OK, despite my fascination, I just started woodworking not too long ago. At this time (no laughs please) I managed to buy a Porter Cable Router (895PK) and a router table. I have a belt sander and a smaller orbital sander. Also a hand held drill, a jig saw and a workbench made out of 2×4’s with a Formica top with no vises. I know I don’t have much but I may with time. Finally, I don’t have a workshop area but the garage to do my project and my wife does not mind me taking over it as long as it is not indefinite. I sold my motorcycle to have some $$ to buy tools and keep learning and doing projects.
After this long intro, I wanted to ask you all your thoughts regarding what things should I buy next and in what order. I am not looking for specific models but rather what tools or machines should I invest on first, second, etc.
Once I get some ideas from all the woodworking community, I will start another thread asking for particulars on the machines. I would like to thank you in advance for your input and comments,
Willy
Edited 11/18/2004 7:36 pm ET by willybez
Replies
Willy-
What will you be making? My first machine purchase was a table saw, followed by planer, jointer, and bandsaw.
JC
JC,
I don't have a particular project in mind. As you can see in the gallery section I posted a thread called My First Project (Breakfast Table). Now I am designing a guitar stand for my brother's classic guitar. Later a round mirror for my wife and after that, I would like to make maybe some jewlery boxes for gifts or something like that. So as you can see, no specific direction. Maybe because my projects are limited to the use of a router (my only real tool now).
However, the original post was more in the sense of "what machines and/or tools you use the most around your shop". I understand that it varies depending on what you specialize on, but for someone that enjoys WW as a hobby and has no specific single interest but to learn the craftsmanship, what next purchase/addition would make more sense.Hope this helps.
willybez- In my shop, I build a little bit of everything. In the beginning, I was heavily reliant on machines to do all the work. The table saw was first. Very quickly, I next purchased a planer and a jointer. I then had my first project with a lot of curves, and the jigsaw just wasn't getting it done, so I bought a used bandsaw for $100. It was a central machinery piece of junk, but I got to play with it, and realized I needed a better one. So, I got a decent 18 incher. After becoming very serious about my woodworking, and building a dedicated shop, I began to add many tools, as the projects required them. That would be the order I'd recommend for you. If you'd like my opinion on what size tools to start yourself with, just ask. I will tell you this. I very quickly replaced my first contractor's saw with a used 3 hp unisaw. I remember wishing immediately that I'd never bought the contractor's saw in the first place. The used unisaw was actually cheaper, and at least 3 times better in my mind. I will also highly agree with the other post here, don't buy all the tools at once, because it takes away from the time you'll spend with each learning about it, as well as taking the time to set each tool up properly.
JC
Edited 11/18/2004 11:48 pm ET by JC
Thank you JC,
I have the same fear of purchasing a piece of machinery that I'll regret almost immediately after buying. That is why I started this thread to at least have a head start and make an educated purchase based on past experiences and "mistakes" that everybody else has gone thru or made. As for purchasing all the tools quickly, I will not do that. I like to play with them and take my time to learn how to use it correctly and experiment with it.Best regards,
Willy
I think that I have a router somewhere. I haven't seen it in a few years. That 's not in my view an early purchase. Get a good plane and some chisels, learn to sharpen them so that you can shave the hair from the back of your hand.
Tom
Welcome to the club! And although I lament to hear your sold your motorcycle for some woodworking tools--my bikes are still collecting dust/rust in my garage, I'd say there's no rush to buy any particular tool right out of the box. Certainly, table saws are handy but they're expensive. Let your projects be the driving factor. For instance, I made my first table saw by using a circular saw mounted a-la router table underneath a simple 3/4" table. Draw a line indicating parallel to the blade and immediately to one side for reference, all the way to front and back. Then clamp a laminated plywood fence measured off this line. While you're at it, use the same table for the router, too.
Good Luck and have fun.
Scrappy
Tool Selection depends on the material you plan to work with. I'll assume that you are talking about using solid wood.
