Which piece of equipment did you spend the most on?

[Matt Day]

I got my TS and lathe used, so the jointer I bought new just eaked out the cost of the lathe.

[Dan Hintz]

Even at "full price", my drill press was significantly cheaper at $830 than the on-sale bandsaw or lathe at $1,600...

[Mark Bolton]

Having a slider in the shop, especially if it were bought new, pretty much puts the rest of the list to shame perhaps other than as Peter said a shaper if you include the tooling. Maybe a widebelt.

I have read this over a couple times and find myself asking what would ever motivate someone to inventory the shop based on what they paid and what they could sell items for if they "had to"? I could see it being interesting if you made a lot of improvements or modified your tools a lot or perhaps for some sort of insurance/bank appraisal/hobby purposes that I am missing but I guess I am just wondering what the point is? I guess maybe I dont look at my tools as an investment for resale, they are part of the business to make money and about the best thing that could happen would be to sell them as scrap metal because they are worn out from making me $$$$ throughout the year. Of course if I were going belly up but then the vultures would be picking at my bones so what I "could" get will be pointless.

Not trying to be a party pooper or anything.

Forgot, the slider made our vote TS.
Mark

[Don Bullock]

I spent the most on a Table saw because I bought a SawStop ICS several years ago when it was the only model they had. Would I do it again? Yep!

[David Nelson1]

Jet 14PRO band saw. Everything else I got used or was less than 200.00 new. Thats my story and I'm sticking to it. LOL

[Chris Nolin]

My "other" is also my most recent, a MiniMax FS41 jointer/planer.

[Roger Jensen]

Other - My Hammer A3-31 J/P.

[Rod Sheridan]

I voted "other"

In order of cost from most to least;

1) Hammer B3 Winner saw/shaper

2) Hammer A3-31 jointer planer

3) Oneida cyclone.

Regards, Rod.

[Matt Kestenbaum]

New Saw Stop 3HP PCS with 52rail/table...add on the mobile base, dado brake, extra std. brake, zci, dado set, rip blade, 40T combo, dust fittings, delivery...easily the most expensive single tool I have purchased. Next is actually the workbench (yes its a tool)--built in a 6 day class, so tuition and materials combined were just shy of $2K. 8" jointer a distant 3rd place.

[Stephen Cherry]

I have read this over a couple times and find myself asking what would ever motivate someone to inventory the shop based on what they paid and what they could sell items for if they "had to"? I could see it being interesting if you made a lot of improvements or modified your tools a lot or perhaps for some sort of insurance/bank appraisal/hobby purposes that I am missing but I guess I am just wondering what the point is? I guess maybe I dont look at my tools as an investment for resale, they are part of the business to make money and about the best thing that could happen would be to sell them as scrap metal because they are worn out from making me $$$$ throughout the year. Of course if I were going belly up but then the vultures would be picking at my bones so what I "could" get will be pointless.

Not trying to be a party pooper or anything.

Mark- it's a discussion forum, and any reasonably polite discussion is just that. We've all seen party pooping on lots of forums.

I think as a professional you look at things differently- return on investment. I'm a hobbyist with a day job who would like to be a niche market professional. I want to try to supply things to people which are generally not commercially available. It's mostly for fun. I try to buy tools with the thought that if I change interests, or my plans don't work out, I won't completely loose my shirt. So I buy based on comparison of price to other used machines available, rather than return on investment.

[glenn bradley]

I spent the most on my planer. I could have said bandsaw. After buying the larger bandsaw I sold my smaller one right away. Then, of course, I had to replace it ;-)

[Jerome Stanek]

I paid about $12,000 for my Shopbot. My old one was about $5,000 used. I have made money with both of them. I am thinking of selling my old bot but I think I will wait till spring when the weather is better to move it out front in my shop.

[Mark Bolton]

I try to buy tools with the thought that if I change interests, or my plans don't work out, I won't completely loose my shirt.

Well that answers my wonderment. As you say just different perspectives. No so much business related, just in general. For instance, I am an astronomy junkie. At one point I likely had twenty thousand dollars or better invested in the "just for fun" but I cant recall a time in my observatory wondering what I could sell my stuff for when or if I choose to get out of the hobby. Just saying, for me personally I guess its not something that ever crossed my mind until I decided to scale back or bail out which was why I didnt understand the point of the question. For me I dont know that I would ever have spent 20K on something that I thought I would change my mind on but thats just me.

I have never been even remotely close to flush with money but I guess I never really think about what I could sell my stuff, hobby or otherwise, for because if I sell it for a dollar it provided me the enjoyment of my hobby all those years. Anything $1.01 or above is just a bonus.

No offense intended,
Mark

[fred marcuson]

the one i've used the least ...sander

[Ben Hatcher]

...I cant recall a time ... wondering what I could sell my stuff for when or if I choose to get out of the hobby. ...

I have never been even remotely close to flush with money but I guess I never really think about what I could sell my stuff, hobby or otherwise, for because if I sell it for a dollar it provided me the enjoyment of my hobby all those years. Anything $1.01 or above is just a bonus.

Mark

I think it is an important part of estate planning to inventory your shop. I think a significant percentage of the gloats you read on here are because the sellers, often an ex or a widow, had no idea how much the tool was worth.

I agree that the money I've spent on my hobby has given me more than that amount in pleasure. But it also gives me pleasure to know that with the knowledge of what I paid and what it the stuff is worth, when I die, whoever inherits my tools will also get the maximum benefit from them. My grandfather, a cabinetmaker, died a few years before we had internet access. We had no idea how much his tools were worth. His shaper, with over 200 profiles, sold at auction for $175. Had we known how much he paid for it, and how much it was currently worth, we wouldn't have included it in the estate sale.