What are your top 5 'most used' expensive tools

[mark mcfarlane]

Just curious about others workflows.

Which machines get used the most? What expensive tool did you invest in that sits mostly unused?

What are you making?

Assume your combo machine is not a combo machine...

[Jim Finn]

I make small cedar boxes with images or lettering inlaid into the hinged lid. The most used piece of equipment in my shop is a 8"x48" stationary sander. The least used is a $600 used scroll saw. I have two other scroll saws that I use every day.

[Anthony Whitesell]

The tablesaw, bandsaw, jointer, and planer are all used equal amounts. Followed less by the drill press (using a battery hand drill instead) and even less by the drum sander and scrollsaw. Though the sander was purchased new and least used. When it is used, it is the right tool for the job and have no regrets about having purchased it. The scrollsaw was purchased used and also do not regret for the same reasons.

[Mike Henderson]

The tool I never use is the plate joiner (biscuit tool). And now that I have a Domino, it's even less likely to get used. I have a few other corded tools that I mostly never use because I have cordless versions of them. Should sell them.

The Domino gets used a fair amount, but my table saw and miter saw are the heart of the shop. The dust collector gets used on just about every process.

Mike

[Max Neu]

I make cabinets and furniture,
Most used- 10' slider,shaper, cutoff saw,planer,pocket hole machine, wide belt sander.
Least used -drill press, scroll saw,edge bander,edge sander,16" bandsaw(mostly use a 24" bandsaw ).

[Mike Cutler]

Mark

In order of most, to least, expensive machines that get used. It would be as follows;
Dual drum sander.
15" planer.
Table saw(s).
Track saw.
Jointer.
Dust Collector.

Mixed in with these would be the bandsaw(s), shaper, chop saw, and router(s),depending on the project. Every project starts with dimensioning lumber though,so that kinda sorts the list.

Most expensive tool I have that gathers the most dust is a Micro Fence for routers. I won't get rid of it though. I've used it once or twice in the last decade or so, and it came in really handy.

Most of my projects revolve around house renovation/ period restoration.

[Pete Staehling]

I make stringed musical instruments. My most used stationary power tools are:
Bandsaw - most used of all, the one tool that I definitely would not try to do my work without
Thickness sander - next most used, a huge work saver
Bench disk/belt sander - used a good bit
Drill press - used a good bit
Spindle sander - used a good bit
Table saw - used a good bit
Router table - not used very much

I probably should note that for most of the tools listed above it would be a stretch to call them expensive. A couple were bought used and inexpensively, some were harbor freight stuff, and a couple were full price brand name stuff. They all do a pretty good job of doing what I expect from them.

[Robert Parent]

Agree with the statement the most expensive tool is one not used:

These were expensive, but get used...
Tormach CNC mill
Camaster CNC router
Southbend lathe
RBI Planer
Powermatic jointer

Robert

[Mike Heidrick]

I make cnc'd templates, jigs, and signs and 3d printer parts.

Cnc router 4x4
1340 lathe
Sawstop
Jointer
Planer
Clamp rack
DC's
Cnc 1050 kneemill
Shaper

Honerable mention due to less than $400
Chopsaw station
Festool sander
Festool vac

[pat warner]

Most Intensive: Rectangle maker, used 5-6 days/wk.
Least used, but one of the best: A Bosch Jig saw.

[Cody Colston]

Cyclone Dust Collector
10" Cabinet Saw
8" Jointer
15" Planer
17" Bandsaw

Those are the top 5 most expensive/most used machines but I use every tool in my shop at varying frequency, including the hand tools. My 20' x 30' shop doesn't have any excess space so if a tool doesn't get used, it doesn't stay.

[Martin Wasner]

There isn't much that doesn't get used in my shop. I've got a drill press that is rarely used, a bandsaw that isn't used often, and a spindle sander that doesn't get used much, but other than the drill press, pretty much everything gets used on every job.

Some stuff was acquired used, but I'll go off of replacement cost

1. Widebelt. Almost $40k invested, but that includes wiring it, which had about $3k into pulling another 200 amp service into the building.

2. Striebig Panel saw. I think that was just shy of $30k by the time it was shipped, setup, wired.

3. Whirlwind 212L jump saw with a 12' Tigerstop. A comparable Northfield saw is $10k, (Whirlwind doesn't really exist anymore), the Tigerstops new are about $8k new. I paid $5600 I think for the pair. To be fair, the jump saw isn't be used currently, I bought it to go in the new shop.

4. SCMi Shaper. I bought used, but a new one would be $10k, plus another $1200 putting a powerfeed on it.

5. SAC shaper. I bought used, but a new one if it were available would be about $10k and the $1200 powerfeed on it.




My new/used dust collector isn't up and running yet, (and won't be for a quite a while), I think replacement cost on that would be around $15k. Forklift was bought used, a new one has to be over $20k for a triple mast and side shift. I don't know if those fit in the cost or not. I need to upgrade my CAD software, they want $7500 to do that, that'd bring me up to about $11k invested in that.


I keep a spreadsheet on a cloud for insurance reasons with every power tool I've got on it. From stationary equipment down to handheld power tools, I'm at $292,000 in replacement cost for everything. I'd be willing to bet there's at least $5,000 worth of miscellaneous stuff small stuff that isn't on that list that adds up quickly. There's probably at least $10k worth of hardware, material, and fasteners in stock in the shop at any given time as well that I'm not accounting for should the shop burn down. I really need to update my policy. The last twelve months I've bought a lot of tooling and tools. The widebelt was a bit over a year ago, and since then I've gotten a new/used linebore, two new/used shapers, cutters, a used forklift, the Whirlwind, the bag house dust collector, YIKES!


My new building, including land is going to cost me just under $400k. That'll hopefully get used a bunch.

[Shawn Pixley]

For corded tools:

Tablesaw
bandsaw
drum sander

most other corded tools are only used sporatically.

[James Baker SD]

most used: tablesaw
least used: lathe

[glenn bradley]

Just curious about others workflows. Which machines get used the most?

For machines the bandsaw, jointer, planer, tablesaw and dust collector get used on almost anything I make.

What expensive tool did you invest in that sits mostly unused?

The scrollsaw. It lives a precarious life in my shop. Just about the time I think I want the real estate that it sucks up back for something more "useful", I will need it. I am generally scrolling thick stock and the lighter machines I tried just weren't up to the task. It is a DW788 on the stand. I generally put my machines on shop made stands with more effective storage but, the scrollsaw kind of wedges in like a slice of pie between the rear of a drill press and a sanding station so, it gets to live ;-)

What are you making?

Everything from earrings and jewelry boxes to hutches and dining tables.