Duplicate Stationary Tools - You Too? Why?

[Kev Godwin]

I would love to hear some comments related to people having duplicate stationary tools as well as some good reasons for such. My only large duplicates that sit out where they are always seen by my better-half is 2 bandsaws and 2 drill presses.

I probably have several dozen duplicate handheld ones that reside in places called "Out-of-sight; out-of-mind".... ;)

Please share some good reasons with me. Thx.
Kev

[Cary Falk]

I could see multiple shapers if you do a lot of cabinet doors. I know a lot of people talk of multiple Bandsaws so they can scroll on one and resaw on another. Some people like a separate table saw for dados. I don't have multiples of anything. I don't have the space andsince it is a hobby I can afford the time it takes to change tooling.

[Dick Brown]

Don,t ask me why but I have three "keeper" table saws. Bought a Shop Fox cabinet saw new about 8 years ago, a few years back a Clausing came to live at our house, and a month or two, Craftsman 27270 cabinet saw moved in.The Clausing does dado work, the SF, general stuff w/50 inch fence and the Craftsman,ah-- well, i'm sure I need it for something. Have had a lot of the Crapsman contractor type in, cleaned, adjusted or repaired (sometimes build a new fence or whatever they need) and sent down the road but can't bring myself to part with any of my three "babies".

[Ray Newman]

I knew two brothers who owned a large commercial cabinet shop. They had several duplicate/triplicate machines set up to fabricate/cut out cabinet and other furniture.
If I recall correctly, there were two table saw: ones for cross cutting/rippin; another for dadoing. Maybe three miter saws set at most commonly utilized angles to cut trim, etc. Two shapers set up, but I never saw them operating or asked them what they were set up for. They also had a shop-fabricated five router station to make all the cuts for a run of drawers of a particular size. Band saw was a rather large “Old Iron” type, and I believe that one wall held a panel saw. Numerous hand-held routers and sanders.
As one brother told me: "time IS money" and anytrhing to decrease set up time, etc., saved money.

[keith ouellette]

I have two floor model drill press. A craftsman and a jet. I bought the craftsman from an old man I felt sorry for. He raved about the thing on the phone but didn't know any of the info I was after so I went and looked at it. He pretty much begged me to buy it. Money wasn't a big problem at the time so I bought it. The chuck,the swing and table were two small so I later bought a larger jet drill press.

I was going to keep both my band saws but I just don't have the room. Did some one up above say they have 3 table saws? That would be pretty cool. One for dados, one for ripping and one for cross cuts.

I have 3 - 3+1/4 hp and a 2+1/2 hp plunge routers for some reason. It just kinda happened.

[glenn bradley]

I'm right there with ya Kev; 2 bandsaws and 2 DPs.

[Sam Babbage]

At work (2 person workshop) we have duplicate spindle molders, router tables, jointers RASs, as well as a cabinet saw and a panel saw. If we had the space I would love another spindle, or three. :p

[Dave MacArthur]

2 band saws (14" delta for curves/small work with 1/8" blade; 20" Agazzani with 3/4" resaw blade)
2 table saws (Saw Stop and PM66, planning on PM66 for dado setup or selling it)
2 router tables (end of PM66 with DW 621 3.25 hp and separate table wth DW 618)
2 planers (PM209HH 20" shelix Planer, DW735 13.5" planer, just because I like the finish from the 13.5 and can't bear to sell it yet)
2 Festool Rotex sanders (D90 and RO150)
2 dust collectors (Oneida Pro2000 5HP, Delta 1.5HP)
numerous hand power tool duplicates

I'm more of a case of upgraded tools but haven't gotten around to get rid of one yet...or maybe a better way to say it is, my wife hasn't kicked me out of her part of the garage err.. shop... yet.

[Larry Edgerton]

Mine is not a hobby, so my reason is always that I need it for business......

Three tablesaws, two planers, two drill presses, two bandsaws, two shapers, two jointers, but there are a lot of things I only have one of.

My wife does not ever question what I do. I am lucky that she does not consider something I buy for the shop money she could use somewhere else, its just another tool and part of doing business. My ex was that way, but anthing that was saved was put into her horses. Now there is a great investment.

[Bill Leonard]

Two table saws, a Delta and a PM66, two Dp's, need another woodmaster, and another bandsaw, but don't have the room.

