What should I get next?

[Carl Fox]

I already have a 10" 2hp Griz contractor TS with a Shop Fox fence.

I have a 12" dewalt DBCMS

And a 2.5 hp plunge router table.

and a HF 2 hp dust collector

and a Jet air filter

So....

Have at it. Assume 2k for the mess.

Band Saw?

Jointer?

Planer?

I hope to build new kitchen cabinets, and maybe some furniture and small boxes and junk.

[Richard Dragin]

Reasonable arguements could be made for any of your options however I chose the planer. With a sled you can face joint lumber on the planer and edge joint with your table saw or router. What the planer does can not be done with anything other than hand tools.

If I understand your post you have a budget of $2000? If that is the case you could easily get all three and have a well equiped shop.

[Carl Fox]

Reasonable arguements could be made for any of your options however I chose the planer. With a sled you can face joint lumber on the planer and edge joint with your table saw or router. What the planer does can not be done with anything other than hand tools.

If I understand your post you have a budget of $2000? If that is the case you could easily get all three and have a well equiped shop.

yes, my eventual budget will be 2K, but I don't have it all right now. Now the question becomes 'which planer?' I have a fondness for Grizzly.

[Martin Shupe]

A planer is no good without a jointer. You need both.

Have you looked at a jointer/planer combo unit?

I have no idea how much they cost, but if I could do it again, I would buy the combo.

[David DeCristoforo]

The answer is both simple and obvious. You should get them all.

:)
Yamato DeCristokuno

[glenn bradley]

I voted jointer. I went "weak" with my jointer choice and the effects are still with me as I am waiting to upgrade. Planer sled is getting me by and doing a great job but, a better jointer is easier (read laziness here). Achieving a flat surface is the start of almost any project so, 8" or larger jointer gets my vote.

A great deal on a DP and then later on a bandsaw has delayed my jointer fund. I am glad to have them both but am delaying several projects till the jointer gets here. I can't use the bandsaw to cut that beautiful curve if I don't have a flat surface to set on the table ;-)

[Tom Henderson2]

I already have a 10" 2hp Griz contractor TS with a Shop Fox fence.

I have a 12" dewalt DBCMS

And a 2.5 hp plunge router table.

and a HF 2 hp dust collector

and a Jet air filter

So....

Have at it. Assume 2k for the mess.

Band Saw?

Jointer?

Planer?

I hope to build new kitchen cabinets, and maybe some furniture and small boxes and junk.

My suggestion is to let your projects dictate. When you commit to a specific project, determine what you'll need and aquire it.

Otherwise, you'll buy, for example, a Bandsaw but find out you really don't need it but you do need a jointer... but your tool acquisition budget is flat... DAMHIK.

-Tom H.
Ventura, CA

[Mike Heidrick]

I have seen jointing jigs for a planer and a TS but not a planing jig for a jointer.

So maybe planer 1st?

[Greg Peterson]

Carl, sorry in advance if I make some assumptions that are inaccurate.

I agree with Tom. Your tool purchase should be predicated on real need versus expected need. Every time I build something I think I have all the tools I need. Doesn't take long to put together a list of things I need to complete the task at hand. Eventually you acquire enough tools so that you can see most any project through, sometimes or often times, improvising. But that's the beauty about this hobby/craft isn't it? Necessity is the mother of invention.

Do you already have:
Clamps
Router bits
Dado blade set
Downdraft table for sanding
clamps
anti-fatigue mat(s)
fire extinguisher
block plane (I use it on everything)
cordless drill(s) / drill press
self-centering drill bits (helps install hinges accurately)
vise
clamps
try square, engineers square
marking gauge
chisels
rasps, files, micro plane
caliper or some other precision measuring device
lighting
and finally, clampsWhat kind of cabinet joinery do you plan on using? The Kreg pocket hole system is a great system and relatively inexpensive to get into.

If you plan on doing M&T joinery, you can use your router, TS w/Tenoning jig and a mortiser.

Putting together even a hobbyist shop takes a lot of time and resources. The big tools garner all the glory and attention, but for every main power tool there are dozens of equally important tools that are required. To call them incidentals is inaccurate. Try gluing up a cabinet with out a square and clamps.

Good luck and enjoy yourself. That's the main goal.

[Carl Fox]

Carl, sorry in advance if I make some assumptions that are inaccurate.

I agree with Tom. Your tool purchase should be predicated on real need versus expected need. Every time I build something I think I have all the tools I need. Doesn't take long to put together a list of things I need to complete the task at hand. Eventually you acquire enough tools so that you can see most any project through, sometimes or often times, improvising. But that's the beauty about this hobby/craft isn't it? Necessity is the mother of invention.

