Hello and a Summer time tool Gloat (BIG)

[will mcmanus]

Alright, so i have been lurking on the mill now for a while, first as a guest, then as a registered user, and now finally as a member who actually posts. I am fairly new to woodworking, i took 4 years of shop at highschool and actually worked for the teacher at night as an assistant for the woodworking class he ran. Anyways, i went to college last year (U of M) and had been itching to do some work and over the summer i decided to build a shop. I rented 1200 feet of warehouse space, worked like hell, and saved enough money to buy ALOT of tools. My philosophy was buy tools that i would be able to use for at least 20 years. For handtools thats pretty easy, but for machinery its not. I researched and this is what i came up with. Anyways, i wanted to finally pop my head up and say hello. Heres what i bought this summer:

I bought alot of LN chisels, planes, hand saws, Starrett measuing and marking, etc etc.

laguna 18" bandsaw with resaw blade and lots of blades

Laguna TS with Scoring, mobility, and Sliding Table.

Delta x5 16 1/2" drill press (overkill)

Minimax 16" jointer planer with mortising, Just bought (today)

10 24" bessey k body clamps

10 40" bessey k body

6 60" bessey k bodu

6 98" bessey k body

40 bessey c clamps

Lots, Lots, Lots more. The sick part is i feel like i have just the beginings of what i need, even though i know i have more than most. Another thing i planned for though is this. I am 20 now, and in college, in 2 years i'll be on my own and not making enough money to buy the tools i want, and in 10 years i probably have a family, mortgage, allowances, food to pay for. Right now i pay for car insurance, part of my houseing for college, and a couple other things that i can easily pay. So i should buy tools now, and buy tools that will last me a long time.
;) ;)

How do i pay for it all??? Over the summer i worked as a counselor at a computer camp, I assembled (4) play structures and stained them (30 by 60, playground sized !!!), demolished old sheds and buillt new ones for a neighbor, and moved a house with 2 of my friends. In addition, a fair amount of trim carpentry that justified to the parents and SO the tools being bought :)

Right now i am actually a SAT tutor for 15 hours a week and am about to start a job working in a cabinet shop for 8-16 hours on the weekend do various tasks, but hope to learn something.

Now if i could only afford some wood...
and some time to actually use the tools...

just kidding, i still do manage an hour or three a day between school and work.

Well, i'm rambling, this is a great place and a pool of knowledge and i am really glad that i found the mill, i have already learned alot just reading alot of threads here, and now that i'm posting i'll probably have a question a day :)

[Vaughn McMillan]

Welcome to the Creek, Will. Since you've already lurked a bit, there's likely no need to tell you what a great place this is. Man, you really know how to start equipping a shop. I wish I'd been that on top of things when I was 20. Sounds like you have big plans for the future. We'll be looking forward to some pics of finished projects (after you save up for some wood. ;) ).

Great gloat-

- Vaughn

[John Bailey]

Will,

Welcome to the "Creek." You, obviously, have done some research and are off to a great start. You've enough tools that will last a life time, and more than likely be passed on to others. Good choice of schools also. Whatever you plan on making, you've got the tools to make it. At your young age, I might suggest you start planning on some type of dust collection. At 20 I was still in my "immortal" thinking stage like most. You'll have a lot of years to decide to collect dust in your lungs or your dust collection system. I would pick the system.

Again, welcome and let's see some pictures of that shop. You see, if it doesn't include pictures, it's not a gloat. It's one of the rules, you see.

John

[lou sansone]

hi will
welcome to the creek... your going to have fun here. looks like you are off to a very good start on the tool side of things. I think that they are well thought out purchases and should last for at least 20 years.
As far as wood goes, find a sawmill that is out of the way in the hills and start buying odds and ends and you will be surprised at how quickly you get a pile of wood that will last for a long time.
so what are you going to college for?

best wishes
lou

[Karl Laustrup]

Welcome to the "Creek" Will.

It sounds like you are going about this woodworking thing very intellegently. Get the stuff while you can and buy quality that will last.

Only problem I see is, I can't see any of this equipment. I would have to assume that all this equipment is a figment of your imagination at this point in time. ;) :D

We need pictures Will. :D :D

Karl

[Tyler Howell]

Sorry Will,
You are off to a very bad start here at the creek:mad: . No pictures. every modern WW knows a camera is part of the shop for gloating. Until we see something this is and official Non Gloat!:rolleyes: .

