Just starting out; how have I done so far and whats next (long)

[Robert Adamis]

Greetings first of all... like many of you I decided to start on a quest to build my own furniture rather then buy cheap particle board junk from the stores. At least that's what I told the Mrs... I consider myself a newbie in the area of WW although I am quite good working with my hands and have watched/assisted my dad working on projects while growing up.

I started buying my own tools about two years ago and think I've done an okay job at getting good deals but I was curious to see what other people think. My own desire is to buy Made in USA (hard to do these days) whenever possible and at all costs avoid China although Taiwan is fine (no offense meant to those that don't have a preference). The result is a lot of time spent on Craigslist waiting for a tool I'm in the hunt for usually not haggling much over the price.

Listed in chronological order I have purchased the following:

1. 90's era UniSaw (USA): Included 52inch Uni Fence/Rail, Acu-Miter gauge/fence w/Extension, Mobile Base, Out-feed Table, 4 or 5 extra blades including a dado set. Paid $800

2. 90's era Delta Bandsaw (USA): Included mobile base, 3 or 4 extra blades and a fence plus miter gauge. Paid $450

(By the way Las Vegas is a great place to buy tools on Craigslist from, especially on Thursdays and Fridays...:) Both Uni and Bandsaw came from the same guy two months apart. Same guy also later sold a Delta lathe to a guy that I happened to buy an old Rockwell 4" Jointer from months later)

3. 90s era DJ15 6" Jointer (Brazil): Included 6 sets of additional blades plus the mobile base and a few extras. Paid $500

4. Package Deal: Delta Stationary Plate Jointer (Can't recall origin, not China, maybe Taiwan?), Delta Mortiser (England), Delta Oscillating Spindle Sander (Taiwan), 16" floor standing drill press (Taiwan) . Paid $330 for the lot.

5. Rockwell/Invicta RC-33 (Brazil): Pad $450 for it, came with mobile stand and dust collection hood, blade setting jigs.

6. Rockwell Super 900 RAS (USA): Year unknown, guessing mid 50s era. Decent condition, likely needs new bearings though. Mobile stand needs some sanding/painting. Paid $150

Considering the above my first question is, have I done a decent job at getting fair deals? I know I'm probably not getting bottom dollar for the items but I hope to be doing okay.

My second question is... What should my next purchases be? I am currently working on finishing my routing station (already having the Incra Wonderfence + Joinery and PC 7518, waiting for money to buy PVl2 lift/table package from wood peckers). I am also considering replacing the unifence with the TS-LS fence for my TS. And finally a belt/disc sander is probably in the works.

From here I can't think of any more excuses to give my wife for tools I need in order to work on her projects. Granted I have purchased most of the large ticket items and have a ways to go in the small things like clamps, squares, rulers etc... I'm afraid that at some point she is going to call my bluff and demand I stop buying and start building...:)

So what should I think about to round out my collection. I'm not asking about a dream sheet but rather a list of big ticket tools I'm missing that are A. available (on Craigslist), B. affordable and C. justifiable for a small home shop.

[Simon Dupay]

You should check out OWWM.com/.org their all about US made stuff

[Myk Rian]

I think you paid top used prices for the TS, BS, and jointer. Probably a bit high on them.
The BS can be had for under $300, as well as can the jointer.

[Randy Reitz]

I think you've done well. You have collected a shop full of well built functional tools at much less than what new ones would cost. You should be able to recoup a substantial part of what you paid when you upgrade. Don't worry if someone somewhere got a terrific gloat. Someone will always come up with a better deal. You did well.

The point for many of us is to assemble the tools that let us build the things we want in an enjoyable experience. (YMMV):) Now get to work and start building to see what you need next.

[Sean Nagle]

I think you did very well. You pretty much bought my 90's vintage shop for a fraction of what I paid back in the 90s!

May I suggest you look into a good dust collector before proceeding. You haven't mentioned the space where you will be working. Can you accommodate a cyclone and install fixed ductwork? If so, check out the American-made cyclones. There are many, many threads discussing the various alternatives.

