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Thread: $5k to start my woodshop

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
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    Mid-Michigan
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    269
    Quote Originally Posted by Rod Sheridan View Post
    Step 1 is dust collection, if you're going to move things around then a portable 2 HP dust collector with a HEPA filter would be a good place to start.
    Agree, I wouldn't move into a new space without first planning for dust collection.

    I'd start with the SawStop, a DC, and a router. Make a crosscut sled for the TS as your first project. Build a dedicated table or TS extension for the router as your second project. Add tools as you start to extend your reach. I use my CMS frequently and added a thickness planer last year. On the horizon for me are a drill press and then a jointer. Maybe a track saw.

    Don't undersize the DC, either. Do some calculations and buy it once.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Peoria, IL
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    4,445
    It would help to know if you plan to cut up a lot of plywood and make cabinets, or work mostly in hardwood and intend to build furniture, or do turning and a little craft work.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Location
    Denver
    Posts
    142
    Jim stole my thunder as usual. The best advise is to buy tools based on what and how you build. Don't but anything because you think you will use it. Second, don't compromise on your purchases. The tools I bought that were just so-so are all gone now and have been replaced with quality. Better to save up and wait.

  4. If I'm spending your money it looks like this:

    Band saw - preferably cast, minimum 16" but 20"+ would be more better
    Planer - definately cast, 12" - straight knives
    Router Table & Lift - pick your poison (Incra is very nice)

    At that point assess remaining budget and needs. Dust collection, probably next move. If you decide you can't live without a table saw that would be my next move - however, under no circumstances would I drop Saw Stop money - much better vintage options out there for much less. Won't touch the safety aspect other than to say if you can't run a table saw safely you don't have any business around the rest (which doesn't have SS tech).

    Down the road further a 12" jointer (in the mean time you can use your hand planes to get a flat enough reference surface to run through your planer). Next, depending on how you build I'd be looking towards a stand alone mortising tool (Domino or Hollow chisel).

  5. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Jake Hillestad View Post

    if you can't run a table saw safely you don't have any business around the rest

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Florida
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    1,950
    Quote Originally Posted by Erik Loza View Post
    For now: Bandsaw (big as you can afford), jointer, and planer. You may not need a table saw at all but if you do, a contractor saw should be fine. A big table saw probably won't be necessary. I would not over-think the dust collection. Any single-bagger should get you by. Hope this helps,

    Erik
    id second this. I say all the time I could build most of what I do with a decent sized jointer/planer, a decent sized band saw and a router. Toss in a track saw and a basic dust collector and you’d have a nice start that fits in a single garage bay.

    don’t forget a work bench/table.

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
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    9,889
    Watch craiglist for used breaker panels, all the same make, I would have at least one sub panel on the opposite end of the shop from the main service panel. Also watch for heavy cable at least #8 to supply the sub panel. You may want a 50 amp welder, car charger outlet some day.
    I recommend Square D, QO panels and breakers. Still being made and the 1955 breakers fit fine. It is cheaper to install a GFCI receptacle and daisy chain off it then to buy a GFCI breaker.
    Bil lD

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Lancaster, PA
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    75
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    Instead of approaching things from a "here's my budget" standpoint...zero in on what you absolutely must have for that first project. Why? Because you'll waste less money that way. And don't forget hand tools. Those and the skills they use are really important even when one is primarily machine based. Being in the habit early will greatly improve your work over time. Many smaller "first" projects don't really require big machinery, but they do benefit from the finesse work that hand tools bring. And yea...a proper, level and flat work surface is NOT optional. It doesn't have to be fancy, but it does need to be flat, level and sturdy.
    That's a fantastic point, Jim! I might zero in on the first 2-3 projects instead of just the first one. They're all on the "honey-do" list, so none are optional

    I guess technically my first "project" is going to be an outfeed/assembly table. I've been watching some youtube videos on some ideas, and a torsion box assembly table seems to fit the bill.

  9. #24
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    Sep 2016
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    Modesto, CA, USA
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    For a gfci outlet I prefer to have the gfci inside and daisy chain to a outside outlet. It is a little less convenient but the gfci stays nice and dry and does not fail from moisture. I have had two fail from moisture under proper weather resistant covers. there is no snow or ice and only 15 inches of rain here in about four months total rainy season.
    Bill D.

  10. #25
    I'm not going to give recommendations, other than to get things as you need them. And to accept the fact outright that you are going to sometimes acquire the wrong tool or at the wrong level of quality. We all do. That is how we learn what we should have done. I don't know that I did the right things in acquiring my tools. I know I definitely made some mistakes. And I will likely make more in the future.

