Need Advice on Next Tool Purchase (Small Shop)

[Dustin Keys]

I'm saving up for my next significant tool purchase and need some direction on what it should be from those more experienced than myself. Budget is probably around $500. My shop is half of a two car garage (can move the car out as needed to have the whole garage while working). This is a hobby only, no intentions of doing commercial work. I just enjoy building stuff.

Here's what I have currently (leaving out marking tools and small stuff):

• Circ Saw
• Handheld Jigsaw
• Router (Dewalt 618 with plunge and D bases) - no table currently
• Old Delta/Rockwell 10" bandsaw (small, light duty, plastic wheels, etc)
• Set of restored hand planes
• Chisels
• Hand saws
• Workbench
• Drills

What I don't have:

• Tablesaw
• Thickness Planer
• Jointer
• Drill Press
• Compound Miter Saw

The usual advice for the next purchase is something along the lines of "what have you needed in prior projects that you didn't have" or "what do you need for your next project". There hasn't been a project I've done or am about to do where I couldn't use most of the tools on the "don't have" list. I can only purchase one at a time though, so which should come first?

A few additional notes:

• My workbench is not against the wall, and I prefer to keep it that way as I'm always working around the whole bench and clamping stuff to it. I know I lose some floor space that way, but I still think it's the better choice.
• I haven't been able to use the bandsaw yet (still restoring it). It has sentimental value, so it isn't going anywhere even though it has somewhat limited usefulness given it's size.
• I currently avoid all projects that require more than very little thickness planing - tried that once by hand, and it wasn't any fun.
• I tend towards smaller projects as they are more economical for learning. Will do bigger stuff as my skills and wood budget increase.
• I planned on operating without a TS, but I needed to borrow one for a few tricky cuts on my last project and it was really nice. My handsawing skills just weren't up to the task for the cuts I needed to make. Maybe I need to saw by hand better? Maybe I need to get a TS? Both?
• I enjoy working with the hand tools more than anything, but I'm realizing the efficiency of the tailed tools for a lot of tasks can't be beat.
• I'm open to mobile tools as long as they don't take long to set up when I want to use them.

Thanks for your help!

[Matt Schroeder]

If you do much work with sheet goods I would look at the DeWalt track saw and get the router adapter (or go with another manufacturer's offering). I have the DeWalt system and find it great for breaking down sheets and finish sizing parts, straightening an edge of a solid board (with the saw or a router depending on the amount of wood that has to come off), making dados for case construction, and it stores away easily in my one bay of a garage shop. Many will suggest that all of these tasks can be accomplished with home made jigs and that is very true. However, I am limited in the amount of time I can spend on the hobby and prefer to make things the wife can use instead of things only I will use, so I chose to spend some money on the tools. Even though I have a table saw it is easier for me to drop a sheet of ply on a few 2x4s laid on the floor after pulling out a car and go to town with the track saw than trying to hoist the sheets onto the table saw. Dust collection with my shop vac is quite good--when I remember to hook up the hose...

Another option would be a surface planer and make a sled with shims that allows it to face joint one side before planing to thickness. I had a jointer but sold it to reclaim floor space when I built a sled for the planer (yes, the wife doesn't use this one but I needed the floor space so it was a worthwhile time investment). I edge joint by hand or with the aforementioned track saw. I have the Makita 12" planer and like it very much.

Feel free to shoot any questions my way, and I'll be looking forward to hearing what you choose to do.

Matt

[Jim German]

What sort of wood do you like to work with, or can easily obtain? If you'd like to use rough lumber, you really need a jointer and a planer. Keep in mind that you really need both to take rough stock and make it S4S. However most good lumberyards can joint and plane the wood for you for a small fee.

On your list the CMS is significantly cheaper than the other ones. A good new 12" CMS like the Dewalt DW715 is only $230. I would (and did) get one of those first, its useful for a ton of projects around the home in addition to doing woodworking. Of course if you like cutting wood by hand, its not going to be a big help.