[Robert Adamis]

Thanks for the critiques. I'm glad I at least haven't gotten robbed blind on my purchases.

My shop is in my garage and it's quite crowded because I have to share what little extra space I have with my washer / dryer and furnance. (Hopefully these things will change over the next year or two...) I've found a good balance though and have been able to leave most of my tools setup to work on and still be able to park a car inside. When I need more space I back the car out and move my tools around as needed.

Dust collection has actually been on my mind recently. I'm quite concerned about damaging my lungs this early in the game and I have been thinking about ways to prevent it. One setup I have been thinking about is getting a standard dust collector and one of the cyclone kits for trash bins. However I was thinking about ditching the filter bags and such from the dust collector and just piping what's left over from the cyclone collector to the outside of my garage, possibly into a misting water canister or something (that's the engineer side of me). From the videos I have seen it looks like the cyclones are efficient enough to do such a thing and I could avoid filter bags (that always seem to have a cloud of dust form from them...) I would of course have to make sure to have a good fresh air supply. Has anyone else done this or thought about it?

[Dave Cav]

You did all right. You didn't steal any of that stuff, but you didn't get robbed, either. The only upgrades I might suggest are to go to an 8" jointer, and, yes, a belt/disk sander will be very handy too. I also suggest you go over to OWWM and read up on the radial arm saw and put new bearings in it; it will be a great saw once you clean it up. Lynn at Accurate Bearing will be your new best friend when you need bearings.

[Glen Butler]

Are you seriously asking or are you rubbing it in our faces.:D You set up a good shop at a great price IMO. Sometimes when the right tool comes along, you just buy without much haggling because that was the right tool. I don't believe in haggling as a rule. When I set a price for something I want to sell it is for a reason and I don't like being haggled with. So I try not to do that to others either, with few exceptions.

[Robert Adamis]

So luck was shining on me again yesterday in the quest for my belt/disc sander... I decided to stop by the place where I got the plate joiner and mortiser 6 months ago to see what they had in the back. I walked in and the same guy that sold me the previous stuff was working the front desk again. I asked him if he had anything of interest in the back again and that I was specifically looking for a belt/disc sander.

We wandered around the back for a little while where he showed me an in new condition Delta DJ45 12" jointer that some guy in Seattle had bought for his personal work shop (must be nice playing that that kind of cash...). He then showed me an almost brand new Shop Fox 6"/12" sander that he said wasn't working and would give me a deal on it. He said that the belt wasn't tracking correctly and that he'd spent some time trying to get it to work but gave up on it and just wanted it gone. He then spoke with his boss and said I could take the thing for $50! Of course I said yes and threw everything into the back of my Jetta TDI (I had to separate the top from the base to do it) and hauled it home.

Being mechanically minded I set about seeing what the issue was as soon as I got home. After a couple of hours of tinkering I discovered that the bracket that holds the top drum/hub assembly for the belt was a hair's width to wide. This was preventing it from moving smoothly up and down and keeping tension on the belt. I then sent an e-mail to Shop Fox informing them of my discovery (I'm not holding my breath for a response though) and asked them if they would kindly send me replacement parts. Later on I realized that if I didn't get a replacement part I could always take a grinder to the existing one and just grind down the excess. In the process of working on the machine I discovered that I was missing one of the guide plates and would have to go back to the store to pick it up.

The next day I took a long lunch (don't tell the boss...) and went back to the store. I had already called the guy and he confirmed that he had the missing part and would have it at the front counter waiting for me. When I got to the store he handed me the part I was looking for and then said he found another part that also went with it. What do you know it was but a new bracket that someone had already taken the disc grinder to and removed the excess material!

When I got home I swapped out the brackets and it worked perfectly. I then spent a couple of hours setting up the rest of the machine and aligning the belt. In the end I have a practically brand new belt/disc sander for $50 bucks. Although I'm not to familiar with Shop Fox other then it is supposedly a sister brand of Grizzly I figure for $50 I can live with it for the time being. I told the guy I would be stopping by in about 6 months to see what else he has for sale...