    Rather than make recommendations, which will likely not match your interests or needs, I'll just describe what my early shop years were like. I know I didn't do everything right, but I didn't know any better at the time either

    My first all-my-own-tools shop (mid 1990s) consisted of my dad's old 1956 9" Craftsman table saw with a 1hp motor and a slightly wobbly arbor, an old 1940's Craftsman stationary scroll saw, one of those gawd-awful Craftsman 6" jointers with the non-adjustable outfeed table, and a 1948 Delta drill press the old man resurrected from the dead. I had a maroon Stanley block plane and some Sears chisels and a few clamps, and that was about it for woodworking tools. I did have a fair amount of mechanic's tools and a good Milwaukee 3/8 drill.

    And yet with that assortment of tools, one that most here would probably leave on the side of the road. I made quite a bit of furniture--still used in my house-- both with solid wood and sheet goods. I think my first acquisitions were a Craftsman circular saw, scroll saw, and a Milwaukee cordless drill. After a while I bought a set of blue plastic handled Marples wood chisels and picked up a Defiance smoothing plane. I had worked in shops at the University while at school, so I was familiar with Unisaws and industrial level tools, but they were leagues out of my budget at the time.

    My first "big" purchase was a new 1996 14" Delta cast iron saw from the famous, but now defunct 7 Corner's Hardware (local to me) at one of their tent sales. There used to be an unusually good used tool store locally, and I picked up things used here and there, like a 70s 1/4" B&D router, bits of tooling, clamps, and other assorted items.

    When I started trying to do Mission style furniture in white oak (up to then I had just used pine and 2x material), I realized that the 9" saw with its 1hp motor wasn't up to the challenge. I acquired a used 1968 Rockwell Unisaw in need of a serious rebuilding. I had considered getting a new 10" Jet 3hp cabinet saw, but back then I thought that "old arn" was automatically better than "imported Asian junk" That was probably my first big purchase mistake. I rebuilt the Unisaw, swapped out the 3 phase motor for a single phase one, and enjoyed a massive upgrade over the old saw. I ended up spending basically the same as the new Jet, but the fact is the Unisaw was in rough shape; the miter slots were worn, and the top had a 1/16" dip in the center. The new Jet would have been a much smarter purchase. (despite that, I used that saw until about 2 years ago at which time I combined it with another parts-Unisaw in much better shape).

    I also stared using rough lumber at this point and picked up a 12" Powermatic bench top planer. After coming down with Red Cedar Asthma, I realized the importance of dust collection and bought a used 1 HP Jet dust collector. A 10" Makita SCMS also appeared, along with various smaller tools, like a router for a router table, RO sanders, biscuit jointer, and the like. Clamps were picked up as needed, along with chisels and hand tools, and I built my first Frid bench, along with my assembly/outfeed table.

    Fast forward a few years and I am in the new house and have built my first all-my-own space, a fourteen and a half by twenty one foot shop with a nine foot ceiling. Someone knew someone who was moving to England on the quick and needed to unload their woodshop fast. The old man and I went over, looked at everything and gave a low but fair offer that reflected the fact that neither of us really "needed" anything offered for sale. I ended up with a 6" open stand Jet jointer and some assorted other tools. The old man got a drill press, 13" Delta Planer, and my brother got a 10" Delta contractor saw. I upgraded the Powermatic planer to a 3HP Grizzly 15" when I decided to make white pine bevel siding for the house, rationalizing that it was cheaper than buying new cedar siding (it was) and the the Powermatic probably couldn't handle it (it probably could have, but man I like that Grizzly). The 1hp collector could not keep up with the 15" planer, so I upgraded to a 3hp Oneida cyclone.

    I'll stop there. I have since moved out to the exurbs and built a 24' x 28' shop. I've picked up and inherited more stationary tools since then, and bought about 3 dozen planes, and several sets of chisels, and shelves full of tooing. I mostly wanted to give an idea of how a 25+ year shop journey went. I don't know if acquired the right things in the right order; I probably will never know. The point is, you don't have to start out with everything, and get the best of everything. I certainly didn't have that kind kind of budget, and 3 kids later, I still don't

  11. #26
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Lancaster, Ohio
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    1,346
    "Won't touch the safety aspect other than to say if you can't run a table saw safely you don't have any business around the rest (which doesn't have SS tech)"

    Obviously you are perfect and have never made a mistake or accident. So therefore you don't have any need for insurance on your automobiles, house or anything else you own.

    The rest of us people on this planet are human and make mistakes, have lapses of attention and are not perfect in every way!

