Felder combination,
Bob
Felder combination,
Bob
Binford of course
Binford, Binford and more Binford
50/50 between DeWalt and Harbor Freight if I'm being honest.
Erik
Ex-SCM and Felder rep
Well lesss seee. Delta Unisaw (US), Laguna bandsaw, Rikon belt disc sander, Rikon grinder, Grizzly planer, Woodtek jointer, Rockwell drill press (US), Supermax drum sander, Home made mortiser, Clear Vue cyclone (US), Delta lathe. Bosch, Craftsman, Dewalt routers, Dewalt biscuit joiner, Bosch drills and various other small tools. I believe in buying what brands meet my needs. Even if I could afford the high end European machines. I doubt if one brand would do it.
Charlie Jones
I think the poll should have been "Which brand is the first brand you look at when thinking of buying a new tool". I've seen pictures of people who just went out and bought tools from Powermatic because that's what they perceived as "best". The real problem is very few people do the exact same type of work exactly the same. A high end slider isn't going to be the first choice to the guy who's passion is making small boxes and furniture for example. Sure you could buy a tool for a lot more money that's design to cut stuff you never work with only to add a F&F jig to do the same thing as a cabinet saw will do with a sled but why?
While I have three Hammer machines, it was not so much the brand that attracted me, but that they were (a) the best in the price range I could justify and afford, and (2) they came with superb backup service. The same could be said for other machines (I have a Nova lathe and drill press), as well as power tools (Festool and Makita predominantly in new tools, and Elu in older tools). Then there are hand tools, and that is another rabbit hole. After woodworking for 40 years, and nearing retirement, I can justify purchasing better tools now - it was not so for a long time. Some may argue that a good workman does not blame his tools. I agree with this. And for some the tools are not important. For myself, part of the enjoyment is using good tools. Features #1 and #2, above, remain.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Jet dc are not highly rated. I know of no other brands that make tools.
In the last couple of years, I have picked up a 160 lathe in excellent condition, the 15" drill press in excellent condition, the 14" planer in very good condition, and a second 15" bandsaw with the multiple speeds gearbox in excellent condition. All Canadian made. We are fortunate here in Ontario that there are quite a few good used machines available.
The General equipment may not have all the bells and whistles of the newer crop, but once you get them set up, they just stay in tune forever. The tools above compliment my General 8" joiner, 15" bandsaw, and 10" table saw. Outstanding machines.
If only one brand and I was filthy rich everything would be NORTHFIELD wherever possible .Since I am not I have a collection of old iron. powermatic, delta, foley belsaw and yates american
AFAIK Rolls Royce only made metal working lathes, nothing for wood.
Bil lD
Honestly, for small electrics, I'm kinda like Erik...the tools I use a lot are primarily Festool plus a DeWalt router. The "occasional need" tools are HFT Bauer with one piece of Ridgid. The actual quality on a lot of mass market tools is sometimes better than it used to be. If I were a contractor, I'd not go that route, but as an individual, it makes sense financially to do so.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...