"Hybrid" woodworker - Tool Spend Breakdown

[Dominik Dudkiewicz]

Hi guys,

Having gone through a recent bought of "tool acquisition sickness", I decided it would be wise, for insurance purposes, to list down my tools, and associated replacement costs, in a spreadsheet in case disaster ever strikes.

Now I'm not going to discuss specific amounts etc, but I was surprised by what I found.

I consider myself to be a typical "hybrid" woodworker. I use power tools when it makes sense and hand tools when it makes sense or when I just feel like it. I have the stationary and hand held power tools to do most things exclusively with power and same for hand tools.

Breaking it down into; Stationary Power Tools (bandsaw, table saw, cyclone, mortiser etc), Hand held power tools (routers, Domino, sanders etc), Hand Tools (planes, chisels, saws etc) and Other (clamps, drill bits etc) the % breakdown was as follows;

Stationary Power Tools - 32%
Hand Tools - 41%
Hand Held Power - 17%
Other - 10%

This does not include metalworking and pneumatic setup, just woodworking tools.

Basically I was shocked how much the hand tools added up and that total cost exceeded the other power categories.

I assume most hybrid woodworkers would have a bit more invested in power tools as a proportion (I thought I would too!). Just curious to know how much variance there is in hybrid woodworker breakdowns. Do you overwhelmingly have more invested one way or the other?

Cheers, Dom

[Rich Engelhardt]

Oh good Lord - -please hide this from your wife......

You have to uderstand that - when it comes to tools, guns, fishing equipment and gambling costs - - you never - I repeat - never - let on to your wife or significant other, what the true cost of said things/activities really is.

The lone exception is after you die - - then by all means do not, I repeat do not,,,,allow that person to sell those items for anything close to what you claimed you paid for them :D :D.


(JK - well, mostly - my "amazon temptress" sees all the bills so she knows what I spend & is ok with it - as long as I clear it first w/her)

[Dominik Dudkiewicz]

Oh good Lord - -please hide this from your wife......

You have to uderstand that - when it comes to tools, guns, fishing equipment and gambling costs - - you never - I repeat - never - let on to your wife or significant other, what the true cost of said things/activities really is.

The lone exception is after you die - - then by all means do not, I repeat do not,,,,allow that person to sell those items for anything close to what you claimed you paid for them :D :D.


(JK - well, mostly - my "amazon temptress" sees all the bills so she knows what I spend & is ok with it - as long as I clear it first w/her)

Haha! I haven't completely lost my senses - the spreadsheet is on a computer at work! That would definitely be the death of me! It would be like Sauron finding the One Ring... only with more suffering...

[Jim Becker]

There are none among us who wouldn't be surprised at what the actual replacement value would be for out tools; not just the heavy machinery, but also the smaller powered equipment, tooling as well as hand tools. The latter also includes all kinds of measuring and layout stuff, too. Many of us have invested in quality there and replacement costs are not going down.

When making a listing like this, whenever possible, it's good to have proof of ownership at a minimum (photos of tools and serial number plates) and even receipts or other purchase records if you have them. And yea...most of us would struggle with that, too.

[Phil Mueller]

I don’t own any “heavy” machinery; most power tools are benchtop or contractor variety. Given that a good quality hand plane can be as much as a lunchbox planer, I’m probably at 75/25 hand tool/power tool. It’s amazing when you start to put a few “small” items in the online shopping cart, how quickly it adds up. I have pictures of all my tools, but probably should do an inventory at some point...maybe just keep a piece of paper out and write down each item as I use them....

[John C Cox]

The thing is - we don't buy it all at once... We dribble it in a bit at a time...

On the hand tools thing... I think it's easy to spend a lot of money on stuff because the pieces are "small".. You can fit 5 sets of chisels into 1 small drawer.... Try getting another bandsaw into the shop... I think there is some sort of joy associated with the feel in hand that's not quite the same using power tools - especjally once you learn to sharpen effectively .... I don't know anybody with 17 working Skil saws.. But if you have 1 chisel you probably have 20 or 30... One hand held electric planer is enough... But find a fellow who uses hand planes and you are likely to find 15 different ones....

[Dominik Dudkiewicz]

Jim, good point, I have some photos but probably should do a more thorough job of it.

Phil, is the lack of heavy machinery due to space constraints? Or because you are more into hand tools?

John, yeah I think you have hit the nail on the head. I started off acquiring all the power tools, then larger machinery and quickly ticked off everything I "needed" as well as ran out of space. When I got into hand tools there was always one more tool I "needed" to have or was excited to try and I wasn't limited by space concerns etc and the cost was broken up into bite-size chunks, easy to swallow one at a time, so they added up real quick! Ended up with much more than I intended or expected. As you say there is something special and more engaging about using hand tools and I found it hard to restrain myself in this area (still struggling) - and without access to a good used market I have always bought new, which hurts the credit card a little more.

Sounds like I'm not alone at least :).

Cheers, Dom

[Phil Mueller]

Dominik, it’s really due to space constraints, although I do enjoy hand tool work. The small machines do help with the grunt work. I’d love a bandsaw, but this is all I have room for at the moment :D

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[Lisa Starr]

Hey you guys...I am a wife and yes, my husband does know what I spend on my tools and equipment. Likewise, he's into rebuilding motorcycles (mostly old Brit bikes) and I know what is being spent on his hobby. But, thanks for the idea of a spread sheet, as we both have quite of few tools we'd never think of in the case of theft or fire.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I was thinking about something similar this morning when putting a jobsite saw together. That little saw took more pondering to buy than the big green beast behind it, by a long ways. Made me think about perspective, I bought the green one for hobby use, the yellow one is for making a living. From a pure business sense, It'd have been impossible to justify a lot of my tools.

