New user advice

[Robert Tyrrell]

Hello all, new user here. I’ve been lurking and observing on several woodworking sites. But decided to land here.

Not really new to wood/home repair/ little project things. But my wife has me upping my game. I have 2 inherited tools, 10” Ryobi miter and a table saw. Use them occasionally. Now we are making small crafts and projects. So those two tools get me by. I have found the need for a drill press and a bandsaw. I’ve got a small budget of $200 and under for each tool. I know my research says that’s hardly doable.

I’ve been doing some research and still on the fence for a drill press and bandsaw. They would be used for small projects/crafts nothing large. I’ve been looking at pawn shops and shopping around. I found a Skil 10” drill press at a pawn shop for $80. It’s not been used very much, has a little surface rust on the table and post. It runs smooth and has steel pulleys instead of plastic. 3.5 amp motor and did not rattle or make strange noises when running. Overall not too bad for the price. Not sure about it though.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated guys on a purchase for a hobbyist. Thank you and looking forward to reading more.

[Bill Bukovec]

If the motor is 3.5 amp, that may be too small. I doubt if it has the power to use a 1" diameter bit. I would pass and wait for a bigger one.

[Lee Schierer]

Welcome to the Creek. Check your local Craig's list for tools.

[Patty Hann]

Hello all, new user here. I’ve been lurking and observing on several woodworking sites. But decided to land here.

Not really new to wood/home repair/ little project things. But my wife has me upping my game. I have 2 inherited tools, 10” Ryobi miter and a table saw. Use them occasionally. Now we are making small crafts and projects. So those two tools get me by. I have found the need for a drill press and a bandsaw. I’ve got a small budget of $200 and under for each tool. I know my research says that’s hardly doable.

I’ve been doing some research and still on the fence for a drill press and bandsaw. They would be used for small projects/crafts nothing large. I’ve been looking at pawn shops and shopping around. I found a Skil 10” drill press at a pawn shop for $80. It’s not been used very much, has a little surface rust on the table and post. It runs smooth and has steel pulleys instead of plastic. 3.5 amp motor and did not rattle or make strange noises when running. Overall not too bad for the price. Not sure about it though.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated guys on a purchase for a hobbyist. Thank you and looking forward to reading more.

Is your "small budget of $200 and under for each tool" permanently fixed for all time?
By that I mean 4 months from now will that still be the case of only $200 per tool? Or can you increase the amount by, say, 10% every month?
Waiting to save and get a better machine might be worth it.
The Rikon benchtop bandsaw (10-305 1/3 HP) is still available pretty inexpensively (new)
Grizzly Benchtop Bandsaw is around $299 also (that includes shipping)

I do think CL or FB marketplace or even some good sales (closeouts/ new out of box/ scratch and dent) can be away to get them also.

[Robert Tyrrell]

I have @ $200 per tool budget. I don’t want to get too invested in this, just enough to get the job done. I just looked on FB marketplace, the drill presses were trashed and abused for $50 cheaper than a new one. Home Depot just dropped the price of the WEN 10”, 5 amp motor to $191. That’s a possibility. I have limited space in the shed to work with so floor models are pretty much out of the question now.

Thank you for the input on everything.

[Richard Coers]

User? Doesn't sound like woodworking! LOL The quill stroke of those tiny drill presses can be a big issue. If you can't drill a 2x4 on edge, don't buy it.

[Bill Dufour]

Location? Both of those machines have little to wear out on them. So buying used makes a lot of sense.
Bill D.

[Bernie Kopfer]

The Wen drill press units in that price range might be your better option. They will have a warranty which can be important But the problem IMO is that their lowest speed is over 500 rpm. Not a dealbreaker but a distinct limitation.

