What Is The Most Difficult Power Tool In The Wood Working Shop?

[Rich Engelhardt]

My vote for most damaging/dangerous would be a portable hand planer. There are others but this one tops my list.

I have to agree 100% on this. Even if I had my 12 ga SXs Coach Gun in the shop - - the power hand plane is more than up to the task of causing massive damage in a short period of time.

It's so sinister because it's so innocent looking - right up to the point that it catches its cord on something and goes sideways across the surface.
The all you can do is quietly sob....

The tool I most afraid of though is my Bostitch FW28WW framing nailer. I have nightmares about that rascal chasing me around the house trying to crucify me. Seriously though - I had the pressure up too high the first time I tried that gun. It shot a 3 1/2" nail completely through a 2X4.

[Phillip Mitchell]

One that doesn't work like it is Supposed to!

This is my answer as well and thankfully I have upgraded enough over time to get and eliminate most of those types of headaches.

[Jim Becker]

I vote for...."the woodworker". The power often fluctuates which definitely affects the results....

But my signature points toward my other answer which is kinda consistent with Mark Hennebury's comment.

[Prashun Patel]

Jim, Has anyone commented on your cool new profile picture? You like to change it every decade!!!

I can't tell if that glow behind you is curly locks or the moon. Please clarify, because this will affect whether I heretofore picture you as Magistrate or Astronomer.

[Michael Drew]

I have to relearn how to use my dovetail jigs every single time I drag one out..... As far as most dangerous goes, I have a 4" right angle grinder that I can fit a carbide tooth blade to. Super handy when I need it, but also terrifying.

[Bryan Hall]

For me it’s the router. I very rarely like the results I get and I’m always concerned that it desires to eat my hands. Loud too!

Going to give a festool router a try soon. Hoping I like it.

[Gordon Dale]

I'll have to agree with what several others have posted: for me it's a hand-held router, particularly my trim router. It looks cute but has the heart of a killer. It's like holding a Tasmanian devil (not that I've ever held, nor hope to hold, a Tasmanian devil!).

[Alan Rutherford]

My vote is for the 3 X 21 and / or 4 X 24 portable belt sander. I have handed both to would be helpers and regretted it. Do others have a least favorite?

While I would agree that nothing will take a finger off like a table saw, I believe you're asking what tool will really mess up a job for you and IMO the belt sander is right up there. Interestingly I read this thread right after one in which people are debatng whether rotary sanders are gentle enough to use in the shop and certainly whatever you can mess up with a rotary sander you can butcher with a belt.

I bought my first one over 50 years ago when I was managng an apartment house. Cheap student housing, all the entrances were exposed to the weather and the flat-panel doors needed attention. I really gouged some of them before I decided there had to be a better way. Experience would have helped of course but there's no doubt a portable belt sander can tear through some material in a hurry.

[Edward Weber]

I have no issues with tools of any kind, it's people that are the most dangerous/difficult JMHO

[Jim Becker]

Jim, Has anyone commented on your cool new profile picture? You like to change it every decade!!!

I can't tell if that glow behind you is curly locks or the moon. Please clarify, because this will affect whether I heretofore picture you as Magistrate or Astronomer.

LOL. You can check out the iterations in my shop build thread from a few days ago. I took the shot using portrait mode (iOS) and one of the automagic filters was the black background. It does seem to have a little bit of glow to it.

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Someone recently mentioned dovetail jigs. Yea, those can be hard when one doesn't use them very often. I don't miss the one I sold one bit! (Leigh, believe it or not)

[Kevin Jenness]

The most difficult tool to master in my shop, although not normally considered a power tool, is the one between my ears.

[Andrew More]

Never used a shaper, does a power feeder address most of the dangerous aspects of it?

[Mark Hennebury]

Toyota to Pay $1.2B for Hiding Deadly ‘Unintended Acceleration’

ABC News first reported concerns in 2009; FBI: Toyota "put sales over safety."


Any Machinery that doesn't do what it is supposed to is very dangerous. Take routers with "speed control" for instance.

I have no issues with tools of any kind, it's people that are the most dangerous/difficult JMHO

[Gordon Dale]

The most difficult tool to master in my shop, although not normally considered a power tool, is the one between my ears.

...not normally considered a power tool... Ha! That was fantastic.

[Ray Newman]

I will agree with what Mark Hennebury posted: "One that doesn't work like it is supposed to!"