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Thread: Going Neander' Well, probably mostly... or at least a lot more...

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Forest Lake MN
    Posts
    340
    I too use half of a two car garage that I share with my wifes SUV, a riding mower, and in the winter a snow blower so I really get your space issue. Nearly all my floor and wall space is very carefully designed to get the most possible out of it included lots of mobile or take down type sets ups.

    I would hate to give up my band saw, I use it for more than just general wood working though, its also used a lot to cut carving blanks. Foot print is small and its on wheels so can be moved easily.

    My SCMS could go without being missed much, it has a folding stand and lives on a shelf much of the time so not that big a deal to keep it around and I have brackets to mount other tools on that stand as well so it will likely stick around. I would miss it about zero for day to day wood working though I sure would have missed it last weekend when I rebuilt our deck. My router table is bench top type and lives on a shelf next to the SCMS however has not left that shelf in 3 or so years, I have been debating freeing up that shelf space.

    I dont have a cabinet saw, I do have a job site saw with a stand I made and infeed and outfeed tables that snap onto saw horses. It also lives on a shelf some of the time though is left set up probably have the time anyway. I would love a cabinet saw but in my half of a two car garage it just was not going to work without giving up other tools to getting too crowded.

    Ive got a mini lathe that for a long time lived on a shelf and was mounted to a jaw horse to work. I built it a very heavy sand filled stand a couple years ago when I used it a lot. Honestly I wish I had kept the previous set up so it could also be used in the driveway in the summer, it was stable enough anyway. That floor space it looking more and more valuable by the day. I could see a dedicated carving station there with enough storage to get my carving stuff out of the tool cabinet, store the lathe, stand, all the lathe stuff and my shop vac underneath.

    I do also have a full size drill press, its not used a ton but handy to have and very small foot print.

    If I get rid of the bench top router table that shelf spot will likely go to a lunchbox style planer.

    I also would not want to ditch my

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Madison, Wisconsin
    Posts
    283
    Quote Originally Posted by Curt Putnam View Post
    I'm finding it difficult to precisely do something like rip 1/8" from the length of a 23" piece.
    For taking a small amount off the width, I find it pretty quick to mark with a gauge and take a few swipes with a scrub plane, then follow up as needed with my#5. Much faster and more accurate for me than trying to saw off 1/8 inch.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    central tx
    Posts
    589
    Dowd's tools from Dallas comes down once or twice a year, they are super nice and if you call ahead of time they can bring stuff down for you. They will be here in the fall if this show happens: https://texaswoodworkingfestival.com/

    I bought a mitre box w/saw and a Bedrock #3 from them last year.




    Quote Originally Posted by Erich Weidner View Post
    I haven't had much luck finding tool shows locally. And I don't have time to seek out garage or estate sales currently. I read about the midwest tool shows with envy. Here in central Texas I'm not aware of any.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Carlsbad, CA
    Posts
    2,227
    Blog Entries
    2
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    They were likely in much better shape, not to mention the training, than an old fart like me.

    That is the reason for my suggestion to purchase a bunch of saws cheaply to experiment with different tooth counts.

    Then one can find a particular tooth count that works for them or they may find they like different tooth counts for different types of wood.

    jtk
    Hi Erich, welcome to the Neander world! Good luck with your journey – you can definitely do it! In the beginning of transitioning from power tools to hand tools, fear of the unknown is often the biggest obstacle in making the transition – "oh no, how will I possibly do X task without stationary power tools?". As you begin actually building projects, I think you will be generally surprised about how fast, accurate and enjoyable hand tool woodworking is. I just finished a couple simple shelves for storage in the garage out of construction grade Whitewood and plywood and really enjoyed the project – even ended up planing all the solid lumber just because it was fun!

    You raised a bunch of really good, practical questions that are super relevant for someone interested in transitioning from stationary power tools to a more hand tool friendly shop.A couple thoughts for your consideration:

    * The foundation of the preindustrial woodworkers basic sawn nest is three saws: 5 1/2 PPI ripsaw (either 26 or 28 inch), 8 PPI crosscut for breaking down rough materials and 10 – 12 PPI crosscut for finished materials. A 5 1/2 PPI ripsaw will definitely be faster/easier than 7PPI in anything > 1/2" thick. You can do basically all lumber dimensioning with these three saws.. Just like hand planes, others saws that are optimized for specific tasks, like crosscutting 6 x 6 post, a 5-7 PPI crosscut would definitely be more efficient.