[Marc Rochkind]

What are you using for wood? When I started, I tried to start with milled pieces from Home Depot, but very rapidly found that that wouldn't work. Too expensive, too limited in species and sizes, and they weren't straight anyway. So, I might suggest that two essential tools are a jointer (gives you a straight side, or even two straight sides), and a planer, for straightening the other sides and dimensioning. With the right jig, you can do jointing on a planer, but it isn't much fun. I find that a 6 inch jointer works for me, as anything much wider is a glue-up anyway, and I rarely have boards wider than 6 inches. Of course, an 8 inch would be more convenient, but more expensive and larger.

If your inherited table saw doesn't have a riving blade, you might consider replacing with something newer.

[Robert Tyrrell]

Right now I’m only using pine. I have not even considered using oak, walnut or cherry. If I do go that route, I have a friend with a complete shop setup I could have access to. Right now I’m only tinkering and making small crafts for the wife and her sister. But I know others will start asking for some of the same things I made for them. Again I’m not trying to make this a business or my life. I have other interests for that.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I have the Wen 12" variable speed drill press.
Yes - it has limited quill travel and yes - the minimum speed is 580 RPM.
The 10" version is the one you mention. It has less quill travel but - it has a lower low speed of 530RPM.
I don't do metal work so the higher low speed is fine for me. I also seldom, if ever, need to drill anything deeper that an couple of inches so quill travel is a non-issue with me,
I only went with the more expensive 12" because I had the money.

In the rare event I need more power and "quill travel", I have a Milescraft Drill Mate that does a decent job nearly all the time.

I went with the Wen 10" two speed bandsaw. It's ok. Not great and not bad.
I have used it a couple times to resaw some small pieces of red oak and it did fine. A little wavy, but, I attribute that to me using it with the stock blade.
The fence and it being two speeds is a nice touch. So was the included open stand. I added a mobile base for about $40.
For a small benchtop unit, I'm satisfied.

A drill press is one of the few tools I'd buy used. I have zero idea of what to look for in most tools, but, a drill press is so simple even I can figure out if one is so bad it's unusable.

FWIW - you might want to include your location in your profile so we can help you look for used junk to blow your money on! LOL!

[Kris Cook]

I found a Skil 10” drill press at a pawn shop for $80. It’s not been used very much, has a little surface rust on the table and post. It runs smooth and has steel pulleys instead of plastic. 3.5 amp motor and did not rattle or make strange noises when running. Overall not too bad for the price. Not sure about it though.

I have what I believe is the same drill press and it has served me well. Lowes has a new Skil 6.2 amp drill press right now for $200.

[Rick Potter]

For the type projects you mentioned, you might also look into a used scroll saw. They are fairly inexpensive used, and can be a lot of fun for small work. Look up 'Intarsia'. Good brands are RBI (Hawk), DeWalt, Hegner, and a few others.

[Tom Bender]

Having access to a well equipped shop is a big help. Go for the inexpensive tools now and get going. You'll soon decide if bigger and better is right for you. Think about hand tools and finishing. A random orbit sander is a great tool. Make some hand sanding blocks, get some rasps and a block plane.

[Robert Tyrrell]

Well my search for used tools turned up to be,,,, insightful. I attended an estate auction with some good stuff. However everything went from $50 to $200 above new retail. Bandsaws, drill press, joiner, vices, clamps, sanders, dust collector. Some of the stuff was brand new, never used, some stuff was very old, 70’s & 80’s , very well cared for. I bid on a few things but came home with a tool table and some clamps. Pawn shops, ahh so so, broken missing pieces, funny sounds. FB a lot of junk, i mean junk, which the asking price was stupid. Central Florida is not good for prices on used anything.

Soooo, I bought the Bauer 10 inch 6.2 amp drill press from Harbor Frieght. Good deal on sale with a discount, it’s good so far and I got it mounted to the table I bought. My Grizzly 10” bandsaw got here yesterday, got that on sale and bought a Wen mobile stand to put it on. So far not too bad. I will wait and see if there is anything I might need, but for now with my current tools and new buys, I’m good. Thanks for the ideas guys, much appreciated.