What machine do you enjoy using most?

[Steve Mathews]

While talking to a fellow woodworker and discussing the type of work we enjoyed, I was asked what machine gave me the most enjoyment to use. The subject never occurred to me before as I always considered the process or equipment merely a means to an end. But after giving it more thought and running down through the list of my shop equipment in my head I settled on the wood lathe. All of my saws, jointer, planer, etc. are a means to an end and don't give me any particular enjoyment but the lathe for some reason is different. My time in front of that machine is usually quite satisfying. Go figure. Anyone else with a similar experience?

[Mike Cutler]

Bandsaw, followed by shaper.
One lets me start from rough and end up with usable material that I chose.
Shapers are just cool. Poke a board in and out comes a finished edge. It's still fascinates me to watch it happen.

[Erik Loza]

Hands-down, an MM16 bandsaw. That machine is like my phantom limb.

Erik

[Jim Becker]

I have to admit, the machine in my shop that floats my boat highest in the water is my CNC machine. But I truly enjoy all my machines, for the most part. Any that haven't satisfied generally "left the building".

[Michael Burnside]

Like Eirk, mine is easy too. My CNC. I don’t build a lot of knick-knaks or v-carves on my CNC as it doesn’t give me the same enjoyment as building a set of legs or drawer fronts or X for a piece of furniture. A close second is my table saw. I just works so well and never fails to make a square cut.

[Andrew Hughes]

My sprit machine is the jointer.
I prefer Rough sawn lumber. Nothing beats offering it up to the finest jointer ever made. Oliver 166
Bandsaw second
Table saw last

[William Hodge]

My shaper.
I spend hours at a time on it running moldings. I also design the knives, and the molding geometry is fascinating. Scanning and digitizing hand made moldings, or stacks of machine made stuff on entrances, allows me to make stuff that looks just like the existing.

[Phillip Mitchell]

A tie for me between bandsaw and shaper.

Bandsaw because it just feels like an extension of my body in helping me do what I want to do with the wood, whether curve cutting, resawing, ripping, etc.

Shaper because it’s so satisfying to methodically setup, all the heavy duty tooling, setting and using a powerfeeder and simply the amount of work it can do / problems it can solve. Such a satisfying and versatile machine.

[mike calabrese]

The is only one machine that can bring me so close to my work
In no other machine do my hands directly hold and direct the cutting edge so carefully
In no other machine can I so dramatically change the work piece form start to finish
From my imagination and a controlled touch against a blur of wood where the magic becomes visible when the movement stops
A choreographed ballet of body moves taking ques from the feel of the wood
There can be no better joy than being bombarded so happily from the exit of material flying away from the workpiece.
Long live the spin of the wood lathe
calabrese55

[Bill Dufour]

Using my, air powered, engine hoist to lift a heavy machine up onto a mobile cart. So nice to spin 1,500 pounds with one finger to mate up. Makes me feel like superman
Bill D.

[Sam Force]

Easy answer, 3520B if it's spinning I'm smiling

[Tom Bain]

My random orbit sander … NOT! :p

[Ron Selzer]

60" panel saw, radial arm saw next
Ron

[eugene thomas]

my cnc. so nice to have quality cnc in shop sgain....

[Wes Grass]

Toss up ...

The Graziano lathe, or the Fadal.

Oh, woodworking... the Fadal whups the Graziano ...

Not that actual 'woodworking' machines don't beat them both when it comes to 'everyday' woodworking...

But I'm not so skilled at creating 'fair curves' by hand...

[Warren Lake]

no favourite and they are all important, stroke sander one skill, shaper another, jointer another. All have their groove. Never got to try a machine like Andrew has but never fails the weight goes up and so does the feel. Different feel and sound in each machine. The old SCM combo just hums. Have to check not A440.

Same time nothing like running high speed steel split collar with honed steel knives. hand fed and feel the cutter working different if you speed up or slow down your feed, very little back pressure and almost quiet sound the knives make when cutting. That was what they started us on, before Elmer the safety elephant arrived. Looking back now its good he did arrive.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Dust collector system?

I have four 4” drop-down hoses around the shop, running through shopmade blast gates into a 4” PVC ceiling line to an Oneida Super Dust Deputy cyclone in the far corner, which directs chips and chunks down into a sealed drum while the 22-year-old Delta 1-1/2 HP motor/fan housing up on the wall takes dust out the top of the cyclone and discharges the dust into a 0.5 micron Wynn filter, and harmlessly into the air in the room without ever accumulating dust in the bag below the Wynn. The Jet air filter on the ceiling takes up the slack from any dust-aggressive tool.

