What Tool should i get next?

[Josue Tello]

Hi,

So i have a small workshop (1/2 of two car garage) and i am very new to woodworking. I have managed to acquire some equipment (dust collector, router, table saw, hand saw, block plane). Recently i made a box and got a lot of positive feedback even some "orders". I personally would like to focus on "small furniture" type wood working for now before i start anything too big.

Now for my dilemma, I have limited funds $$ budget is $400. I was looking at bandsaws (JET 10") so i could resaw wood to get book match peices for boxes. I was also looking at a JET 8" or 10" planner/jointer combo since that would allow me to get both items in one and compact size. I figured it would help me not have to purchase wood already planned and smooth, I would be able to use bandsaw for lots more than just resawing (which would be nice), i would be able to buy cheaper but rough wood which would be nice and plane and joint it. Don't know which would be better for me to get?

I have been on craigslist and have found these which i don't know if there any good but then i would also have to purchase a thickness planer since i don't have one (one reason i loved the combo idea, although i know i would go through blades quicker).

http://boise.craigslist.org/tls/3571428268.html
http://boise.craigslist.org/tls/3563472436.html
http://boise.craigslist.org/tls/3566471364.html

Any advice, help, suggestions would be appreciated.

[Mark Ashmeade]

You will have already noticed the mess that a router & the table saw produce. A planer and/or jointer are going to add to that.

I would buy a dust collector before any more chip-creators. You can do that very cheaply. $200 at Harbor Freight will get you a reasonable collector and a box of hose & fittings. You'd still have $200 left, which will get you a used bandsaw or planer or jointer.

[ken masoumi]

I would first buy a Bandsaw , the most versatile tool in a woodworking shop IMHO.
If you are bent on buying a jointer,the $250 one in your first link seems to be a good deal.
Good luck.
Ken.

[Gus Dundon]

I think, it's time for you to get band saw.

[John Bailey]

I love bandsaws, so I would tell you to get the best 14" bandsaw you can find in your price range. There are many old Deltas and Jets in that price range, and many for less.That being said, you really need some kind of shop vac or dust collection. I made do for years with a cheap Rigid from Home Depot. It's not the best, but it worked.My advice is to find the best Delta or Jet bandsaw (the older the better) for $300 and spend $100 on a shop vac.John

[glenn bradley]

I too love bandsaws . . . and jointers for that matter. I too neglected dust collection till later in my woodworking. The penalty is that I have irreversible damage and must wear a respirator even while hand sanding. Don't be me, get a dust collector.

[Jim Rimmer]

It is really hard to pick the "next" tool because, as you can see, you really need about four. I would start with a small joiner and bench top planer. Then add the band saw and finally the dust collector. I know many will disagree but here's my logic. By getting a joiner and planer, you can save money on wood and apply that money to tools. A band saw is great but if you can't joint and plane, you can't really resaw. You can get a Dust Deputy and hook it up to your shop vac until a dust collector fits the budget (and the room you have). All this having been said, the neanderthals can feel free to chime in. :D

[Josue Tello]

Hi Mark. Yes i probably should have noted that. i was able to get a dust collector i actually stopped wood working once i read at the health affects that dust can have on me, i shared it with wife and she put the foot down, and let me spend a few more dollars on wood working :-)

[Josue Tello]

So far it seems the bandsaw has more votes, but like you Jim pointed out where i have the hardest time struggling is, if i have a bandsaw it get its versetileness of a tool, i already got lots of cool things i would like to do, but i struggle with, how much can i save by buying rough lumber instead of paying premium price, and could that savings get me a nicer band saw. *sigh*. Thanks for the help with this everyone. i appreciate hearing what others think.

[Mark Ashmeade]

Another thing to check - can you actually buy rough lumber at a good discount? My local lumber yard is about a mile from me. They only sell surfaced wood. They have a terrific range, but it is expensive. I have a jointer & planer, but if I were to add up the costs of driving 50 miles and the time taken to do so, it's really not worth me driving past the local guy to get to the cheaper wood. Thus if I didn't have the planer & jointer and were in your shoes, I would get the better bandsaw. But then the jointer & planer are nice to have to clean up the bandsaw marks :)

[Josue Tello]

I'll have to do some price comparison, I guess i haven't calculated the numbers but i am lucky enough to have a woodcraft near me. Last time a friend checked a cabinet place was going to give him some deals close to cost, and it was slightly cheaper than a wood wearhouse http://www.highdeserthardwood.com/HDH-Stock-List-April-2012.pdf, i am very lucky that both places are only a 10-15 minute drive for me. Thanks for the tip i am going to have to crunch some numbers and build a huge spreadsheet to show savings and when that equals the amount necessary for a new tool etc... :-)

Although here is another idea i was wondering "my mind is very scattered". I could get a band saw then buy a lie nielson planer?