[Michael Peet]

I can understand multiple bandsaws and tablesaws; why two drill presses?

Mike

[John Lanciani]

Three bandsaws;

1. Vintage 14" Delta wood/metal that I use for metal and other household / carpentry cutting.
2. 14" Delta for curves and joinery cuts.
3. MM20 for ripping and re-sawing.

[anthony wall]

i am turning green with envy ,here in thailand i cannot find many of the machines you are all talking about and the ones i can find are usualy of very poor quality ,still this place does have its compensations though not woodwork related

[Richard Jones]

2 bandsaws, a 14" Rikon and an 18" Rikon, two lathes, a Jet 1642-2 and a Rikon mini. I don't use the Rikon mini much anymore, maybe for sanding some stuff off the lathe, and occasionally I set it up with a wire brush to do some "relicing" on a vase.

Rich

[Chris Fournier]

Space prevents me from multiples but there are a few I would have in a heartbeat if I woke up to a three times larger shop one morning. I don't do enough repetitive work to justify alot of what has been admitted to in this thread! I would confess that it is easier to buy than sell so duplicates are easy to generate. Lately I have been very diligent about selling a replaced or unused tool, it feels good but about 50% of the time I have pangs of regret.

Lately as I start to do more "corporate skunkworks" type projects I have really cast off old tools and methods and budgeted for better tooling on my new machines - companies and their deeper pockets can afford me this luxury, individuals less so.

If mutilples help you work more efficiently then they make sense, if not then they don't; unless we're talking about sentimental value or "collectivitis".

[Kevin Gregoire]

i have two screwdrivers and two hammers but they aren't stationary! :-(

how about two vises???

[Mike Cutler]

I have 2 bandsaws, and 18" Rikon and a 14" Jet. The Rikon came after the Jet and is specifically for resawing, but the Jet is too nice of a bandsaw not to have around.
I've also got two tablesaws. A General and a Jet contractor. The Jet contractor is the outfeed table for the General. I can't build an outfeed table for what I could sell the Jet for, so for that alone it's worth keeping, but having a 2nd table saw is very handy.
I used to have 2 drum sanders, but got rid of one.

Only have one drill press though. Next one will be a Milling machine.;)

[David Nelson1]

3 planers a Delta 22-650, Woodmaster 612 (without DC), inbound is a G1033 with a byrd head. Sold a Delta 22- 580 and will be selling the 650 once I et the Grizzly in and setup. Wood master will be kept as a back up planer, but set up for molding mainly.

[Dave MacArthur]

The Jet contractor is the outfeed table for the General. I can't build an outfeed table for what I could sell the Jet for, so for that alone it's worth keeping, but having a 2nd table saw is very handy.

Exactly! Every time I go to sell a tool, like my 72" delta contractor/biesmeyer/router-table tablesaw recently, I find myself thinking, "I couldn't built a 72" mobile bench alone for the $400 I'm getting for this, let alone have a saw and router table in it..."

My problem is always that, for what you can sell for, it's just not worth getting rid of the capability, and it would cost me 4-5 times as much to re-gain that capability in funds and time if I ever decide I need it. Once you own the tool and tweak it, the money becomes almost inconsequential due to this, it's always about space.

[Tony Joyce]

My father(now retired) and I ran a custom millwork & cabinet shop. Now I work full time for a lumber retailer and build furniture as a hobby. Once you have them it's hard to pick out which ones to do without or sell. It doesn't cost anything to keep them, plus I have the space.

3-tablesaws, 4-radial arm saws, 4 shapers(1-3 spindle,1-horizonal), 2-jointers, 3-drill presses

[David Kumm]

If it is a hobby it doesn't need to make sense so here goes:
Bandsaws, Oliver 116,217, Yates snowflake y20, laguna-acm LT18
Sanders, Oakley H48, Kindt collins 24", state t-5
Saws, Rockwell 12-14, Knapp kfs, Bosch portable, Hammond glider
Shapers, Knapp kfs, Felder F7
Milling and boring,(besides me) Millrite and Greenlee 356
Mortising, Felder 250, Fay and Egan 509
planers, Oliver 299 ITCH,Oliver 299, Delta dc33 byrd head
Jointers, Porter 300 16", Oliver 166 12", Delta dj20

