In what order would you buy machines for the shop??

[Rick Cicciarelli]

I am sure the first question to me will be "what do you want to make"...but I am curious what general order folks thing one should add stuff to the shop. Here is the list of items on the "wish" list...just need to figure out the order.

Cabinet/hybrid saw
lathe
8" jointer
15" planer
band saw 17"?
router table
drill press

[John Grossi]

Rick, This is the order I went
1) Grizzley 3hp table saw-new
2) Dust collection system-new
3) 13" planer-new
4) router table-used
5) 6" jointer-used
6) 14" band saw-used
It has all served me well. I may upgrade my dc to a cyclone soon

[keith denbesten]

For me it is:
#2 Cabinet/hybrid saw
Not going there lathe
tie @#4 8" jointer
tie @#4 15" planer
#1 band saw 17"?
#3 router table
The table saw and RT are a replacement for a job saw and very small RT. The jointer and planer are next ( I have a little Ryobi planer that I use for reclaimed wood )

[Bill Huber]

As a hobby woodworker here is the way it went for me.

Jet hybrid contractors saw.
Router
Lunchbox planer
Band saw

I started out with an old Craftsman table saw and use it and the router for awhile and found I needed a little bit better saw. Got the Jet table saw and a router table about the same time. Then I found that I wanted to work with better wood and needed a planer so I got a Ridgid planer.

Then I added the band saw, and at this point in my abilities I think I am in good shape.
I do have 3 routers, one Bosch in the table and 1 Bosch 1617 plunge and fixed base and a small Dewalt 611 for the small stuff.
I also have a little junk jointer, 6" Delta but I don't use it that much.

[John Keeton]

Rick, taking your list, and assuming you were starting from scratch, this would be my order -

band saw 17"
drill press
Cabinet/hybrid saw
15" planer
8" jointer
router table
lathe

I chose this order for a few reasons. You can do so much on a bandsaw, and with a couple of handplanes and a nice crosscut saw, accomplish most tasks you could do on a tablesaw, planer and/or jointer. Plus, it helps develop some skills.

The lathe is last, because once you buy the lathe, you may never again use the other tools!!:D:D

[Jim O'Dell]

Ok, here is what I would do for me. I can build things without a lathe, in fact I don't have one, and don't plan to have one. And I can build cabinets and use S4S wood. So my top three are the cabinet saw, router table, and drill press. And the drill press isn't that critical. But I do use mine more than I do my bandsaw.

Cabinet/hybrid saw...if at all possible, cabinet saw.
router table...make this yourself
drill press...get the longest quill travel you can get for the money spent
8" jointer
15" planer
band saw 17"?
lathe

Jim.

[Andrew Nemeth]

1) tablesaw- I use it for EVERY project. You may save a bit of money getting started with a good used contractor saw. Older Craftsman saws with cast extention wings are on craigslist all the time fir $125 around here. Use it until you grow out of it and sell it for $125.

2) router(table)- again, not quite what you listed but I would not buy a router table to start. Buy a nice router and build a table. I used a router bolted to a piece of melamine with a jointed 2x4 as the fence for many years. I still take it to jobs sites "just in-case I need it". Building a nice router table is a great learning project.

3) planer- this opens a lot of opportunities to use rough lumber saving you money to put towards other tools. It can be used to joint a face before planing to thickness if you use a sled.

4/5) drill press/bandsaw- either one

6) jointer- makes life a lot easier but not essential to most projects

7) lathe- unless your a turner or are into turned legs, a lathe is not essential to most projects.

Don't forget about dust collection!!! Again, if you don't want to spend a lot check out craigslist for a decent small unit on wheels. Buy a good aftermarket cartridge filter and roll it to the tools your using.

-Andrew

[Josh Rudolph]

band saw 17"
15" planer and make a planer sled
8" jointer
drill press
Cabinet/hybrid saw
router table
lathe

Assuming you have a circular saw...
I believe you can do a large majority of projects with a band saw and a planer w/planer sled. The jointer is next just so you don't have to do the planer sled on every project. I would go with a drill press next to give me easily repeatable holes.
Cabinet saw next to allow for easier breakdown of goods and provide easy dadoes. Then a router table followed by a late. If turning was a bigger part of my projects, it would slide up the list some.

Since my list goes against most others...I'll explain why the TS isn't at the top.
I have a cabinet saw and use it all of the time...but if I was trying to build my tool collection all over with the thought of being able to build a large variety of things a band saw would be better suited for me.