Today I made some big dust on the router table. One hose behind the bit and fence, one hose pulling on the router housing below. Not a speck in the room. Later I shaved down some hardboard on the jointer (ill-advised) and it made big gnarly shards that got sucked right up and away like nothing. I can pick up screws or small items with the system without harming the machine. I like hearing chunky items and waste rattle through the system over my head.

Adapting the Delta unit into this system was a major DIY labor of love about five years ago. I smile every time it does its job while I can breathe freely.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Oops: favorite tool might be my shopmade router fence.

From simple Home Depot oak boards — 1x4, I think — I cut off 1” strips and laminated them into a true 1” x 6” x 30” slab. The bottom 4” are the sliding faces and the top extends the height and also has a T-track for feather boards. There’s a little dust collector chamber behind the bit with a 2-1/2” port.

Behind the slab is a frame that matches the Biesemeier fence height on one side and ramps up to 6” to meet the oak router fence. The frame gets clamped the the Biesemeier

Today I was scratching my head about how to trim off 3/32” from a 2’ x 4’ frame made from 1x2pine. The thing was too big, thin, and unwieldly to run over the jointer, and the table saw would have made the job a dusty, ragged mess. I ended up removing the outfeed sliding fence, taping 3/32” scrap strips above and below the internal T-track, and refitting the . Instant jointer!

When not in use, the router fence clips into an elegant full-length hanger on my French Cleat wall.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Oh wait. My brother-in-law gave me a Type 2 Stanley router plane a few years back. It’s now 127 years old and still works like new. For longevity alone, it holds a venerable place in my shop, the Neanderthal side.

[Bob Jones 5443]

No, check that. My favorite tool has to be my hard-working 3D French cleat wall. It holds over 20 cubic feet of tools, and there’s still more capacity. I make my holders to extend a foot or more out from the wall, so a lot of tools take up minuscule wall space. For example, my 30 Forstner bits sit in a three-drawer unit with a Plexiglas cover that takes up 3” horizontally by 14” high on the wall. They’re nestled next to a similar three-drawer case that holds my two dozen router bits and accessories. Or the two sets of chisels in a rack with a 4” x 12” “wallprint.” And all of these tool holders can lift out of the wall and be placed on the bench, say for when I want to alternate between two to four chisels and I want them all right there with their edges safely away from my hands.

Three routers, a circular saw, shooting board, Biesemeier fence, router fence, staple gun, Cosman Dovetail saw in its box, 20 screwdrivers, random orbital sander, three tiers of drill bits, eight table saw blades, cordless driver and drill with charger, four marking gauges, a fancy Mayan pyramid of measurement tools, jigsaw, four feather boards, Young Je mortising jig, base-mounted Kreg jig, Systi-Matic dado set, 18” and 48” levels, holdfasts, cabinet scraper, dustpan and brush, various small clamps, several hammers, cheap miter box…. It’s probably 80% full.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Hold the presses. My favorite tool is the 2007 Lie-Nielsen 4-1/2” hand plane that I took to a weeklong David Charlesworth class in 2019. It turned out to be just me and him for a week in January in North Devon.

But back to the 4-1/2. David impressed upon me the benefit of pressing down firmly on the sole behind the tote with my thumb to get a controlled shaving for certain types of work. With his favorite, the 5-1/2, that’s fine, but with my 4-1/2 there’s not enough room around the casting shape to fit a thumb and reach the sole.

One day I was off flattening the sole of my block plane, and I noticed David has wandered off. I looked up and saw him across the workshop, his back to me and leaning into his bandsaw. After a few minutes he walked back with a little chunk of English walnut he had fashioned into a thumb block for my 4-1/2. It fit neatly into the trapezoidal solid space behind the tote and offered a wide, flat bearing surface for my thumb. How delightful.

While on some level I might prefer a flat-sole 4-1/2 to the corrugated one I chose as a beginner, I’ll never trade mine for a flat sole. It holds enormous sentimental value for me, having been made to perform even better than Lie-Nielsen New under David’s care, and especially for that little chunk of English walnut.

My favorite tool.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Router.

