Small shop upgrades

[Matthew Carver]

I've budgeted about $1k to upgrade tools in in my shop so I don't have to rely on others in town and be at home when I do wood working. I mainly build furniture for my home from rough sawn lumber, mostly black walnut.

I'd appreciate recommendations on what to upgrade. I've already purchased a DeWalt contractor saw to replace my terrible craftsman cheapy.

thanks for any advice.

[Marshall Harrison]

Its hard to suggest upgrades without know what you have now.

Plus this will be very subjective with lots of opinions. For example some will say that your Dewalt upgrade is a lateral move and not an upgrade. Others will say your budget is too low. I'm sure the guys here can help you but just wanted you to be aware of what you are getting into with such abroad question.

Good luck and congratulations on the upgrades.

[Matthew Carver]

Thats fair. I was hoping to illicit unbiased opinion. My budget is the budget though. Thats why I'm seeking advice on how to maximize it. I'm considering jointer, wet stones, saw blades, router setup. I have a craftsman router/table. I have some good chisels and planes but not enough wet stones. I know I need some better saw blades.

[Carlos Alvarez]

I was hoping to illicit unbiased opinion.

Hahahaha, on a woodworker's forum? Have you glanced at, say, the Saw Stop thread...?? LOL

$1k isn't much, but you work with what you have. I used to have the Dewalt saw and built things with it that I shouldn't have. I used it as a jointer for a 4-piece hard maple glue-up that required cutting from both sides of 8/4. Hard work, but it turned out nicely. If it's what you can afford, then I'd also budget some for a dial indicator and T-fitting that can go in rail slots and spend plenty of time getting the saw really lined up accurately.

Saw blades are a good investment. But even there it's hard to say which will give you the most improvement since we don't know what sort of cuts you do most, or what you have now. Same with the other tools.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I've bought my power tools secondhand, it's a great way to get the most for the money but it is slower. I find that estate auctions and Craigslist are my best sources. I looked for years for a larger bandsaw that I could afford that had more throat depth than the 14" Rockwell, and finally a couple of years ago I got an 18" Jet bandsaw for $320 at an auction right in my own town. The jointer I have now is a Craftsman 6" cheapy that I got for $50 on Craigslist, and it has done a lot of work for me. It's not as good as a long bed jointer, but it's good enough for me for now, anyway. If you prefer to buy new tools that's something I have a lot less experience with, but I'm sure it can be a good way to go.
Zach

[Art Mann]

You still haven't told us what tools you already have. How can we recommend upgrades? Upgrades to what?

[Matthew Carver]

I do a lot of miter. I've played with lock miter bits also. Thanks for your thoughts.

[Matthew Carver]

You still haven't told us what tools you already have. How can we recommend upgrades? Upgrades to what?

Tools I have, craftsman router, craftsman compound miter, two sets of chisels, bench plane, no 8 stanley plane, standard cordless home imporovment tools, drill press, wen band saw, wen thickness planer, air compresser, dust deputy. Lots of other miscellaneous.

hope that helps.

[Carlos Alvarez]

I agree on the used tools. I picked up a Unisaw, which replaced the Dewalt, for $500 used. It needed cleanup but didn't need any repairs.

How happy are you with your compound miter? To me, that's one of the most important and useful tools in the shop. I have a pretty high end 12" SCMS, and while it's expensive, it has also made me very happy with the precision and capability it has. Being able to drop a big rough-sawn log into the thing is often useful.

Could you use a planer? I see older basic ones going for $250 on CL all the time.

[Matthew Carver]

I agree on the used tools. I picked up a Unisaw, which replaced the Dewalt, for $500 used. It needed cleanup but didn't need any repairs.

How happy are you with your compound miter? To me, that's one of the most important and useful tools in the shop. I have a pretty high end 12" SCMS, and while it's expensive, it has also made me very happy with the precision and capability it has. Being able to drop a big rough-sawn log into the thing is often useful.

Could you use a planer? I see older basic ones going for $250 on CL all the time.

I am happy with my compound miter. I have a Wen planer. It does okay. figured wood it chips out quite a bit.

[andy bessette]

...I'd appreciate recommendations on what to upgrade. I've already purchased a DeWalt contractor saw to replace my terrible craftsman cheapy...

Upgrade the DeWalt to a used Unisaw.

[Alan Heffernan]

Matt, I didn't see a table saw on your equipment list. If you do not yet have one, find a good used one and spend your budget on that. A decent table saw is the center of a decent shop. Buy the best one that your budget will allow and it will serve as the foundation for you to move forward.

[Matthew Carver]

Upgrade the DeWalt to a used Unisaw.

I probably would have but I don't have the space for one.

[Don Jarvie]

Instead of spending the 1k right away use it to buy things you need for projects. Ex, if you need more clams spend a few bucks and get some bigger clamps. A good combination square and tenon hand saw are good investments.

As your skills progress you will want to upgrade machines so wait until the band saw isnt big enough then upgrade.

For big stationary machines buy used and learn to restore them. You can save a ton of money.

[Carlos Alvarez]

I know "everyone" says that, but the TS is the least important tool in my shop. If I were starting over I'd concentrate on the other tools first.