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Porter,TX
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    1,520
    I think that a person should deal with one machine at a time and not look for a complete shop overnight. Since most would say that TS should be front and center I would focus on just that getting it setup with out feed tables,router station and maybe cabinets underneath. Yep you can make your cabinets under the out feed table but HF sells tool cabinets with drawers pretty dang cheap and don't have to paint them. I know some don't care for miter saws but I like them, lets say your building yourself a good entertainment center and you want to embellish it with crown or some fancy trim. Nothing better than a good 45 with that perfect miter,I also like to use stair balusters on corners of maybe entertainment center or maybe Mantel. Again miter saw would help out,but you can but those folding stands for miter saw so when not in use you be able to put it away. Myself I have a miter saw work station,which I use it lot when I was going at it. Now another area of woodworking that is often over look is finishing.What about spray equipment,which there is a wide range of prices. So that should take care of your budget.
    Now if you should go with a good ole Unisaw or a older PM66 you will be able to go little farther with your budget.

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    beavercreek oh
    Posts
    121
    There's a 5 hp PM 66 on Craigslist in your area for $1500 0b0 with some extras. I would be very interested in that. (I have a PM 66 and love it), There's also a Bridgewood 15 inch planer for $695, don't know anything about them. I believe there was also a PM bandsaw same seller as planer

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    Los Angeles, California
    Posts
    961
    You'll get a lot of opinions here, many contradictory, so evaluate them with the idea that there is no right or wrong--there are many ways of building stuff using many different tools and each of us has their own method.

    First, I'd get the biggest and baddest table saw that you can afford right now. I agree with the much maligned comment that if you don't know how to safely operate a table saw, then a SawStop won't save you. I agree with Mike that there are bigger, better and cheaper table saws out there on the used market for under $1,500 like a Unisaw, Oliver, Powermatic, General and the like. Just look at Craigslist over the next few months and don't be in a hurry. I would add three things to your table saw which I think are essential. (1) An attached outfeed table. HTC makes one, and you can make your own. Its great for sheet goods and long lumber. (2) As you mentioned, a mobile base. Again, HTC is a good brand. (2) Remove one of the saw wings and substitute a router table. There are a few models which work for SawStop. One of my first projects would be to make a couple cross cut sleds, a large one and smaller one for small pieces. Make them dead 100% accurate. Lots of videos on them but William Ng made the best one, accurate to 4 thousands of an inch. A good cross cut sled may spare you the expense of a miter saw station, by the way.

    Second, a bandsaw. This is, other than hand tools, the safest cutting tool in the shop. A small 14", while not capable of re-sawing, will serve you well and is my third most used power tool, simply because it is so safe. You can find these used for under $1,000 on Craigslist easy.

    Third, a miter saw. This is my second most used tool in the shop for cross cuts. As noted above, if you make a couple cross cut sleds, this might not be necessary.

    Fourth, hand tools. I'd buy new, not used, Lie-Neilsen planes (No. 4 or 5) and a No. 7 Jointer Plane. You then can avoid buying a planer and joiner. Invest in some good chisels (imperial size like Veritas), three hand saws (rip, crosscut and dovetail). Buy a grinder to sharpen them and some water stones, running from 200 to 1000 grit. Sharp tools are safe tools. I would take a class in hand tool sharpening and hand tools. You are lucky, there are several good schools in your area like Lohr and the Pennsylvania Guild. When I was 14 years old, I worked with a carpenter who could build an entire house using a wooden tool chest filled with 2 saws, 3 planes, a dozen chisels, and layout tools. If you want cheap and compact, hand tools are a great option, and they are much safer and you don't need dust collection. There is a guy on this site named Mike Allen who has a shop in a one car garage, with a car and builds incredible furniture using only hand tools. Do a search for some of his posts. You may want to PM and set up a call.

    I would not buy a planer or joiner. Your hardwood supplier will have both and they will be super big and accurate, and they can thickness plane and joint the wood for you. In a pinch, use your hand tools.

    Bill had a good suggestion which is to wire your shop for 240v. Most good power tools run off 240v. Also, Rod and Marc had a good suggestion to plan now for dust collection.
    Regards,

    Tom

  15. #30
    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Selzer View Post
    "Won't touch the safety aspect other than to say if you can't run a table saw safely you don't have any business around the rest (which doesn't have SS tech)"

    Obviously you are perfect and have never made a mistake or accident. So therefore you don't have any need for insurance on your automobiles, house or anything else you own.

    The rest of us people on this planet are human and make mistakes, have lapses of attention and are not perfect in every way!
    Uh, yeah, sure - very cogent argument you've put forth. I wish you and your Saw Stop well....hopefully its the only machine you use as a crutch to compensate for your lapses in attention.

    OP - lots of good advice, good luck with your search.

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