What tools would you start with for a shop doing more than Turning?

[David Parker]

Hi Joshua,

Interesting thread. I'm a beginning woodworker who, like you, got started by turning (also relatively new at that). My Jet 1642 EVS 2 HP lathe was my first piece of equipment. I soon bought a bandsaw with a 12 inch resaw capacity to help make my blanks (I got the Rikon 10-325 and like it). I next made the mistake of taking a few introductory woodworking classes at my local Woodcraft store. It put the notion in my head that I'd also really enjoy woodworking so I bought a 6" jointer (Rikon 20-110) and a thickness planer (DeWalt DW735). The planer is really nice. I like my jointer, but I think jointers are pretty generic and I'd go with the best price. The jointer and planer let you dimension your own wood and make sure everything is square and true. Also, for safety, you really should joint an edge straight prior to cutting on the table saw. I'm making due with a small bench top drill press, although a larger one would be nice. I plan to build a nice router table and am currently using a benchtop model with a good router.

I toyed with not buying a table saw, since my space is really limited. While I might be able to get by with a guided circular saw system, for less money I ended up buying the Ridgid R4511 hybrid saw on sale for $450. I'm glad I did as this is a great saw for the money. Once I'm sure I will be doing this for the next 20 years, I may upgrade to a SawStop for the extra peace of mind, but the majority of the safety comes from a riving knife and using proper technique.

Dave

P.S. - I forgot to mention dust collection and control. Safety has been a priority with me in all my purchases. I bought a Delta 50-760 dust collector when I purchased my bandsaw and it works great for all my equipment. I just move the hose to the machine I'm using and laid out my shop so this would be easy to accomplish. I also have a wall-mounted Jet AFS-1000B air cleaner to help clean the air. I keep my basement shop under negative air pressure using an outside ducted vent with variable speed fan. This keeps any dust or fumes from escaping into the rest of the house and works extremely well.

[Mike Cruz]

You have a lot of great answers already. I was planning on passing on answering, but I'm waiting on some things to print, so I have a few minutes...

My two cents:

6" jointer... you HAVE to flatten a board BEFORE throwing it through a planer.

Planer...you will go nuts buying preplaned stuff at the local borg and/or cry every time you pay a sawmill to plane it for you...and cry when you get it home and realize they didn't do as nice a job as you would have.

Table Saw... contractor saw/hybrid will work. Cabinet saws are better.

14" bandsaw (or bigger)... resawing, curves, the list is endless.

Drill press... you will need perfectly straight/perfectly spaced holes for some of your projects...something a handheld drill can't give you.

Dust collector... lots of piping.


I think the real big issue here is that with all these tools comes a HUGE learning curve. Think back to when you started turning...what you knew then and what you know now. Now, think of all these tools and what it will take to be as proficient will all of them.

Good luck, I mean it. This should be a REALLY exciting time for you!

Oh, yeah, used vs new. Hey, if you can afford it, new...no brainer. But if $ is an issue, there is a lot of good used stuff out there, just be careful that you aren't getting a lemon. Maybe being able to take someone with you when you go buy them would be helpful. Even if they aren't woodworkers, someone who is an excellent mechanic understands tools. They can at least be a useful set of eyes from a mechanical perspective. Okay, I'm gonna get some flack here for saying this, but it is my opinion, not gospel: Grizzly, Powermatic, Jet, etc...all fine machines. I would stay away from Craftsman, Ryobi, and the "harry homeowner" brands. That said, I have a Ridgid TS and BS and like them both just fine. I would like bigger and better some day, but both are descent pieces. (And THAT said, I souped up my BS so much, that one could argue that I didn't like the factory machine and only like it because of the changes I've made...my point, the basic machine is good.)

Still printing....

[Jacob Mac]

Three things I have learned as I put together my shop FWIW:

1. Don't overlook dust collection. You want to form a plan for this from the very beginning. I didn't, and I really wish I would have. You don't want to be breathing a bunch of dust, and you don't want to spend your time cleaning it up either. Routers can make a terrible mess, so think through dust collection;

2. If you can't afford a jointer, you can always go with a hand plane and a lunch box planer. Do some searches, and you can find ways to build sleds for your planer, hand plane, buy S3S lumber etc. In other words, you don't have to spend a ton of money to get going; and

3. Buy tools as your project demands, not before. That makes buying tools easier on the wallet.

[Mike Cruz]

Jacob is right on the dust collection issue. The best thing you can do is run your dust collection throughout the shop for where machinery will/might be...not where stuff is now. My shop plans have changed a bunch of times from conception on paper, to repositioning equipment, to getting equipment that I didn't think I was going to get/have. So just run pipe and cap off ends, that way when you get a machine and put it in place, your headache isn't "putting in a tee".