I spend about 1/4 time chasing and fixing machines, 1/4 hiding them from my wife, 1/4 woodworking, 1/4 looking for compensatory gifts for wife who is good at discovery. Dave

[Dave Cav]

Two table saws (Delta 12/14 and PM 65), two Delta HD shapers, one with a feeder, 17 and 14" Griz band saws (17" set up with a 3/4" carbide resaw blade but mostly seems to get used for trimming tenons), two drill presses, one mostly wood, one mostly metal. Had two radial arm saws, a 12" Delta turret and a 9" DeWalt MBF but I sold the MBF because I wasn't using it. (But I have another MBC out back in the rathole., along with a "spare" Unisaw.) The two table saws are set up at right angles to one another and share the same outfeed table. The shaper without the feeder is in the corner formed by the two table saws so they can act as infeed/outfeed tables for the shaper. Oh, and a router table in the right wing of the PM 65. Two belt sanders, an Acme edge sander and a conventional Griz belt/disk (plus a Walker Turner and PM belt/disk also in the rathole). And eight routers. I know because I counted them today.

[Chip Lindley]

Kev, in a commercial environment, duplicate machines can save lots of down time in case one goes South for some reason. Different setups can be maintained without time spent changing over and losing settings. When time is money, duplicates are a good investment.

In a home shop, duplicates proliferate because we could not pass up a great bargain. I have SEVEN shapers. Four are fully functional. The others are just acquisitions and investments. ;-)

Four shapers are great for cabinet work. Raised panels are cut on the largest. Rail/stile profiles are run on another. Coped ends are run on the third. The fourth shaper does door edges or other trim. Once set up for a job, all settings are maintained until the job is totally finished. If an extra part is needed for any reason, it is quick and easy to run one.

For too many years I wished for some really good machinery instead of my consumer stuff. Now, in my 60s, I have some big heavy duplicate shapers (7), tablesaws (4), radial arm saws (4), planers (3) jointers (3) and drill presses (2). Life is Good!

[Bruce Kohl]

I can't come anywhere near Chip in terms of multiple stationary machines, but I do have a few duplicates for a home shop, for which I consider myself very fortunate.

I have three shapers - 2 old Rockwell/Delta HD's and a Rockwell 1/2" light duty shaper. One HD is set up to do raised panels, and the other is generally used for cope and stick for doors. The light duty is used for edge profiling. I also have a router table.

I have two drill presses - one is permanently set up for mortising.

And finally, I have two band saws - an old Rockwell 14" and an 18" Rikon. The Rikon has a 3/4" blade and is used mostly for resawing, while the 14" Rockwell has a 1/4" blade and is used mainly for curved cuts.

While having multiple machines does cut into the available space, I can't bring myself to sell any of these duplicate machines. They're worth a whole lot more to me than the pittance I'd get for them by selling. So until I run out of space I'll just keep the duplicates.

By the way, my wife knows enough about woodworking machines that she has asked on occasion why I have more than one of some of them. So far I've been able to tap dance around that question and keep her at bay, but who knows for the future.

[Dar Lounsbury]

I agree with Chip and Bruce, "Life is good". I have 3 Grizzley 3HP shapers and 2-52" Unisaws. Lots and lots more machines but they are singles. I bought a foreclosed cabinet shop that had been in business for less than two years. Only bidder at the auction and they started/ended at $2500. Machinery and power tools are in really good shape for being used. Panel saw, panel router, Blum hinge drilling machine and about a dozen more. Plus a pickup truck load of power/air tools. Another truck load of air nails, staples and such. Shop had 50 10" table saw blades with more than half having been never used. They had enough bits and cutters for a couple shops and all of it was part of the deal. Have about 100 sheets of 3/4 melamine I have tried 2 or 3 times to sell. I can't give it away. Seems to not move a any price. Everything is too big or heavy to ship, local market is saturated.

Ebay has become a power tool.

