Newbie shop setup

[Elijah Neal]

Hello. I am just getting into recreational woodworking and have a question on what to include in my initial shop setup. I will be buying exclusively S4S, at least initially. With this in mind, how important are a planer and jointer? I am not opposed to buying them, and can budget accordingly if needed. But, I am wondering how much you find yourself using these tools on builds using pre-surfaced lumber. Would my initial budget be better spent on something else (bandsaw, $1000 table saw instead of $700, or just more wood)? Thanks in advance!

[keith ouellette]

I only use s4s a couple of times. It may be surfaced on all four but that does not mean it stays straight after it is surfaced.

The s4s I bought was the same thickness through out but that may not always be the case.

Exact thickness is very important in glue ups and joints and that can not happen without a flat face from the jointer so it can then be run through the planer. A glued up panel will not be at its best if it does not have straight edged wood.

Some sanding can make up less than perfect thickness throughout but I would invest in some kind of jointer for edge jointing. A little 4" delta would be good enough to start if you are on a budget.

A lot of it depends on your total investment as to which way you could be advised and I'm sure opinions would very quite a bit.

I am still rather new to wood working myself. Only a couple of years in without getting much "actual time" to work so far.

I will say this. you can save money by surfacing your own wood.

I almost forgot. A router and router table are very important and you can use a router for edge jointing till you get a larger jointer. It may even do it better than a 4" jointer if the table and fence are good. So far I would place the router as the second most important tool and probably the most fun to use.

[glenn bradley]

If you are OK with the material you are currently using then I would continue. After awhile if you find you aren't getting what you're after, you probably want to start working with square material. This involves milling and a jointer and planer will start to attract your attention. No need to rush, you may decide to turn, scroll or carve; who knows? I would work it awhile. You'll know when you've found what interests you and you can tool up then.

P.s. If you've already found an affinity for "flat work" you will save money and improve your product milling your own lumber.

[Brian Kent]

Welcome Elijah.

I have a pretty good source for lumber and a good solid table saw is far more important to me than a jointer. I think you can delay the jointer purchase.

By the way Glenn, where do you find a source for unfinished / lower cost lumber in the Inland Empire?

Brian

[Dewey Torres]

No matter how you slice it you are going to spend more money in the long run and more importantly you will spend TONS more if you don't buy good tools from the start.

Get the best you can afford and make the best of them ...then when your ride has been pimped as much as the laws of physics (or some particular project) will allow, shuck the cash and get the tool you need and don't buy cheap unless it has been all the rave. And there are plenty of cheap tools that get raves but they are normally smaller stuff. With the main components of a workshop, finding a great tool and the cheapest will usually be used on CL "the fixer upper" or the occasional gloat (a great deal to brag on).

Good luck

[Mike Null]

I concur with the suggestion to get a good router table set-up.

I would look at some high quality hand planes and wait on the jointer and planer until you can determine your needs better.

The hand planes are a joy to use and will never be obsolete.

[Joe Jensen]

I think it depends heavily on what you want to build, and what standards you have. S4S lumber is smoothed on all sides and the sides are pretty straight, but the faces are not really flat, and the thickness is not consistent from board to board.

I built a lot of projects early in my hobby without a planer (always had a jointer) and you an do it, but I spent a LOT of time with a hand held belt sander and my results were never perfect. Once I got a planer and was able to work with boards that were truely flat and straight, the quality of my output improved dramatically. Another interesting result of using flat and straight boards, glue ups require very little clamping pressure as the edges of the boards are flat, and the faces are flat. You won't get this with S4S.

It's certainly possible to work with S4S, just be prepared for a lot more

[Don Bullock]

Elijah, welcome to Sawmill Creek. I got by for many years using S4S lumber. I used a table saw, half sheet sander, belt sander and a lathe to turn spindles and legs.

I would suggest that a good hand held router and one mounted in a table would also be tools that you'll want. While the learning curve may be steep for hand planes, you sure can do a lot with them of you learn to use them well. It all depends on what you plan to make and the results you want.

[Von Bickley]

Elijah,

"Welcome to The Creek"..... and you don't need that planer or jointer to get started. I would start off with the best table saw I could get, get a couple of routers, build you a simple router table to start with, and start making some sawdust......:)

[Chris Bruno]

+1 on Von's suggestion. I made very nice and useable furniture for our home for the past 12 years without a jointer or planer. You can joint most boards on your tablesaw with carefully made jigs and good blades.

Last year, I decided to tackle some larger projects and bought an 8" jointer and the Dewalt planer and the for what its worth, the jointer has gotten used far more frequently than the planer so far. So, if you do extend into the jointer/planer area, I personally would get the jointer first.

-Chris