[Ted Wong]

I think it depends on the type of work you want to do. If your aim is to practice a more refined type of woodworking I'd go with:

bandsaw
Jointer
Planer
Tablesaw
Router
Drillpress

When I started out I began w/ the tablesaw and the bandsaw was one of the last items I added. But knowing what I know now I could have really broaden the scope of the work I could do much earlier had I started with the list I mention.

[Mark Bolton]

Planer, biggest you can afford
Cabinet saw or better yet a slider
Cyclone

Forget everything else til' you have a direct need. Put the money in the bank and try to get some interest.

Mark

[Tony Bilello]

I have had shops as both hobby only and also as a woodworking business. Here is the way I have done it before and will do it again in the future if I had to start from scratch.
1). Table Saw: for most woodworkers, the table saw is the heart and soul of the shop. It should be placed in the middle of the shop with an attached outfeed table. YOu should be able to walk completely around it. In a small shop, the outfeed table also serves as an assembly table.
2). A router table comes next. Even if you cant afford the money or the space you could still use the detachable router for hand-held functions. Projects never really look finished without some kind of edge treatment. Besides, a router table serves many other machining functions.
3). Here is where I slipped in something new. An Air Compressor. When you have limited tools, you will be making lots of jigs. Even when you have lots of tools, jig making still is important. The only way I know how to make a very fast jig assembling slippery glue parts without them slipping is with a brad nailer. Also with a compressor, you now have the capability of spraying.
4). Drill Press. Sometimes there will be occasions when screws or bungs will be noticed and possibly decorative. The one sure way to place them exactly where you want them without the bit wandering/following the grain is by using Forstner Bits in a drill press.
5). Lathe. A lathe serves me very little as far as woodworking is concerned, however, as far as fun is concerned, it can't be beat. How else can you turn out a project in less than 30 minutes, finish and all but on a lathe? If you have scraps that are 2 1/2" or larger they can become the base for bowls or plates.
5). Bandsaw. A tool I rarely use but does have it's place.
6). Planer. I buy all my hardwood S3S for a slight additional fee. Definitely was not a priority for me
7). Joiner. Same as planer
I have always been fortunate to have a quality hardwoods dealer within an hour or so from where I live. I have a 20" joiner and an 8" planer which are hardly used.
It is more cost effective for me to have the lumber yard join and plane for me.

[John Coloccia]

I am sure the first question to me will be "what do you want to make"...but I am curious what general order folks thing one should add stuff to the shop. Here is the list of items on the "wish" list...just need to figure out the order.


Depends what you want to make. For instrument building, you hardly need a table saw or planer. A jointer, bandsaw and drum sander are very handy. For general cabinet work, a table saw, shaper and jointer will get you there. For furniture work, a bandsaw, jointer and planer are useful. A drill press is very useful for all of it and does double duty as a drum sand, and even a rough planer with a Wagner Saf-T Planer. This is all just my opinion, but it really does somewhat depend on the kind of work you do.

[Dave MacArthur]

Whatever order I found them on CraigsList for a smoking deal.

But I'd look hardest for the table saw first, then jointer. Then I'd build a router table.

[Joe Watson]

In the mist of putting together a "basement shop" right now, heres what ive been doing along with some notes on how i would have done it.

Scope:
Started a 22x22 addition to my house two years ago, did all the work myself (except for excavation, foundation and spackle), hitting the finishing stages now, made 60" vanity for bathroom (still need to finish doors and draws), all bedroom trim (top and bottom) and a two door - three draw "thing" to fill a 24x60" cavity in wall.
Future:
Dressers, bed, kitchen cabinets (top and bottom) and what ever else comes up ;)

Order of current tools:
Chop saw
Radial saw
Router (had one for a while, bought two new ones through project)
Built make-shift a router table (its flat and the fence is square :) )
13" planer
Dust collector
3HP cabinet saw
Drill press

If i was to do it again, order would have been.
Dust collector
Cabinet saw
Radial or chop
Routers and router table
Planner
Drill press

Saw dust was like the devil, its still all over the place in the basement (in the joists, on walls, corners, floor, etc...) so a dust collector would have been first choice. Would have saved alot of cleaning every where, basement along with tracking it through the house.

For the trim work around windows and pocket doors i used 1x4 ripping some of them with the radial - it was a pain, table saw would have made life much easier, safer and faster (with less sanding i would think too).

Planner and router table came into play while making the top and baseboard trim (made from 5/4 ceder decking planks planned down to 3/4-7/8-ish and ripped to 2-7/8-ish).