You know the women's motto..."buy the shoes, the dress will come"? Well it applies to WW's too..."run the dust collection pipes, the equipment will come".

[Nathan Callender]

I got into ww (seriously) less than a year ago, or at least I should say that I started buying big machines less than a year ago (I made do with portable tools for a while), and I have a table saw (contractor R3660) and a benchtop planer (TP3100) and router (craftsman POS). I'm doing cabinets with just this, and it's working so far. I do wish I had a jointer some times but I bought all s2s wood and I can take out minor warps and cups with the planer and edge joint on the table saw.

I love the TS, but it's weakness is dust collection. Were I to do it again, I would get a hybrid, like the Ridgid R4550. I would also appreciate the granite top (my cast iron top has rusted like crazy this summer, even with care). Since I work in a garage, having the TS mobile is a big deal.

The Ridgid planer I have is also great, but very loud. If I were to do it again, I'd look for a planer with an induction motor and a helical cutterhead, or possibly a jointer/planer combo.

The router, well, it's great for hand held work. When I'm finished with this project, I'll be getting a small shaper. Again, induction motor... quiter and actually rated properly.

A bandsaw would be really useful, and I can see myself getting one in short order. Probably a 17" model. I've resawed enough wood on the TS to know it's not a fun task. Although, there are some who could use a bandsaw in leiu of a table saw, I think that I would have a hard time giving up the TS. I think both are needed for a well equiped shop.

Dust collector - I got a cheap portable bag unit from PSI. Were I to do it again, I would get the 1.5HP or 2HP model from HF and add a thein separator and cannister to it. Unfortunately, I wanted to put it under the right side of the table saw, so a vertical setup didn't work for me.

BTW, don't forget the hand tools. Just as important.

[Thomas Pender]

I agree strongly with the bandsaw, jointer, planer, router(s), and dust collection advice. These are the guts. You can eventually graduate to hollow chisel mortisers, lifting router tables, shapers, sanders, etc. However, also do not ignore a good bench - it is as much a tool as anything. Also, good hook rules and a Starret Square.

I also recommend you stay away from the the Neanderthal forum (tongue in cheek). I did not and now I have really nice planes, chisels, and other handtools that I can use, do use, and am constantly sharpening. It is a real slippery slope. Otherwise, once you have been to the LV and LN booths at a woodshow, you will be in trouble.

[Philip Johnson]

You have already discovered that quality tools make a difference and are a joy to use. So buy a tool once buy the best you can afford and you will be happy with it.

Up until a few days ago I would have said a good cabinet saw is the main tool and center of my shop. I then read a few post on here about people replacing their table saws with a bandsaw. I thought they were full of bs a bandsaw can never make a nice straight cut. Go check out the videos on the minni max website on the mm16. I can now see how a quality band saw could in fact replace a table saw, sorry to the guys I thought were full of bs. With your lathe and turning a good band saw may be more useful then a tablesaw to you, that is a decision you will have to make. But at any rate you need something good to cut wood either a band saw or table saw or both. As far as that 90 dollar saw I pay 125 dollars for sawblades I would not have much faith in it being a quality tool. Buy a used powermatic 66 or other cabinet saw and you will be set for life.

A good planner and jointer go hand and hand one is not as useful as they are together. I consider an 8 inch jointer to be the minimum and recently bought a 12 inch and wonder how I got by with a 8 inch seems I have a lot of 11 inch boards lately. I would buy a decent planner in the 15 to 20 inch size. If new is not in the budget I would be looking at craigslist for some used deals.

Those 3 main tools will get you going, from there you can add a drill press and sanders and what ever else you find you need. Don.t forget to save a few thousand for a stop at the Festoo store and blades' dado blades and routers and sanders.

its fun to spend others money