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Thread: Thoughts on selecting appropriate "sized" power equipment

  1. #46
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Bender View Post
    I need to disagree with some about the drill press. A floor model is not a waste of space, it takes up only 2 square feet. However planting a monument on a bench top will really compromise that bench. When you want to drill in the end of a post or into the top of a cabinet or bench you will appreciate the floor model. .
    I honestly agree with this, although there are certainly situations where bench top is the only practical solution for some tight shop situations, including some that share small space with vehicles.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  2. #47
    Have to agree on the necessity for a good, stable drill press. My DP is the most used machine I own. I use it for metal work, wood work and even for hand plane and clock restorations. Since quill travel and minimum runout were key, I bought the biggest and most capable DP that I could afford and a floor model was essential.

  3. #48
    The little home shop machinery will do fine for you. You just might have to work a little slower than if you had professional equipment. It's like the lunch box planer, you might only be able to take off 1/32" at a time where a professional planer could take off 1/8" at at time. Both will do the job but if you had a huge amount of wood to surface you would have to keep an eye on the temperature of the motor on the lunch box planer. It would get hot after a while and you would have to let it cool off. I started off with one of those lunch box planers and today have it sitting right next to a 2 ton 24" planer. The little planer will surface a little smoother and surface shorter pieces of wood than the 24" so I continue to use both machines.

  4. #49
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Location
    Michigan, USA
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    548
    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Bender View Post
    Build a tool cabinet to clear some space.

    Attachment 418992
    Tom,

    Some day, I hope to have furniture that nice in our master bedroom!

  5. #50
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Alberta
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    2,162
    Jay I know how hard it is to figure out what you need in a shop. After 25 years of buying and selling and upgrading I have some experience in this . I like what you are doing with your purchases so far. The bandsaw is an excellent purchase,that is one you will probably never need to sell. My advice is to keep buying used. First it is way cheaper than new and secondly if you need to sell to move up to a better or bigger machine you can usually get most of your money back. I save money and buy whatever is on my list when I find a good deal. Enjoy the journey.

  6. #51
    I would rather put more emphasis (aka$$$) toward a longbed jointer and live through the 12” planers which are under rated in IMO. Assuming you want to work with rough lumber. Good luck!

  7. #52
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    MA
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    2,255
    I will chime in here, because these type of answers are really only a collection of personal opinions. 1) Personal and 2) opinions. You will have to figure out our own path, but it is great to hear the path that others have taken. PLUS, I love to give my own OPINION

    The thought that you cannot make great furniture on smaller equipment is fallacy. My first few projects were a borrowed router and a cheap contractor saw at work. Some build works of art with zero power tools.

    Plus, I do not subscribed to the philosophy of paying more than you can afford, thousands of dollars in some cases, starting out when you dont really even know all the different ways you like to work. Again just an opinion. Plus I do not like the idea of going broke to feed a HOBBY. Figure out what your budget can afford as a hobby. You CAN have fun and do great work with less than $30,000 investment. For certain, you can.

    Also note that in this day and age things change. My workshop space changed several times over the years, which impacted what type of tools were practical. Once I sold off my entire shop for an overseas move, only to replace it all later when I moved back to the states.

    As for individual pieces, my personal journey which served me just fine.

    I added a band saw much later than most here. Was fine with that.

    I went with a contractor saw and a good fence for many years. It was tuned nicely and worked well. For sure I enjoyed the cabinet saw upgrade later, but the contractor saw served me well.

    For me, I built a router table fairly early on. It was the type of work I was doing at the time (small boxes, picture frames, etc). Although before the router table I had a small lunchbox planer (which was fine, and I could store under the bench of my tight shop space), and a benchtop jointer which worked surprising well (a cheap Ryobi, but dang that thing worked well). I am likely not the norm here, but it is rare than I joint the edge of anything more than 4 ft long. And 90% is less than 2ft long. If you can straight rip with a track saw I believe a shorter planer bed will serve fine for a long time.

    If I had space, I would NOT get a planer/jointer combo. I find the switchover to be annoying, and the way I work is always one piece to go back and remake. Part of this is because I use a combo TS machine so the switchover is worse. But starting out, I would use benchtop units and tuck them away for a few years before sinking what... $2k to $3k into a decent combo machine?

    I went without a drill press for a long time. I had good hand drills. Then again got a benchtop DP then later a floor mount. They are cheap on CL (as are 14" bandsaws)

    More important (to me) than machines are some decent hand tools, and a workbench. These will not be cheap. Also I agree build some storage cabinets. And of course lumber. It all adds up to $$.

    Of course these are just my own experiences and others will have very different experiences and are free to claim I do it all 'wrong'. Yes, of course I do. Some great advice on this forum, but at the end of the day you will have to choose your own journey and the journey often is as fun as the end result (some people enjoy building fancy shops and never use them much, others build what I consider to be art forms, others are more utilitarian with intent, some want to use all hand tools, some are professionals trying to make money and be efficient, etc..... it does become a philosophical journey.

  8. #53
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    Carl, you're absolutely correct that it's not the tool...it's the woodworker. That said, there can be some advantages to better/bigger equipment when that's possible for the woodworker in that sometimes a feature or a level of precision or a capacity/capability or something else makes it easier and cleaner for something to be created without work-arounds. It's a balancing act. My opinion is that in general, tool quality for the money matters first because early replacements cost you far more than investing in something better up-front. And better doesn't necessarily mean larger physically. I also agree that there are often good opportunities in the used market for budget conscious folks to acquire some really nice stuff...it can take patience, but is worthy for sure.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  9. #54
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Michigan
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    2,758
    This journey is a little like learning golf, buying one club at a time. You can get around the course with a 5 iron,,,but adding a putter will make a big difference. Once you have a handful of clubs another one will help less.

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