Tool Obsession?

[joseph mansker]

OK...I am a newbie here at the Sawmill, but have been woodworking for a very long time. Usually just read the posts and stay in the background. The question that I have to pose to you is can one have too many motorized tools? I recently acquired a 14 inch DeWalt RAS ($40 bucks at an online auction if you can believe it) and a Powermatic 143 BS (the one with the dual transmission for metal/wood), both in really good shape. I already have an older 14 inch Delta BS and a 12 inch Walker Turner iron beast of a RAS. I am going to sell the Walker Turner because I really like the DeWalt, but am considering keeping the Delta and using it for wood and the Powermatic just for metal work. I am starting to think I am obsessed.....

[Bruce Page]

Joseph, welcome to the club & welcome to Sawmill Creek! The only criteria I've ever used for a new power tool is if I have a need and enough room for it. At some point I ran out of room!

[Travis Porter]

It gets worse. Once you run out of space, you start upgrading smaller stuff. Bosch/DeWalt/PC to Festool, Stanley to Lie Nielsen/ Lee valley and then you go to tooling.... Saw blades, router bits, and shaper cutters...

that doesn’t account for wood. I have lumber stored across 4 counties....

I would love to buy an automatic dovetail machine, and then I ask myself why..... I have 3 dovetail fixtures I barely use so why do I need an automatic unit.....


i digresss.... welcome to the jungle.

[Frederick Skelly]

Welcome to SMC Joe! Glad to have you join us!

You can never have too many tools, as long as you have a big building to put them in. And power tools are a great place to start.

But look. Whatever you do. No matter what. DO NOT go visit the Neanderthal Forum here. Because Travis is right - hand tools will become your next great obsession. They're shiny and sharp and expensive. It starts with hand planes. They can take the thinnest, sexiest shavings you've ever seen Joe. And you're going to want to try all the different kinds and makers - wooden planes, old stanley planes, Lee Valley, Lie Neilsen, maybe even (gasp!) Bridge City. And then there are a thousand sharpening stones and accessories - waterstones, oilstones, ceramic stones, diamond stones, sharpening jigs, waterstone ponds, stone holders.... Then it goes on to handsaws. Western style. Japanese style. Joe, don't google Ron Bontz Saw Works - you're gonna want one. Next it's chisels. Old chisels. New chisels. Mortise chisels (Pig stickers!). Butt chisels. Paring chisels. Antique. Aldi. LV. Lie Nielsen. O1, PMV-11. White steel. Blue steel. You'll want one of each. (Just to try them out ) Then there are spokehaves, and molding planes, and hollows-and-rounds and......

Joe, just take it from me. Stay away from the Neander Forum or your obsession will GROW. (DAMHIKT.)

[Derek Cohen]

Oh Gawd, I'll have to go there now!

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Cary Falk]

I do this woodworking nonsense to justify playing with tools.

[Lee Schierer]

You forgot to mention sharpening stones and gadgets.....

[Jacob Mac]

In all fairness, spokeshaves are incredibly useful. And the Lie Nielsen spokeshaves are just so perfectly made. By far my favorite tool to use.

[George Conklin]

Welcome to SMC Joe! Glad to have you join us!

You can never have too many tools, as long as you have a big building to put them in. And power tools are a great place to start.

But look. Whatever you do. No matter what. DO NOT go visit the Neanderthal Forum here. Because Travis is right - hand tools will become your next great obsession. They're shiny and sharp and expensive. It starts with hand planes. They can take the thinnest, sexiest shavings you've ever seen Joe. And you're going to want to try all the different kinds and makers - wooden planes, old stanley planes, Lee Valley, Lie Neilsen, maybe even (gasp!) Bridge City. And then there are a thousand sharpening stones and accessories - waterstones, oilstones, ceramic stones, diamond stones, sharpening jigs, waterstone ponds, stone holders.... Then it goes on to handsaws. Western style. Japanese style. Joe, don't google Ron Bontz Saw Works - you're gonna want one. Next it's chisels. Old chisels. New chisels. Mortise chisels (Pig stickers!). Butt chisels. Paring chisels. Antique. Aldi. LV. Lie Nielsen. O1, PMV-11. White steel. Blue steel. You'll want one of each. (Just to try them out ) Then there are spokehaves, and molding planes, and hollows-and-rounds and......

Joe, just take it from me. Stay away from the Neander Forum or your obsession will GROW. (DAMHIKT.)

I think you've hit the nail on the head!

[glenn bradley]

Everyone needs two bandsaws, minimum . . . you're fine ;-)

[Rick Potter]

Glen is right. It's when you have four radial arm saws, that you should think about getting help with your 'problem'.

[Daniel O'Connell]

Glen is right. It's when you have four radial arm saws, that you should think about getting help with your 'problem'.

Phew, I only have three....

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I am starting to think I am obsessed.....

Aren't we all? I think I have close to 100 planes. Good morning, my name is Kyle, and I have a disease...... I collect planes........

[Tom M King]

Rehab is for quitters.

[John K Jordan]

...The question that I have to pose to you is can one have too many motorized tools?

Joseph,

Maybe that's a question you should ask your wife!

I'm assuming this is a hobby shop and not a business. I personally think that, given sufficient space and spare money, the logical (non-obsessive) limit to the number of tools should probably be how many you will actually use. The obsession might be when you get tools just to have them but never use them, whether powered by electricity or by muscle.

I have a good friend who builds houses who came over between jobs to remodel my chicken house. (It was like a vacation for him!) He started looking around and said, "You sure have a lot of tools. But that's not unusual, a lot of people have a lot of tools -- the difference is it looks like you actually USE all of yours!"

I think the availability of cheap tools from places like Harbor Freight tends to feed tool obsession. It's easier to justify bringing home an angle grinder you may rarely use if it only costs $15. My philosophy is different. I have no problem paying $100 for an good quality angle grinder but I'll use it a lot - I still use the first one I bought maybe 30 years ago. Some tools I don't use as much, such as a Festool plunge router, but I can rely on it when I need it.

To me a well-thought-out shop with quality tools is a joy to work in (and to visit). A shop overflowing with junk tools, not so much.

JKJ