Which would be better to add to my new workshop?

[JoAnn Duggan]

Hi:

I am a new beginner into the woodworking hobby. I have a miter saw, router and table, and table saw. I am trying to decide if it would be better to get a drum sander or a planer to add to my basement shop. I would really appreciate any advice you could give me as I am not sure which way would be more productive for me. I have been reseaching the Jet 16-32 drum sander and the Delta 735 planer. Do you need both or would you use one more than the other?

JoAnn

[Dave Anthony]

I would definitely go with the planer. I use my planer on every project, the drum sander is rarely used.

[Van Huskey]

Don't get me wrong I love my drum sander but a planer is part of what I consider the 5 core machines:

Table Saw
Band Saw
Drill Press
Jointer
Planer

[Mark Engel]

Planer. No question.

[Steve Griffin]

Without knowing what you make, it's impossible to say for sure.

I can imagine some woodworking interests which might need a drum sander over a planer--maybe inlay art oriented work, small crafts or if you have a mill provide jointed/planed wood.

But for for most people doing conventional woodworking, planer for sure.

[mreza Salav]

I suppose you have a good dust collection method, otherwise it should come first.
If you do, then I'd go with a planer way ahead of a drum sander. I have both but planer is much more important in dimensioning rough lumber.

[JoAnn Duggan]

I ordered the Jet Vortex 1100 dust collection and it should be here in the next few days. Thank you everyone for your advice , as I am a complete novice I really appreciate your advice. What planer would you recommend for a beginner? I have been looking at the Dewalt 735 planer and also the Rigid and the Makita at Home depot.

[Van Huskey]

I ordered the Jet Vortex 1100 dust collection and it should be here in the next few days. Thank you everyone for your advice , as I am a complete novice I really appreciate your advice. What planer would you recommend for a beginner? I have been looking at the Dewalt 735 planer and also the Rigid and the Makita at Home depot.


IMO the 735 for the best lunchbox planer or the Rigid for best value.

[Steve Kohn]

IMO the 735 for the best lunchbox planer or the Rigid for best value.

I can't speak for the Rigid for value but +1 on the DW735 for the best lunchbox planer. I also strongly suggest hearing protection......You'll know why as soon as you turn on any of these planers!

[Sam Murdoch]

Here is a current post on the subject of thickness planers:http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?183580-Shopping-for-a-planer-I-feel-like-Im-missing-something

I am encouraging that you look at the Makita. It is quiet (as these things go) well engineered to be accurate and consistent, easy blade change out and a very good small shop size. It is quite light. I have posted photos of an easy set up for dust collection that I would be glad to share. I think the Makita is in a different league of tool compared to the Dewalt or the Ridgid. I shopped and read a great deal before I made the purchase and am not sorry with the results. And yes, wether to buy a sander or a thickness planer is relative to the kind of woodworking you are producing, but as a rule, the planer is far more useful than a sander.

[shane lyall]

For me anyway, the drum sander is a bonus. My planer however is a must. You can still buy mill run lumber and surface it with a drum sander but I don't think it will be flat and true with that method. If you buy all your stock s4s (surfaced four sides) the sander may make sence but I would still get the planer. Sometimes a project needs an odd size board and it would take forever to thin it down much (+1/4") on a drum sander.

I have an old Ryobi 1301 13 inch lunchbox that did fair work for years. It's since been replaced with a 20 inch North State. If you look at my North State as well as Powermatic, Grizzly, and Jet they are all exactly the same 20 inch machine. I didn't think I would need a wide planer but, after using mine, I find it handy to run wide glue ups thru at times.


If you are set on a lunchbox the DeWalt is a good machine as are a few other brands. If you can make room for a larger machine you wont regret it. Keep an eye out on CL and look them over well. It's a buyers market around my area so most old iron is a sweet deal around here.


To answer your origanal question, If I didn't have my 38 inch drum sander I would sure miss it but if I had no planer I'd have to close up my shop.

[Guy Belleman]

Well, I am going to disagree with most here. You have a miter saw, router & table, and table saw. I have made a lot of projects where I bought nice planed wood already, but I have found that I now use the bandsaw more than anything else. Next is probably the midi-lathe. Now, I do have planers, but I don't use them often, but of course when I do need them, they are indispensable.

So, to your original question of what to add next, a drum sander or planer, I would say neither. Next would be the bandsaw.

[Steve Griffin]

Well, I am going to disagree with most here. You have a miter saw, router & table, and table saw. I have made a lot of projects where I bought nice planed wood already, but I have found that I now use the bandsaw more than anything else. Next is probably the midi-lathe. Now, I do have planers, but I don't use them often, but of course when I do need them, they are indispensable.

So, to your original question of what to add next, a drum sander or planer, I would say neither. Next would be the bandsaw.

Not a bad point. Another thought is a planer really relates closely to a jointer, and I'm not sure I'd get one without the other.

[Jim Matthews]

Can you buy your stock close to your desired thickness?

Planers produce mounds of shavings, and they're loud. Sanders produce billows of airborne dust, requiring open air use and/or big dust collection.
I invested in a few hand tool woodworking classes, and no longer need a jointer, planer or large belt sander. That's money in my pocket.

