thanks, I spent my money--I bought a ....

[russell johansen]

At the Tacoma woodworking show I bought a delta x5 jointer for 400 (600-double rebate). Liked the fence moving system, the price was about 160 lower than nearest competitor, 5 year in home warrenty, and the sales people make a newbie feel welcome (as oppossed to looking at me like sales meat). Several staff spent over 40 minutes showing, discussing and explaining. Answered questions I didn't know I had.

Now, do I have a gloat or a turkey.

Turkeys can be returned within three days (and I don't pick up until next week so I dont even have to unload the thing again). Gloats last forever.

One other INVALUABLE SERVICE THAT I DID NOT THINK POSSIBLE-they explained to lOML the need for a planner and she agrees!

THanks again to everyone who wrote in with their suggestions. I really appreciate the time and experience you gave.


ORIGINAL MESSAGE
I'm a bit of lurker due to my newbie status in the woodworking world. The few times I have posted everyone has really been helpful. Well now, I need to buy a new tool (need? perhaps I get to buy would be more accurate).

I just don't know what my next major purchase should be.
I am hoping to make a bed for my daughter

Here is what I have so far:
Table Saw (it's a Grizzly left tilt (g0575z)
Router (DEWALT PK 618)
Router Table
18 v. drill
3 chisels
several clamps
very old orbital sander from sears
assorted basic tools, hammers, screwdrivers, etc.....

Thinking Jointer but open to any ideas. Have about 400-500 to spend

[John Gregory]

Jointer or thickness planer.

[Don Baer]

Bandsaw
Lathe...

Not necessarily in that order

[Greg Koch]

I would vote the jointer... I have both planer and jointer, and use the jointer quite a bit. Next would be bandsaw.

[John Miliunas]

Egads, Russell! Talk about openin' up a can 'o worms for "discussion"!!! At any rate, welcome to the Creek! I'm sure you'll get many opinions on this one and, FWIW (usually not a whole lot! ) here's my opinion:

A nice planer would get the nod from me. Yes, a jointer is important but, not nearly as useful if you can't join it (pun intended! ) with a planer. With a planer and some judicious use of a sled, you can have it do the job of a planer for face jointing. After that, it becomes useful as a planer in the full definition of a planer. That being, as most Europeans call it, a thicknesser. On a jointer, you can face plane a piece of lumber but, you can't effectively make it a consistent thickness. As for edge jointing, you already have a router table, so you can effectively edge joint with it.

That's my recommendation for a basic tool. However, if your future work goes toward some fancier stuff, then a bandsaw or lathe are great options.

[Tom Jones III]

Just to be different, how about a group of really nice hand planes. This give you the jointer and planer function. Possibly a couple mid-range hand planes and a class on how to use them?

[Mark Pruitt]

Ditto the jointer. Biggest one you can get.

[Bill Eshelman]

I was in the same boat as you until my grandpa gave me his 1950's Montgomery Ward jointer.
It was literally like giving me the keys to the car.
I got a $400 bonus at work and bought a dewalt 735 Planer and all of a sudden I could make perfect straight wood.

It is quite a great feeling knowing you can make any piece of wood flat straight and any size you want.

Turns out I am going tomorrow to pick up a Grizzly 0490.

I would recomend a jointer and a planer.


Best of luck.

[Ray Bersch]

Well, as John said, this could be a real can of worms - but, you need worms to catch fish so get to it.

I vote for the planer and jointer - they work better as a team and I beleive you will be happier in the long run. However, once these two machines are considered you then should (must?) consdier a dust collector because these machines spew out a whole lot of stuff - and your shop vac may be quickly overwhelmed (most likely will be quickly overwhelmed.) At first this may seem like a lot of money but with some effort you can put together a real good team of used equipment. Stay away from bottom of the line stuff or fixer-uppers unless you enjoy being whipped with a chain. Middle of the road, name brand equipment will serve you well. I have less than $500 invested in all three machines and I am very happy with the results. Also, I now know what I want for my next upgrade (a top of the line long bed jointer.)

Good luck and have fun.
Ray

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Jointer but open to any ideas. Have about 400-500 to spend

Look at the used market.

Buy the biggest and best jointer you can afford. You will eventually be working rough stock or have lumber that needs truing. The jointer will be used to flatten one of the wide face sides before you head to the planer.

I don't see much need for a 20" jointer in my universe any more than I see a need for a huge planer but you should be looking at one at least 8" wide and 12" would be better still.

[scott spencer]

A planer or jointer are both excellent additions...even better if you can swing both. They're really intended to be used in conjuction.

You might want to consider adding a DC at some point too.

[Steve Clardy]

More clamps

[Jesse Cloud]

In this order...

1. dust control
2. planer
3. jointer
4. drill press

then, depending on what kind of project you want to do:

5.Bandsaw
6. Handplanes and sharpening equip.

and along the way, more clamps, more routers, good jigs, featherboards, etc. A good bench should come in there somewhere.

This is with years of hindsight. What I actually did, and would not recommend, was:

crappy router, really crappy tablesaw, less crappy tablesaw, crappy drill press, crappy jointer, bandsaw, router, router, good tablesaw, good jointer, dust control, .....

The only 'wrong' way to buy tools is to buy crap. Just think how much faster and cheaper it would have been if I bought the good stuff from the start!

[Charles McKinley]

How about a class or two to improve your accuracy, shorten the time it takes to complete projects, and make things look better?

Plus it would expose you to different tools to help you decide what would be the best purchase for you.

After that, dust collection, jointer and planer.

[Frank Fusco]

Is the $400-$500 for one tool or the whole lot?
Bandsaw
Drill press
Lathe
Compound miter/slider saw
planer.
Or just do like I do when I go into the Grizzly store. I stop the first salesman I see and say "One of each, please."
Don't skimp on the bandsaw, mine is Grizzly G0555.
My miter/slider saw is from Northern Tool, $99.00 and a fine piece of equipment. Love it.