Machinery...

[Michael J Evans]

I am curious as to what machines you consider essential to your hand tool wood working journey? I own a table saw and a chop saw. I don't ever user the chop saw and dislike using my table saw. It is a Craftsman 113 and the fence leaves a lot to be desired. But it's good for rough ripping jobs. I want to continue using mostly hand tools, but have been considering removing the table saw and getting a band saw and a planer. I find resawing by hand and thickness planing to be a real pita.
The reason I am thinking about a band saw is that I should theoretically be able to resaw and rip in one machine. I haven't done much research into band saws but if I were to buy one it would have to be fairly cheap, $500 and under. For a thickness planer, I would probably go with a DeWalt lunchbox style or something along those lines.

Hopefully this type of post isn't sacrilege here. But what machines make your journey more enjoyable?

Regards
Michael

[Erich Weidner]

I no longer own a bandsaw. But am thinking about picking one up. My tablesaw is buried under other things. My sliding compound miter saw hasn't been touched in months.
Seems like a lot of folks favor a bandsaw and lunchbox planer as the "assistant" power tools of choice. I had similar questions and got some good advice here.

[Jim Koepke]

The reason I am thinking about a band saw is that I should theoretically be able to resaw and rip in one machine. I haven't done much research into band saws but if I were to buy one it would have to be fairly cheap, $500 and under.

Get the best you can afford. My current bandsaw was purchased new. It is a 14" JET with 12" resaw ability. It can use up to a 3/4" blade.

If possible, a bigger one would have been purchased.

You will likely do well to purchase a used machine for the price range you list. Back in the SF area my knowledge of used machine dealers was much better than what is available in the Pacific Northwest.

If you are not in a hurry, so some research and hunt around. You never know if a school might be selling off old shop equipment.

This hunk of wood was a bit of work and took the building of some custom saw horses:

In Re-Saw Cut.jpg

My son-in-law, over on the right, helped. After cutting and planing this piece ended up 3"X10"X7'.

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

BTW, most neanders have some power tools.

My big three are bandsaw, drill press and a lathe. These are followed by cordless drills, belt sander, ROS and a saber saw used in about that order. All the others sit idle. The ROS and saber saw haven't been used in over a year.

jtk

[ken hatch]

BTW, most neanders have some power tools.

My big three are bandsaw, drill press and a lathe. These are followed by cordless drills, belt sander, ROS and a saber saw used in about that order. All the others sit idle. The ROS and saber saw haven't been used in over a year.

jtk

What Jim said.

Bandsaw would be the last to go, it is a must have. Drill press, lathe, and planer are all on about the same level, all nice to have but of the three the drill press would be most missed if not available.

ken

[Derek Cohen]

I am curious as to what machines you consider essential to your hand tool wood working journey?....I want to continue using mostly hand tools, but have been considering removing the table saw and getting a band saw and a planer. I find resawing by hand and thickness planing to be a real pita.
The reason I am thinking about a band saw is that I should theoretically be able to resaw and rip in one machine. I haven't done much research into band saws but if I were to buy one it would have to be fairly cheap, $500 and under. For a thickness planer, I would probably go with a DeWalt lunchbox style or something along those lines.

Hopefully this type of post isn't sacrilege here. But what machines make your journey more enjoyable?

Regards
Michael

Michael, to all those who guilt you into believing that any tool, and in this situation power machinery, is "sacrilege", say to them "phooeey"

There are some who wish to emulate 18th century woodworkers in every way possible. Good for them. There are those that want to do pocket hole joinery for everything. Good luck to them. You have to do what is helpful to you, and do it the best you can.

I take pride in my hand skills, and I prefer traditional joinery. I use hand planes 95% of the time, but I own a couple of ROS (an old Festo along with a recent-ish Mirka), and they get used where appropriate. We have enough debates and sides taken over hand planes, tool steel, and sharpening. Everyone just loves to belong to a side or team. We do not need more religious zealots in woodworking.

Use the power machinery that you want to. You do not need to justify or apologise for them. Just purchase the best you can afford, and then enjoy it.

I have some great apprentices, after a number of upgrades over many years. The ones I consider the most useful are these three (combo jointer-thicknesser, drill press, and bandsaw) ...



Regards from Perth

Derek

[Michael J Evans]

Get the best you can afford. My current bandsaw was purchased new. It is a 14" JET with 12" resaw ability. It can use up to a 3/4" blade.

If possible, a bigger one would have been purchased.

You will likely do well to purchase a used machine for the price range you list. Back in the SF area my knowledge of used machine dealers was much better than what is available in the Pacific Northwest.

If you are not in a hurry, so some research and hunt around. You never know if a school might be selling off old shop equipment.

