First Woodshop

[Anthony Cataldo]

I am new to this forum.
I will be creating a wood shop in my basement this coming summer.
I have not yet wired the basement (house undergoing a major rennovation).
In terms of space, I have the equivalent of a 1 to 1 1/2 car garage (space), though I may build a shop at some future point (have enough land).
I have been pricing jonters, planers, table saws, lathes, etc. and will probably spend several thousand dollars on new or used equipment.
I would very much appreciate any recommendations, including the sequence of purchases, full listing of recommended equipment, models and price ranges, etc.
Thank you, in advance...AJ

[Jim Becker]

Bottom line: The type of projects you intend to do will dictate what machinery/tool investments are best to make and in what order. Tell us more about what interests you... ;)

AND...Welcome to the 'Creek!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

AJ..........Welcome to the Creek! I found this place when I was building my shop. One piece of advice that I picked up here. Put your electrical outlets say 50-52" above the floor if code will let you. I have a freestanding shop and I can put in cabinets or lean a sheet of plywood etc up against a wall and the outlets aren't blocked...still accessible!

Again.....Welcome to the Creek!

[John Bailey]

I just built a woodshop 3 yrs. ago. The Creek was invaluable with the advice. If I were doing all over again, I would purchase a good jigsaw immediately. It's amazing how often I use it, now that I have a good one.

I think the best overall advice given to me was to buy the tools you need for a project. If you go and buy the tools first, you may find you've wasted money on tools you don't really need. I did that with a jointer, and rarely used the thing. Just about everything I build is curved, so I didn't really have to straighten everything. I ended up selling it and haven't missed it at all.

John

[Carroll Courtney]

For me it was a table saw w/ a Bis fence.It was not the first table saw I purchase,but that is what I work up to.If budget allows go for a good cabinet saw like the PM 66.You can still find them in local papers and other sources used.Delta Unisaw is also a good one.My next tool was the bandsaw,14" works for me.You can do alittle resawing on it.As stated by others,let the project guide you to your next purchases.One of the things that I like about stationary tools was the hunt.Most of my tools are sec hand.Its taken me several yrs. to collect what I have, buying one item at a time.Never had a budget that would allow me to purchase new.Enjoy the time it takes to what you think your ideal shop should be.:)

[Anthony Cataldo]

Bottom line: The type of projects you intend to do will dictate what machinery/tool investments are best to make and in what order. Tell us more about what interests you... ;)

AND...Welcome to the 'Creek!

Thank you! Really feel fortunate to have stumbled onto this board...

Completely redoing a house that I bought in 2003 (father and uncle built it for my grandmother in 1946). Already gutted, framed and insulated...some plumbing stubbed out...new roof and pitched a flat part of the roof last summer...wiring in progress (10 home runs connected, so I can still do whatever I want for wiring for the basement woodshop). (1) One room will be library and I want to do "built in" shelves (floor to celing in some cases)...this is probably the most immediate project. (2) Would like to build 2 corner curio cabinets for formal dining room...the cost of pre-built units gave me the idea of building them myself, where much of the cost of the woodshop might be recoverd here... (3) Kitchen island and cabinets (bought some damaged units at an auction for pennies on the dollar, so can use some of those for frames and hardware)...need to build the island frame and an enclosure around a stackable washer dryer unit to match. (4) Lots of floor and wall/ceiling molding throughout the house. (5) Would expect to also want to build desks, shelves and cabinets in the future. I have been planning the dollars part for quite some time and was very good in woodshop in high school, 30+ years ago, and really looking forward to getting back into it this summer, which I have off. I can expect at least a full month to devote to woodworking projects. TIA...AJ

[Anthony Cataldo]

This is, actually, one of my questions...thank you! Have not yet wired the basement/workshop...AJ

[Anthony Cataldo]

Thanks, John! Have quite a few hand tools (belt sander, circular saws, chop saw, small band saw, drills, nail guns from framing and for the bannister that I already installed, compressor, hand held jig saws, but no floor unit)...please excuse me if I am being clear with technical names of tools...I was raised around construction, in my youth, but have been away from it for quite some time...I having been saving money for this endeavor, so have $5K-$7.5K that I can spend...don't want to buy one "cadillac" tool and put myself in a position where all of the others are "yugos." Hope this makes sense...AJ