Advice on setting up new shop

[Justin Rapp]

james is accurate on the blade info. I wont use less than 3hp 220 and there is well more resistance on a combo blade than rip. Id get a 8" jointer as well. You can work without dust collection but you cant work without machines. I bought five machines when I started and saved enough that the six one came free. All were general and just went ot several dealers for pricing of that quantity. One dealer cheaper, smarter and delivered them for free. Different time.

Well this is some kind of reverse thinking. Work without dust collection? With what we know now about health and safety, why would you do this? The first two tools you buy is a sizable dust collector that will do everything you need in the future + your first primary tool, be it a table saw, band saw, etc. Most shops that are not someone's first rodeo is dust collection first, lay out your shop with the tools you want, and start to plumb in ducting, or at least stub out for the final run to the tool once it's in place. So, people come to these discussions for advise because we've done it before. Do it right, do it once and learn from other's mistakes.

[Michael Burnside]

james is accurate on the blade info. I wont use less than 3hp 220 and there is well more resistance on a combo blade than rip. Id get a 8" jointer as well. You can work without dust collection but you cant work without machines. I bought five machines when I started and saved enough that the six one came free. All were general and just went ot several dealers for pricing of that quantity. One dealer cheaper, smarter and delivered them for free. Different time.

IMHO, you cannot, unless you don't care about your health. In particular, given the OP is working in a basement, this would be absurdly reckless for their family to consider dust collection anything other that the absolute most important tool purchased.

[jack duren]

Reminds me of youngsters. Gotta have those shinny rims before, interior, paint or an engine..

Or was it the stereo first, been awhile..

[Warren Lake]

ive done it over 40 years but just me. Not one of the old guys I knew had proper dust collection in their shop and they made a living as well. Ive had it set up partly, this shop doesnt lend itself well as several machine rooms. Next place ive got tons of pipe and fan etc and can be set up there. have a lot of machines. Likely wont use the fan I have Poitras and go with something modern. I have a mickey mouse dust collector on the SCM table saw but past not on the Generals filled them up enough times that they would not tilt.

[Holmes Anderson]

This thread reminded me of milling white oak flooring without a functioning DC system years ago. The air was so thick with dust that I couldn't see across the shop. When the chips pilled up knee-high I used a snow shovel and wheel barrow to move them out the door. TS, miter saw, bandsaw, and jointer aren't too bad without DC but the planer and the shaper just generate too much dust and chips for an indoor shop. Better to get a cheap used DC blower and vent it right out the window if you don't want to spend the money on separators and filters.

[jack duren]

I’ve doing it since 1983. That’s how many years? Too tired to count.I was trained by old guys..Wait … Im an old guy now.

Wait…. My wife often tells me to grow up. So I must be 9…

[Myles Moran]

IMHO, you cannot, unless you don't care about your health. In particular, given the OP is working in a basement, this would be absurdly reckless for their family to consider dust collection anything other that the absolute most important tool purchased.

I assumed my shopvac could keep up with my new jointer and planer in my basement the way it did well enough in a garage with a tablesaw (the shops I kept clean with a leaf blower). I want to say it took me all of 30 minutes using the new tools before calling it a day and buying a dust collector. Very important in a basement, especially with a high quality filter (and potentially an air filter on top of the dust collector) to keep the mess at bay.

[Justin Rapp]

Jacob,

Welcome to Sawmill Creek, and to building out your shop.

I agree 100% with Jim that a jointer is a 2nd purchase after the planner. I don't know what you plan to build but the Dewalt 735 is about the best planer you get your hands on for under $1000. Next step up you are jumping to the big machines in the multi-thousand dollar range unless you find one used.

Michael also makes a very valid point regarding dust collection. Take your shop vac and use it for it's purpose, a vacuum. It is not going to be able to move the amount of air required for any of the larger tools and your shop, lungs and house will fill with dust. Second to the dust collector, which doesn't get everything, an air filter is secondary in a basement to help get the fine air born dust. I have a 3hp dust collector ducted to my tools and I still get a layer of fine dust collected on my air filter. Pending the size of your shop depends on how much CFM's the unit you buy will need.

When it comes to a table saw, I am a big advocate of SawStop. I know it's a tough cost to swallow over the models you are looking at, however one accident and you'll wish you spent the money. A lot of people use the 1.75 110v model and say it's got plenty of power. But that comes back to getting a 220v circuit in your shop, or a few. Adding a circuit is not that hard honestly, but if you have 1 ounce of concern doing your own work, 100% hire a licensed electrician!

One thing many people will tell your shop with safety in mind first. Fingers, lungs, kickback (old saws usually are missing riving knives), electrical safety, etc., Second, if you need to wait to save to get a better quality tool or something with more safety features, it's worth the wait. For 1, upgrading later is more costly in the end, and selling off old equipment can be a royal pain, in time, effort and in your pocket.

I know a lot of us are throwing a ton of expensive options at you, however most of us have been through this going through the 'upgrade' path. I am 100% a victim of this. I am on my 3rd table saw, 2nd jointer (and want a bigger), 2nd dust collector and 2nd router table, not to mention upgrades in clamps, hand tools, and things like sanders. Live and learn - but I can honestly say i would not have bought 3 palm sanders that are not in the trash or in a cabinet if I bought a festool sander first. Now I spent twice what 1 festool sander cost! I am not in the mindset of the term 'buy once cry once' It saves crying 5 times more later when you sell tools for 1/2 the cost or toss them when they fail.

I hate that I can't edit a few days later. "...now in the mindset" and 'Now" some palm sanders are in the trash. Now does not equal 'Not'