As for a joiner...
I used the router table with a five flute carbide end mill (thanks to my job ;) ).
With thin double sided tape i attach one or two pieces of coil (the "sheet metal" you wrap around the out side of your windows) on the left hand side of the router bit (only one side - acts as a joiners feed out table (if you have a fence that is split, this would not be needed, my fence is homemade and a single piece)). Move the fence in-till the router bit and sheet metal are flush, run the router slow (10,000 or so - the "router bit" i was using was kind of long), take acouple test runs while making fence adjustments and you have a 2-3" vertical jointer ;)
Its gonna have to get me by in-till i save more money (and find room) for a real joiner.

Granted you have no control over depth of cut aside from adding more or less sheet metal, but it worked very good and took abunch of "bows" out of some scrap 3/4 oak flooring which was left over which was used to make the face-frame of the "two door, three draw wall cavity thing".

Next thing will be a band saw, but that will not be for a while, looking for a place to buy rough cut lumber locally.


Best of luck..

_

[glenn bradley]

Many people add a tablesaw later on but, like most responders here, I am TS centric so in larger machines, I went:

Tablesaw
Jointer
Planer
Tablesaw upgrade (wasn't sure if I would stick with it . . . I did)
Dust collector (should have come FIRST!)
Bandsaw
Drill press
Another bandsaw
Another drill press
Jointer upgrade (should have done that right the first time)
Dust collector upgrade (should have done that right the first time)
Planer upgrade (once I had the spiral head on the jointer, my planer was lacking)

Things I found I didn't need to buy . . .

RAS
CMS
Biscuit joiner
Almost anything cheap-o

Believe me, there will be some things you get that will gather dust and some things you come to rely on. Have fun. Enjoy the journey.

[Don Bullock]

I'm buying mine as I need them and/or when I find a great sale. If a project I'm planning requires a certain tool that I don't yet have, I search for the best price on that tool. When Amazon, Rockler or someone else has a tool I don't have, but may need soon, on a great sale I'm there. Most of the tools and machines in the shop, except for my SawStop, were found on sale. Some of the sales were below half price.

[Terry Welty]

for me definately a decent table saw... then I'd buy the tools as I needed them. Spread it out as you can afford...

[Bernie May]

best cyclone dust collector and piping you can afford - do it right the first time
table saw and chop saw
bandsaw
drill press
jointer and planer
drum sander
lathe - substituting this higher will negate the jointer, planer, table saw and drum sander - most fun tool there is

[Damon Stathatos]

...Jointer upgrade (should have done that right the first time)

Words of wisdom for sure.

It doesn't really matter what progression we all went through but with experience under belts, I would have to say to start with three machines:

Table saw
Jointer
Planer

Perhaps it's just my style of working but there are not many pieces of wood that I start out with that don't pass through these three machines, at a minimum.

And yes, unless you feel the need to end up buying two or three jointers, start off with a 8" minimum, 12" better.

After that, it's a grab bag of priorities but here's my take:

Drill press
Router table
Band saw

Everything else is a matter of convenience after or in between these.

Some suggest a switching priorities between table saw and band saw. I understand the two 'camps' however the first piece of sheet goods you want to cut becomes problematic in this case.

[Steven Hsieh]

I am not new to woodworking, I never own any tools up until now

My first power tool was a miter saw
next is a:

bandsaw
dust collector
router
edge sander
table saw
jointer
planer

[Karl Brogger]

I am sure the first question to me will be "what do you want to make"...but I am curious what general order folks thing one should add stuff to the shop. Here is the list of items on the "wish" list...just need to figure out the order.

Cabinet/hybrid saw
lathe
18" jointer
15" planer
band saw 17"?
router table
drill press

#1-Cabinet/hybrid saw
#1-lathe
#1-8" jointer
#1-15" planer
#1-band saw 17"?
#1-router table
#1-drill press

:D On their own they're all pretty useless in my opinion.


My first stationary tool purchase was actually a lathe. Only reason was it was just about the only tool the shop I worked at didn't have and I had a small side job that required some turned legs.

[Bill ThompsonNM]

come on guys.. he said the magic word.
He'll save lots of money if he buys the lathe first.. because then the only thing he'll want is a bandsaw to cut bowl blanks!

[Bud Millis]

This may not be a complete list - it depends on your skill level, space, money and what you want to do. The best thing to do is to buy the best tool of each (2nd choice first). This will save a lot of time and money.

