ear defenders to help protect your ears, eyes and lungs altogether. Perfect for dusty working environments.

So good I just don’t know what I would do without it

Axminster Tools customer
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Axminster Workshop AW355WL Woodturning Lathe 230V

The AW355WL is perfect for woodturners looking to move up from a smaller lathe, or as a first lathe for the more ambitious newcomer. With a capacity of 510mm between centres (depending on the centres fitted) and with a bowl turning capacity of 355mm, many ambitious projects can be undertaken.

One big advantage to me is the ability to very quickly slide the tailstock off the bed.

Axminster Tools customer
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Axminster Workshop AW1950B Bandsaw 230V

A great addition to any home workshop, large or small, the Axminster Workshop AW1950B Bandsaw is a premium, compact bandsaw with many new features not normally found on machines of this size! Boasting lots of great features and benefits, this bandsaw is a great choice for all.

My first bandsaw and I am very pleased with it. I watched the set up on Woodworking Wisdom and all was easy.

Axminster Tools customer
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Axminster Workshop Silicone Glue Brush Kit

This simple kit offers you plenty of options to get the most from your glue. The set includes both small and large glue brushes with silicone ‘bristles’, a silicone glue tray and a silicone glue spreader. Ideal if you're looking to reduce the amount of wood glue you use and produce stronger joints at the same time. An even coating of adhesive over the entire surface makes for the best result.

Good quality product and performs well for its intended use.

Axminster Tools customer
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Shokunin Japanese Ryoba Double-Edged Saw- 210mm

In common with other Japanese saws, the Shokunin Ryoba cuts on the pull stroke. The double-edged design immediately gives you two saws for the price of one. Each edge has a dedicated tooth profile and performs its intended purpose perfectly. When cutting on the pull stroke, the blade is working in tension. As a result, the blade is thin, lightweight and hard and the saw naturally follows a straight line. The narrower kerf means the saw removes less material.

I find it a lot easier to us then standard saws, with the cutting on the backward stroke it doesn't put pressure on the blade so it cuts straight.

Axminster Tools customer
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Fisch Drill Set

The 25-piece HSS drill from FISCH® is suitable for drilling into hard and soft wood, MDF and other manufactured boards. They have a precision ground point with twin cutting spurs for precise positioning and a clean cut. Made of very resistant high speed steel to EN ISO 4957 with a hardness of approximately 62 HRC, these drills give you accurate and precise results.

The difference between these and cheap bits is very obvious. A very quick and clean hole.

Axminster Tools customer
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Axcaliber Gents Saw

Designed for use on timbers and plastics, the FineLine Precision Gent's Saw from Axcaliber is made to the same exacting standard as the rest of the range. The 45mm deep blade will tackle small jointing jobs as well as being ideal for cutting picture frames, beads, etc with ease. It’s a good saw to use in a small mitre box. The blade is fitted securely into a comfort grip handle, the length is 250mm with fine 15tpi induction hardened teeth.

For the price this is a great little saw and cuts beautifully.

Axminster Tools customer
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Bosch GSR12V-15 FC Flexiclick

Whatever the task or situation, the Bosch GSR 12 V-15 FC FlexiClick drill driver with its 4 chucks is almost certain to have the solution. The Bosch FlexiClick adaptors are easy and quick to fix on the tool body. You can rotate the adaptors to give the best possible working position. With this kit, you can easily perform tasks in compact and awkward spots. This includes driving screws and drilling in tight spaces or close to solid edges. There is even an LED job light for those poorly lit areas such as cupboard interiors.

It is so brilliant that it is now the first tool I reach for to drill pilot holes and drive screws.

Axminster Tools customer
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Festool-domino-df500-q-set

Festool DOMINO DF500 Q-Set Jointing Machine -230v

The 'DOMINO' is a unique jointing system which uses rounded loose tenons to join timber. It gives very strong accurate and precise joints. Combining exceptional versatility with simple handling for maximum precision, the DOMINO has a patented routing principle with a wide range of adjustment options to make it extremely easy to use.

The machine's fence is simple to adjust to cut slots centrally in five pre-set timber thicknesses and manually adjusted for other thicknesses. The dowels can be placed centrally, offset, in pairs or groups. There are retractable stops for accurate positioning from the edge of the workpiece. The jointer fence can be adjusted to five pre-set angles and is also infinitely variable between 0 and 90°. For convenience, there are six different sizes of DOMINO available.

Nothing to add to the comments here - this is an excellent machine that has made so many aspects of my life easier."
Axminster Tools customer

Axminster Professional AP2552B Bandsaw 230V

The AP2552B bandsaw, with its high specification is a very popular sized machine for the professional or dedicated amateur. Its many great features include a rigidly built steel body, large and finely ground cast iron table, deep section rip fence and micro adjustable ball bearing blade guides. This helps to produce the high level of performance demanded by full time craftspeople.

I have had this bandsaw for over a month now and it is just so good. Couple it with Axcaliber blades and it just does everything really well."
Axminster Tools customer
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Axminster Professional AP2260BS2 Belt Sander 230V

Smooth running, quiet and very useful! If you're looking for a robust, well made and hassle-free machine, look no further. With a 2.2kW motor driving a 150mm wide belt, this compact belt sander is one of the most useful machines to have in any woodworking workshop.

This sander is perfect - runs quietly and has a lot of power behind it."
Axminster Tools customer
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Axminster Professional AP350WL Woodturning Lathe

Compact yet capable; take your woodturning to the next level! The AP350WL utilises the reliable inverter technology usually found on much larger machines. Electronic variable speed is a desirable feature for woodturners, enabling fine tuning of speed to suit delicate work, larger diameters or out of balance pieces. A three step poly-V pulley system allows three speed ranges. While the load sensing inverter ensures maximum torque and stable spindle speeds.

Very quiet which surprised me and speed adjustment is very handy."
Axminster Tools customer
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Axminster Model Engineer Series MCB115SHD Swivel Head Metal Bandsaw

A versatile, medium sized metal cutting bandsaw with several notable features. This machine is ideal for the smaller fabrication jobs, especially those which require materials accurately cut at various angles. Made predominately of cast iron, the bandsaw features a swivelling head. This makes it a much more accurate and convenient method of cutting bevels or angles than the more usual pivoting vice jaws. Cutting pressure is set on the hydraulic support ram, whilst 3 belt speeds allow the correct speed for the job to be selected.

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....Built like a tank. It's going to save me countless hours, from increased speed and accuracy over manual cutting."
Axminster Tools customer

Buy with confidence

All our Axminster Workshop, Axminster Professional and Axminster Model Engineer series machines come with our comprehensive guarantee. So sure are we of the quality of these machines, we cover all parts and labour free of charge for three years!

Find out more.


Discover more...

If you're enjoyed reading this article, why not a take a look at some of our other Top Tools roundups? Alternatively, browse our varied selection of Product Guides or take inspiration from our ever growing collection of How To Projects.

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