One question that’s bugged me ever since I started to hang out here. We all talk about tools a lot – that’s Ok since you don’t work wood with your fingernails and teeth. (at least, not the stuff you see in Fine Wood Working!
There are clearly three schools of thought about tools:
1. The cheap one is OK, as long as you get the right cheap one. Low cost, but needs some work to make it really precise like a Stanley plane. In the end, it may or may not be as good as the high priced spread! It may or may not do the best work, but I can afford to buy it!
2. Get an old one. They made them better then! (Without modern science and engineering?) You’ll have to clean up the tool and sharpen it, but it’ll be as good as (better than?) anything you can buy today.
3. Go for the modern boutique tools. The Lie Nielson’s, the three (or four) cherries, the swiss carving tools. The difference will turn you into a smithsonian wood worker!
Where’s the truth? What’s your opinion?
My opinion – I haven’t really got one, that’s why I asking this controversial question!
Some thoughts: I’ve got a Kuntz #80 cabinet scraper, a Kuntz spokeshave, several stanley planes. I’ve flattened them, tuned them, and sharpened them until they will shave my arms and they seem to work quite well (to me anyway).
I bought an 8 piece $69 carving set. Then, I tried carving again years later and bought some expensive swiss tools. Now, I carve.
I used $50 freud blades for a long time, now, I have a forrest ww2 thin kerf. Better than the freuds, especially, the slightly dull freuds. $60 better?
I kept my old craftsman motorized TS for dado because it fits under counter. I got rid of the old craftsman 10″ contractors saw. I looked at every saw on the market for quality, power, size, and “does it have a sliding table?”. I bought a Supersaw, not a unisaw, PM 66, or grizzley 1023 SL. Did I blow it? Works for me so far – I’ll let you know in a decade.
In the wilderness, I often carry an Interarms PPK – not a $75 25cal auto. It is a work of metal workers art (the lie nielson of compact semi-automatic pistols), although it can’t hit anything more than 50′ away (20′, if I’m shooting it!)
There’s a tendancy on this forum to praise the most expensive (Trophy?) tool. Do we really need to spend this much money to cut wood, or can we do as well more cheaply? Is this an illness, or reality, or something with aspects of both?
Which tool to buy is easy if you’re a retired software executive. For the rest of us with cool toys beckoning from every direction (ski stuff, vehicle, computer stuff, cameras) and realities of life (medicine, house, vetrinary bills, etc) it is a tradeoff decision. It’s tough to know when the best is really the best and when it’s just a little bit better for a lot of money!
Edited 11/24/2003 12:22:27 AM ET by telemiketoo
Replies
TMT, here's my opinion:
Define the type of work you expect to mainly produce and for the tools necessary for that work, buy the very best that you can afford, that will fit into your shop. For me, and I suspect for many shops, this would be table saw, jointer, band saw. For the other tools, (secondary tools) maybe drill press, bench grinder, stationary sander for example, set your sights slightly lower and hunt for a bargain.
If you're into hand tools, (bench planes, carving tools, etc.) there are no secondary tools; buy the best. GP
Telemiketoo,
Ok, I'll bite...
First, the short answer. If you're serious about woodworking, then buy the best you can afford. If you can't afford it, save and wait until you can. Yes, there is a difference. Now the long answer and explanation...
I heard a saying a long time ago which is an argument for the "philosophy" I subscribe to. Goes something like, "The man who buys the cheapest tool cries many times. Every time he has to replace it. The man who buys the top quality tool cries only once, when the money leaves his wallet."