The scream reminds me of the time I got to visit the Indy 500 time trials in 1970 and hear the Offys scream.

[Mick Simon]

My favorite would be a tossup between my 20" Inca bandsaw and my CNC router. Both encourage me to step away from rectilinear projects and into the challenges that curves bring.

[John Kananis]

My favorite machine is also the one I have the least skill and experience with but I have a blast whenever I use my lathe.

[Larry Frank]

This is tough. I really like my Sawstop PCS because of how smooth it runs and the fit and finish. However, i love my Nova Viking Drill Press. It runs so smooth and changing speeds is so easy. I never understood how using the best speed made things better. Now, just a twist of the knob instead of changing belts.

I am not a hand tool user but have a LN 4-1/2 that I use mainly as a shooting plane. It is a pleasure to use.

[Gordon Stump]

My first thought was the cnc machine I call Paul after the movie (don't ask). But I always tease my wife when she says she has to cook dinner. I say.....oh push buttons on the microwave? So the other day I whined about having to do some work in the shop with Paul. She says..oh, push buttons?

So its the stroke sander!!!

[Roger Feeley]

Not a machine but my wife gets top billing. Once she bought me a Bosch glide for Christmas and there was some kind of problem with the bases so I couldn’t keep it. “Gee honey, I’m sorry that didn’t work out. How about I buy you a Sawstop ICS instead?” Yeah, definitely my wife.

seriously, the Sawstop.

[Derek Cohen]

I have some excellent machines by Hammer - bandsaw, combo thicknesser planer, and slider (K3). There are other machines of equal ability. The question asked by the OP was 'which is the favourite machine', and this is the K3. The reason is that it is a tool of precision and one that is operator-driven to obtain a range of precise cuts ...

https://i.postimg.cc/L6hNJDzn/Hammer.jpg




However, were we to be discussing which tool I would rescue in the advent of a fire, it would be this simple hand plane ...

https://i.postimg.cc/G34KGP4Y/3f673672-f239-4d15-b466-74ee9e64422b-zpsold4c4zc.jpg

... made by Jim Krenov.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Lisa Starr]

Any of my older iron. It isn't that the machine does anything a newer version wouldn't, but I have a a certain awe that they could build something 80 years ago that still operates exactly as intended. Every time I turn on one of those machines, I think about those that used it before me.

[Mike O'Keefe]

My 1949 Unisaw then my old Delta drill press.

[Patty Hann]

No, check that. My favorite tool has to be my hard-working 3D French cleat wall. It holds over 20 cubic feet of tools, and there’s still more capacity. I make my holders to extend a foot or more out from the wall, so a lot of tools take up minuscule wall space. For example, my 30 Forstner bits sit in a three-drawer unit with a Plexiglas cover that takes up 3” horizontally by 14” high on the wall. They’re nestled next to a similar three-drawer case that holds my two dozen router bits and accessories. Or the two sets of chisels in a rack with a 4” x 12” “wallprint.” And all of these tool holders can lift out of the wall and be placed on the bench, say for when I want to alternate between two to four chisels and I want them all right there with their edges safely away from my hands.

Three routers, a circular saw, shooting board, Biesemeier fence, router fence, staple gun, Cosman Dovetail saw in its box, 20 screwdrivers, random orbital sander, three tiers of drill bits, eight table saw blades, cordless driver and drill with charger, four marking gauges, a fancy Mayan pyramid of measurement tools, jigsaw, four feather boards, Young Je mortising jig, base-mounted Kreg jig, Systi-Matic dado set, 18” and 48” levels, holdfasts, cabinet scraper, dustpan and brush, various small clamps, several hammers, cheap miter box…. It’s probably 80% full.

Bob, can you post some pics of your wall(s) with the French Cleat set up with all the stuff you've got hanging on them.

[Jimmy Harris]

No contest! The Dremel with a burr bit. It's like sketching on a 3D drawing pad.

[John TenEyck]

I love them all. I got rid of the ones that gave me problems or scared the beejeebers out of me, like the small shaper I had with no power feeder. I have to say, I have a love/hate relationship with my lathe. I'm fascinated with it when I ride the bevel to shape bowls. So satisfying to see such a clean, smooth cut. I hate it when I hose up and the edge catches and ruins the rim of one. It's clearly operator error, but still.

