Relatively New to Woodworking!

[Justin Foley]

Hello!

I'm Justin and live in South Jersey. I've been dabbling in and out of the hobby for awhile, but have never had the room to use actual power tools. Finally, after moving into a single-family house (from a condo), I have room and dived in head-first. Unfortunately, it's only half of a two car garage. Wife wants the other half for her car (gasp). So, everything I've been making/using needs to be as portable as possible. I've somehow managed to build a mitre saw station, workbench, and rolling tool cabinet. I think all are slightly out of square, but I'll blame it on the garage floor and not my abilities. I have most of the essential tools except for a band saw & drill press. Not sure if I want to invest in those just yet. My biggest decision right now is an upgrade to my current Kobalt table saw. It's okay for what it does, but it's becoming annoying. Cuts aren't square no matter how much adjusting I do.

Looking back, I really wish I had paid attention to the TV when my step-dad was watching all those woodworking shows. Oh, well. Anyway, I'm looking forward to sharing ideas with everyone and asking a TON of questions while I continue this incredible hobby.

Talk with ya'll soon!

[Jim Becker]

Welcome to the 'Creek, Justin!

Mobility is definitely your friend in a small shop situation and it also lets you spread out while you're working on a nice day when "the boss" will not mind her vehicle being outside for a few hours.

For many folks, the table saw is the heart of their shop, so it's understanding that something that does't cut accurately can be frustrating. Since you can easily make a more capable saw mobile, look carefully at the higher quality contractors' style, hybrid or cabinet saws to satisfy that need. You don't need something with a "52" fence" and can always use a track saw for working large pieces of sheet stock accurately. But a good saw will provide accurate cross cuts and rips. Most job-site type saws do not do that.

[tom lucas]

Table saws are usually the heart of a wood working shop. So, invest in a good one. I suggest a hybrid or cabinet saw. Grizzly has the best bang for the buck if buying new. But I would look hard for a good used one first. There should be plenty to choose from on Craigslist in your area. An accurate fence (biesmeyer's are good) and miter gauge (Incra is good) are key to getting straight and square cuts. Expect to spend $800 - $1500 new or half that used for a decent table saw.


IMO A drill press is the second most important tool to have, followed closely by a band saw. A miter saw is not necessary if you have a good table saw and room to use it (and a handsaw/miter box for the rare occasion not suitable for the table saw). Unless you are doing a lot of trim work for your home, sell the miter saw and buy something that is a better use of the space.

Be patient. Buy quality tools as you have the money. Put all your tools on casters. For smaller tools (routers, grinders, sanders, small miter saw), look at the 3-way work centers that rotate the table to expose one of the 3 tools at a time. Great space saver. You can build or buy these.

When/if you get to where you want a planer or jointer, look at the combo machines. Great space savers.

And you need to think about dust collection too.

[Justin Foley]

Thanks, guys! I have been looking at the hybrid/cabinet saws, but I'm not sure how much room they'll take up and just how "portable" they really are. I like the collapsible ones because of the smaller footprint when stowed. Unfortunately, it seems you lose a good bit of accuracy and functionality with them.

I did just get my dust collection going over the weekend. Nothing fancy, just a shop vac and dust deputy.

[andy bessette]

The table saw is such an important part of a woodworking shop that it should be stationary, if possible, along with its outfeed table, and the rest of the shop planned around it.

[Jim Becker]

Cabinet saws and hybrid saws can easily be mobile for storage using any number of quality mobile bases available commercially or shop made. Outfeed support can be fold down to insure utility as well as space conservation while not working with the tool. As you state, a "portable" saw isn't going to make you very happy...most are best suited to job-site, carpentry, are loud (universal motors) and have poor dust collection capability. They serve their purpose, but...

BTW, "mobile" and "portable" are two different things in the context that I'm speaking. "Mobile" means you can easily move them around the shop for storage or use within the space you have. "Portable" means you can easily take them somewhere else outside your shop. 'Just trying to be clear about what I'm speaking about here.

[Rich Groeber]

Hey Justin,
Like you I myself am pretty new to the hobby and live in south jersey as well.
Scour Craigslist even if you think something is most likely out of your price range doesn't hurt to ask. Last year I picked up a late 80's model grizzly 15" planner and 8" jointer for $600 (for the pair!) just got talking to the guy n was selling it for his sister how's husband had pasted n was a cabinet maker. He was happy to sell to someone who would enjoy using them. Way more than I wanted to spend but how could I pass it up.
I'm sure you have already but YouTube provides a wealth of knowledge.
Something I've learned in my short time in the hobby practice patience and enjoy it.

[Justin Foley]

Jim, that's a fantastic point. In my case, I mean "mobile", as it won't be leaving the garage but needs to be able to be moved with relative ease. I'm not sure what the total length of my Kobalt is with the side table extended, but I don't believe a hybrid/cabinet will take up much more space, if at all. I keep hearing they actually have a smaller footprint than the contractor-type saws.

With that said, looks like it may be time to look at a whole different category of saws!

[Cary Falk]

Welcome to the creek. I'm in the same boat as you, stuck in a single bay of the garage. You can still have nice tools. I'm going to shoehorn a cnc in there if it kills me. Everything on wheels!!!!379419379419

[tom lucas]

You are getting some good advice here. Take heed!