Kind of a corny statement, but it works for me. Having said that, however, I do believe there is a point where you have to draw the line. Notice I said "top quality", not "most expensive". An example would be a simple block plane. A LN will run you about 150 bucks. Sound expensive? Bridge City Toolworks used to make one (maybe they still do) that was about 600 bucks. In the looks department the BC blew the LN away. Not so in performance. While the BC may have a VERY SLIGHT edge in the fit/finish, it wasn't, IMHO, 450 dollars better. And, if you dropped the LN on the floor you'd probably cuss for a minute or two while you were inspecting the damage. There wouldn't be much considering LN's quality. If you dropped the BC, you'd be cussing a blue streak for probably weeks, even if there were only minor damage. And the thought of how much you paid for it would add insult to injury. About five years ago I bought a Record standard block. Spent many hours tuning it up (don't have to do that with a LN). Got it to do what I need it to do. Still, the fit/finish is not really good, and making adjustments for different applications can sometimes be a PITA. I did buy a Hock replacement iron which dramatically increased its performance, but I now have about 100 bucks in it.
Wish I'd just spent the extra 50 bucks and gotten the LN.
A man after my own heart. You are invited to join me on a couple fancy woodworking forums where the new kids are clammoring for expensive pockethole, dovetail, M/T and dowel jigs, biscuit joiners, airnailers, mortising machines, microprecision saw fences, 300-dollar bronze scraper planes, 200-dollar sawblades and the like. More than half the conversation is on setting up the machines.
Not to mention that the pieces they often make have more dough in the drawer slides, European hinges, high-speed fasteners and the like than folks like me have in the whole piece.
I did this for 3 decades with Uncle Paul's old beech and birch planes before I got tired of inlaying worn mouths and got around to buying some 25-dollar pre-war Stanleys.
Nuthin here anybody can't do easily enuf with a little practice and simple hand tools....or for speed and convenience, a contractor's saw with stock fence, basic 6" jointer and 12" thickness planer....big plunge router handy...maybe a bandsaw and lathe later...and that includes competing in juried furniture shows, if you're so inclined...folks who concentrate more on the tools than the workpiece and making the workpiece conform to their machines are doing themselves a disservice.
UNQUOTE
I tend to buy anything I need these days used on Ebay and tune it up....but shop around and ask, depending on the item. Stanley shoulder planes and chisels, for example, are just as inexpensive new in the Record and Marples brands,
But I'd buy older Type 11 Stanleys and tune them rather than spend 250 bucks on a bronze block plane, if you are on a budget.
Harbor Freight and the like are OK for C-clamps, but not much else.
Same with power tools...Grizzly and Jet are good values...but check price against Delta or local used Delta or Powermatic per individual item. Amazon.com Toolcrib has good values in top brand remanufactured power tools. I generally prefer Jet machines when I don't have access to 3ph Powermatics, DeWalt drills, Bosch saber saws, Makita routers, etc...shop and ask around.
Edited 11/24/2003 1:25:31 AM ET by Bob
" Get an old one. They made them better then! (Without modern science and engineering?) You'll have to clean up the tool and sharpen it, but it'll be as good as (better than?) anything you can buy today. "
All I can say is sometimes... I'd have a modern L-N over the original Stanley #62 any day. In fact I did. But it is remarkable what a good thick Hock blade and a bit of time can do to a 50 year old Record Stanley. BTW, tool steel metallurgy is probably as old as the Stanley plane, so there has been science in steel for a loooong time...
"I've got a Kuntz #80 cabinet scraper, a Kunz spokeshave"
I had them in my early days, too. Took a LOT of work to tune, but they were seriously cheap and they worked well once I'd had the pain. Nothing wrong with that.
"I used $50 freud blades for a long time, now, I have a forrest ww2 thin kerf. Better than the freuds, especially, the slightly dull freuds. $60 better?"
For my own purposes I am going to be testing some Taiwanese rip blades this week. At £10 ($17) + taxes they seem too good to be true. If they are 80% as good as the Freuds I currently use they'll find a home.