My CNC stands out as the machine that's most fascinating and most rewarding in what it can create. It's completely devoid of any tactile feedback like you get with actually pushing wood over a machine, same as a power feed shaper, but what it can do is mostly limited only by your imagination. It has gotten me into areas of woodworking I likely never would have ventured into w/o it. I've become obsessed, to a fault according to my wife, with the design and construction of wood gear clocks because of it.

If we include tools, then most any hand plane would do it, especially a large, well-tuned one sliding on one of my shooting boards for bringing an edge to the perfect angle and trueness.

John

[Rod Sheridan]

Like many, I’m torn between the bandsaw and the shaper.

The bandsaw mostly does breakdown of rough timber, book matching, re-saving, veneer making and sometimes curve cutting.

The shaper does so much, cutting tenons, rebates, moulding, pattern copying and sanding. I’d be lost without it.

Regards, Rod

[Dave Sweeney]

While they are not what I would call one of my favorite tools, my jigsaw and bandsaw rank near the top of the list of enjoyable tools to use. I can't really describe why but I just get a kick out of using both.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Bob, can you post some pics of your wall(s) with the French Cleat set up with all the stuff you've got hanging on them.

Sure Patty. Thanks for the interest.

510933

[Dan Chouinard]

In a shop full of really cool machines (several Martins) the coolest is my hydraulic lift assembly table. It brings a smile to my face every time I step on the pedal to bring whatever I am building to the most comfortable working height.

[Jonathan Jung]

does my pallet jack count? brings out the kid in me

[Philip Glover]

I like drilling holes.
So I'll go with my drill press.


510936510940

Second place is the lathe.

510941

Phil

[Myles Moran]

Jointer for sure. I bought it thinking it was just a key step in turning rough sawn lumber into s4s exactly the way I wanted it. I wasn't expecting how satisfying it is to look at a really rough board go through and become slightly more cleaned up with each pass, or cleaning up bandsaw cut tapered legs and seeing the appearance completely change from rough cut to ready for finish sanding in one or two passes.

[mike stenson]

Bench. All other things are secondary.

[Richard Coers]

Coffee machine.

[Patty Hann]

Sure Patty. Thanks for the interest.

510933

Thank you.
Impressive.... will have to think about borrowing some of your ideas :).

[Edward Weber]

Lathe, bandsaw, whatever
If I'm woodworking, I'm pretty happy

[Jared Sankovich]

I yell at my shapers the least, so they win by default.

[Rod Sheridan]

does my pallet jack count? brings out the kid in me

Probably not, I’ve never seen one with fingers or toes😎


Regards, Rod

[Rod Sheridan]

While they are not what I would call one of my favorite tools, my jigsaw and bandsaw rank near the top of the list of enjoyable tools to use. I can't really describe why but I just get a kick out of using both.


If I had to choose a reciprocating saw, it would be a Sawzall.

Nothing converts a perfectly good object into something that looks like a mentally deranged beaver with a wood chipper passed through the shop.

Regards, Rod.

[Stephen Rosenthal]

Late 30s/early 40s Delta 1200 scroll saw. Great American iron. No other power tool brings out the creativity in me like it does.

[Matthew Hills]

Table saw and drill press are the tools that I like the most for the consistent jobs they do.

1970s stanley #5 -- with cambered blade and mouth opened to act as a scrub is a tool that makes me giggle and feel like I'm getting away with something. (it shouldn't be good, but is pretty light and very effective at getting big surfaces flattened out)

And milling logs with an MM16 is the tool that lies in the guilty pleasure side of things -- not something I do too often, but satisfying.

[David Zaret]

i love my CNC, but the Martin shaper is the clear winner.

[Mark Hennebury]

The one that I am using, at the time you ask. Love em all, the long the short and the tall.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Thank you.
Impressive.... will have to think about borrowing some of your ideas :).

PM me if you’d like some close-ups of any caddies.

[Andrew Hughes]

The op asked what machine so that means one machine not two or three. Nor does it include hand tools.
I vote that the moderators remove all post that are straying and posters be stripped from a titles duties and assignments or committees.
Everyone that followed the op’s question get extra rations and free time.
Good Luck

[Harold Patterson]

No question, my bandsaw.

[Cameron Wood]

Coffee machine.


My thought as well...

[Stan Calow]

I am planning ahead to downsizing, and I think the last tool to go will be my lathe. It's the one tool with which you can go from raw material to finished product all in one place.

