How much did you spend last year to b…
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How much did you spend last year to buy new power tools and hand tools?
- Less than $100
- $101 to $400
- $401 to $800
- $801 to $1,000
- More than $1,000
- Other (post in Knots)
- I don’t want my spouse to find out
You will not be able to change your vote.
Replies
I'm setting up my shop getting ready for my retirement from teaching this year. In 2007 I spent at least $10,000 on tools. My wife already knows and approved all the purchases, so you can't blackmail me.
I suspect that, for many of us that is a question better left not looked into with any great energy.
I know that, for me, the answer is probably "darn! - oh, well".
Mike D :)
I spent about 5 grand last year to complete my collection of "essential tools". Now, when I look at a tool catalog, I don't see anything I need or particularly want to buy. Can this be, or is it just a phase I'm going through?Chris @ flairwoodworks
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Having accumulated all the big iron (3 hp cabinet saw, 8" jointer, 18" bandsaw, shaper, thickness planer, etc.) and tailed hand tools over about 20 years I next ventured into quality hand tools and have a lot of them. So while I only spent maybe $700 on tools last year it was spent on a relatively few specialty planes...
To put things in context perhaps the question needed accompanying questions:
In which stage of your woodworking career do you see yourself, beginner to advanced on say a scale of 1-7?
Are you a pro or an amateur?
A pro-associate of mine routinely spends $10 of thousands each year and just his primary sliding table saw wouldn't fit in my shop without knocking out walls--it needs about 20x20' of space! One of his other saws is the same model 3 hp cabinet saw as mine but his is used for cutting dados only. Lumping his expenses in with mine gives you no useful information!
Griz,Your point about "relative" expenses is a good one.....are you just beginning to fill a new workshop or are you replacing (updating) worn out equipment? The total amount spent might be similar but the phase in the avocation or vocation could be years apart. I personally know a few guys who are just getting started (due to FINALLY having the time....read....retired) and the woodworking thing is taking on fad proportions as well. Cool workshops used to be some guy's basement or garage, and long before that, a barn filled with dusty hand-me-downs and that alone made buying new expensive tools unusual. Just like kitchens filled with exotic granite and marble, it all goes in cycles.
Griz,
That's an interesting scale - 1 to 7. If by stage you are referring to experience/knowledge, I'd give myself a 4 or 5. I've been seriously into woodworking for about five years and am thinking of going pro this year.
It sounds like your friend is into cabinetmaking and probably deals with sheet goods daily. My focus is on fine furniture, boxes, turned and carved items. While a separate table saw for a dado head would be nice, a sliding table saw would be silly for me to have, even if I had the space.
A bigger bandsaw would be nice. Right now I have two 14" bandsaws, one of which has a riser block in it. I can get myself a Unisaw for a grand, but my Delta contractor serves me just fine. I'm happy with my 8" jointer and 13" planer. A bowl-turning lathe would be nice.Chris @ flairwoodworks
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
The 1 - 7 scale choice comes from my research training, i.e., Likert type scales often use 5 or 7 points... for this issue 7 seemed better. ;~)
Yes, my associate does a lot of sheet goods. He builds interiors of banks, bathrooms for hotels, etc. The sliding table saw makes him a lot more money over his older Powermatic cabinet saw as he can process materials much faster.
I may get a lathe some day... if I find something I want to make that requires a lathe! If I get one it will probably be a fairly large Powermatic, One Way or General as I know I'd end up throwing big chucks of wood on it--my woodworking club associates as a bad influence. ;~)
It is just a phase. Next year you can start over again. I have done that several times.
Edited 2/10/2008 8:56 pm ET by Tinkerer3
I suspect, with the types of folks who hang here, that thousand dollar tag gets most thru about the second week of January. Its nothing to spend a grand on one tool anymore really, is it?
Real trucks dont have sparkplugs
Once you have the stationary stuff, and the basic hand tools... it's hard. I spent WAY more on wood, that's easy...
Good point....the big equipment is usually a one-shot expense while, in our lifetime, we might spend much more on wildly figured wood and supplies!
I am in the midst of setting up a shop to create trade show displays showcasing our composite dimensional material. I just this week shipped our display for the 2008 IBS show in Orlando, FL. By the time I have the shop completed the tab will probably run upwards of $20,000. I know most people will not be spending the money I am, but a complete 18' X 38' shop is a major investment of resources. Don't you just hate having to shop for new tools?
A thousand don't buy much any more.
Well, the Saint Louis woodworking show was this week-end, so I just started 08 out with a bang as well with a new appollo sprayer. Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
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