By the way... he has an old school (don't remember the brand) 15" planer that he's trying to offload for $125. It's gotta be from the 80s or older so if it's still there the next time I might try to make a deal on it.

Here is a link to what I got by the way: Shopfox W1712
(http://www.amazon.com/W1712-1-5-Horsepower-12-Inch-Combination-Sander/dp/B001R23SZO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1269494656&sr=1-4)

[Rob Robinson VT]

Overall I'd have to agree that you've done very well and that ShopFox sander is a true gloat at $50! I'd definitely agree with Sean that the very next thing you need to add to your shop is a decent dust collection system and, preferably, a really good air filter as well. All of these tools are replaceable, but your lungs aren't and wood dust can be really nasty stuff.

[Mike Wilkins]

Sounds like you are off to a great start. That is an impressive list of machines and the prices are not bad. As for what to purchase next; WAIT!!.
Start building furniture. Get into some projects and then wait to see what tool or machine you may need. Let the projects determine what you need/want/got to have. In the meantime, start a tool-buying account that is seperate from household expenses, so that the funds are there to quickly take advantage of a good deal.
Good luck and watch those fingers.

[Robert Adamis]

Thanks for the compliments. Unfortunately since I last posted my life's circumstances have changed due to my 15 month old special needs daughter. She lives at a full time nursing facility because she is ventilator dependent and has been since birth. We were hopeful that they could wean her off the vent over the past year but it looks like it will take much longer then anticipated.

For the past year I have been working in Sacramento on the week days and travelling to San Jose to be with my wife and daughter's on the weekends. Now it looks like the Air Force is finally going to transfer me down to San Jose to be closer to work and family. This unfortunately means that we will be downsizing from our home in Sacramento to a tiny 600ft2 one bedroom apartment in San Jose.

Thankfully my Dad has agreed to store all of my tools at his house but sadly I won't be playing with them any more in just a few short weeks. Hopefully circumstances will change in a year or two.

In the mean time I hope to join a co-op group like the Saw Dust Shop in San Jose. I plan to use this time to learn the skills from other people that have been doing this for quite some time. I can also use the time to save up for my next large tool purchase (dust collection for sure).

[Chip Lindley]

My Kinda Guy Robert! That was a sweet deal on the ShopFox sander! You got some quality Delta/Rockwell machines at decent prices. Like another said, you didn't steal 'em but you didn't get robbed either!

You will need a drum sander sooner or later. Look for a Woodmaster 26" or 38" if you're feeling Lucky! That means a very decent dust collector system also.

As for the 15" planer bargain, hang onto that Invicta RC33 Rockwell. (I've had one since 1985 and cannot wear it out!!) The difference between the two is not worth your time, unless you want to refurbish the 15" to try and turn a profit. Only consider trading up in planers if you can find a deal on a 15" machine with spiral insert cutterhead.

Your DJ15 jointer is as nice as a 6" gets. You can probably get your investment back any time. If an 8" jointer bargain presents itself, BITE!

And then, keep an eye out for a 3hp spindle shaper, 3/4" spindle. Collecting machinery really never ends...I know from experience!

[Brendan Plavis]

Sorry to hear about your daughter... Thats an awful thing to see happen to someone, let alone someone so young...

But when storing your tools, dont forget to wax them heavily, I hear machine grease often works well, just cover it in an 1/8-1/4 inch layer, then drape a sheet over it(the machine, not the grease if can be avoided.) It may stain, but its sure better than nothing..... But if your father is going to use them, then thats another story....

Gotta love uncle sam.... always putting you in the smallest, cheapest home he can find....

-Brendan

[Van Huskey]

Time to move off machines you have quite a collection! Dust collection needs to be the next thing! After that the two big expenditures will be clamps and wood.


Although with most of the prices you paid you didn't rob anyone but you didn't do bad at all!