[Mike Heidrick]

Woodcraft is horribly expensive for wood - not even close to what wood should cost you from a mill. Call around your area to some cabinet makers and ask them about sawmills they buy from. Also check your local craigslist.

Guessing you can almos resaw on your tablesaw what you can with a 10" bandsaw. That is a tool you really want to save up and get at least a 14" bandsaw for.

You can make some sleds and joint faces and edges on a planer if you read up. Edges can also be jointed on a router table. Maybe save for the 13" Dewalt 735 planer if you find good deals on wood. It is a nice benchtop planer. Those small Jets do not get very good reviews.

Have a bench yet?

[Val Kosmider]

You make boxes, for now?

The biggest issue i find with smaller boxes is finding wood which is appropriately thick for small boxes. Therefore, my move would be a thickness planer. In my own shop that is the one tool which i feel like i really 'should' own after some of the basics like table saw, which you have. I would note i also get a lot of use from my drill press.

About the wood issue. I live a mile or so from the local woodcraft store and do buy some project wood from them. Small pieces, like for boxes, are available in many species and sizes. I know i pay quite a bit more than i 'should' (maybe double if i shop around) BUT the wood is finished all sides, comes in sizes which are appropriate for small projects, is convenient (think cost of gas) and is available good hours (like evenings, and Saturday and Sunday. Try finding your local mill guy any other time that M-F, 7-3). So all oin, i don't think i spend much more than what i would spend if i traveled to find the lower cost stuff that maybe had to be furthered processed (ripped on a band saw) before i could use it.

Truly, the issue that i deal with most is surface/thickness planing and for that reason i would suggest to you that a thickness planer might be a good 'next' tool. Maybe you could find a good used 8" jointer and that would kill two birds with one stone. My bands saw gets relatively little use--mostly for sawing long curves, and truly, for that i could use my jig saw and clean it up with a router (both of which you have).

[Huck Schwee]

I would go with a dedicated thickness planer like Val said. From my understanding, you will be very disappointed with the low end joiner / planer combo's. As for the bandsaw, have you run into a project where you felt that not having a bandsaw held you back from something?

With a planer, you will be able to mill most lumber and you can even perform some of the more complex tasks without the joiner using some jigs with a planer and your other tools (straight line rip jig, planer sled).

Good luck!

[Mike Heidrick]

Funny, I dont know of single sawer that is only open M-F 7-3 LOL. Almost all are open on weekends and many times extended hours. Many of these are run just about anytime you need it to from people's houses.

[Joe A Faulkner]

I'd go with the 14" bandsaw or maybe even holdout and save for an 17 or 18 inch model as the next purchase and suggest you pick up and possibly recondition a #5 Jack Plane and #4 Smoother - these should allow you to continue doing lots of fun stuff with boxes. You can resaw on the bandsaw and finish to thickness with the hand planes for "box parts". My local lumber mill only charges .10 a board foot for custom planing , so while I love the convenience of having a power planer in the shop, I went years before finally getting one. As a hobbyiest, I don't think I've ever purchased more than 500 board feet in a year - so at $50 a year, it takes a while for the lumber savings to add up to the cost of the planer.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I'll have to do some price comparison, I guess i haven't calculated the numbers but i am lucky enough to have a woodcraft near me. Last time a friend checked a cabinet place was going to give him some deals close to cost, and it was slightly cheaper than a wood wearhouse http://www.highdeserthardwood.com/HDH-Stock-List-April-2012.pdf, i am very lucky that both places are only a 10-15 minute drive for me. Thanks for the tip i am going to have to crunch some numbers and build a huge spreadsheet to show savings and when that equals the amount necessary for a new tool etc... :-)

Although here is another idea i was wondering "my mind is very scattered". I could get a band saw then buy a lie nielson planer?

Oh boy, excel and Lie Nielsen in the same post, Josue, you are seriously bitten by the bug.... :)

Seriously though, you bring up a good point, hand tools. Do you have the desire to get into hand tools? Now would be a good jump off point to get a couple good planes. A low angle block and a good smoother are a good starting place. They compliment a bandsaw well, and you will never regret having them if you were to choose a more power tool oriented path.