"There's a tendancy on this forum to praise the most expensive (Trophy?) tool. Do we really need to spend this much money to cut wood, or can we do as well more cheaply? Is this an illness, or reality, or something with aspects of both? "
There sure is. Shows the preponderence of fat cats on the net ;-). I have tried having the argument elsewhere that good dovetails can be cut with a $15 saw and doesn't need a $250 special or a $600 router jig. There are just a lot of (inexperienced?) people out there with more money than horse sense (or experience) and who want to buy instant talent - maybe they figure that the more you spend, the better the result? Don't take it seriously guys....
Think I'm with you on most of this, but then I was an overpaid, overindulged propellor head myself once - these days I live in the real world, which is MUCH harder work! LOL
Scrit
Edited 11/24/2003 6:05:09 AM ET by Scrit
lots of factors involved-
cheap tools that won't do the job for which they're intended are worse than useless, so we won't even talk about those. then it becomes a matter of how good is good enough? how much of the enjoyment of your work (be it a hobby or livelihood) do you derive from the tools, materials, trappings (for instance, a nice shop space) and other intangibles (the smells, sounds, feel, etc), as opposed to just the finished product? speaking for myself, i love it all. buying tools, using them, some days just the buzz of knowing i have them when and if i need them puts a smile on my face. better quality tools add to that experience for me. my wife and i are about to start completely finishing out our shop space (converting a 1300 sq ft, 6 car garage). for the next year or two, that will be our project and will be fun and rewarding in and of itself. then we'll use it (and the toys) to remodel our house and build furniture, etc.
i buy forrest blades because the relatively few extra bucks is worth avoiding/fixing the problems that may come with less expensive ones (but i hear others are getting a lot better) like chip out, cutting oversize then jointing the edges, etc. i very often buy used, top of the line tools- ie. i only have ridgid pipe threading dies and wrenches for which i paid about the same as a brand new cheap set. hardly ever use them but if i need them in an emergency i know they'll work. i'd rather have the few used swiss made precision inca machines i own than the grizzly or bridgewood eqpt i could have bought for the same $$ to ostensibly do "the same work". i also have a great many interests that require an extraordinarily wide range of toys (oh darn!).
other thoughts- buying excellent tools means you won't be struggling to learn a difficult technique with one that isn't up to the task. it also means you won't be wondering if it really might be the tool, not your lack of skills. we've all heard the saying, "poor craftsman blame their tools". why not remove that variable from the equation- at least as much as possible/practical? a huge factor is how demanding is your work and how much of a perfectionist are you? you obviously don't need a lie-nielsen anything to build rustic furniture, but the better tools sure come in handy if you're one of those types (like me) who is always trying to pick the fly sh!t out of the pepper.
how much do you value your own time? is a day spent fettling a lesser plane or set of chisels worth more than the price difference? do you enjoy that tuning process or is it just grunt work done to the sound of grumbling and the occasional bit of cussing wishing you were actually building something? would your time be better spent knocking out some small salable piece to pay for the difference- then being able to enjoy the better tool, better feel, better steel, forever more?
it's been my experience that the better artists and craftsman value their tools more. there are exceptions of course, but while you'll find plenty of wealthy hobbyists who still do crappy work with the best tools, you seldom see someone turn out top notch stuff with low end junk. in fact, i've yet to see anybody whose work really turned me on have sub-standard tools. (over the years, i've heard lots of people say, "you oughta see so-and-so's work- and he/she does it with really simple, hand made tools!" however, upon closer inspection this invariably ends up telling me more about the limited taste and experience of the person touting the work than anything else.)
have fun!
m
All depends on the tool. I try to buy the best tools I can afford unless they are what I consider throw aways. Tools I buy use up and buy another cheap one. Drill bits, forsnter bits (except for euro hinges) punches...
Then there are other tools I consider "best value" Such as router bits I buy Woodline because they are great bits for the money. Why buy a freud when I can get 2 or 3 woodlines for the same price and depending on the bit and how much I would use that bit 1 would last me for ever.
Larger tools..TS, Routers..ect yea I try to buy tthe best I can afford.