Do you already have:
Clamps -
yes, spring and bar

Router bits - yes

Dado blade set - yes,freud

Downdraft table for sanding - To be part of my UberTable [tm]

clamps - um, yes

anti-fatigue mat(s) - no

fire extinguisher - yes

block plane (I use it on everything) - no

cordless drill(s) / drill press - no, corded, floorstanding

self-centering drill bits (helps install hinges accurately) - no

vise - yes

clamps - yes

try square, engineers square - yes

marking gauge - ??

chisels - yes

rasps, files, micro plane --
yes, yes, no[quote]
caliper or some other precision measuring device - no

lighting - yes

and finally, clamps - yes
What kind of cabinet joinery do you plan on using? The Kreg pocket hole system is a great system and relatively inexpensive to get into.
I was looking into that.


If you plan on doing M&T joinery, you can use your router, TS w/Tenoning jig and a mortiser.
Griz makes a solid-looking jig for 60 bux


Putting together even a hobbyist shop takes a lot of time and resources. The big tools garner all the glory and attention, but for every main power tool there are dozens of equally important tools that are required. To call them incidentals is inaccurate. Try gluing up a cabinet with out a square and clamps.

Good luck and enjoy yourself. That's the main goal.

[scott spencer]

Reasonable arguements could be made for any of your options however I chose the planer. With a sled you can face joint lumber on the planer and edge joint with your table saw or router. What the planer does can not be done with anything other than hand tools.

If I understand your post you have a budget of $2000? If that is the case you could easily get all three and have a well equiped shop.

Ditto......

[Sam Yerardi]

My vote is with Yoshikuni but if I had to make one choice in my case it would be the bandsaw. I find myself going to it more often than any power tool in my shop. It is so versatile I can't imagine being without it. Most of my work I do with handtools but I could not live without my bandsaw. I would say that if your approach to woodworking is primarily power tools, and you already have a table saw, then perhaps a jointer and/or planer would be my next choice. But when you're talking about doing a lot of cuts on small pieces, curves, etc., a bandsaw is indespensible.

[Matt Ocel]

My suggestion is to let your projects dictate. When you commit to a specific project, determine what you'll need and aquire it.



-Tom H.
Ventura, CA


Bingo!!
Dats da way I roll

[Rob Will]

Dig deep in your pocket and get a big fat jointer. You will never regret having a seriously W I D E jointer - ideally the same width as your planer.

Get the jointer out of the way first and the other stuff will be easy to find.

Rob

[Peter Quinn]

When I look around my shop and start adding up the cost of critical incidentals I realize that I have blown (invested?) 2K piece meal on lots of things that don't have motors but aid in my work. There's easily more than 2K worth of clamps on one wall and I still struggle to find enough for many glue ups. Then there's cutters, bits, blades, planes, oh boy the list gets long and scary quick. But I digress.

My first power tool was a skill saw. Second was a SCMS. Third was a band saw. Forth was a big ole' RAS I was given for the price of moving it. But until I got the jointer/planer I had limited control over stock preperation at any great speed and this effected everything I tried to make.

For any decent woodworking your going to need truly flat square stock to start with. You can possibly buy this prepared for a small fortune or spend an eternity doing it by hand or with various manipulations of machines whose main purpose is not truly the task at hand. If I had to produce a whole set of cabinets using a planer sled or router table as a jointer I'd shoot myself.

So if you have a good TS (last thing I bought) and want to make basic kitchen type cabinets (and a whole lot of other things) I'd go with the best jointer and planer you can fit into your program based on space and budget. They make a powerful team in terms of speed and capability. Both are capable of doing many shaping/joinery tasks beyond flattening as well.

If your budget is absolute you can get all three for under 2K, but I would suggest saving and getting the units you want to own for the long run as my leap frog stepping stone approach to outfitting my shop has become costly to me over time and I now wish I had started where I hoped to end up.

If I had it to do over again I would throw the wad at a good jointer, buy a bench top planer to get started, and start working towards a good iron planer. The band saw decision really depends on your personal ambitions. I constantly feel constrained by my 14"PM, and it often sounds over worked by me! I could easily spend your entire budget on the BS I wish I owned presently, but some guys go an entire career making beautiful things with less BS than I have now.

[Matt Ocel]

Carl - Now don't forget the radio and well you know "fridge" lol

[Richard Dragin]

A question for those of you who say to get a jointer before a planer....

After you face one side how do you get a parallel face on the other side without a planer?

[Michael Lutz]

I said planer. I did some work without a jointer, but it is much better and easier to have one. I still don't have a bandsaw, you can do a lot without one as long as you have a decent jigsaw. I do plan to get the bandsaw, mainly for resawing and cutting turning blanks.

