What machine do you enjoy using most?

[Patty Hann]

No, check that. My favorite tool has to be my hard-working 3D French cleat wall. It holds over 20 cubic feet of tools, and there’s still more capacity. I make my holders to extend a foot or more out from the wall, so a lot of tools take up minuscule wall space. For example, my 30 Forstner bits sit in a three-drawer unit with a Plexiglas cover that takes up 3” horizontally by 14” high on the wall. They’re nestled next to a similar three-drawer case that holds my two dozen router bits and accessories. Or the two sets of chisels in a rack with a 4” x 12” “wallprint.” And all of these tool holders can lift out of the wall and be placed on the bench, say for when I want to alternate between two to four chisels and I want them all right there with their edges safely away from my hands.

Three routers, a circular saw, shooting board, Biesemeier fence, router fence, staple gun, Cosman Dovetail saw in its box, 20 screwdrivers, random orbital sander, three tiers of drill bits, eight table saw blades, cordless driver and drill with charger, four marking gauges, a fancy Mayan pyramid of measurement tools, jigsaw, four feather boards, Young Je mortising jig, base-mounted Kreg jig, Systi-Matic dado set, 18” and 48” levels, holdfasts, cabinet scraper, dustpan and brush, various small clamps, several hammers, cheap miter box…. It’s probably 80% full.

Bob, can you post some pics of your wall(s) with the French Cleat set up with all the stuff you've got hanging on them.

[Jimmy Harris]

No contest! The Dremel with a burr bit. It's like sketching on a 3D drawing pad.

[John TenEyck]

I love them all. I got rid of the ones that gave me problems or scared the beejeebers out of me, like the small shaper I had with no power feeder. I have to say, I have a love/hate relationship with my lathe. I'm fascinated with it when I ride the bevel to shape bowls. So satisfying to see such a clean, smooth cut. I hate it when I hose up and the edge catches and ruins the rim of one. It's clearly operator error, but still.

My CNC stands out as the machine that's most fascinating and most rewarding in what it can create. It's completely devoid of any tactile feedback like you get with actually pushing wood over a machine, same as a power feed shaper, but what it can do is mostly limited only by your imagination. It has gotten me into areas of woodworking I likely never would have ventured into w/o it. I've become obsessed, to a fault according to my wife, with the design and construction of wood gear clocks because of it.

If we include tools, then most any hand plane would do it, especially a large, well-tuned one sliding on one of my shooting boards for bringing an edge to the perfect angle and trueness.

John

[Rod Sheridan]

Like many, I’m torn between the bandsaw and the shaper.

The bandsaw mostly does breakdown of rough timber, book matching, re-saving, veneer making and sometimes curve cutting.

The shaper does so much, cutting tenons, rebates, moulding, pattern copying and sanding. I’d be lost without it.

Regards, Rod

[Dave Sweeney]

While they are not what I would call one of my favorite tools, my jigsaw and bandsaw rank near the top of the list of enjoyable tools to use. I can't really describe why but I just get a kick out of using both.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Bob, can you post some pics of your wall(s) with the French Cleat set up with all the stuff you've got hanging on them.

Sure Patty. Thanks for the interest.

cleat wall 2023.jpg

[Dan Chouinard]

In a shop full of really cool machines (several Martins) the coolest is my hydraulic lift assembly table. It brings a smile to my face every time I step on the pedal to bring whatever I am building to the most comfortable working height.

[Jonathan Jung]

does my pallet jack count? brings out the kid in me

[Philip Glover]

I like drilling holes.
So I'll go with my drill press.


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Second place is the lathe.

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Phil

[Myles Moran]

Jointer for sure. I bought it thinking it was just a key step in turning rough sawn lumber into s4s exactly the way I wanted it. I wasn't expecting how satisfying it is to look at a really rough board go through and become slightly more cleaned up with each pass, or cleaning up bandsaw cut tapered legs and seeing the appearance completely change from rough cut to ready for finish sanding in one or two passes.

[mike stenson]

Bench. All other things are secondary.

[Richard Coers]

Coffee machine.

[Patty Hann]

Sure Patty. Thanks for the interest.

cleat wall 2023.jpg

Thank you.
Impressive.... will have to think about borrowing some of your ideas .

[Edward Weber]

Lathe, bandsaw, whatever
If I'm woodworking, I'm pretty happy

[Jared Sankovich]

I yell at my shapers the least, so they win by default.