Beginning Woodworking - How to spend a $1000

[Tim Dorcas]

If you are a beginning wooodworker, it can be tricky to know where to start and what to get. Obviously the biggest thing starts with tools. I think everyone already thinks there is an endless supply of money. Go to any woodworking forum and ask what tablesaw you should get with $300. People will completely bypass your budget and say spend the money on a $600-$1000 tablesaw. What if wanted to purchase a jointer? Everyone will tell you to purchase an 8″ jointer. But what if you only have $300 to spend? This almost instantly makes it near impossible to get an 8″ jointer.

So with the limited budget of a beginner in mind, I thought I would compile a list of tools to get the beginning woodworker.

Ryobi BT3100 Table saw $300
Random Orbital Sander $ 70
Workbench with Vise $150
Measuring Tape $10
12 Inch Square $30
Electric Drill $50
Clamps $100
Router $150
Router Bits Kit $100
Shop Vac $70

Total $1,030

I owned the Ryobi BT3100 and thought for the money it was a great saw. It will not cut 2″ or 3″ hardwood all day but it has a decent fence, a sliding miter table, and comes with a decent blade to get you started.

At this price point you cannot dimension your own lumber which will cost you more when you purchase your wood but you should be able to build the majority of items you see plans for.

Upgrade #1 - Bandsaw

If there is anything I would get next it would be a bandsaw. I use my bandsaw as much as any other tool in my arsenal. A 14″ bandsaw with at least a 3/4 hp motor would be the minimum. If you can afford a riser block, get it. For me, resawing was the biggest reason to get a bandsaw but it can do so much more.

Upgrade #2 - Jointer/Planer

Starting with the bandsaw and moving to the Jointer and Planer, I say start to save up your money to get “the good stuff”. I bought the Ryobi 9″ Bandsaw, a 6″ Benchtop Jointer, and a low end Delta planer. I hated them all. The Ryobi Bandsaw was just too small to do any of the tasks I needed it to do. The Delta TP-305 Planer was a snipe monster. I have a Mastercraft 6″ Jointer which barely does the job. I have since replaced the bandsaw and the planer with equipment that does what I need it to. If I had the money, I would replace the jointer as well.

If you have already spent the $1000 and decided that woodworking was for you, it now starts to make sense to get good equipment that you won’t outgrow immediately and will last as long as you stay with your craft.
This all said, I would get a good jointer and a planer at this point. These tools in combination with the bandsaw allow you dimension rough lumber for your projects. This can save you a ton of money as well as expanding the limits of the 3/4ish material you find at your local building center.

Upgrade #3 - Jigs

There are a lot of contenders here.

Kreg Pocket Hole Jig

The first jig I purchased was a Kreg pocket hole jig. If you are new to
woodworking, you are going to want to start building something quickly but with a sense of quality. The Kreg jig will let you do this. This jig lets you create a strong joint without a lot of clamps. They are very easy to master and do not require the type of precision that dovetails, mortise and tenons, or the rest of the assorted joints require. I can do a lot more now and so I don’t rely on the pocket hole as much as I first did. That said, there is rarely a project that I don’t use this jig on.

Dowelmax

Dowelmax is a dowel jig. I consider this a step up from the Kreg Jig. It does require a certain amount of precision but it doesn’t leave holes in your project like pocket holes. It costs about twice as much as a full Kreg kit but it can improve the overall build quality of the projects you produce without that much more complexity.

Biscuit Joiner

I have started to use biscuits a lot lately. They are another joinery method which is easy to use. The biggest negative to using them is the requirement for clamps. However, if you are going to be in woodworking you’re going to need clamps sometime. Typically anything that will get butt jointed has the potential to use biscuits.

After this, you’ll begin to figure out what you need based on the type of projects you enjoy making. If you’re a cabinet maker, maybe you need a dovetail or dado jig. I didn’t mention how useful a router table can be. And there is something incredibly satisfying about using a hand plane to create “shavings”.

PS - I actually wrote this while on vacation in Mazatlan this past March. I believe that Ryobi has since discontinued the BT3100. You can find them used fairly easily but next on the list would be the Ridgid TS3650 10″ Table Saw. This will add a bit more to the overall budget but I think it’s a good saw for the money if not a machine with a lot of power.

[James Phillips]

I would spend $700 or so to get a good used cabinet or hybrid saw. I did not go this route and have re-purchased alot of tools. I would spend the balance on quality hand tools. I would then add quality tools as $$ would allow. I am living proof that you can spend a lot on tools that you later have a hard time giving away.....