Yes, open frame saws with legs are often wider at the floor than are cabinet saws. A good mobile easily moves around on smooth floors, even if moving a 700 lb tool. You can also get router mounts in the table saw table, which saves considerable space over a separate router table.

About half my shop is outfitted with used tools from CL. And my miter saw is in another room because I seldom use it. Thought about selling it, but...... why when I have the room?
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[Justin Foley]

Welp, I just pulled the trigger on my first "big boy" table saw. Ended up with the Shop Fox 1837. I am eagerly waiting for the delivery date!

[Michael Alu]

Welp, I just pulled the trigger on my first "big boy" table saw. Ended up with the Shop Fox 1837. I am eagerly waiting for the delivery date!

Congrats on the first "big boy" purchase. As people have said the table saw is the heart of any shop. Consider replacing the stock blade with a quality blade. You can get away with a 40t combination blade for 90-95% of your work. A good blade is night and day difference from the stock blade.

Also build you a solid cross-cut sled for it and you will be able to accomplish so much more.

[tom lucas]

Congrats on the new saw. That should serve you well for a long time. Be sure to take the time to adjust and align everything. It is key to accuracy. If something won't align, work with your supplier to replace faulty parts. Many such tools have faulty parts.

And you must replace the OEM blade with a quality one like Freud or Forest.

As for the sled. I have one. I do love it. Helps tremendously. Just don't make it too big. Remember you have to store it somewhere. An alternative, while not 100% interchangeable, would be a quality miter gauge with fence/stops like the Incra 1000HD. Eventually you want a quality miter gauge, and this does most of what a sled can do. I find I use the miter gauge much more than the sled. Of course the sled can be build for ~$20 compared to over $150 for the Incra. But you could sell your miter saw and buy an incra with the proceeds :)

[Justin Foley]

I usually toss the blade that comes with the saw or just use it for cuts I don't really care about. I'm a little apprehensive about the cost of a Forrest blade, though I've heard amazing things about them. It's odd. I can justify the cost of a $900 saw, but not a $170 blade. Yet.

I have my eye on the Incra V27, but I just looked into the 1000HD. Man, that thing is fancy! I've never owned anything by Incra, but I assume they are top-notch products?

[Cary Falk]

I have a Forrest blade. What stays on my saw 90% of the time is a Delta 35-7657 / DeWalt 7657 combo blade. They ar $20 plus $10 ship ($5 for each additional)on ebay. I have a stack of them. I have an 80 tooth Onsrud I got on clearance on E-Bayfor crosscutting. Anything else I look at Freud. Just as good as Forrest but not as expensive.

I have the Incra 1000HD and love it. Incra makes good stuff. Rockler puts it on sale for $139 regularly.

[Jim Becker]

I usually toss the blade that comes with the saw or just use it for cuts I don't really care about. I'm a little apprehensive about the cost of a Forrest blade, though I've heard amazing things about them. It's odd. I can justify the cost of a $900 saw, but not a $170 blade. Yet.

Forrest blades sell for far less than $170, even purchased direct! Even the 12" version I use is less than that. Check out Silvers Mill (https://www.sliversmill.com/) for excellent prices on Forrest blades. The 10" goes for about $120 right now for the WW-II 40T on promotional pricing.

[Nick Decker]

Incra makes great stuff and their customer service is among the best. I have both the 1000HD and the V27. Both are built great and easily adjustable to your miter slot. The thing you need to ask yourself is what degree of resolution you need for setting angles. Do you need to cut at exactly 42.5 degrees (or any other random angle)? Or is your need to just cut at standsrd angles like 90 and 45 degrees?

[Justin Foley]

Right now, I'm just doing the standard 45 & 90 degree cuts. But let's be honest, it's shiny and cool looking!

Jim, I'll check the site out. Thanks for the recommendation!

[Nick Decker]

Right now, I'm just doing the standard 45 & 90 degree cuts. But let's be honest, it's shiny and cool looking!

Jim, I'll check the site out. Thanks for the recommendation!

No worries, Justin. You'll note I said I owned both of them. I'll never try to talk anybody out of spending more money, lest I appear the hypocrite. :)

I leave the 1000HD adjusted for the table saw. The V27 sees duty on the bandsaw and occasionally the belt sander. You'll eventually want more than one, IMO.

[tom lucas]

I use Freud blades almost exclusively. I haven't ever wanted for "better" to justify the Forest blades. I would also suggest, if you are running that saw at 120 VAC, to get a thin kerf blade. It'll greatly reduce the load on your saw. The only drawback is that your fence is calibrated to the blade thickness. If you decide to put a dado on later, it'll likely be standard kerf and will throw off your fence calibration, but then dado sets do that for most settings anyway.

And you will want a dado set eventually. I love the results from them: fast, accurate, and safe. Much better than a router.

On the miter, I just use the OEM miters at the band saw and other machines and keep the 1000HD for the table saw unless I need a really accurate cut on the band saw, which is almost never. If you ever want to do multi-sided objects that will tend to have fractional degrees, the 1000HD readily supports that. If you only have one Incra, I suggest the 1000HD. At least that is the reasoning I used for the purchase.

[John K Jordan]

...I'll never try to talk anybody out of spending more money, lest I appear the hypocrite. :)


A great quote!

JKJ