I have read the concept so many times "buy the best tool you can afford". But it does not work for a starting wood worker, like myself, who is trying to equip his shop. If I stick to this axiom I would more likely quit wood working as the price tag associated with just getting started is beyond a hobbyists range. I have a mixed approach towards this, tools that would produce a finished edge I tend to buy the best I can afford; these wopuld include router, hand planes, chisels etc. While tools that would probably require another process to produce the finished edge, I tend to go a little cheap on; these would include bench saw, jig saw etc. The intent being instead of waiting six months where I can buy the minimum set of tools to get me started why not buy a mixed bag of things, eventually replace the cheap one by high quality tools as time goes by. This keeps my hobby alive, and hopefully by learning the craft on cheaper tools I develop skill faster/better and also get to appreciate more what a quality tool can do for you.

There are two reasons for this outburst. Firstly, yesterday I went to the dreaded "Harbor Freight tools" outlet in Little Rock and bought a couple of 36" bar clamps for $4.49 each (similar clamps in Home depot will cost me $40 each). I eyeballed them and they looked reasonably straight, besides there is enough play in the clamp jaws to make up for that anyway.

The second reason is to ask you guys about what tools do you think should be of absolutely the best quality affordable, and which ones we can get away with less than the best quality.

Zahid Naqvi