Your best tools purchase of the year?

[Bryan Hopfensperger]

Alright, I'll play… (and come out of lurk-mode)

Jet 22-44 closed base
Grizzly G0513P bandsaw

Bought the sander (2 yrs old) for 1⁄2 price. Bought the bandsaw with a 10% off eBay coupon, and after some shop clean-up sales paid a whopping $0.00.

great tools, both.

[Dave Mura]

[Kevin Gregoire]

i made most of my best purchases last year but for 2011 my best purchase
would be an Excalibur EX-21 scroll saw for $400

i did also buy a near new Powermatic 14" bandsaw with mobile base and a
riser block. not at a great price but good enough to make me happy.

[Cary Falk]

My gloat for this year would be 1hp power feed for $200.
DSC_0715.jpg

I did pick up a 1968 Delta 24" scroll saw and a 1958 DeWalt GWI RAS that I had fun restoring but they weren't gloatable price wise.

[Ryan Hellmer]

I think I only bought 3 machines this year:

Wadkin SP12 short format (5') sliding tablesaw with scoring unit...
Delta RC-51 20" planer...
Tannewitz GH 36" bandsaw...

Total cost $1100

[David Hostetler]

Been a tight year financially, but what few additions were well worth the money spent, or no money spent in one case...

#1. Harbor Freight benchtop mortising machine. I got it NIB from a coworker that couldn't figure out what to do with it. I traded a Delta 10" non slide miter saw that I cleaned up, fitted with a cheap blade that I had sharpened by a friend. I think total cost in the thing to me was something like $5.00. It works, makes easy mortises. The fence stinks, but that's okay, I can work around that...

#2. MLCS inlay bit and bushing set. Got started in doing inlay work this year. Having fun with it...

#3. 6' piano hinges from the Habitat Re-Store. Got them dirt cheap. Like $2.00 each. Used them to build my clamshell cabinets...

[Prashun Patel]

Mirka Ceros RO sander. Simply amazing: Aggressive, smooth, quiet, phenomenal dust collection. Makes me ENJOY sanding.

[Timothy Wolf]

I bought almost all of my big tools this year (I just got into woodworking in Nov 2010) so it would be hard to single out one tool but I really like my Steel City Bandsaw and 6" Jointer with a really long bed (hoping SC sticks around through this economy just in case I ever need replacement parts). I did just pick up a nice Rockwell 10" Turrent style Radial arm saw last night for $100. http://denver.craigslist.org/tls/2721582126.html I would have an easier time saying my worst tool purchase of the year Jet Drill press which is way too inaccurate. All my tools were bought used on craigslist so I had only one really bad dud. I will upgrade my drill press come tax time next year and hopefully be able to post that in the 2012 best tool purchase.

[Mark Welte]

A used Grizzly 1023z TS and Grizzly 14 band saw off of Craigslist. Both were used lightly and had been sitting for a while. Needed to replace a broken part on the band saw and put a new Vega 50 fence on the TS. Shop should be up and running in about 2 weeks.

[michael veach]

Bosch 12V max tools

[Jerome Hanby]

Well almost bought a high dollar metal cutting band saw that would have been my best buy of the year, but that appears to have stalled. The guy at the tool outlet place convinced me that the little Porter Cable Li-Ion driver was a winner and told me to buy one, keep the receipt,and if I didn't like it bring it back within six months. Let's just say he's not getting it back <g>. But, the best tool I got all year was a Festool jigsaw from a fellow 'creeker. Night and day difference over anything I've used in the past!

Bosch 12V max tools

[Kevin Gregoire]

anyone else?

[Kirk Poore]

Duro overarm router, circa 1950:
12904-C.jpg

[Larry Anderson]

Jet 16-32 Plus drum sander. Use it on almost every project.

[Kent A Bathurst]

LN face float and cheek float. Nothing else like them for tuning tenons, including my trusty LN rabbet block............I was "hopeful" but was managing my expectations, and then I put them to work.........way too cool.