10" Table saw
Router table - even a small one will do
8" jointer/planer
15" planer
drill press

grinder - for sharpening hand tools
lathe
sander of some type

Then you have the issue of hand tools

[Rick Fisher]

Most important to me

(1) Bandsaw
(2) Jointer
Most used tools in the shop.

(3) Workbench.. I worked without one for a long time.. then one that was too small.. A suitable bench is huge..

(4) Dust collector
(5) Planer
(6) Router Table
(7) Clamps.. Buy good ones.. A good set with cost what a machine costs..
(8) Table saw
(9) Drill Press

[Roger Bullock]

I often compare my "woodworking hobby" to the hobbies of my friends. Those friends that got into fishing, motorcycle riding, camping, and hunting went out and spent 10, 15, or over 20K for their bass boat, Harley, camper, etc. After a few years, most are wanting to trade in their toys because they don't look so new anymore. This doesn't hold true to my woodworking machinery, some may be 15 years old but due to minor adjustments and tune ups, they still work quite well today.

Whichever machine you purchase first, mine would be the cabinet table saw, you should go ahead and outfit it to work for you in its fullest capacity. I'll use the table saw as an example. If you purchase good quality blades for the types of cuts you will be making, from dado, rip, to finish blades you will be able to make several of the cuts sometimes reserved to more than one piece of machinery. A good fence is a mush have for your table saw. Having the proper tools to help you square your fence and blade is essential. Using a good finish blade and a square setup you can make cuts for glued up panels and with a shop made cut off jig, you can make square cuts on larger panels.

If the bandsaw becomes your first machine, do the same with it, go ahead and buy the blades and accessories to get the most out of the machine.

[Chris Parks]

Dust collector Dust collector Dust collector Dust collector Dust collector Dust collector Dust collector Dust collector

[David Hostetler]

Well in my case I went with...

#1. Cabinet/hybrid saw. Not exactly, but then again, how else can you describe the BT3100, belt drive motor under the table not sticking out the back.
#2. router table. This is actually part of #1 since on the BT3100, the router accessory table is factory included. I built a seriously upgraded table though to allow a larger surface area, and a miter slot for featherboards.
#3. 13" Planer in my case. I'm not rich, nor do I have endless space in my shop. And the 13" was a gift from my beautiful wife, so you are gonna need a REALLY big gun to get it away from me! This was bought new as a valentines day gift the first year LOML and I were married... I got a good one! Oh yeah, the planer's okay too...
#4. drill press. Bought used on Craigslist. 15" floor standing model with 16 speeds and 3-3/8" quill travel, MT2 spindle... Not awesome, not pitiful. It does a very nice job, but it needs belts now...
#5. band saw 14" with a riser block and am tickled silly with it. I just couldn't justify the extra bucks for a larger model...
#6. Something you don't list, and something I wish I had added earlier, Dust Collector... Makes a HUGE difference in the environment of your shop. WELL worth the $$ paid for it...
#7. lathe. Yep This is a new function, so yea add this. Since you can face joint with the planer and a sled, and edge joint with a router, I would put the lathe a higher priority than a jointer...
#8. 6" bench top jointer. This was a mostly space related choice. I simply do not have the room for big floor model machines.

You have some nice choices there capacity wise...

A lot of my choices equipment wise are made with an eye to keeping within budget, in both terms of dollars, and square feet. Shop space is like Gold around here, you simply can not have enough...

[Paul Johnstone]

In hindsight, here's how I would do it.

1. Dust collector
2. Table saw
4. Planer
5. Router table
6. Jointer
7. Drill press
8. Bandsaw
9. Lathe

I upgraded my planer last. I actually had two different planers before the one I have now. Really wish I had bought a bigger one from the start (or upgraded quicker).

[John Piwaron]

I am sure the first question to me will be "what do you want to make"...but I am curious what general order folks thing one should add stuff to the shop. Here is the list of items on the "wish" list...just need to figure out the order.

Cabinet/hybrid saw
lathe
8" jointer
15" planer
band saw 17"?
router table
drill press

Not quite what I did, but not that far away either. My order was:

RAS (false start, got rid of it later)
6" jointer
lunchbox planer
drill press
tablesaw (contractor)
biesemeyer fence
CMS
bandsaw
replaced 6" jointer with 8" with much longer infeed/outfeed tables)
lathe
replaced contractor's saw with hybrid saw with biesemeyer type fence.