    * I rip anything 6/4 thickness or less by hand when it's convenient. Otherwise to do the vast majority of ripping on the bandsaw and get straight, parallel edges that clean up quickly with the jointer plane.

    * Trading in your tablesaw for the best band saw you can afford, is the best transition you can make to a hand tool shop. It saves a ton of floor space and allows you to do re-sawing for book matched panels etc. Only exception would be if you work with a lot of plywood for case goods, cabinets etc. Can't beat the tablesaw for that. Personally I don't use plywood much and got rid of my tablesaw 20+ years ago and have never regretted it.

    * For me, drill press is very helpful in roughing out mortises and doesn't take a lot of floor space.

    Good luck with the journey – you got the right attitude. Look forward to hearing about your progress.

    Best, Mike

  5. #20
    I've always felt that the nicest 16" - 20" band saw you can get yourself into and a solid 12" planer are the perfect compliments to a Neander focused shop as far as eliminating grunt work is concerned. Add in a lathe if you like turning and you're set.

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Posts
    495
    Quote Originally Posted by Thomas Crawford View Post
    They will be here in the fall if this show happens: https://texaswoodworkingfestival.com/
    "The Texas Woodworking Festival is a event that can best be described as a mix of a beer festival and a woodworking-themed farmers market." Sold! I'm in. I hope it doesn't get cancelled.

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Posts
    495
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Allen1010 View Post
    * For me, drill press is very helpful in roughing out mortises and doesn't take a lot of floor space.
    I forgot in my original list, I do have a drill press. The few times I've needed to drill through metal, really glad to have it. For woodworking, the last time I remember using it was to cut some hardwood plugs for hiding screw heads. I like the idea of it, but I have used it so little, I don't know if it justifies its floor space. (It is mounted on a wheeled platform so I can move it out of the way). I've so far not be interested in drilling out mortises vs. chopping them out. But I've only done a dozen or so to date. So maybe I'll get tired of it some day, but not yet.

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Posts
    495
    My current table saw "setup"...
    2020-07-03 18.55.30.jpg

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Posts
    495
    I sold the table saw today. Happy day. I really want that floor space back.
    Now, I just have to disassemble to the point we can lift it into the buyer's truck bed.

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Dec 2019
    Location
    The old pueblo in el norte.
    Posts
    1,844
    Congrats! Mine was used as a table for many years..
    ~mike

    happy in my mud hut

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    South Coastal Massachusetts
    Posts
    6,824
    If you don't have time to build a wooden storage box for handtools, a secondhand blanket chest will serve.

  12. #27
    When I mentioned getting rid of my TS to my wife, I got the stink eye. She remembers how happy I was when I got it. I'm going to turn my TS into an assembly table instead of getting rid of it. It's on wheels already! I don't own a thickness planer but I own 19x38 drum sander for making things parallel. If the TS sits idle for a few years, I'll sell it and get a better band saw.

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Posts
    495
    Richard, Yes, my wife was initially surprised as well. But given how many hand tool things she's seen me watch this year, maybe not very surprised. I got 70% of new so I didn't loose my shirt on the deal.
    Also, since I acquired a lathe I desperately need space to get it out of the way. Shop tetris has been much more difficult since the lathe joined the stable.

  14. #29
    I am in the same boat. Am really trying hard not to use my table saw. I might sell it.

    I will retain much jointer/planer and bandsaw. These two tools are so versatile and take up so little floor space.

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Posts
    495
    Quote Originally Posted by Prashun Patel View Post
    I am in the same boat. Am really trying hard not to use my table saw. I might sell it.

    I will retain much jointer/planer and bandsaw. These two tools are so versatile and take up so little floor space.
    Hehe I didn't have to try very hard. As the shop got fuller, the game of shop tetris to get the TS into position meant the first 10-15 minutes of handsawing was "free".
    We shall see how long I last before feeling a need for the bandsaw. With the TS gone, I can store the lathe and a BS where the TS used to be with a bit of room to spare. But (significant but) this area will be occupied by my future 8' long bench. So I'm going to see how I get along with neither TS nor BS.

    I shall report back on this thread in a few projects time if I regret the sale.

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