Welcome, glad to have you but we will be waiting for some evidence that your claims are true;)

[John S Richards]

That is what I do. :) I do just enough professional work to fund the shop. I don't have the budget left over from my real professional life, so I let the hobby pay for itself. :)

Welcome.

John

[tod evans]

welcome! sounds as though you`re off to a good start. the cabinet shop is a great idea you should learn some valuable production techniques there. as the other folks have said, check into dust collection asap, as much for your machines as your health. hang out here there are lotsa pretty fart smellers:) tod

[Jim Hager]

Pretty good inventory for a greenhorn:rolleyes: . We've all been there and done that for sure. At least your story seems similar to my own. I wish you were close and I would give you some shop time on the weekends in my cabinet shop. Lots of RP doors to assemble and lots of cabinets to finish sand and stain. Heck I might even turn over the HVLP to let you do some spray finishing for me. I've got plenty of work right now and only get to work on the weekends right now just like you. Somehow I've been able to get my shop tool inventory up there where about all I need now is a Kreg Forman jig and a mortising machine and oh yeah....... It never ends you know. I'm 48 and still collecting tools. You know that the guy who dies owning the most tools wins:D

[Bart Leetch]

Welcome to SMC Will lets see some pictures, what you have sounds like a a great start I can almost hear the tools running but I feel sort of blind right now.:eek: :D



You know that the guy who dies owning the most tools wins:D

Jim I always get a kick out of this saying. I always think " He's now dead & someone else now has his tools. Hopefully someone in the family has the tools & appreciates them & will give them tender loving care & use them for many years in remembrance of the person that used to own them."

[John Renzetti]

Hi Will, Welcome to SMC. You've made some great purchases of some fine tools. Congratulations.
take care.
John

[John Miliunas]

Hey Will, a BIG WELCOME to what many of us believe to be the best WW forum on the Web!:) Whew, it sounds like you've definitely hit the bricks running! NOTE: I said "sounds"! When we see the pics, we can then say, "looks"!!!:D Like Tyler indicates, a camera is an extremely important part of the whole WW experience, especially 'round these parts!:) Enjoy your tools AND your visits at the Creek! Come often, stay long!:) :cool:

[Tyler Howell]

Jim I always get a kick out of this saying. I always think " He's now dead & someone else now has his tools. Hopefully someone in the family has the tools & appreciates them & will give them tender loving care & use them for many years in remembrance of the person that used to own them."

Bart!
I always got real uneasy when my daughters X boy friend came around. The way he use to Eyeball my toyls made me plan on living a long life.;)

[Dan Oliphant]

Welcome Will,
Hope to see some photos of projects produced from those fine tools real soon.

[Bart Leetch]

Tyler's Toyls that has a nice ring to it.:D :D :D Ha Ha Ha I I I I....Like it!!!:eek: :eek:

[Mark Singer]

Will,
That is great stuff! You are set!!!

[Dan Forman]

Sounds like you are off to a running start, fine collection of tools and a job to learn how to use them. Which U of M will you be attending, MN, MT, MI ???.

[Ted Christiansen]

Will,

You have more tools than I had at 20 - keeping the peace with SWMBO and equipping the shop is a constant battle. I have heard many others on this forum with clever ways to get new tools, so I know this is a common problem. You are right to get your tools now while you can (only good ones though).

About getting some wood. I have a couple of suggestions. Since you have a good bandsaw and go to school in one of the most heavily tree populated areas in the country (for a city), I would be on the lookout for trees that get cut down. Without too much trouble you could collect some smaller logs that could be milled on your bandsaw. Just stack and let dry - about 1 year later you will be able to use it. The other suggestion is either buying green lumber or milling it yourself. Lamont Tree service at 23 and North Territorial sells any species log for $.50 per bd ft and charges $80 per hour to mill using a Woodmizer LT70. Green lumber should cost around $.75 per bd ft. I have been milling my own lumber using a Logosol TimberJig and Husky 385XP chainsaw. The investment was about $1000, but is has already paid for itself since May of this year. Most of the wood is at my folks air drying, some is in my basement drying.

Ted