My suggestions would be a vise for your bench, a good No. 6 hand plane, some Japanese chisels, sharpening tools ( that is a whole other subject) and on the power tool list ####band saw and a surface planer. You'll notice that the list leans towards hand tools. Hand tools are more affordable and far more useful and efficient than many people think. I work with wood every day, and most of that time is spent with hand tools, not out of some search for a link to the past, but because they work very well. For your set up they also have the advantage of being quiet and producing less dust . I say this all the time on this forum, but I could not make a piece of furniture without a hand plane.In fact I'd give up my electrity, before I'd part with my hand tools. By the way, my shop is also a garage, so don't feel limited by that. A lot of good stuff can come out of a humble shop.
Rob Millard
I agree wholeheartedly with Rob Millard; hand planes (low-angle block, #4 smoother, #7 jointer), maybe a good Ryoba (japanese hand saw) and a good set of chisels, along with sharpening gear and you could make a lot of stuff. Of course you'll need some way to hold the work, so you'll need the vise he mentioned, too. By moving toward hand tools, you avoid dust problems, greatly reduce the risk of serious personal injury, use less shop space, and drastically reduce the risk of hearing damage. Hand tools also give me more satisfaction. (They aren't so great with sheetgoods like plywood, though...) Rob's also right about the planer; it's a tremendous asset. But you can true stock without one.)CharlieI tell you, we are here to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different. --K Vonnegut
For relatively fast material preparation: tablesaw, jointer, portable thickness planer.
For fun: As many planes as you can afford <G> and a nice backsaw.
Cheers
Kyle
P.S. Don't buy too much at once. It will take a little bit of the fun out of it.
My recommendation would be a decent table saw - it will be the 'base tool' for almost everything you'll probably do. You can get a good contractors saw for around $500 and put it on a movable base so it can go out of the way when you aren't using it.
Later - after you convice your wife that it's really ok to park outside year round - you can add the rest of the toys.........planer, shaper, joiner, bandsaw, drill press, dust collector, corded and cordless handtools, workbenchs, storage for all the tools........you get my drift, right? - lol
Willy,
I definately use my table saw the most. Some days it actually runs for 4 or 6 hours continuosly, only resting for a smoke break. Even when I just putzing around i use it a lot. Let me put it this way... it is the only tool that never ends up cluttered with stuff. The router table, drill press, and band saw get used as temporary storage areas when things get hectic in the shop. After that, my chopsaw is the next most used tool. Then the planer/joiner (a tie) then the router, then the band saw. Oh yea the most valuable tool(s) of all CLAMPS. I have at least 40 and that is half as many as I need.
Mike
Edited 11/19/2004 1:24 am ET by mike
Thank you Mike. I appreciate your kind words regarding my first project and your view as to what machines you utilize the most. I also know that hand tools like planers are very important but I have little knowledge about it and would like to start with the minimum requirements. However, I don't know what impact the angle on the planer has on the cut, which should I get and what the differences are between a low end, mid range and upper end hand planes.
I guess it all comes with time, and lucky for me I have lots of patience and am hungry to learn.
Willy,
Good luck in your new endeavor. What really helped me decide how to get started and which tools to purchase was a good book on setting up a shop. I don't have the authors name in front of me but it is published by Taunton.
You will get a hundred different answers about which are the most important machines to purchase first, it all depends on what you plan on creating. Take your time, look for used machinery in good condition, save yourself some money. No sense having a shop full of expensive tools if you can't afford to buy any lumber. Lumber is another consideration. If you are going to be buying rough cut lumber, you will need the proper hand or power tools to flatten and mill it.
Have fun making sawdust (or shavings),
B.O.B.
I have a question that I can't seem to get any solid information on: what is the best, easiet, most accurate way to cut up 4x8 panels for making cabinets? I have used a circular saw with straight edge clamps, then trimmed them to the proper dimensions on my table saw (quite time consuming). I have wrestled those panels to be cut just on the table saw (with no sliding table)--rather dangerous. I have looked at sliding tables for my table saw, and the Festool plunge saw, but they are rather pricey.