This hunk of wood was a bit of work and took the building of some custom saw horses:

In Re-Saw Cut.jpg

My son-in-law, over on the right, helped. After cutting and planing this piece ended up 3"X10"X7'.

jtk

Hi Jim
Yes I would definitely buy used. I have no qualms over used machinery or tools. I've been watching craiglist and Facebook for the last couple weeks just seeing what's within a hour or so of me. I'm semi local to you in the Portland metro and not much has been available. I'm not ready to buy anyways, so I'll do some research on what can rip and resaw half decently.

[Michael J Evans]

I no longer own a bandsaw. But am thinking about picking one up. My tablesaw is buried under other things. My sliding compound miter saw hasn't been touched in months.
Seems like a lot of folks favor a bandsaw and lunchbox planer as the "assistant" power tools of choice. I had similar questions and got some good advice here.

Thanks Erich. Good read.

[Michael J Evans]

Thanks Derek. I agree that people shouldn't pick sides. I originally got into hand tools, out of necessity aka budget, I needed to plane some items, and couldn't afford a planer. Stumbled upon Paul sellers and went down the rabbit hole. I thoroughly enjoy the challenge that hand tools methods present. But sometimes I just want to get a project done, and with two boys and a full time job, time is limited.

[John Gornall]

Tools have evolved. Some changes driven by marketing new techniques. Were no router tables or dominoes. Most joinery was done on the table saw. Tenons that fit in slots or dadoes all cut on table saw. Confusing what techniques to use and which tools to buy for new woodworkers. Yesterday in my shop all bench work with hand tools. Last week cabinets of plywood on tablesaw. And that new track saw to break up sheets saved the old shoulders from humping full sheets thru the tablesaw. Choices are vast.

[ken hatch]

Tools have evolved. Some changes driven by marketing new techniques. Were no router tables or dominoes. Most joinery was done on the table saw. Tenons that fit in slots or dadoes all cut on table saw. Confusing what techniques to use and which tools to buy for new woodworkers. Yesterday in my shop all bench work with hand tools. Last week cabinets of plywood on tablesaw. And that new track saw to break up sheets saved the old shoulders from humping full sheets thru the tablesaw. Choices are vast.

John,

You bring up a good point. As far as I can see there is a divide, those that use sheet goods and those that don't. It's hard to work sheet goods without a tablesaw, can be done with tracksaws but a PITA to work that way. If you do not work sheet goods there is no need for a tablesaw, a bandsaw will do all the tablesaw jobs safer and uses a lot less floor space.

ken

[Andrew Seemann]

Resawing and thicknessing tend to be the most time and energy consuming parts of hand tool woodworking. You can make an argument that they are foundational, and help develop skills and muscle memory and such, but myself (and likely many other people), basically find them miserable to do for more than a little while and a waste of the limited time I have for woodworking. If I am going to work by hand, I want to do joinery or final surface planing, not something that a motor can to a much better job of in a quarter of the time.

My vote would be a bandsaw (or two) and a thickness planer. They give you the most return in time and energy saved in hand tool woodworking.

[Jim Matthews]

Physical limitations should come into play, when choosing tools. Ripping boards longer than 20", or more than 3" in thickness wrecks my hands.

Drilling lotsa holes is "boring" by definition.

Power drills and mobile bandsaws are not just time savers, as your joints wear out.

****

Planing, cutting joinery and carving - that's the fun stuff.

[Derek Cohen]

Physical limitations should come into play, when choosing tools. Ripping boards longer than 20", or more than 3" in thickness wrecks my hands.

Drilling lotsa holes is "boring" by definition.

Power drills and mobile bandsaws are not just time savers, as your joints wear out.

****

Planing, cutting joinery and carving - that's the fun stuff.

I identify with this, Jim.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Curt Putnam]

I knew at the outset that I did NOT want to rip (more than a few inches) by nor did I want to hand plane to a thickness. I thought that, between a track saw and bandsaw that I could do what the tablesaw did. I sold the miter saw, 6" jointer, and Ridgid tablesaw. I am now finding that the track saw is not of much value when dealing real wood (as opposed to sheet goods.) I have yet to discover whether it is me, the blade, or the saw but I am not finding the bandsaw useful for ripping 0.125" off a piece that is 27" long and 2.625" wide.

I now have a track saw w/MFT, a Dewalt 735 planer, a Grizzly g0513X2 17" bandsaw and a Ridgid 15501 drill press and tend to really miss the table saw. My fenced jointer plane makes short work of cleaning up a band sawn edge. I have yet to miss the jointer or the miter saw.

It may be that I am old and feeble, both of mind and body or it may be that a TS is really, really useful for accurate stock dimensioning. I am going to buy a carbide tipped blade for the bandsaw and see what difference that makes. I would love not to have spend the money or to use up the space a TS would take.

I hope this ramble has been of some value.