[Prashun Patel]

I enjoy my bandsaw (but dislike the time it takes to set up blades and wish there was a faster way to switch em). I think the greatest joy is completing a good resaw.

I do love the jointer and planer too. It's just a joy to see sows' ears coming out silk purses.

[George Yetka]

Jointer planer is just labor to make things flat.
tablesaw/miter saw just cuts straight planes.
Bandsaw I havent relied on this too much therefore my setup skills are lacking on it.
I like the CNC but i havent adapted myself to using it for shop functions I still use it for 3d carves/Vcarves/Juice grooves.
Router table can do more for me, turning square things into much closer to finished products

AS far as smaller tools (non Machines) I love Nailers. They are so satisfying, and none of them in particular

[Steve Mathews]

OP here ... When raising the question "what machines do you enjoy using most?" I wasn't prepared to find that some would suggest bandsaws, shapers (yikes!), CNCs, etc. I really thought the lathe would be the hands down favorite because of its Zen-like attraction. But I do respect this audience so I may go out and hug my bandsaw, table saw and few others today to get more in touch with them. I may even consider cheating and purchase a CNC. However, I sold my shaper because it scared the living daylights out of me.

[Jim Becker]

I think you’ll find that CNC really isn’t “cheating” ;) It’s just another tool and every owner will tell you it doesn’t produce finished work; just components like the other tools. I actually use my hand tools more now with the CNC in the shop!

[Zachary Hoyt]

Bandsaws for me. Both the big and the little one. I don't change blades except if they break or get dull, so I don't have to change the setup other than the upper guide height.

[andy bessette]

The machine I am enjoying the most now likely has to be my 50-year old Monarch lathe. Amazing how often it is needed. The controls run on vacuum tubes; it has to warm up for a full minute before you can begin cutting with it. :)

https://i.postimg.cc/sfcNgyjs/IMG-0399.jpg (https://postimg.cc/JtsqpfH2)

[Phillip Mitchell]

OP here ... When raising the question "what machines do you enjoy using most?" I wasn't prepared to find that some would suggest bandsaws, shapers (yikes!), CNCs, etc. I really thought the lathe would be the hands down favorite because of its Zen-like attraction. But I do respect this audience so I may go out and hug my bandsaw, table saw and few others today to get more in touch with them. I may even consider cheating and purchase a CNC. However, I sold my shaper because it scared the living daylights out of me.

A few folks have said this in one way or another, but the truth is that most all my machines are my favorites to use and if they are unpleasant or unsatisfactory to use then they find their way out the door for another one that does provide satisfaction.

It’s a refinement process that takes time and energy, but life is too short IMO to use tools that don’t provide satisfaction or give you the results you really need. I say this from a perspective of not having a lot of money and doing loads of research over the years (like many here) on what used tools could be good options for the work I do. And yes, I love my shapers and how they make me feel when using them :eek:

[Jim Becker]

That thang is really an elegant looking tool, Andy!

[andy bessette]

That thang is really an elegant looking tool, Andy!

Thanks Jim. It's the real deal. 3500 lbs!

[Michael Burnside]

OP here ... When raising the question "what machines do you enjoy using most?" I wasn't prepared to find that some would suggest bandsaws, shapers (yikes!), CNCs, etc. I really thought the lathe would be the hands down favorite because of its Zen-like attraction. But I do respect this audience so I may go out and hug my bandsaw, table saw and few others today to get more in touch with them. I may even consider cheating and purchase a CNC. However, I sold my shaper because it scared the living daylights out of me.

A CNC is not cheating. Anyone skilled with a CNC knows better. Sometimes the piece finishes faster but there is a lot of pre-planning on the front end. And, as Jim says, it doesn’t come out ready for stain. Being able to take a CNC’ed component and integrate it into a fine piece of furniture is just as much an art form as anything else. That is the Zen-like attraction I have, parallel to your lathe.

[andy bessette]

A CNC is not cheating...

Reminds me of the rationalizations that used to come up in photography discussions when comparing the results produced between someone using a vintage camera, with all manual controls, vs those results produced by a fully automated point-and-shoot camera. The latter required virtually no input from the photographer, other than the single push of a button, as long as it was pointed generally in the right direction. Yet the pusher of that button proudly claimed credit for the photo. :)

[mike stenson]

Reminds me of the rationalizations that used to come up in photography discussions when comparing the results produced between someone using a vintage camera, with all manual controls, vs those results produced by a fully automated point-and-shoot camera. The latter required virtually no input from the photographer, other than the single push of a button, as long as it was pointed generally in the right direction. Yet the pusher of that button proudly claimed credit for the photo. :)

Shows a huge lack of understanding of the subject.