A tablesaw is the pretty standard first big tool for most shops. But it will also be the biggest and the most in the way in a small shop. I would also suggest not skimping on one. $500 is pushing it, but you may be able to find a good used cabinet saw for that price. I've found using a cheap saw to be extremely frustrating.

I'd say skip the drill press, its certainly handy to have, and its great to be abel to make a perfectly perpendicular hole, but most of the time I just grab my cordless drill anyway.

[Jerry Miner]

This is such a subjective question. It all depends on the work you want to do and the way you want to do it. Some people are all hand tools. Some, all power-tools. Most of us are in the middle somewhere. If you're carving duck decoys, that's one thing---building kitchen cabinets, another. Birdhouses or Louis XIV reproductions. There are so many variations.

In my shop, the tablesaw is the heart of it all. I use it for every project I do. So for me, that's tool #1. But some people never use a tablesaw. You have to decide what you want to do and how you want to do it.

[scott spencer]

I'd be lost without my TS. It's the heart and soul of my shop. $500 just about gets you into a decent full size saw with a belt drive induction motor. The Delta 36-725 has a darn good fence for an entry level saw.

[Rick Potter]

Many will disagree, but from what you describe, I would recommend getting a used shopsmith. Doesn't take up a lot of room, does a lot of things, if you are in no rush. Get a clean used one, and you can always sell it when you outgrow it.

It is a great tool for beginners, kind of like a gateway drug. Check you tube for lots of videos.


PS: No, I am not a Shopsmith junkie, but I do see the value, especially for beginners. I have owned stuff from $5 routers, to Felders. They all have their place.

[glenn bradley]

I don't see dust collection. Is that already taken care of?

[Dustin Keys]

I looked up a track saw as I wasn't familiar. That doesn't look much different from using a straight edge clamped to the board as a fence which is how I've been working with sheet goods and the like. Is there a significant difference I'm missing? I've used that method to good effect with both the circ saw and router. That system breaks down when you need to make good straight cuts on smaller pieces of wood though, which I don't think the track saw would handle any better unless I'm missing something.

My interest in the CMS is primarily for around the house stuff as mentioned. I'm not sure how much usefulness it has for finer woodworking. There are plenty of times it would have been handy though.

The size of a TS was primarily why I wanted to work without one. I really don't have the space for one without making major changes and I'm not sure I really need it. There have been plenty of times where I could have used it though.

I have done almost all of my woodworking in pine thus far as it's readily available, cheap, and appropriate for much of what I've been doing. I have found a local sawmill though, so rough lumber is soon to be coming.

I don't have dust collection at this time. I have a shopvac, but haven't picked up the necessary components for DC. I primarily like to work with hand tools, so DC hasn't been a priority.

[Jim Matthews]

Second the portable DC.

Shop lighting?

What project comes up next?

You've already got most all the stuff I use.

I have a solid bandsaw that does whatever
I can't manage with a circular saw.

Have you taken any courses?

I find a basic woodworking course tends to cover a
method, as much as a project.

You can see pretty quickly what works for you,
without purchasing the tools.

It's like a test drive, before buying a car.

I dunno how far you are from Waco,
but http://www.sustainlife.org/heritage-...f-woodworking/
seems to be pretty straightforward.

[John K Jordan]

Have you ever tried woodturning? So many people around the world get great enjoyment in small shops with not much more than a lathe, grinder, and good bandsaw. A one-day course at the local Woodcraft might let you know if you are a future famous woodturner.

For limited space and budget and casual use it's hard to beat one of the "portable" 10" table saws. I used one for years before I built a shop and got a good cabinet saw with a sliding table.

The bandsaw with sentimental value might retain some of that value if you give it to someone in the family. Or take it apart and make a work of art for the wall. A bandsaw is arguably the most useful saw in the shop. I use two, a 12" and 18" and use them almost daily. (Just a retired hobbyist here, mostly focused on woodturning.) You really need a good bandsaw, not a toy. My humble opinion.