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[Dominik Dudkiewicz]

Hey you guys...I am a wife and yes, my husband does know what I spend on my tools and equipment. Likewise, he's into rebuilding motorcycles (mostly old Brit bikes) and I know what is being spent on his hobby. But, thanks for the idea of a spread sheet, as we both have quite of few tools we'd never think of in the case of theft or fire.

A relationship that is built on honesty and trust... sounds pretty crazy :confused: Just joking of course, that's great. My partner does know what I spend on tools and is on board and supportive, however based on the fact I was shocked at the actual total amount I think she may have a small heart attack if she saw the actual total :). It would certainly make it harder to buy any more toys for a long while... :(

Also, breakdown of hand tool spend was;

Planes and shaves - 45%
Saws - 14%
Chisels - 11%
Sharpening (including Tormek T-8) - 10%
Marking and Measuring - 10%
Bits and Augers- 4%
Rasps - 4%
Other - 3%

Few surprises in there - like how much sharpening stones etc add up, not to mention marking knives and squares etc!


Cheers, Dom

[Dominik Dudkiewicz]

I was thinking about something similar this morning when putting a jobsite saw together. That little saw took more pondering to buy than the big green beast behind it, by a long ways. Made me think about perspective, I bought the green one for hobby use, the yellow one is for making a living. From a pure business sense, It'd have been impossible to justify a lot of my tools.

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That is interesting, I guess maybe because when spending on tools for making a living your focus is on just that - making a living - and so the cost vs benefit must be carefully analysed as you don't want an overall reduction in the benefit to yourself/your family. Plus spending, even if it's going to be a net benefit, still feels like spending, not earning in the context of/focus on making a living.

Cheers, Dom

[Wayne Lomman]

Not too sure about the term 'hybrid woodworker'. I have always considered it to be just 'woodworker' and one uses the right tool for the job where possible regardless of whether it is electric, hand, pneumatic, CNC or whatever. Doing a list is a good idea though. Every summer without a bush fire is a year closer to the one that will try to take out everything. Cheers

[Brandon Speaks]

I am acutely aware of how fast things can add up. In 08 I lost my house to a flood, like total loss, all I kept is what me and my wife threw in the back of her minivan and my truck in the 60 minutes or so we had to pack. No flood insurance so had to replace everything with cash and it was way more than I thought and took years. In 2012 I had a break in at our house, they did not get into my shop but did clear out my office which was right next door and where I had much of my hunting gear sitting, insurance did cover that time but just putting it all together on a spreadsheet for the insurance company was a real eye opener.

In terms of what I have now I would bet machines are just a small fraction of the cost in my shop.
Bandsaw $600
Drill press $500
Router and table $250
lathe (cheap HF one) $200
Miter Saw $300
Jobsite TS $450
Grinder $150

Heck my lathe tools alone probably rival that total..... power hand tools are probably considerably less, I dont even want to add up planes, saws, layout, etc, although thinking about it now I may just go make a spreadsheet tomorrow.....

[Frederick Skelly]

I am acutely aware of how fast things can add up. In 08 I lost my house to a flood, like total loss, all I kept is what me and my wife threw in the back of her minivan and my truck in the 60 minutes or so we had to pack. No flood insurance so had to replace everything with cash and it was way more than I thought and took years. In 2012 I had a break in at our house, they did not get into my shop but did clear out my office which was right next door and where I had much of my hunting gear sitting, insurance did cover that time but just putting it all together on a spreadsheet for the insurance company was a real eye opener.

Geez. I'm sorry to hear about this Brandon. It can't have been easy on you and your family.
I'm glad you came through it all.
Fred

[Brandon Speaks]

Its all good. Adversity builds character. When my wife and I have a problem now we can look back and say we made it through that, this is nothing. When all is said and done it likely cost us a quarter of a million dollars, and I am still paying the mortgage on the house we lost in 08 although should have it paid off in a couple years. We were young though (24 and 20) and bounced back fine, many other people were shattered, 3,000 homes were destroyed. I was able to change career and keep up comfortable. The lessons that I learned were that money and things are not that important compared to having supportive family and friends and a desire to rebuild (rebuild further from the river). In all honesty the perspective on life I gained is probably worth more than everything I lost. The only thing I regret is the 77 F150 that I had been planning to restore that I lost. That is just life though.

[Brandon Speaks]

Sorry if this is a duplicate, quick reply never seems to work for me

Its all good. Adversity builds character. When my wife and I have a problem now we can look back and say we made it through that, this is nothing. When all is said and done it likely cost us a quarter of a million dollars, and I am still paying the mortgage on the house we lost in 08 although should have it paid off in a couple years. We were young though (24 and 20) and bounced back fine, many other people were shattered, 3,000 homes were destroyed. I was able to change career and keep up comfortable. The lessons that I learned were that money and things are not that important compared to having supportive family and friends and a desire to rebuild (rebuild further from the river). In all honesty the perspective on life I gained is probably worth more than everything I lost. The only thing I regret is the 77 F150 that I had been planning to restore that I lost. That is just life though.

[Mike Kees]

I just cleaned out my tool trailer (16''cargo trailer). I am a carpenter and spending money on tools is one of the things that just happens.After the trailer was empty and all the shelves,storage cubbies cleaned out. We began to re-organize. I decided to do a inventory and write down serial numbers,WOW what a pain. Probably between trailer and contents enough to halfway pay for a new truck easily. Tool breakdown in my 'work' trailer is about 80% power tools (handheld) ,one full size table saw,generator compressor, concrete hand tools,siding special tools and small bars, mechanical tools. Now I need to do the shop. I do own about seven skil saws to go with my 15-18 planes .:) Mike.