Tools for my workshop?

[John K Jordan]

I agree that what you want to use the shop for can quickly narrow down the tools that will be useful and can fit into the space. I don't know if this was mentioned, but if I had just one saw it would be a bandsaw. A bandsaw is useful for almost any type of woodworking. I find it an essential tool for woodturning, making jigs and patterns, resawing, repairing things. The 14" saws these days seem pretty good and many can cut 12" thick stock or green wood.

JKJ

[Jim Dwight]

I have a bandsaw on order but I've been getting by for several years without one. I had a smaller one before that. I use a Bosch jigsaw at the moment for curved cuts. I believe Bosch is recognized for having very good jigsaws but I'm sure there are other good ones. There is a huge difference between a Bosch and a simple homeowner quality jigsaw.

If you are planning to work on sheetgoods or big pieces of lumber, I would have a track saw on the list before the bandsaw. Especially in a limited space it is great to be able to accurately cut large pieces without moving them through the saw. I believe the Wen is the least expensive but it might make sense to step up to a Makita or DeWalt because they are available with tracks significantly longer than a sheet of plywood. But you can join two shorter tracks and use a Wen. That raises the question of buying once or upgrading later. If you buy the Wen, it might not be your last track saw purchase.

I agree completely about buying tools as you need them. You would be able to make a lot of furniture with what you apparently already have. If you add a track saw, a good jigsaw and possibly a better sander you will be able to do a bit more and do it more quickly. I recommend a Bosch 1250DEVS sander. It is not cheap unless you compare it to a Festool Rotex which has the same capabilities. It's advantage is it sands much more quickly. But if you are patient a much cheaper sander will do the same thing.

If a router does not have a good chuck it is not worth using on anything serious. The issue is the bit will slip and ruin your work. My mid sized routers are a couple Porter Cable 690s. They are not PCs latest but I think they may still be available. You need a router that takes both 1/4 and 1/2 inch bits and it's best to have both a fixed and plunge base. I also use a PC 7528 in my router table and a Bosch Colt for little roundovers and chamfers.

If you use S2S lumber you don't absolutely have to have a planner and jointer. Of the two, the planner takes up a lot less space and is far cheaper - a lunchbox. I have and occasionally use a jointer but I do not normally face joint large boards because they are not straight enough to give me the thickness I want in the end. So a lot of the time I just use the planner and use the track saw to give me a glue up ready edge. So I would get a planner first. The DeWalt 735 seems to be the recommended model these days. If I upgrade from my old AP-10 it may be to a Rikon with a segmented head.

I bought a bandsaw because I want to make a new dining room table with curved legs. That is an example of the idea of buying tools when you need them for a project.

[Thomas Canfield]

The best advice is to decide what you plan to do and then buy equipment. I started out to do some flatwork and bought in order: in 1/2 double garage, bench drill press, 14" bandsaw w/o riser, table saw, 6" jointer, box planer, router & bits, then oscillating spindle sander, built 22x24' shop with dust cyclone system, switched to floor drill press, bought used Jet 1015 lathe, upgraded (?) to Jet 1015 VS, then added Jet 1236 lathe, bought used 8" jointer, bought Powermatic 3520B lathe, and was down the road to doing turning and the flat work tools sit idle for 95% of my shop time. I have had the big lathe for about 13 years and have maintained a midi lathe now using a Rikon 70-220VSR. I found that the lathe gave more immediate satisfaction and offered many different options from little pens, lidded boxes, bowls of all sizes, and hollow forms, and easier to deal with items made. There are some that get a lot of satisfaction from doing a lot of extra to the turnings including burning, dying, segmented work, etc but I like to work with found tree wood normally. Spend some time deciding what you want to be doing 5 years from now with the equipment. I know I have a lot of tools and equipment that I bought then that I definitely would not buy now restricting my work space, but I also am not ready to give up on them.

[Alex Zeller]

Everyone is going to have similar but somewhat differing opinions. But that's because we all don't do the exact same things. If you plan on making small jewelry boxes then you can get by with different tools vs making cabinets and large furniture. If you think you might like to turn wood then the jointer and even less a planer isn't going to be helpful. But a sharpening system would be extremely useful. Have you looked around for what's available for wood in your area? If you buy nice S4S (sanded four side) lumber that's ready to be used then a jointer and planer can be pushed off down the road. Do you think you will be doing mortise and tenon joints? If so there's plenty of ways to make them. That could mean a table saw with a router in the extension, a stand alone router table, or a mortising machine.

Do you like hand sanding? If not I would suggest more than just a ROS (random orbital sander). A sander didn't even enter my thoughts a few years ago and now I have several hand sanders, a 20" disc sander, a 26" drum sander, and an oscillating spindle sander. I'm looking now to get a stationary edge sander. Of course these aren't all things you need when starting out but as you get going you'll realize the gaps and desires.

So you really need to decide first on what you want to focus on. It could be just enough tools to tackle most tasks without focusing on the specialized tools for that task.

[Jim Matthews]

I recommend you find a woodworking club...try to find a buddy that has some power tools and get a feel for what interests you, THEN start looking for what you decide you need.

An introduction to power tool use at any of the Woodworking schools will illustrate which tools you actually like using and of them, which ones will fit your shop.

If there are estate sales in your area, look for the tools that appear worn - those are the "users".

Look at the ones that still have the manuals, original knobs and factory fresh surfaces - those are the "Shop Queens" that never saw serious work.