Any advice would be most appreciated.
Thanks,
Jim
I can tell you how I handle the large sheets. I made a sacrificial platform out of four straight 2x4s assembled with simple lap joints. I put this on the sawhorses and place the sheet on top. Then I made a fence for my circular saw out of MDF and quarter-inch plywood, so the saw blade cuts right on the edge of the fence. I mark the cuts on the sheet, clamp the fence to the line, and get a good cut. Usually I clean it up on the table saw but it doesn't really add much time.
Thanks Mark. I'll give it a try. How do you keep from going back and forth with the clamps to hold down the edge guide as you move one side then the other to your cut marks?
Jim
It's an art! I've gotten pretty good at adjusting it quickly over the years.
Hi, Willybez
Nice table in the gallery! Based on your pictures and what you have said:
1. The next few projects are fairly small
2. You like to work in solid wood
3. Room is limited
4. You are not afraid of hand tools, etc.
If you decide to work with handtools, you should consider a bandsaw as your next tool. Its footprint is very small, and it is extremely versatile. Granted, its cuts are not as smooth as a table saw, but that's what planes are for.
You will not regret your purchase, even if you buy a tablesaw later.
Bon Chance,
Dan
I saw your table and pictures. Reminded me of me almost forty years ago, my shop was a pair of horses out on the lawn too. The heart of any woodworking shop is the table saw. You don't have to buy the biggest and the best but fight the urge to buy cheap equipment. It won't last and may just cause frustration. After a few cheap saws, I bought a Rockwell, now Delta, contractors saw. It is still on the job and working like new. As I look around my shop at the tools I bought over the years, there are brands that have stood the test of time. Stanley's top of the line hand tools, Delta Industrial power equipment. Wetzler F clamps, Pony pipe clamps, Porter Cable portable power tools. I've been a full time woodworker all these years so these tools have certainly been through the test.
I had to sell my motorcycle too. Bought a truck to start my own business. It was a '71 Triumph, it's all good now, I have several restored Triumphs as well as other modern bikes. You will ride again!
The perfect partner for a saw is a joiner. Everyone here will tell you to get the biggest you can afford. That's because they are thinking about face surfacing rough stock prior to planing. With the availability of surfaced stock, you may not need the wide flattening capability. A simple 6" joiner will straighten the edge of most anything and, you want straight edges against tool fences. It's quite simple to build extension tables for a small joiner to handle long pieces. The 8" joiners don't offer too much more than a 6" at three times the price. 12" and 16" are a major investment
Try to learn safety and use what you learn, otherwise your woodworking career could end. Don't wear sandals in the shop and don't leave garden hoses at your feet. Keep lungs, eyes and ears protected. If it doesn't seem right, it probably isn't. Have fun.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
At the risk of some extreme criticism I am going to go out on a limb and recommend your next purchase be a circular saw. Ah, but not just any circular saw, I'm talking about the Festool ATF 55E portable plunge cut circular saw. Anyone that really has one and actually uses it, will agree with me.
At $385.00 USD it may seem overpriced but trust me, it isn't. The ATF 55E is a 6 1/4" saw and there is a ATF 65E which is a 7 1/2" saw. The 65 is the same saw but with a bigger blade capacity and motor. I've never found a reason to use my 55 for anything that required more than it 6 1/4" blade. When I'm in a situation like that I usually grab my Mag 77.
Check out http://www.festool.com. The pricing is the same on the website as it will be at your distributor. The only time you can get them from a dealer for less is if they are selling off their demos. By chance, if you should find one from a non dealer make sure that you check the serial number with Festool to ensure that they match the sellers name. If they don't match, Festool will call the Police and report it as stolen property. Which is what they would do if you attempted to buy accessories for the tool without having any proof of owning the tool. They are really watching out for us which gives you a little insite as to the integrity of the company.
Sincerely;
The Tool Guy
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