Darkworksite4:
Estamos ganando detrás el estado de Calif. Derrotando a un #### a la vez. DESEA VIVO LA REVOLUCIÓN
My opinion? People spend money on different things. I do this for a hobby. My sister-in-law spent 3000 dollars on a set of golf clubs. That made made her happy. Does it make her game better? Maybe, maybe not. At least she can't blame the clubs.
I have expensive tools and some inexpensive tools. I like a well made tool but I am not rich so I just make do until I can get the one I really want.
The answer is ................ it depends. If you've struggled with a B&D or Craftsman jigsaw, a Bosch or in my case a Milwaukee jigsaw is a revelation. Bought it as a closeout but it was still much more than either a B&D or Craftsman. No more aggravation- worth every penny. Feel the same about power tools in general; the aggravation most homeowner type power tools bring isn't worth it. Handtools are a little different story. Hard to beat an old Diston D-23 brought back to life or a tweaked Stanley 60-1/2 but can't knock someone for buying a new Lie-Nielsen either. Done both and both are satisfying in their own way. Buy the best you can afford, keep it clean and sharp, and learn how to use it (still working on that) and make shavings and sawdust.
The person behind the tool is more important than the tool itself. That is, if one is interested more in the product, rather than the tool used to produce it.
Weeellll...
I think there are a couple (a couple!) of different types of woodworkers out there.
For instance... when I buy tools for my shop, I keep in mind that I absolutely hate to screw around with my machines! I'm a big fan of uncrate it and forget it. Therefore, I buy the very best machine that I can afford, or wait until I can afford it.
Sure, I can slice off a relatively true and straight chunk of wood with my Dewalt contractor's saw, and when it has a new blade on it I think to myself "Hey, self... this saw is pretty damn sweet!"
But then I go back to my shop and fire up the 5 hp 66 with the too silly price to mention Forest blade and the Excalibur slider and i think to myself "Self... this saw is the reason why it's ok for middle aged men to get laid less and less each year."
Yes, there is a heck of a difference between the Cadillac tools... price and quality and lack of screwing around with. The Dewalt contractors saw? I'm always fiddling with it to try and get accurate cuts. The 66? I've never done a darn thing to it - 5 years and counting. Price difference? ummm, yeah.
Yes, my shop is my hobby and my extravagance, and yes... you could call me a hopeless tool buyer who spends far more money buying the tools than I may ever get for using the tools, but that's the difference.
I truly envy those guys I see in magazines who are making a living woodworking out of these tiny, cluttered shops with ancient tools. I admire them and call them true craftsmen. They have the ability to work with and improve older tools and to work in dimly lit and often shabby areas and still create great pieces.
I am not one of those craftsmen... but with some decent higher end machines and hand tools, even I can turn out some passable cabinetry and basic furniture every once in awhile. And heck... in 20 years or so, when I get wealthy and retire, those machines will still be good, heavy accurate pieces of equipment. And I still won't have done a bit of screwing around with 'em!
whew... sorry.
(and hey... i actually DO like my Dewalt contractor's saw... and would recommend it to a friend... so no flaming please :) )
Hi telemiko:
I'm a novice, beginner, whatever you want to call it. I like your question because I often struggle with this question when making purchases. I'm sure Sam Maloof could take any tool and make something great. I think I read that his first ruile is never to go into debt. But that doesn't mean he would buy cheap tools given the choice. The advantage to better tools is pleasure in their use, at least for us hobbyists. Sure some of the pleasure might come from the cache of owning the expensive stuff. (Big boys need their big toys.) Most of it, in my case, comes from spending the little time I have working with wood and not spending my time fighting fences that won't stay square, resharpening blades that dull easily. The other factor, it seems to me, is that money doesn't have the same value for everyone.
Eric, Oakland.
My first big power tool was a Craftsman TS.
Later, I bought a LN #5 plane.
That's because I discovered this forum AFTER I bought the TS.. and before I knew diddly about tools.