[andy bessette]

Shows a huge lack of understanding of the subject.

Shows a huge reactional oversensitivity to the analogy.

[Steve Mathews]

Stop Andy, you're killing me with photos of that Monarch. I've been wanting to get my hands on one of those for years.

[andy bessette]

Ha! :)

You can have one too, if you're a good boy.

[Joseph WilsonEQ]

My lathe (Nova DVR 3000). It's the only tool in the shop that I can pick up a piece of wood, without having any sort of plan, throw it on, start working, and end up with something cool. Only machine in the shop I can go start to finish without any other tools as well. Plus I find turning to be meditative.

[Warren Lake]

an inventor friend who is a very talented craftsman in different trades, designer and more loves those machines. Did you make the skates under it?

[Jesse Brown]

I almost never use my spindle, but it is a pleasure on those rare occasions. I guess I'd have to say my favorite to use is the Lamello Zeta P2.

[George Yetka]

I think you’ll find that CNC really isn’t “cheating” ;) It’s just another tool and every owner will tell you it doesn’t produce finished work; just components like the other tools. I actually use my hand tools more now with the CNC in the shop!

I can see why people may think this but your right it takes a lot of work to get the machine to "cheat" for you.

[Michael Burnside]

Reminds me of the rationalizations that used to come up in photography discussions when comparing the results produced between someone using a vintage camera, with all manual controls, vs those results produced by a fully automated point-and-shoot camera. The latter required virtually no input from the photographer, other than the single push of a button, as long as it was pointed generally in the right direction. Yet the pusher of that button proudly claimed credit for the photo. :)

Put myself though college shooting film and transitioned to digital. Understanding light, composition, depth-of-field, etc all take great skill beyond the tool. I heard the same ridiculous arguments there too. It’s comments like yours that exemplify ignorance with a lack of actual experience.

[mike stenson]

Shows a huge reactional oversensitivity to the analogy.

It wasn't an over-reaction. It was a comment. I have a degree in that subject and have worked professionally in the field. It's a common enough analogy, and it's always wrong.

I'll take a pinhole camera with interesting composition any day.

[Mick Simon]

Reminds me of the rationalizations that used to come up in photography discussions when comparing the results produced between someone using a vintage camera, with all manual controls, vs those results produced by a fully automated point-and-shoot camera. The latter required virtually no input from the photographer, other than the single push of a button, as long as it was pointed generally in the right direction. Yet the pusher of that button proudly claimed credit for the photo. :)

I've learned to just chuckle when I see comments about "just push a button" when applied to CNC technology.

I started woodworking in 1962. I've done it as a hobby ever since, and at times, professionally. I'm retired from the supply side of industrial woodworking equipment - the last 30 in industrial CNC routers, mainly for the wood industry. In my retirement I teach woodworking at the local community college, which has a very top-notch woodworking program. One course I always teach is CNC for Woodworking. Many of my students have taken woodworking classes for years and are very skilled in cabinetry, carving, turning, etc.

One thing they almost universally say at some point during the Intro to CNC class is, "This is the hardest damn class I've had since I started here."

[Jim Becker]

Be nice folks...

Jim
Forum Moderator

[Bob Jones 5443]

The op asked what machine so that means one machine not two or three. Nor does it include hand tools.
I vote that the moderators remove all post that are straying and posters be stripped from a titles duties and assignments or committees.
Everyone that followed the op’s question get extra rations and free time.
Good Luck

Ok, Andrew. Thanks for calling me out, and I’m sorry to have knocked you off your perch. I’ll just stand over here. Carry on.

[Andrew Hughes]

I’m just messing around Bob. It’s boring up here on my perch :)
Buy all means feel free to move about. :)
Good Luck always

[andy bessette]

It occurred to me that perhaps one of the biggest reasons that I enjoy most the Monarch lathe is because I am continually challenged by it, and always learning (as I started teaching myself machining after I turned 70 years old--now 80). And perhaps that same reason might be why others here find their CNC experience their favorite. That is to say that it is the continual learning and challenging of oneself that brings many of us great pleasure. I really feel this is an essential aspect, keeping our heads in the game, especially as we become more aged.

