Need some guidance on machines

[Dave Sims]

I am looking to upgrade my machines. I am currently browsing the grizzly line up, they seem to offer great value. I currently have ridgid 4510 table saw, ridgid 6" jointer and delta lunchbox planer. I like making simple furniture like accent tables, beds, dressers, etc. I also like making cabinets and builtin bookcases as well as trim carpentry in general. I am a weekend warrior.


G691 or 1023, both seem like great saws. Big rip capacity for breaking down panels and plenty of hp. Is the slider accessory meant to replace a crosscut sled? Some saws say left tilt. Why is left tilt a benefit? Only complaints about current ridgid is small rip capacity ~24" and faulty soft start.

From what I have read if I can afford it I should get a spiral head planer. Are the spiral head cutting blades easy to change? Do they have to be aligned?

If I have a spiral planer, is there a big benefit from a spiral jointer? I think that I read rough cut lumber should be jointed one edge and one side then planed evenly after that, so any tear out from a straight blade jointer should get planed away? The straight blades on my current jointer are difficult for me to change and set evenly. Do spiral head cutters have the same difficult install? I am looking for a jointer that I can change/set blades easily.

Finally, DC. From what I have read I should need a dc that can pull enough for the largest machine at the furthest run. I think that this would be a planer, but cant find the required cfms for say the g453z. What would be a cfm I should aim for for a typical 15-20' distance on a machine similar to this? Also, Oneida offers a hepa filter.2-.5 micron, while Grizzly offers a filter good for .2-2micron. What are your opinions on this?


Choices are overwhelming compared to walking in a local borg to buy a tool. My budget is $6000-7000. I think this should be enough for some grizzly machines and maybe some accessories. I am not sold on grizzly, just my starting point for browsing and will serve as a reference point when comparing machines.

Would love a drum sander to speed things up. Dont think it is in my budget though.

Thanks in advance for your time and input.
Dave

[Van Huskey]

It is late so I won't respond to everything.

RE the two Grizzly saws in this post I go through the differences (they did change the motor specs on current draw for the new 1023 after I did the comparison). Personally from what I have seen I would still get the 1023.


Grizzly is usually the best value for the dollar outside of used. I personally am not a huge Grizzly fan but there are PLANTY of happy owners for many of their machines here.


There is a TON written about spiral heads here, more than one could read in a day. General consensus is everyone likes them, they have less of an advantage when you get to higher end machines (mainly Euro or old American made machines). I am a fan of them for the jointer as well, even if everything else were equal in the long run they will almost certainly save you money if you use the machines a lot.


DC is a subject you will have to spend some time learning. Start in the workshop forum and http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/index.cfm Again a LOT of info to be digested.


You will probably get lots of answers but honestly it may be best to break your question down into individual questions and post each.

[tom gepfrich]

It really depends on the sweat you are willing to invest. I recently went through a mid-life crisis(upgrade) and upgraded starter tools to heavier duty versions. I am big proponent of used when possible and have really enjoyed the switch to 220v powered tools. Here are a few of finds that are pretty typical prices for used equipment on craigslist:

Jet 14 inch bandsaw with riser $400
Jet 8 inch jointer (mint) $650
Jet 15 inch planer $ 600

I have had to do very little to get these machines dialed in and am enjoying all three machines for the price of just a new planer.

As for the saw, both of the grizzlys are nice but IMHO strong consideration should be given to Sawstop. The sawstops are very high quality saws that also have great safety features. I now wish I purchased one instead of delta contractor saw.

Here is My sample shopping list:

SawStop 3HP Professional Cabinet Tablesaw PCS 10" with 52" fence $2900
Jet, grizzly,powermatic 8 inch jointer $600
Jet, grizzly,powermatic 15 inch planer $650
Spiral cutterhead upgrade for jointer and planer $1100
4 Forrest sawblades $400

That puts you at $5550 and IMHO some great machinery in your shop.

[John A langley]

David - The way I see it the table saw jointer and thickness planer are your core pieces of equipment. The table saw should be at least 10 inches with a riving knife. I would get the largest jointer that you can budget for so that you can surface wider boards. And I would get at least a 15" thickness planer, preferably a 20"". The next 2 pieces of equipment that I would get is a band saw and drill press. Shapers and sanders and spindle sanders are all nice to have at some point in time. At any point in time, a router table in indispensable. With at least a 3-1/4 horse motor. I would search for the used equipment, unfortunately in today's economy there are a lot of shops going out of business and there are some good deals out there. You could probably equip your shop with things like Powermatic or Delta, Unisaw .Grizzley has come a long way from the early days. And I think you would probably do well with their equipment. Unfortunately they only have 3 locations that you can play feely touchy with. You could probably take a road trip to Pennsylvania and take a look at their equipment first hand. Hope this helps with your questions in general. Like Van said, you might want to post more individual questions. You should get a lot of responses for what you are thinking about doing. You should remember that ultimately it has to be your choice and what you feel good with. Have a great day. PS I would definitely go with spiral cutter heads