[Michael Schwartz]

Get an old 20" bandsaw such as a delta rockwell and restore it, and then upgrade it. Find a few old Stanley hadplanes at flea markets with whatever you have left and add some old bench chisels. You will pretty much be in business.

Go with the Kreg Pocket Hole Jig. Not for fine furniture but perfect if you want to build a bathroom vanity or kitchen cabinets.

If you wan't a dowel jig it is pretty easy to make your own.

I use pocket screws more than biscuits, but a biscuit joiter is a good tool to have.

I would recommend buying a 12" starett combination square, it will cost twice as much but is absolutely worth it. You should also get a cheap 2" engineers square, I have a few that I use all the time and they only cost a few bucks each.

[Tom Henry]

If you shop around and check Craigslist you will find some decent deals out there...

My finds
13" Delta 2speed planer- $150 ebay
Craftsman zipcode table saw w/cast iron tables- $400 new in crate ebay
Powermatic longbed 6" jointer $300 local ads
ShopFox Mortiser $125
13" Craftsman floor drill press $75
hmmm $1050....not too bad for a startup...

[Thom Sturgill]

I'd probably add a small bench drill press to your list as #1 upgrade/add.
I liked my Ryobi BT3000 TS until my second fence gave way and the table got to where it could not be made stable. But it lasted me 10 yrs.

I'd probably cobble something together for the bench and go a little cheaper on the sander to get the DP. Come to think about it, I did

[Larry Fox]

Tim, good list but I would personally take a different approach. I would take about $500-600 of it and set it aside for a decent used cabinet saw. I would then look to spend the rest of it on a decent combo blade, some decent measuring tools (Combination square, etc). Round it out with some flea-market planes - block, #4, #7 and the rest on clamps. I think you can improvise on some of the other items on your list.

[Bob Slater]

I have a nice powerful table saw now (General 350), but started with a Bosch contractors saw, It was a great machine. Get a used drill press, a nice jigsaw (love my Bosch) and a compound mitre saw, as well as a shop vac. That is probably around $750. Use the rest for some handtools, squares, measuring equipment, etc.

[JayStPeter]

There are very few purchases I regret. I've upgraded just about every tool I've bought. But, at least I was building stuff and not staring at my shiny new expensive saw. That said, the beginner should purchase with an eye toward resale. My favorite upgrades were the ones where I got 80-100% of the purchase price back out of the tool when I was done. Unfortunately it was luck when it happened, not good research.

[Tim Dorcas]

Get an old 20" bandsaw such as a delta rockwell and restore it, and then upgrade it. Find a few old Stanley hadplanes at flea markets with whatever you have left and add some old bench chisels. You will pretty much be in business.

Go with the Kreg Pocket Hole Jig. Not for fine furniture but perfect if you want to build a bathroom vanity or kitchen cabinets.

If you wan't a dowel jig it is pretty easy to make your own.

I use pocket screws more than biscuits, but a biscuit joiter is a good tool to have.

I would recommend buying a 12" starett combination square, it will cost twice as much but is absolutely worth it. You should also get a cheap 2" engineers square, I have a few that I use all the time and they only cost a few bucks each.

If you were new to woodworking, I think you'd want to get right in and start building something. I'm not sure you'd want to rebuild something first.

[Joe Mioux]

I don't see anything wrong with your list, but probably would re-priortize them a bit.

table saw and a lunch box planer would be one and two. you can build a sled for jointing boards with the planer. Next a jig saw.

four would be the router and other hand power tools. such as a drill.

remember you could also go the non-electric route and buy some hand planes, a brace, coping saw, CHISELS!, etc many of these items can be found at garage sales, or local classifieds or evern ebay.

one other item would be a book(s) like Tage Frid's three part series on woodworking. He showed many alternative ways to cutting and assembling. Some hand work and some power tool work. it is a great refernce guide.

joe

[John Hain]

A poor table saw can make woodworking very cumbersome and annoying. I speak from experience when I recommend going used for a cabinet saw for a little more money. Then I'd add a ROS, router, and some hand planes (get some old glass and some sandpaper for a sharpening system).

With that stuff alone you can do some nice work. You can square up all your lumber first and foremost with the saw and planes; everything after that is gravy. Kinda hard to do nice work without square lumber.

There are many items you can pick up at garage sales for almost nothing:
1. Corded Drill
2. Corded Circ Saw
3. Hand saw
4. Level
5. Jigsaw
6. Oops, forgot chisels (EDIT), buy them cheap and resharpen them
etc etc.

[Tom Cowie]

Tim

It looks to me like you have already done your research. My only advice is to spend you money on the thing that will help you make woodworking an enjoyable hobby or future vocation for you. I've added quite a bit in twenty years but it all started with one little scroll saw.