And it still comes down to this - what do you make or want to make? There's a heck of a lot of other stuff that's more important than some of that stuff if your interest takes you to marquetry or carving for example.

[Pat Barry]

The answer is - it all depends on what you are going to build. In opposition to at least a few of the posts though, the dust collector being at the top of the list is a complete joke. For me the most used power tools are my table saw (Ridgid) and my hand drill (Makita 12 V). Next most used is my mitre saw. So far I have gotten along without a jointer because I don't use much rough sawn lumber. The table saw gets a lot of use, especially when coupled with the various add-ons you can make (#1 = sliding table add-on).

[Joe Mioux]

Table Saw.

Planer, you can joint with a planer but you can't plane with a jointer.

Router Table

Band Saw

Dust Collector... by now you will want a good DC. Up until then dust masks and a good exhaust fan is an OK substitute.

Jointer

Lathe

Grinder

[Joe Jensen]

For me, I like to build furniture and cabinets.

1) Saw
2) Jointer
3) Planer
4) Router table
5) Bandsaw
6) drill press
7) Lathe - in 30 years of WW I haven't bought a lathe, just don't enjoy turning that much.

But, say you loved turning. Then it would be something like this.
1) Lathe
2) Bandsaw
3) Drill press
the rest wouldn't matter.

If you only use hardwoods, and no plywood, some skip the table saw and just cut Hardwood with a bandsaw and miter saw. That frees money for a jointer and planer which IMHO are essential to making furniture..joe

[Peter Quinn]

My shop was assembled in the order in which things I could afford came to me. So RAS was first (big silly old DeWalt for free with a 3HP plunge router thrown in too.) With a 24" cross cut plus a skill saw with a guide and I could cut nearly anything. Router table I made. Yes, a piece of melamine with a 2X4 fence over a box. Eventually that got replaced with a lift in an outfeed table of the cabinet saw, but it worked fine in the short run. Next, a SCMS. Then I got a planer, and realized that for me it was nearly useless without a jointer, so I got that pretty much within weeks. I use both on pretty much every job, but the jointer is actually more valuable to me for a variety of reasons. I tried planer sleds, I'd rather not go that route again, I vastly prefer a jointer for jointing. Go figure?

In retrospect, I would have bought a 20" BS first and the cabinet saw later, but instead I got the cabinet saw, with router lift in the left side, built an outfeed table that became my defacto work bench, and became a TS centric wood worker, though I am moving away from that place now. The dust collector came between the jointer and TS, because choking on chips was loosing its appeal fast. The drill press was near the bottom of the list, and the lathe I still don't have. But somewhere along the line three shapers crept in, the 14" BS walked out, a 20" BS snuck in, several power feeders arrived, a large compressor was added after several smaller units were tried, and I recently built a real work bench that I should have had 7 years ago but probably could not have pulled off. Looking around there is also a horizontal slot mortiser tucked in there (must have snuck in in front of the BS), and a mini molder.

What I want to build has changed over the years, as has the shop I've carved out and the tools which occupy the space. The people that ask what you want to make are the smart ones who have done this a while, bought stuff they didn't need, needed stuff they didn't have, and figured out how to work with what they did. You may grow considerably in this hobby, your needs and methods may change or evolve. Certain styles of objects suggest certain tools or methods of work, other work is more general, some specific things like guitar making have needs all their own. There are so many ways to manipulate a piece of wood its hard to say to somebody "Do it this way". When I ask "What do you want to make" its not so much because I need an answer, but because I wish someone had made me answer that question and then listen to my own answer, think about what tasks I would need to accomplish this work and what methods or tools would be best. Instead, I stumbled blindly forward buying tools, butchering wood, making mistakes, but most importantly having fun! Upshot is there is no wrong order, and probably not a right one either.

[johnny means]

In hindsight, here's how I would do it.

1. Dust collector


This would be pretty ridiculous if his purchases are 10 months apart. One can get an awful lot done with a table or band saw and a 3M dust mask, but nothing can be done with just a dust collector. Also, having some machines in place, making dust will help an inexperienced shop designer see what is needed for a dust collection set up. Sure, a lot of us could walk into an empty shop and design a dust collection system that would serve any possible future needs, while being both efficient and flexible. This is much harder when you haven't already been dealing with dust collection in an active shop for years, making mistakes and coming up with solutions for various machines.

Anyway, my vote is for a stationary saw of some type (personally i'm a table saw guy), followed by a good router table. Using S4S, one can run an entire cabinet shop with just these (assuming a full compliment of hand tools).