I have a job that pays my bills and allows me to have a hobby. The tools in my shop are all more than what I need to do the work that I do. But I was told by my dad a long time ago that use the tools that I have to buy more and better tools. Take for instance I just finished building a deck for a friend and I had a project coming up that would be made easier by having a new tool. I built he deck so that I could afford the new tool purchase. The thing is my hobby pays for itself. If I want a high priced speciality tool than I do a job that would net me enough profit to pay for it. That way I get the nice over priced tool that will allow me to do work that I had would of others wise been either unable or less time consuming to do. And the added bonus of working wood which is something I love.
I also have a hobby of collecting old hand tools. Not because I use them but because I enjoy collecting them, it is like my $3000 dollar set of golf clubs. I don't own any LN tools but not saying that I wouldn't buy one if the need or want arose.
I also like the thrill of buying big cast iron to at bargain basement prices. I get as much pleasure telling people how cheap I bought this and that for as I do using the stuff.
As for buying bigger and better to make one a better woodworker I thing that is bulls*@t. I shared my tools with friends so that they could build stuff for themselves and the work they turn out is not near as good as what I can turn out using the same stuff. Not saying that I am a god of wood but I do have years of working with wood where as most of my friends and just getting there feet wet. Also the tools I have are mine I know how to set the fence for the best cut or where to apply pressure to get the smoothest surface because they are mine and I have a feel for them. I have seen my father-in-law take his #7 jointer and true an edge in seconds where as I cannot get the same results with his jointer but I can with mine. Why is that? They are both the same plane with he same blade but his and mine yield the same results when used by it's owner but different results when used by someone else.
Anyway enough of this rant I have to go next door and finish laying flooring so I can buy the new top and fence for my router table.
Scott C. Frankland
"This all could have been prevented if their parents had just used birth control"
It's the guy behind the tool.
It all depends on what you want to do with your tools and how often. The professional cabinet maker/joiners that I know have very high quality fixed power tools (Altendorf, etc), middle of the road portable power tools (Makita, etc), and everyday average quality hand tools (Marples, Record, etc). They do it all day every day for a living. Freud tooling is widely used. Doubtless most would love to have a kit of LN hand tools but it's a lot of money.
For amateurs like me it's all a question of priorities. My suggestion is start with average quality hand tools and learn how to tune and sharpen them properly. If you plan to do plenty of work purchase trade quality portable power tools as opposed to the "home duty" variety. With respect to fixed power tools buy the best you can reasonably justify (including second hand) and learn how to overcome whatever shortcomings your choice might have. As far as carbide tooling is concerned - well I have Leitz, Freud, and some much cheaper locally made sawblades, and when they're sharp they all cut pretty well!
Oh, and if you want to indulge yourself, get one of those LN planes and everytime you run it across a piece of timber you'll marvel at what a delight it is to behold, and be able to pity the rest of us who would love one also but can't afford it.
Ted
Edited 11/25/2003 12:57:59 AM ET by Ted
Opening up a can of worms. Huh?
I think there are too many people out there that think the more money you spend on a tool, the better they will be. I try to buy tools for long lasting and I also buy cheap, depending on the need or lack of use of the tool.
Alot of it depends on what and how you use you tools. I used mine for business.
Don't get me wrong, I have a PM66, 8hp compressor, and I own some $100Harbor freight tools. I also have a 21 spindle boring machine(way at the other end of the spectrum). Plus many others. I own 3 sets of japanese chisels, plus the good old blue marples, and a few of the old plastic Stanleys. Most of my hand saws are worn out. Some of them from use, most of them from abuse(mainly by others). I also own an electric jack hammer, 2 framming nailers, 6-8 staple/nail guns, 4 various types of mitre saws. And that is just the beginning of the inventory.