[Roger Feeley]

I would suggest putting / leaving your money in the bank, and buy tools as you need them for whatever work you happen to be doing. Often there are other ways of accomplishing the same result using tools you already have. If there isn't any work-around, purchase the needed tool that allows you to move forward.

Nothing worse than buying a bunch of tools that you don't need, or ever use more than once.

+1 on the ‘buy it as you need it’ plan. and make sure that the project delivers something that the wife or kid wants. Trust me, you do that for 30 or 40 years and you will be all set.

[Roger Feeley]

I wouldn't think about starting a woodworking hobby without a table saw. If you only have a bandsaw, how will you cut plywood?

Richard, some guys get along fine with a track saw and a miter saw. I have a table saw and a track saw. I hardly ever move the rip fence on the TS past 12” anymore. I’ll never give up either saw, though.

[Earl McLain]

I've got a nice miter saw on a great stand--but it stays in the shed between deck/outdoor projects. In the shop, it's an old (1957) Dewalt Radial Arm Saw that will be more accurate than any miter saw for the rest of my life. Well tuned with the proper blade for the tool and the job--and it's a pleasure to use and the net footprint is similar to when i had a miter saw set up full time. Beyond that, some of my least-used tools were purchased in the interest of "building a shop"--wish i'd heeded the buy-as-needed admonition for several tools.
earl

[Todd Mason-Darnell]

I would suggest putting / leaving your money in the bank, and buy tools as you need them for whatever work you happen to be doing. Often there are other ways of accomplishing the same result using tools you already have. If there isn't any work-around, purchase the needed tool that allows you to move forward.

Nothing worse than buying a bunch of tools that you don't need, or ever use more than once.

What Billy said....I made this mistake, though on a much smaller scale, when I first started.

Now I buy as a really need.

[Ben Helmich]

3hp dust collector. And electrical if you don’t already have it.

[Michael W. Clark]

Since you have the TS, once you start using it much, you will see the need for dust collection. After that, planer and jointer would be next for me. Some would say a bandsaw before tablesaw and that may be valid, but you already have the tablesaw... After this, assess the tools you need for the project you are working on and buy the best version of the tool you need, especially if you see yourself using that tool on projects going forward.

I have upgraded my jointer already and would still like a larger one. I would like a better planer as wel than my first purchae. I bought a better DC a couple years ago too.

You can spend a lot of money, however, you don't want to spend so much that you feel guilty about doing something else with all that woodworking machinery sitting idle.

[John K Jordan]

I would suggest putting / leaving your money in the bank, and buy tools as you need them for whatever work you happen to be doing. Often there are other ways of accomplishing the same result using tools you already have. If there isn't any work-around, purchase the needed tool that allows you to move forward.

Nothing worse than buying a bunch of tools that you don't need, or ever use more than once.

As for "nothing worse" my perspective is a a little different. For me there is nothing better than having a wide variety of quality tools on hand when the need to use them comes up, even if it doesn't happen often. For example, my milling machine, metal lathe, TIG welder and plasma cutter don't get regular use but when I need them they are there. I can't remember ever being sorry for buying quality tools or equipment. I guess much of it depends on your range of interests, if you have the luxury of enough space, and, of course, your budget. Running an active farm may also be a factor - I love being able to build or repair almost anything and the opportunities around here come up a lot.

I do still I have a new 8" PM jointer in my storage building in the crate. The I'll move it in the shop at some point when I a round tuit - I could have used it this week! A few years before I built my shop I bought major tools such as the jointer, drum sander, PM66, and slider for the PM66 and put them all in one of my storage buildings. (I waited for good prices) This decision was based on the suspicion that once I built the shop I wouldn't have much money left over for the tools!

JKJ

[Melvin Feng]

Do you have a Rockler, woodcraft, or other woodworking store near you that holds classes (socially distanced, of course!)?

I'd recommend using some of that $5k towards taking a variety of classes: something with turning (pens, spindles, bowls, etc), something with cabinetry, something with laminations, maybe even an instrument, etc.

This way you get an opportunity to get your hands on some tools that you don't have, you get to see how they are used, and what kinds of projects you can start making on those tools. You might surprise yourself with what intrigues you.

If you go this route, you will most likely buy fewer tools, but better quality. For example, if you decide you really want to get into turning bowls, you can use about half of the money for a full sized lathe with an 18" swing or so, and then another $1k for tooling (gouges, sharpening setup, chucks - it quickly adds up!), and then a full sized bandsaw for processing bowl blanks, and maybe even a chainsaw.

But, if you decide you really want to be able to do cabinetry from the classes, then you can go more the route of the jointer, thickness planer, table saw, etc.

[Alex Zeller]

Just and FYI, plan on spending money on things like saw blades, router bits, sand paper, etc. Those little things will eat up a pretty good chunk of change. If you are frugal and read up you can find lower priced options that are diamonds in the rough. For example, a dado blade. You can find them for less than $100 to well over $300. Then there's the specialty stuff like jigs. A lot of stuff can be made but if it can't it'll add up. For example a dovetail jig. You can hand make them but that's a skill that takes time. Or you can buy one and learn how to use it and get nice tight joints much quicker with less wasted wood.

[John K Jordan]

As for "nothing worse" my perspective is a a little different. For me there is nothing better than having a wide variety of quality tools on hand when the need to use them comes up...

I forgot to mention that buying tools before you actually need them only makes sense to me if you have already have experience with those types of tools so you know if they are right for what you plan to do. If just starting out without a clear idea of what you want to do and how to go about it, buying a bunch of tools just to have on hand is probably not a good idea.