Good luck

Tom

[Grant Morris]

I think your best bet is to start by acquiring the tools you need to actually build something. I would also buy used quality tools as you don't have the budget to start with new ones -and you can always resell them for close to what you pay for them when you are ready to upgrade! Based on that philosophy here is the list of stuff I would purchase/make as soon as I had the tools and materials:

Used decent contractors or cabinet saw $400
Used 2-3 hp router with flush cut and round over bits $100
Grinder to sharpen your planes and chisels $100 (get a fine stone too)
Cheaper doweling jig (Grizzly) $30
ROS $50
Clamps $200 (maybe start with some 24" and 12" ones)
Combination square $50 (get a decent one)
Power drill/screwdriver $50 (for dowel drilling and driving screws)

Used hand planes (flea market)
New chisel set $50

Materials to build the stuff below:
glue
plywood
dowel rods
screws

Stuff to build right away that will help you immensely with next projects:
Workbench ( See woodwhisperer.com for a good and cheap example)
Router table ( can use for joining 3/4-1" lumber)
Table saw extension table (could double as router table)

That should get you started nicely. Good luck with your endeavors.

[Jack Camillo]

1000 to spend now. But, how about in years to come? I wouldn't attempt to buy the all the mainstays in the cheapy departments. Before realizing how much I truly enjoy making furniture, I went for years with some basic tools and built a curio cabinet, two desks, a table, a kitchen island, kitchen cabinets and many more smaller things with a small portable "table saw", a skill saw, a jig saw, a jack plane, a block plane, cordless drill, and a large tool box of small stuff (sanding block, handsaws, etc., etc.). Don't "invest" in crap. If you have some or most of the above, buy one really nice machine (that will last you forever) with your money for now, and make do with power/hand tools until you can buy the next nice machine. If you don't have most of the above, don't pay a hundred or two each for the good power/hand tools - go to a pawn shop and get these tools for small pennies on the dollar. Buy the best machines you can afford with what you save. Just my opinion, of course.

[John Bailey]

I can't tell you the best, but I can tell you what I've done. I've got about $1,000 in the equipment I have now and I love being in the shop. I should tell you all my projects - boats, dulcimers, kayak paddles - have curves and influences my selection.

1. Used Bandsaw - $250
I couldn't get along without it. I'll be getting a bigger one in the near future, but the 14" serves all my purposes. I've learned to do all my cutting with it, straight and curved.

2. Used Benchtop Planer - $250
I have deviated slightly from this suggestion as I have chosen to go with an old (1942) Parks Planer that I'm rebuilding. I'm learning a lot and will have a tank of a planer when I'm done, but this is not an easy course to follow. I'm sure you can find a good used benchtop cheaper than $250, but I would go with one of the better ones. I scrounge most of my wood and will spend a lot of money if I don't have a planer. To this point I use my bandsaw and elbow grease and a combo sander to mill the wood to dimensions, but that process is a real tough way to go. Had I to do it over, a planer would have been one of my first choices.

3. Used Combo Sander - $150
I use this in combination with the bandsaw for everything. With careful use, after squaring off with the bandsaw, I can smooth everything out to the final dimensions. It is also a great tool for shaping curves. Mine is a 9" disc and 6" belt combo.

4. Used Stanley Low Angle Block Plane - $40
Again, when in the shop, this is an everyday use. The old Stanley's are very good and can be had cheaply.

5. Used Cross Cut Handsaw - $50
One of the limitations of relying on a 14" bandsaw is the throat depth. It limits the length of a cut. I use a handsaw for this because it's quicker and cleaner than my setting up to use my circular saw. I used a Stanley "Toolbox" saw for years. It worked nicely, but I got a set of vintage handsaws from my dad and they are much better. My dad didn't use them for a couple of decades, so they're not in good shape, but they still outperform the toolbox Stanley. When I get them refurbished they will be a go-to combination.

6. Used Stanley Bench Plane - $35
I don't use it as much as the block plane, but when I need it, it's indespensible.

7. Used Chisels - $50
Just buy some old ones and sharpen them up. Most of the old ones are very good. I've got two sets, one for doing work that I care about, and another set to use for things you shouldn't use chisels for.

8. Assortment of Marking and Measuring Tools - $25
The better, or should I say more over-confident, I get, the more I use these.

9. Two Cordless Hand Drills - $150
I use these for everything. It's really nice to have two. I've got a Bosch 14.4 v and a cheap 9.6 v. I use the small one to drill pilot holes and the big one to drive the screws.

Total - $1,000

My next upgrade will be either a larger bandsaw or a good guided saw system. Probably will get both in the near future.

John