I have some machines that I rarely touch, as in a Williams/Hussey, Record Lathe, Mig welder. But, somehow, they have all paid for themselves over the years. Now they are just a luxury item sitting there gathering dust. But when I need them, they will be there
I also have a Delta bench top mortiser that I like so-so. Been looking and hoping to score on a used Powermaic/Jet floor model, but I have time. I do know how to hand cut mortises, but I have gotten really rusty at it. I can and will hand cut, unless it doesn't show, or matter. At that point, I reach for the power tools.
I plan on buying a tile saw in the near future. Mainly because we are building a home. I problably will sell it when I'm done (maybe, but I doubt it)
When I got into vacuum pressing, I built my own vacuum press and sold it before I moved. I will be building another one when I get the house done. The last one cost $2,000 in materials. I used it for many jobs and that thing made me alot of money over the years. This is one tool I recommend to everyone, and they are cheap to make.
Now, Is my quality the same as some these guys? No, but I can build some really nice stuff. So, I can build a kitchen from scratch that looks like it was in a magazine. But, I don't claim to cut my own dovetail drawers (I order them out if the customer really wants them). I also can make all my own cabinet doors (including exterior doors) If it doesn't pay, I won't make them
I believe that if you are in business doing woodworking, buy the machinery. If you really don't need it, don't buy (unless you really WANT it)
As to the planing questions, mine are basically old stanley hand me downs and I own a really nice rebate plane and a Record radius plane. Just have never been able to get into the hang of hand planing. It's easier to get out the electric planer. Maybe someday (not!). I still would love to have a few LN planes laying around to drool over
Have the tools made me a better woodworker? No, but they have been able to enrich my expertise in woodorking over the past 20 years. Have they made me money and increased my profit margin?-Yes Did I spent too much on some? yes
Did I buy too cheap. At times, but I would upgrade if needed and now those become my backups
Do I own too many tools? I won't even answer that. My wife has put me on "tool restriction" so many times, I've lost count.
I know a guy who brags that he "does everything by hand" and refuses to use sandpaper (I do know where he keeps some). I don't think he makes more than $5-$10 per hour and he is always broke. His dream is to "make it someday, the old World way"
One of my best friends and mentor could do amazing things with the cheapest of tools. He built custom kitchens and cabinetry. he wouldnt touch a Kitchen for under 20K. He used mostly Harbor frieght and crapsman. He used to laugh at me when Id buy a new tool. He used to tell me he didnt know who made the tools he had. All he new if he needed a tool he'd go buy it. He didnt get all messed up behind tools. BTW he passed one year ago last Oct.
Darkworksite4:
Estamos ganando detrás el estado de Calif. Derrotando a un #### a la vez. DESEA VIVO LA REVOLUCIÓN
Woodworking is a hobby for most of us. We all have fun in different ways. Some people like to recondition old tools and use them. Some want handmade floor to ceiling tool cabinets full of brass/rosewood tools. All that is just fine.
I grew up in humble circumstances and was taught to do the best with what I have. I think there are multiple ways to get to the same point and dedicated, expensive tools aren't always absolutely necessary unless you are in a production situation.
I think you can do quite well with reasonably priced, very well sharpened and tuned handtools. Power equipment that is really low end is usually a constant headache and false economy; you are better off with something better.
I was grousing to a 88 year old retired master cabinet maker that my $20 Stanley #4 was a "cheap tool". He showed me how to flatten the back of the blade properly. He handed it back with a knowing smile after planing some paper thin shavings.
Frank
that depends where you come from. if you come from the sticks with no HOME DEPOTS or LOWES around its hard to get the good stuff. you have to make do with what you see is what you get and learn to improvise on that. practice makes perfect but have fun and be safe
I'm unable to buy all high quality tools, though I wish I could. I do have some older tools passed on to me by my grandfather, and was wondering if there was a book or any way to learn how to effectively true and tune things, or if it was something that needs a in shop education.
What kind of tools did your grandfather have? Many older tools, especially hand tools, are better than most anything made currently.
