Need to re-equip shiop - advice needed

[Niels J. Larsen]

Hi,

December 28th my shop burned to the ground - as did the car inside it that I was fixing up for the legal inspection.

To add to the misery, ALL my tools burned with it, so now I will have to re-equip.

Can you guys give me a list of what tools you'd recommend ?
NOTE: Please leave out brand names - I'll take the whole "which is better" discussion later :D

So - I'm looking for :

1. List of stationary power tool types
2. List of hand power tool types (e.g. belt sander, router etc.)
3. List of hand tool types

Thanks! :p

/Niels

[tod evans]

niels, sorry about your loss! can you give some parameters as to what you build/ budgit etc.? ....02 tod

[Niels J. Larsen]

Good question...

Hmm, since I wasn't done fixing up the shop so I could actually build something, it's kinda hard to say.
My intention however, is to build contemporary furniture for my own house and all the other various projects e.g. a garden bench, etc.
Budget - give it all you got, but my shop (when it's rebuilt) is small - 8m x 4,5 m (approx. 26,24 ft x 14,76 ft).
This means that I'll probably like the focus to be on hand tools (incl. power tools).

Thanks!
/Niels

[Paul B. Cresti]

Niels,
I am sorry to hear of your misfortune. I only hope that no one was injured. If I was starting over and was doing it as a serious hobby I would seriously consider a full combo machine and a bandsaw as the core of my shop. Without knowing your budget, they do offer the best value when you are considering high quality, accurate and safer machines. From there I would add at lest one router, jig saw and sanders. I would also include some type of vac for your sanders. One of the most important things though is a properly sized DC system. Then all you handtools. That should be a start ;)

[Frank Pellow]

Neils, I am so sorry to hear about your shop. I was really lucky that the same thing did not happen to my shop two days ago (see the thread: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=30392)

Like Tod, I would want to know more before giving tool advise. How big will the new shop be? What do you want to build? How much time do you plan to spend in the shop? What is your budget?

[tod evans]

neils, you will need a way to dimension stock whether by hand or power, you will need to be able to lay out and cut joinery, and you will need to be able to prepare your creations to recieve finish once they`re assembled. then you`ll need to apply finish..... each of these steps can be achieved by taking several different routes and some of the tools can be used for several purposes,ie;a table saw can be used to dimension stock and cut joinery, or a hand plane can both flatten stock and prepare it for finish. if you plan on doing hand work exclusively then dust collection isn`t much of an issue whereas if you plan on processing lots of man made goods with power equipment it`s almost imperative....hope these thoughts get you started on an approach to rebuild? ...02 tod

[Niels J. Larsen]

I see that I've failed to properly explain what I plan to do:

Before the fire I had a Hammer planer/jointer combo machine on order.
Since I now will be rebuilding the shop I will have more space (before it was divided with a wall), so I wouldn't mind to have a full combo machine.
However since I already had the Hammer planer/jointer on order, I'm unable to cancel that this late in the process, so I plan on skipping the table saw and use a Festool plungesaw with guides/MFT etc.

The reason I asked for a list of equipment is that I can easily browse a manufacturers product catalogue and write down everything I'd like.
Instead of doing that I'd like to know what I need - not what I'd like.
E.g. I'd like a portable belt sander when I'll be flattening table tops etc., but is this the way to go ?

Maybe we can just concentrate on the hand power tools if that makes it any easier - divided into two categories: 1. Must have and 2. Nice-to-have.

Hope that helps :o

/Niels

[Steven Wilson]

I would consider a sliding table saw/shaper combo; Felder, Hammer, MiniMax. For other stationary tools I would look for the following
1) Oscilating spindle sander (Grizzly makes a decent one)
2) Variable speed drill press (Powermatic 1200HD would be my choice but Jet has one that looks good)
3) Wide belt sander - Timesaver has a singlephase unit that looks good, of course a Performax drum sander would work well too
4) Oneida 2hp commercial or large dust collector.

As for the rest, I would get Festool sanders and vacum and then add in their small router (for 32mm panel work), and your choice of saws (circular and/or jig) and drill. As far as hand tools I like some of the hand powered drills (stanley push drill, egg beaters, etc) for preping screw holes, some small block planes (the LN 60 1/2 is my favorite), a decent saw or two (I have a couple of japaneese saws and LN saws that I like), and your choice of chisels (I like to use japaneese chisels for paring and fine cuts and standard western chisels for more robust work)

[Rob Russell]

Niels,

Sorry to hear about your shop.

IMO, you're better off with (2) half-combo machines - jointer/planer/optional mortiser and saw/shaper - than you are having a single 5-function combo. If you have the space for it, I'd say your in great shape with the Hammer J/P because you can park it against a side wall more easily than a full combo.

Rob

[tod evans]

I see that I've failed to properly explain what I plan to do:

Before the fire I had a Hammer planer/jointer combo machine on order.
Since I now will be rebuilding the shop I will have more space (before it was divided with a wall), so I wouldn't mind to have a full combo machine.
However since I already had the Hammer planer/jointer on order, I'm unable to cancel that this late in the process, so I plan on skipping the table saw and use a Festool plungesaw with guides/MFT etc.

The reason I asked for a list of equipment is that I can easily browse a manufacturers product catalogue and write down everything I'd like.
Instead of doing that I'd like to know what I need - not what I'd like.
E.g. I'd like a portable belt sander when I'll be flattening table tops etc., but is this the way to go ?

Maybe we can just concentrate on the hand power tools if that makes it any easier - divided into two categories: 1. Must have and 2. Nice-to-have.

Hope that helps :o

/Niels

niels, as you request i`ll stay away from stationary tools. to start you`ll need good layout tools: squares,trammels, marking knife, etc. for cutting joints: chisels, handsaws, router and at least one shoulder plane. surface prep. is wide open for debate: a good belt sander and random orbit will carry you far, so will a jack and smoother with scrapers thrown in for good measure.. i would consider these items to be in the "must have" category..02 tod