How much $$$ do you spend on tools/woodworking in a year?

[Eric Kipker]

Not going to say, my wife might see my post.

[Joe Cowan]

I had a business partner that collected guns. He wanted to own a case of shells for each gun even though he could not possibly use them. I would rag on him about this until I started on my shop. I want to own some tools, with the pleasure being just having them ready to use if I should need them, or buy them for some future project that I could probably get by with some other tool I already own.

[Pat Barry]

I assume this is for the hobbyist right, not a business application, so for me the range is from 650 to 1000 annual, mostly for material these days. I am including probably 200 per year on nice to haves, not need to haves.

[Julie Moriarty]

I love sailing. And I'd love to own a sailboat. If I never got into woodworking and stashed all the money I spent on tools, I could buy a pretty nice sailboat now.

[Jamie Lynch]

I still find myself taking cash to Woodcraft so it won't show up on the credit card bill.

Steve

Haha! Never done that one before.
This year is a big one for me. the past few has been in the sub $1000.00 range. I'm not even through January and I'm already at $1500.00. To be fair i did buy a new table saw and have started insulating my shop.

[David Helm]

Several years ago I spent $27,000. The money was from my homeowners insurance and went to rebuild the shop trashed by a hit and run driver and to replace numerous stationery tools that were destroyed. Since then the expenditures have mostly been for materials.

[Rich Riddle]

Let's not do the percentage of income ratio. This year I am cutting way back on work and it would not reflect well as a percentage. I would be over 100%. If we counted the things I do at home to avoid paying a contractor, it would reflect well.

[Clark Harbaugh]

I'll chime in on this one, seeing as how my wife has no desire to read the forums I'm on. I think my average year spend on tools and general shop supplies is around $4K. My largest year was around $12IK, but that was when I decided I was going to take woodworking seriously and moved on from the $200 Black & Decker table saw and thrift store power tools to a full shop worth of real tools - 5 hp table saw, 19" band saw, jointer, dust collection, work benches, lathe, drill press, countless hand power tools, clamps (can't believe how much I've spent on clamps), and way too many other small items to list. My justification was that she was pregnant at the time (stay with me...). I call it my 5 step program to getting your shop outfitted.

Step 1 - Get wife pregnant. Step 2 - I said I wanted to build the baby's furniture, and she was excited about that. Step 3 - A couple weeks later I started cussing louder than normal while in the shop, complaining about how long it took to setup a table saw for every cut, etc (set the stage) Step 4 - Tell her that if I don't have the proper tools, the furniture will not turn out right, which she now gets overly emotional about (hormones). Step 5 - finally, tell her that since she will be quitting work and becoming a stay at home mom (God bless her...) that I will never have the opportunity again to afford to buy a shop's worth of tools. She asked how much, and I told her about $5K. I may have overrun a bit. I was in hot water until I delivered the baby's furniture, then her bed, the entertainment center....

[Clay Fails]

I have spent about $20,000 on stationary machines in the last 15 yr, since I started woodworking. The last 12 months have been particularly costly with a sawstop, griz cyclone, and griz helical planer. I have no idea how much I've spent on the little stuff, but I have 2 file folders each about 2" thick with receipts from griz, rockler, lee valley, etc. My wife will never complain because her hobby is horses. I'm a lucky man. Nuff said!

Ditto what Jim said!

[Bruce Wrenn]

It varies year to year. Because I earn my living with my tools, the cost is deductible on taxes. When I worked for someone else years ago, tools were REALLY ON SALE. I still had my business at that time. (I don't remember not filling out a schedule "C" in the last thirty+ years.) When you added federal, state, social security and medicare taxes on self employment and a full time job, any tools I bought were on sale for more than half off. I had a choice, I could buy a tool, or give it to the government. But I don't have any tools that have cost me, as they have paid their own way with money earned. Once my wife mentioned how many routers I owned. I showed her one B&D 610 that I paid about $100 for which has only had one bit in it. But it has made me over 75K since I bought it in 1996. Once my FIL said I was the only guy he knew who had a saw for each end of the board. I reminded him how many steps per day I DID'NT walk to go get saw. This year, my tool purchases are going towards repairs, which I have put off too long. Plus I'm planning to have bi-lateral knee replacement in a couple months.

[Steve Kohn]

I have no idea on what I've spent over the years. And more importantly, at least to me, is I simply don't care. I'm retired now and have a pretty complete shop. However the itch to acquire new tooling hasn't gone away. If I see somwthing I like I simply plunk down the credit card.

[paul cottingham]

My wife sometimes reads this forum, so my answer is "nothing."

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Clark, that is genius!!!

[Harold Burrell]

How much $$$ do you spend on tools/woodworking in a year?

If I tell, I will have to kill you.

Actually, it is WAY more likely that my wife would end up seeing the post and then kill ME.

[Rich Riddle]

Since apparently many wives read this forum. What do you think your friends spend on woodworking or tools in a year?