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

[Maurice Mcmurry]

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?

[Phillip Mitchell]

What exactly do you mean by most difficult? Difficult to master/handle?

Handheld belt sander can certainly do some damage in the hands of the inexperienced or with a crappy platen.

[Paul Haus]

What exactly do you mean by most difficult? Difficult to master/handle?

Handheld belt sander can certainly do some damage in the hands of the inexperienced or with a crappy platen.

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

[Mike Wilkins]

I'm going to vote for the router. Ever had a bit work loose and gouge a divot in your solid Maple work bench? Or nick your finger when you got too close to a spinning bit on the router table while brushing away some sawdust?
Not my idea of a good day.

[andy bessette]

With all the reports we hear of members seriously injuring themselves on a table saw, I think you guys are just beating around the bush.

[Christopher Herzog]

Shaper

I have an old Boice Crane from the old school. No dust collection of any type. Half inch or three quarter cutters are swinging meat cleavers. Old Baldor motor has three belts to spin the thing. Gets used very infrequently....

My two cents,
Chris

[Mike Cutler]

There are many tools that can do damage very quickly if used incorrectly, or in experienced hands,I’ve messed up my share of projects with a belt sander and a power planer.
The most difficult to master, in my opinion, is also the most useful, but most under utilized, and that is the shaper.
The shaper is an amazing tool, but the learning curve is pretty steep. It can also be a very expensive machine. The cost of cutters and a good fence can very quickly exceed the initial cost of the machine.
But what a machine!!

[Mark Hennebury]

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

[Bill Dufour]

Router or big right angle drill. If the bit grabs it can snap the bit or your wrist
Bill D

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Dad was very hesitant to train any of his 3 boys on the shaper. I do not have one but use his from time to time. I do not think I will ever feel real comfortable using a shaper.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

What exactly do you mean by most difficult? Difficult to master/handle?

Handheld belt sander can certainly do some damage in the hands of the inexperienced or with a crappy platen.

Difficult to learn to use without doing damage.

[JOEL MONGEON]

"I'm going to vote for the router. Ever had a bit work loose and gouge a divot in your solid Maple work bench? Or nick your finger when you got too close to a spinning bit on the router table while brushing away some sawdust?
Not my idea of a good day."

Oh I did that only once. I decided to vacuum up sawdust left on the table and got the end of the hose to close to the spinning down router bit. Pulled my hand right in. Luckily it was just a small cut but I think I needed a change of pants after that.

[William Hodge]

Tape measures.

Dammed things get it wrong, sick of it, will fling offending tape measure over the fence into hated neighbor's yard. Get another tape out of the case, use it for a while, it measures stuff an inch too short or something, wasted wood, wasted time, never going to be able to fix all the stuff ruined by tape measures measuring stuff wrong.

[Curt Harms]

Dad was very hesitant to train any of his 3 boys on the shaper. I do not have one but use his from time to time. I do not think I will ever feel real comfortable using a shaper.

And that's probably a good thing. A hand fed shaper might have the biggest appetite for human flesh short of a jointer with square cutterhead.

[Prashun Patel]

At least with the table saw, there are very good and safe ways to do almost any kind of operation it is capable of.

I vote for router and router table. Tear-out and (worse) kick back are not intuitive, and are dependent on the grain direction and type of bit. There are no comfortable ways to work on small pieces. There's just too much non-intuitive thinking required.

I've never used a shaper but I am sure that would top my list.