Try looking at a copy of Restoring ,Tuning & using Classic woodworking Tools by Mike Dunbar. ISBN 0-8069-6670-X I think that will help unless your grandfather's tools were machinery
Jako
"Is this an illness, or reality, or something with aspects of both?"
Telemiketoo,
Yes. Definitely! Next question? Ha, ha.
Paul
TMT, very interesting question, and just finished reading all the the replies so far, not sure I have anything new to add, so I will share my experience.
I started woodworking (again) about 12 years ago with a $80 used Craftsman table top TS, a 1 1/2 HP craftsman router, which is still alive and kicking, and a table my wife bought me from Eagle America. My first "big" project was from Woodsmith Magazine and it was a replica of an oak icebox. I built it all with those 2 tools. I was hooked for sure, and then a friend of mine and I attended one of the Woodworking Shows shortley thereafter. I bought a Powermatic 63A Artisan TS, a link belt with the new pulleys, and a Dubby Cut-off table. Now over the years I have the usual stuff, planer, jointer, bandsaw, etc, and I think if I rebuilt that icebox, it wouldn't turn out any better, at least to the casual viewer, but I would just have it built "quicker" with all the toys. One more point, I had a block plane and some chisels laying around, but beig dull, ( the tools not me) I was so frustrated, I gave up, Then I really splurged and bought a Tormek Sharpener. I don' want to debate the difference between stones and Tormek, I only bring it up because I "tuned" that block plane and those chisels, and I bought more on ebay and they work fine. The block plane, for as good and sharp and set up as it is, it can't TOUCH the LN 60 1/2R block plane I bought a couple of months ago.
So it may be the "guy behind the tool" and yes, you can still turn out junk with a million buck shop, but I think of all I have read, get what you can afford, and up grade along the way. And now I know why I, as a middle aged man I " don't get laid as much as I used too", I spent too much on that *^%$ bandsaw ;-)
Rick - Jackson-TN "maker of fine fire wood"
I'm still getting started in this avocation and have made a few tool purchases, some big and some small, and so far I am happy with all of it. Here's how I have prioritized my budget: use the first $500 on classes, seminars, FWW subscription, etc. You get my point - I hate to be an uneducated buyer and in the area of fine woodworking tools, I needed more education than reading a pile of tool reviews. The instructors were invaluable and worked hard to help me understand how and why to prioritize my wish list. I bought the basic handtools needed for the first class project, then spent a proportionaly larger amount of time and money on sharpening. No matter what tools you buy, the equipment and skill to sharpen and tune them is a necessity so I figured it was impossible to waste my time or money with that investment. The initial cash outlay was fairly low - Marples chisels, Stanley block plane, a couple of simple oilstones. As I have taken on more comlex projects, I have purchased what I needed at the time based on my experience up to that point, for example a Japanese dovetail saw (I quickly found that I could control it much easier than a push saw and a $40 pull saw was much better than a comparably priced Western style saw). When I got to the point that I could see and feel the shortcomings of that Stanley plane, I relegated it to trimming the painted bathroom door that had swelled and bought a LN low-angle block plane. I appreciate its performance now in a way I never would have if I had bought it first. In other areas I think it makes sense to make your first purchase your last purchase because of the expense involved. A $35 "training" block plane is a lot cheaper than a $500 "training" table saw. So, when I recently decided I wanted to save time and sweat by using a table saw I ended up shelling out the dough for a Unisaw. I will make future major machine purchases in the same way and for the same reason - like it's the only one I'm going to buy in this lifetime and only because I have a specific operation that I've found the machine will be helpful for by saving me time and energy. Fancy tools aren't magic, they're just there to make the job easier.
Good, Fast, Cheap.
You can always get two.
Long dissertation on being in business and competing follows, but youre not going to read it anyway so blah blah blah blah :-)
"The child is grown / The dream is gone / And I have become / Comfortably numb " lyrics by Roger Waters
You should mount your Interarms PPK on a jig and drill holes in your wood. Make the jig interchangeable with other calibre pistols. :)
Newman
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