What's the "central" power tool in your shop? (brand name if applicable)

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
I've noticed a few general trends here, mostly based on what types of "projects" people build. Some people seem geared towards a TS as the "central" tool, while a few others lean towards a "router solution" or a "band saw solution" .

Myself, I'm leaning towards a "router solution", due to what I'm finding is the sheer versatility of a router.

I'd been considering saving up for a table saw upgrade, but..

A few of the recent threads really got me wondering. A dado blade for instance. I'd like to get one ,,, but,,for the price of a couple of them, I could buy a router - a very good router and a guide system- to do pretty much the same job.

I'm slowing coming to the conclusion that most of the power equipment I have is ancillary to the router(s).

As far as brand name is concerned, it seem like the Porter Cable is the router that most of them are judged by and/or the vast majority of accessories are geared towards.

Anyhow - just a curious thought for an after holiday weekend.

[Bob Genovesi]

My Jet tablesaw takes center stage in my shop..

[James Phillips]

SS cabinet saw

[Charles Wiggins]

I'm still 'building' my compliment of tools (don't have BS, DP, planer), and not getting a lot done yet, but most of my projects seem to involve the TS, with the router/router table a close second. I've done a couple of small things without the TS since I got my CMS, but I don't imagine I'd be too anxious to get out in the shop if I had to rip lumber or cut sheet goods by hand.

My TS is Old Iron - a Rockwell/Delta 9" combo with a 4" joiner. If I was going to upgrade I would probably get a contractor saw (Ridgid, Jet, Delta) and build my own station around it and eventually get a Biesemeyer fence system.

My routers are both PC.

[Charlie Plesums]

I have a MiniMax combo machine with sliding scoring table saw, shaper, jointer, planer, and mortiser. But I still use a hand router rather than a dado blade for dados, so that it follows any warp in the panel.

I have DeWalt and Festool routers.

[James Suzda]

My Grizzly table saw.

[Jim Hill]

My General 650 cabinet saw.

Jim

[scott spencer]

My Craftsman 22124 TS is the most used tool in my shop. My router is indeed the most versatile. I can do dado cuts with both tools, but I can't trim down stock with the router...especially rough stock, I really need both, and can't see one replacing the other.

[Todd Bin]

If I was going to buy only 1 router and base all my work on it then it would be the Festool OF1400. Try the Festool, I think you will find that for $150 more than the big PC it's features justify the price.

Note. I am not a dealer just a WW like everyone else here and have no affiliation with Festool other than I happen to like their tools.

Todd

[Dewayne Reding]

Craftsman 22124 by a wide margin. Uncle Norm's router station stays busy. I suspect my Rikon BS will take over some tasks as I get more comfortable with it.

[Don Bullock]

My SawStop is the center of my shop.

I don't, however, see how that relates to your situation. If you don't have a "good" router or equivilent hand tools, you are missing out on an important tool for the woodshop. You are correct in your assumption that one will help with many tasks and that many "add ons" are based on the PC brand. A router and router table will help with many different tasks.

[Bill Huber]

I have a very small shop, 12x16 so I have to really watch what tools I have and not get to wild and get everything.

With the projects that I have build to date this is the way I would rank them as to use.

The 54 year old 8 inch Craftsman Table Saw.
The Bosch router and Jessem Router Table
The Ridgid oscillating edge belt sander EB4424.
The Ridgid 13 inch TP1300LS planner.
The 30 year old Craftsman Drill Press.

Now if you told me you were going to take some of my power tools away I guess I would give up my sander first, then the planner.

[Lori Kleinberg]

Even though I have been at this for a few years now, I still consider myself a beginner . I do alot of projects from magazines and their weekend projects usually takes me 6 months to do .
Anyway that being said, I could never get by without a TS (Rigid 2400, I think). Never the less I also could not complete alot of projects without my routers (Dewalt)and my Bench Dog router table.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hi Don,
I do have 3 routers already - and thinking about adding more to that number down the road. Of the 3, the Freud 1700 is a "good one". Not great, but "good". Accessories are a bit difficult to find for it though. Every time I see something I'd like to get - even simple bushings - they all seem geared towards the PC.

I guess my "situation" is that I tend to associate people (posters) with their preferred "style" - stuff they build/projects they turn out. When I see a post of something someone has done, I try to think of all the steps taken to get there, and what tools they used.
The "stuff" that really get's my attention, has more often than not, been "stuff" that a router has been the central tool used to produce it.

I dunno, does that make sense?

[Art Mann]

Quite honestly, I can't think of any woodworking project of any size and scope in which the router is the most important or most often used tool. It is, however, one of the tools I enjoy using the most.

Like so many others have already said, the tablesaw is the tool I use the most often and the one I consider the most essential for the kinds of projects I do.