Mike

[Greg Peterson]

Carl, my apologies. You obviously have many of the 'incidentals'. Many folks post down here asking what should they get next, often times ignoring the common tools that get used day in and day out, or at least are vital to completion of any project.

I believe Kreg is still offering a $20 on their K3 Master kit. I've used mine a few times in the short time I've had it and love it. A remarkably elegant tool. I can't imagine doing cabinet work without it.

[J. Z. Guest]

I voted 'Other' because it doesn't seem like you need any of them to build the kitchen cabinets. (assuming you use sheet goods)

Spend that money on the lumber for the kitchen cabs, and buy anything you need to do THAT project.

I'd say a cordless drill will be worth its weight in gold for that project.

Then, when you're done with the kitchen cabs, maybe you'll have a more certain idea of what you want to do next, and THAT will dicate which tool you get next.

If it is typical furniture, probably a jointer & planer. If it is more curvy furniture or lathe work, probably a bandsaw.

[Rob Will]

A question for those of you who say to get a jointer before a planer....

After you face one side how do you get a parallel face on the other side without a planer?

Good question Richard.
I said jointer first because most people undersize thier jointer and then spend years wishing they had a bigger one. You are right - a planer is a necessity - but even a small portable planer is wider than most people's jointers.

I would pull out all the stops and get a wide jointer first and then quickly follow that with any planer you can afford.

Rob

[Carl Fox]

Carl, my apologies. You obviously have many of the 'incidentals'. Many folks post down here asking what should they get next, often times ignoring the common tools that get used day in and day out, or at least are vital to completion of any project.

I believe Kreg is still offering a $20 on their K3 Master kit. I've used mine a few times in the short time I've had it and love it. A remarkably elegant tool. I can't imagine doing cabinet work without it.

You have nothing to apologize for. I appreciate that you took the time to list all those items. It appears that there are some gaps in my kit. I appreciate you pointing those out.

BTW, I found an 8" 3 HP Griz jointer on craigslist for $400. I'm gonna try to get him down to $300.:D Even at $400 could it be a good deal? How tough is it to wire up a dedicated 220v circuit?

[Greg Peterson]

Wiring a 240 circuit generally isn't any more difficult than wiring a 120. Generally.

Considerations: Do you have an available double space in the service panel or sub panel? After that, the real project is running the cable. Surface mounted conduit versus running it through the walls. Pick yer poison.

Good luck on the bargain jointer. And $400 for a 3 HP 8" jointer can be a pretty good deal so long as it is in good condition.

[Michael Schumacher]

My view is this...spend $1000 on good jointer...G0490 is a nice 8" - then take another $800 and purchase a G0453 planner - you might have some money left over, but depends if you can pick the tools up from the Store or not - that shipping bit is getting expensive.

If you have money left over - purchase some other fun little tool...

Oh - I voted jointer - reason - you have money to purchase a really nice one, if you go high end on the jointer, you can shop Craigslist for a planner for a few months to find one that fits the remaining $2k

[Ray Schafer]

I have tried to get by without a jointer for a year, and it has stopped me from doing several projects. Buy a great jointer and if possible a planer at the same time. You really do need both.

[Todd Solomon]

I'll put a vote in for a wide jointer and a lunchbox planer, given your budget.

Grizzly's 12" jointer, G0609 is $1600. Match to that the DeWalt DW734 12-1/2" planer for about $300, and you're set for the foreseeable future. With shipping, you may slightly exceed your $2K budget. They'll handle the same wide width, and you won't have to rip a beautiful wide board in half, just to be able to joint it.

-Todd

[Brad Shipton]

So long as you plan to stick to sheet goods for the kitchen I would go with other just as Carl suggested. If you want face frames or plan to build nice cabinet doors then I think you will need the jointer and planer. Personally, I would not buy a planer without the jointer. Lots use a lunchbox planers and smaller jointers. Jointing with the planer gets tiresome quickly and the savings from being able to buy rough stock rather than S4S will pay for the jointer quickly if you take on the task of a kitchen.

Brad

[Mark Singer]

The answer is both simple and obvious. You should get them all.

:)
Yamato DeCristokuno

Welcome Back! I guess your not Japanese:confused:

[Steven Hardy]

I already have a 10" 2hp Griz contractor TS with a Shop Fox fence.

I have a 12" dewalt DBCMS

And a 2.5 hp plunge router table.

and a HF 2 hp dust collector

and a Jet air filter

So....

Have at it. Assume 2k for the mess.

Band Saw?

Jointer?

Planer?

I hope to build new kitchen cabinets, and maybe some furniture and small boxes and junk.

One of these!!!! 15 inch planer / molder by foley belsaw...not sure of the current price I last saw them for 1800. Some of them could also be set up as a sander ...not sure of this model tho. http://www.belsaw.com/plnmldir.htm