It's easy to confuse buying gear with becoming more productive...

jim
wpt, ma

[Jim Foster]

A drum sander is not good at altering the thickness of a piece of wood. I think the logical order would be to get a planer. With a planer you have more options on the chosen thickness of panels, etc... for your projects, also many times buying surfaced wood does not guarantee all boards are of equal thickness and might be better off being run through a planer for better sizing.

If you have a tablesaw, planer and jointer, you can rough size almost anything. After the planer, I'd suggest a bandsaw of some type. I bought a drum sander, and I like it a lot. Once I got past the learning curve and quit trying to use it to thickness wood, I found it to be a wonderful tool, but... I'm tired of all the dust and am gravitating more and more toward hand-tools for the fine-fitting and finishing of the boards I work with. I also look forward to a day when I turn my router off for the last time and use strictly hand tools for all final work. I don't think I'll ever get rid of the tablesaw, jointer and planer, but I will sell my drum sander and get a bandsaw as soon as time and money allows.

[John Gregory]

This reminds me of when I first set up shop. I really did not know what I was doing, I had not yet found Sawmill Creek but for the most part I made good decisions. Blind luck really :)
It is so nice to have this forum as a resource. A great resource I might add.

[Paul McGaha]

Planer and a Jointer would be next I would think.

PHM

[Paul McGaha]

My top 5:

Table Saw
Jointer
Planer
Dust Collector
Miter Saw


Don't get me wrong I love my drum sander but a planer is part of what I consider the 5 core machines:

Table Saw
Band Saw
Drill Press
Jointer
Planer

[Eric DeSilva]

You will notice that both Paul and Van listed planer *and* jointer--they sort of go together in the wood prep process. While you can make a jointer sled for your planer to flatten one side to prep for planing, it isn't ideal. You might consider second hand--I bought my first 20" planer and 8" jointer second hand for only a little more than the street price of a new 735.

[Van Huskey]

Just a note, I don't consider the dusct collection a "machine" in terms of my list but argee 100% that it is needed and should be included in a list of "must haves" essentially being at the top. Long crosscut ability is also extremely important and thus a miter saw is also pretty much required but I guess I don't see them as a machine but a tool. Using your criteria if I was limited to 5 machines as a core I would pick the 5 that you did. Although I couldn't imagine a shop without the capabilities of a bandsaw or drill press.


My top 5:

Table Saw
Jointer
Planer
Dust Collector
Miter Saw

[Paul McGaha]

Just a note, I don't consider the dusct collection a "machine" in terms of my list but argee 100% that it is needed and should be included in a list of "must haves" essentially being at the top. Long crosscut ability is also extremely important and thus a miter saw is also pretty much required but I guess I don't see them as a machine but a tool. Using your criteria if I was limited to 5 machines as a core I would pick the 5 that you did. Although I couldn't imagine a shop without the capabilities of a bandsaw or drill press.

My Next 5:

Air Compresser
Band Saw
Drill Press
Drum Sander
Shaper

Van's next 5:

Drill Press
Band Saw #1
Band Saw #2
Band Saw #3
Band Saw #4

[glenn bradley]

Regardless of what you make, the sander you mention sands material that is flat. A planer is the second tool most of us use to make things flat.

[Van Huskey]

My Next 5:

Air Compresser
Band Saw
Drill Press
Drum Sander
Shaper

Van's next 5:

Drill Press
Band Saw #1
Band Saw #2
Band Saw #3
Band Saw #4


:D I wouldn't push it that far more like 2 bandsaws, drill press, Shaper/routertable and drum sander. Next wold be an oscillating edge sander then as many bandsaw as I had money/room for!

[Will Blick]

you got some great advise here.... all good.... much depends on what type of projects and what type of wood you plan to use. With hardwoods, IMO, a planar is nearly mandatory, as its rare to ever have a piece of wood flat and straight. Which, as mentioned, FLAT is of first importance, so a jointer is part of this marriage.... but at the price range you are shopping in, the two might be too costly, but if you can afford it, I would go with a combo jointer / planar with a Helical head, heck, its better than a drum sander. The Helical heads when running right will leave a 150-200 grit finish... granted you will not have the width...

as for the Makita being a quiet machine, well, for lunchbox planers, its prob. the best, but once I got my Helical head, I can't even turn on the Makita....sounds like a jet engine next to my 20" powermatic with Byrd.

OTOH, if space is an issue, and your project count is very low, and budget for tools is a tough sell to your family.... well, if it was me, after having nearly every power tool made, if my projects would allow, I would "buy" , cabinet grade Veneered ply or MDF, if possible. Now you "buy" to thickness, instead of plane to thickness and only need hand power tools.... a circular saw with a good track becomes the number one tool for sheet goods. If I was ever reduced to limited space and limited machine budgets, that would be my approach. If you have a good supplier around you, go check out their line of high quality veneered sheet goods, as well as pre-finished veneered sheets. In the past 15 yrs this field has exploded with quality and quantity of high quality veneered sheet goods. I see them down to 1/8" and sometimes up to an 1". (although 3/4" is usually the thickest you find)