I second the need for good dust collection. I know of three casual woodwokers who had to give it up completely after slowly ruining their lungs.

JKJ

[Bob Hoffmann]

A table saw -- without a doubt. What you have is good for cutting stuff ... but if you want accuracy and repeatability, the TS is the way to go.

You can do more with it then with a track saw, and they will almost cost the same ...

I would hold off on a DC -- it is good for stationary equipment -- but with all yo have is a Band Saw, it does not make sense -- at least in my opinion.

[Jesse Busenitz]

+1 on the table saw..... Out of all my tools I use it the most. It also gets used as a table with the blade lowered when my workbench gets full and I'm too lazy to clean it I mainly use it for ripping and sizing larger panels but I had to use it for some moulding since my miter saw was at a different job. I was surprised how easy it was to cut accurate small pieces with a good miter gauge setup.

[Allan Speers]

Dustin, my response will be a little different, and based on how I personally work. It's not for everybody:

The thing you need like crazy is a thickness planer. You don't need a jointer (ever) because you can get by with a planer-sled and some patience. Get one used. I highly recommend the Makita 2012NB. The Dewalt is nice, too, but the Makita is lighter, is easier to change blades on, and leaves a finish-ready surface.

That planer is going to eat up most of your budget, so there goes the tablesaw. Since you already have a circular saw, I HIGHLY recommend that you get a basic tracksaw system, and a good one. I personally use the Eurekazone, which will work with the CS you already own. I also suggest that you build a Eurekazone-type "smart table" with the sacrificial supports. I used one for about 8 years, and made countless precision cuts on it, after selling my Unisaw. Now I have the deluxe "EZ-One" table, but you don't NEED that. Believe me, the only NEED for a tablesaw is for using a dado stack, and that can be done with a router.

So, do this now. You can always get a TS later, when you have the money for a real one (Not a contractor's TS) and the tracksaw will still serve you well for easily breaking-down sheet goods.

For small pieces and deep-stock angles, which are a little tricky with even the Eurekazone, you can finally put that band saw to good use. Make yourself an extension table for it, and get a good fence, and you're off to the races. About $500 all-in should do it, if you buy the planer used. Well, more like $600, I think.

[Allan Speers]

I don't see dust collection. Is that already taken care of?

Good Point!

- But Dustin is desperately in need of a few machines right now, so He'd better invest in a decent mask, and wear it all the time.

[Matt Schroeder]

Dustin,

One advantage I see with the track system over a straight edge and circular saw is that the track either doesn't have to be clamped down (in some cases) or has clamps that fit in the bottom of the track so do not require as much extra material to clamp on--the clamps under the track sit where the saw is riding on top. With some extra blocking to hold up the ends of the track or keep it from tipping you can cut a 12" long, 4" wide piece when clamped safely. Of course, you can probably engineer something that will work with your current circular saw, and this specific cut is much easier on a table saw if you already have one straight edge--but if you are space constrained there are ways of using a track saw to do smaller scale work than you might expect. If you mainly build boxes and picture frames, or do a lot of small applied moldings it probably isn't your best choice. However, I have used mine to cut chair and table parts, even though I do have a table saw. Since I sold my jointer I find myself using the track saw to straighten edges of boards. That operation can be done on a table saw with a sled or by attaching a straight edge but I find it easier with the track saw in my shop. Coupling the option to do small scale work, the ability to straighten an edge when the opposite edge is not yet straight (a jointer operation in my jointer-less shop), and the ease of working with large panels using the track saw was my justification for purchasing it for my shop.

The track saw system also has some safety features I appreciate--a riving knife and anti-kickback pads. Some may say they aren't necessary, but I appreciate having them. The dust collection with my shop vac is quite good as well.

Matt