Also I might add that one of the great pleasures I get from running the Monarch is simply the inherent joy of operating such a finely made machine. I recently allowed my shop neighbor (a highly skilled female machinist) to briefly try this machine, and she was astounded by the machine's smoothness and lack of vibration.

[Jim Becker]

That right there is exactly the point, Andy. "Always learning something new" is a great tool attribute and you are correct that the CNC does that for me. "How can I do this?" is a constant and common theme. I bet I'd feel the same way about that lathe, too!

[andy bessette]

That right there is exactly the point, Andy. "Always learning something new" is a great tool attribute and you are correct that the CNC does that for me. "How can I do this?" is a constant and common theme. I bet I'd feel the same way about that lathe, too!

Of course you would Jim. I think something inside us dies when we quit learning. Picture the look of wonder in the face of a child who just learned something profound.

[Jim Becker]

Or the look on my face when something cuts the same way I wanted it to :D

[Curt Harms]

Jointer for sure. I bought it thinking it was just a key step in turning rough sawn lumber into s4s exactly the way I wanted it. I wasn't expecting how satisfying it is to look at a really rough board go through and become slightly more cleaned up with each pass, or cleaning up bandsaw cut tapered legs and seeing the appearance completely change from rough cut to ready for finish sanding in one or two passes.

You're not alone. I usually buy rough sawn that doesn't look like much in its native state. Few flat passes and a few edge passes over the 12" jointer, plane to desired thickness and homely becomes lovely (usually).

[Andrew Hughes]

I agree a jointer is just a big upside down hand plane. For solid woodworking it’s indispensable.

[Michael Burnside]

That right there is exactly the point, Andy. "Always learning something new" is a great tool attribute and you are correct that the CNC does that for me. "How can I do this?" is a constant and common theme. I bet I'd feel the same way about that lathe, too!

Maybe it's because the CNC does exactly what I tell it to do, with no back talk. This is the complete opposite of my kids :D

[andy bessette]

While we're on the subject of the pleasure we get from our work I'd like to mention a phenomenon which I keep experiencing, over and over, but which nevertheless continues to surprise and amaze me. Perhaps others here have also experienced this.

In spite of the fact that my very work springs from my own imagination; that every detail of this is worked out in my head, as well as on paper (usually) ; that each and every feature is created by my own hands, as part of the creative fabricating process; I am quite often almost shocked, when I finally view the finished project, to discover just how very well it has turned out!

Surely I am not the only one who has been so gratified by experiencing this "surprise"?

[Edward Weber]

While we're on the subject of the pleasure we get from our work I'd like to mention a phenomenon which I keep experiencing, over and over, but which nevertheless continues to surprise and amaze me. Perhaps others here have also experienced this.

In spite of the fact that my very work springs from my own imagination; that every detail of this is worked out in my head, as well as on paper (usually) ; that each and every feature is created by my own hands, as part of the creative fabricating process; I am quite often almost shocked, when I finally view the finished project, to discover just how very well it has turned out!

Surely I am not the only one who has been so gratified by experiencing this "surprise"?

+1
I do share your sentiment, although I would say pleased at the outcome rather than surprised. I also think it makes things just a little sweeter if you use some tools of your own making along the way.

[al ladd]

My shop built idiosyncratic cnc machine has likely made the difference between me continuing to make a living making small wood items, and having to have found other work, which in my 60's after 40 years of the former, would have been a real drag. It's also kept woodworking fun and new.


When I get it right, it's like a flawless, complaint-less employee (though a poor conversationalist) that does the hardest manual part of a complex job, freeing me to simultaneously do more fun stuff, like design new items, figure out new and better ways to make them more cleanly and quickly, resaw nearly finished items off backer strips 7 at a time, and dip them into a vat of finish to see the grains and colors explode. It turns me into a one-man band.


511136.511137

[Rich Aldrich]

The wood lathe is my favorite machine - especially roughing out green wood (burls) and revealing the grain and inclusions.

[Paul McGaha]

I'd say my Unisaw. Bought it around 2000. It's a 3 HP, with a 52" Beisemeyer fence. I like it very much.

2nd would be my Hatachi sliding miter saw with Beismeyer tables. a 6' on the left and 3' on the right. Great support for the work and a very good stop on it.

PHM