Planers and Drillpress

[Mike Sanfeliz]

Being at the start of something (with limited funds, no less) can be really frustating. Every time I think I got my bases covered, another thing pops up. What I'm refering to is the lack of tools in my humble little workshop. Though I am greatful for my table saw, which is the center of my shop. I keep seeing things in catalogs that I may see myself getting someday. But someday will have to be way later on.

So, I ask the question. What are the economical solutions to the drill press and planer? Biscuit jointers seem to be in my price range, but the others are not. What did the colonists do before powertools? Should I invest in a decent hand plane? and a belt sander? Is it possible to get away with inexpensive tools, say in the under $200. range. Let's not forget the band saw (do I really need one?).

Here is what I have so far and you guys can take it from there.
22104 Table saw
10 in CMS
orbital jig saw
19.2, 14.4 and 12volt cordless drills
7.9 amp and 3.? corded drills
palm and orbital sanders
2 routers and table (1 3/4 and 2.0)
2 circular saws (15 and 13 amps)
reciprocating saw
hand saws, hammers, chisels, screwdrivers, a block plane
levels (torpedo, 24 and 48 in)
various pliers
the rest are mechanic tools

I'm probably forgeting some stuff, but this is the basics.

[roy knapp]

HI Mike:
Hey always had a drillpress so i just took it for granted but i started with a table saw, jointer, thickness planer then the bandsaw and the rest just followed including the handplanes.

the reason that i started like that was because of the projects i was doing then.
in other words get what you need to suit your needs now the rest will come.

[Gary Breckenridge]

I think the order you may want to go in is:

Table saw
Jointer
Belt sander
Shop vac
Drill press
Router
Hand held sander/ Porter Cable 330.

After that consider what you are going to be making.

And remember that some great projects come from humble shops.

[Vaughn McMillan]

Here's the order I've gone through so far, but of course your mileage may vary. This doesn't include a lot of ancillary pieces like miter gauges and such, but covers most of the big stuff:

Router, Drills, Circular Saw, Orbital and Reciprocating Sanders (all of which I've had for decades)
Shop Vac
$100 Tablesaw
21" x 3" Belt Sander
Edge Planer (handheld)
A "Real" Tablesaw
Random Orbital Sander
Benchtop Drill Press
Router Table
Plunge Router
Cheap Benchtop Bandsaw
Cheap Benchtop Planer
A "Real" Bandsaw
Coming soon...a Jointer, I hope, and I anticipate a better planer in a year or so.

This sequence has worked for the types of things I build, but if I was into building something different, the list would surely be somewhat different, too. If I had to do it over again, I'd pass on the edge planer, the cheap tablesaw, and the benchtop bandsaw. The cheap benchtop planer, while not great, will eventually pay for itself in time saved and lower lumber costs. As has been repeated here many times, it's better to buy a good tool once, instead of buying a cheap one and replacing it. In most cases, when I've broken that rule, it has later proven to be a mistake.

- Vaughn

[Richard Niemiec]

Mike: As far as drill presses go, there's a lot of used ones out there. I picked up a Harbor Freight (there's one in Allentown) benchtop drill press at a garage sale in Clinton, NJ (from a recently divorced woman who was gleefully selling off all her ex's tools) for $10 - its the one that retails for about $90 and goes on sale every few months for about $50. Even at $50 it does the job.

Do a little garage sale hunting, and also check out Craig's List, if you're not familiar with it just google and you'll see there's a list for Allentown. You'll be surprised what may be available.

As far as what folks did to make things out of wood prior to power tools, I've picked up all types of hand saws, (plus saw vices and sets to sharpen them) a full set of mortising chisels, scrapers, spokeshaves, Stanley #3s, #4s, #5s, #6s, #7s, #9 1/2s, #79, #78s, #71, #80 and on and on and never paid more than $10 each for the bench planes, and no more than $20 for the more exotics. Chisels with the cone tang without handles go for $1 or less; there's a lot of old stanleys out there for the taking. Every once in a while there's a good woodworking vice for $25 or so, and so many oil stones and grinders for sharpening that go for almost nothing.

So on a budget, and with time, you can get yourself a shop full of tools that will last you a long time and allow you to make a whole lot of sawdust and shavings....

[Andy Fox]

I tried to get away without buying a jointer and planer, but I just didn't have the time to learn to use the hand planes properly, as I wanted to get some projects done instead of surfacing the stock for months. Maybe if I had taken a class or had someone teach me, I could've done it efficiently. Hand planes are less maintenance and take up less space too, but don't forget to budget for sharpening stones.

I'd bet that you could find a $200-$250 12" planer and a $200-$250 smaller floor model drill press that would do the job. If you get a planer, you'll probably want a jointer too so that you can buy rough lumber. I'd budget $500 for a good 6" jointer. I would give the jointer and planer priority over the drill press.