Dar

[Chris M Pyle]

If it is a hobby it doesn't need to make sense so here goes:
Bandsaws, Oliver 116,217, Yates snowflake y20, laguna-acm LT18
Sanders, Oakley H48, Kindt collins 24", state t-5
Saws, Rockwell 12-14, Knapp kfs, Bosch portable, Hammond glider
Shapers, Knapp kfs, Felder F7
Milling and boring,(besides me) Millrite and Greenlee 356
Mortising, Felder 250, Fay and Egan 509
planers, Oliver 299 ITCH,Oliver 299, Delta dc33 byrd head
Jointers, Porter 300 16", Oliver 166 12", Delta dj20

I spend about 1/4 time chasing and fixing machines, 1/4 hiding them from my wife, 1/4 woodworking, 1/4 looking for compensatory gifts for wife who is good at discovery. Dave

When you want to sell those, feel free to send a message my way!! I am extremely envious of the equipment you have but those bandsaws are wonderful

[Jon Endres]

More people than you think have multiple machines. For me it's a restoration thing - I like OWWM and nearly everything I have as a duplicate falls into that category. 2 Unisaws (1995 & 1965), 2 Delta bandsaws (a 1995 and a 1939 wood/metal), 2 planers (70's Powermatic 180 and Ridgid 13" lunchbox), 2 radial arm saws (DeWalt 9" MBF and a 16" monster Delta, don't recall the model), also have a third tablesaw which is a Craftsman/Atlas 10" benchtop (1939). All of the older machines that are duplicates are mothballed and in need of restoration until I can build a new shop and have room for them. No point in getting rid of them - they don't cost me anything to store and aren't worth much in their current conditions, so I keep 'em.

[Larry Edgerton]

I can understand multiple bandsaws and tablesaws; why two drill presses?

Mike

Because I had a cool Walker Turner, and then I found a cooler Walker Turner. Actually it does work out. I dedicate one to steel and one to wood, the one with the oiler never sees wood.

[Brian Kincaid]

If it is a hobby it doesn't need to make sense so here goes:
Bandsaws, Oliver 116,217, Yates snowflake y20, laguna-acm LT18
Sanders, Oakley H48, Kindt collins 24", state t-5
Saws, Rockwell 12-14, Knapp kfs, Bosch portable, Hammond glider
Shapers, Knapp kfs, Felder F7
Milling and boring,(besides me) Millrite and Greenlee 356
Mortising, Felder 250, Fay and Egan 509
planers, Oliver 299 ITCH,Oliver 299, Delta dc33 byrd head
Jointers, Porter 300 16", Oliver 166 12", Delta dj20

I spend about 1/4 time chasing and fixing machines, 1/4 hiding them from my wife, 1/4 woodworking, 1/4 looking for compensatory gifts for wife who is good at discovery. Dave

OK you win.
-Brian

[Ryan Hellmer]

While this isn't meant to brag or compare but I have multiples of tablesaws, RAS's, DP's, jointers, and plan to get another planer and bandsaw soon. As mentioned above, it's great for not having to redo setups. I recently finished kitchen cabinets where I had 2 tablsaws, both shapers and a router table with dedicated setups to get the doors and drawers done. It was great. I too am a hobbyist and I think that the above bargain sentiment is absolutely true, the other reason is simply because we can. Unless they are getting in the way of getting projects done, multiples are always good in my mind.

Ryan

[Rick Moyer]

I have NO duplicate stationary tools. Even though I sometimes think I am a tool junkie, it appears that I am not! Thank you all for releasing me from my guilty feelings. I now feel liberated and normal.
p.s. If any of you want to feel liberated like me by freeing yourself of those duplicate tools, send me a PM;)

[Peter Quinn]

[QUOTE=Larry Edgerton;1674983but anthing that was saved was put into her horses. Now there is a great investment.[/QUOTE]

So she was investing in glue? Its a long game strategy to say the least....

[Peter Quinn]

I have three shapers at home to make cabinet doors easier, I could certainly do it with one, but I'm frankly much too lazy to sell the extras so I might as well use them if I'm going to keep them. Otherwise its one of each stationary machine for me. At work there are multiples of most machines, including DP, shapers, sliding TS, cabinet saws, BS. But its a commercial shop with 8 guys, so you need multiples to keep the lines to a minimum, and some of the tricky work is easier with dedicated sets ups left in place until a batch of parts is processed, in case any of the parts gets blown out at any point in the process. Of course there are always extra parts made, but old uncle Murphy seems to have a way of seeing you always need one more extra than you made.

[Gary Herrmann]

David and Chip, we need video shop tours. I wanna see some arn!

I have a mini and a floor model lathe - does that count?

0 shapers, but I'm thinking about that. I'd like to have a smaller bandsaw for curves. If I came across a larger dp, I might keep my current.