Prioritizing your power tool purchases

[Dewald Swanepoel]

I'm sure very few woodworkers get to walk into a power tool store and kit themselves out with every power tool they will ever need. We all start with a couple and get more tools with time. My question is, which power tools do you get first and which do you leave until later?

 

The answer will probably start with another question; "what kind of woodworking will you be doing?" and, to be honest, I can't even really answer that question. I just like to make stuff. I can see myself making furniture and cupboards etc.

 

But let's not worry about what kind of woodworking I will be doing. How about you rank the power tools you have in the order that you would buy them if you had to start from scratch?

 

If anyone feels like suggesting to me what my next power tool should be, maybe I could just add that I have:

a compound sliding mitre saw

handheld jigsaw

orbital sander

handheld drill (mains operated)

handheld driver (battery operated)

plunge router (the most awesome tool I've ever owned)

 

I suspect my next tool would be a table saw or a drill press but I  can't quite decide which one first. Or is there something else I should rather bump to the top of my wish list?

[RichardA]

   In order of purchase, I would buy  #1 Table saw [get the best you can afford, don't settle for cheap]  #2 Jointer, [not the bench type, and at least 6"] and #3 planer [again, get the best you can afford, Dewalt makes a 13" #735 that's reliable, but it does need better blades, that are available]..... Good luck!

[Eric.]

I basically echo Richard.  Tablesaw, then jointer and planer at the same time.  Then a router table, then a bandsaw.  You can do a lot of work with the "Big 5," as I call them.  Drill press is not a priority if you don't have the Big 5.

[..Kev]

Richard pretty much nailed it!  The fact is that you need to be able to properly mill stock before you can build just about anything.  So, those 3 would be my front runners for sure.

 

After that, the band saw, drill press, router table, and a small spindle sander would be on my list.

 

From there, I'd look at the green koolaid   The domino is awesome!

[wdwerker]

After the big 5 it all depends on what you want to build. I couldn't imagine working without a drill press. Sometimes my bandsaw sits for days on end collecting dust, but it is handy for quick notches and curves.

I wore out a Ridgid belt/spindle sander and promptly got another one. Not expensive and very versitile.

[Llama]

Exactly Steve. I have two of those now. couldn't live without the ridgid sander.

And yes, after you have the equipment to mill lumber, you'll need a way to put stuff together. The domino should be high on your list for ease of use and functionality.

[knotscott]

Definitely a good TS first.  Router, jointer, planer round out the top 4 in my book, but I honestly don't know which one to put ahead of the other.  A good book is another excellent early acquisition.  I like The New Woodworker Handbook by Tom Hintz....written by a woodworker for woodworkers.   There are going to be lots and lots of smaller items that you'll pick up along the way.....careful not to blow the tool budget for major tools on the little stuff. You can purchase smaller stuff more easily with lunch and birthday money, but not so with the big stuff.  Smaller items make excellent gift ideas too.

 

The ABCs of Table Saws

[mikem]

Just a note, if you had to choose between a planer and a jointer, I would go with the planer first.  While it isn't optimal, you can use a sled in the planer to face joint a board, and a jig on the table saw to edge joint a board.  It is much more difficult to replicate the function of planer with other machines in the shop.  Of course there is always the hand plane option.  

[Tom King]

Table saw, big and heavy being priorities.  After that a jointer.   Actually, I wouldn't want to be without either.  Beyond those two, it depends on what you end up doing, and you will probably find the need before you decide.

[Indy Cindy]

For your next power tools I suggest bandsaw and planer. With a good blade a bandsaw is awesome for resawing wood and the planer will take it to the thickness you want. I felt trapped until I got those tools and was at the mercy of whatever wood I could buy at whatever thickness it was. I did try resawing by hand and planing to thickness by hand. Never again.

 

Of course there are ways to resaw on the table saw which I have tried and frankly I find that to be scary. I do use my table saw and my compound sliding miter saw, but if I had to have only one power saw in my shop it would be the bandsaw.

[TerryMcK]

I agree with Cindy. The bandsaw came first for me followed by a lunchbox planer, the table saw and then a floor mounted drill press. It all depends on your working practices. I was (and still am) making guitars and those tools suited my way of working at that time.

Since branching out into furniture I have since bought the floormounted planer, jointer and router table. Also don't overlook handtools as they are essential even for somebody who does a lot with powertools.

 

Never had a use for a CSM yet that's why I don't have one. I may buy one in time. There are of course the other power tools like the Domino, a tracksaw and biscuit jointers. Again not essential for me (although I do have a biscuit jointer) but they may be on your wishlist.

[Llama]

Bandsaw first...

This is how I did things as well. It really depends on your approach and what you are building. To be honest, my bandsaw gets more use than any other tool in my shop. It's just how I approach woodworking.

If your plan is to build cabinets, then table saw first. If not, you'll probably be happier with the bandsaw first. You'll need a good one as well as atleast two blades.

If you want to explore this option further I'll be happy to provide my personal experiences clouded with opinion.

[Coop]

Mel & Terry, What are your preferences in bandsaw blades?

[Llama]

I have been happy with the Olson blades from Woodcraft. I recently tried a Laguna blade at a friends recommendation. I am a huge fan of the Laguna blades now. It seems to stay sharp longer, and it's just a nice blade overall. And the best part is they're not terribly expensive and they ship fast! I received a bent 1/4" blade, so I called and I had a new one in a few days. Great customer service. I just bought a 5/8" blade, and haven't installed it yet. We'll see. If it's anything like the 1/4" blade, I'll stick with the Laguna blades.

[knotscott]

Still with us Deefstes?

[Indy Cindy]

After the big 5 it all depends on what you want to build. I couldn't imagine working without a drill press. Sometimes my bandsaw sits for days on end collecting dust, but it is handy for quick notches and curves.

I wore out a Ridgid belt/spindle sander and promptly got another one. Not expensive and very versitile.

I'm with Steve and others about the Ridgid belt/spindle sander. Invaluable and not terribly expensive. I also agree about the usefulness of a drill press, but I got an inexpensive bench top model that is good enough for my work.

[Eric.]

I'm not poo-pooing the ownership of a drill press...I'm just saying I wouldn't put it on the priority list until I owned a tablesaw, bandsaw, jointer, planer and a router table.  You can make jigs to drill straight.  But there aren't many alternatives for the Big 5 tools.

[Indy Cindy]

I'm not poo-pooing the ownership of a drill press...I'm just saying I wouldn't put it on the priority list until I owned a tablesaw, bandsaw, jointer, planer and a router table.  You can make jigs to drill straight.  But there aren't many alternatives for the Big 5 tools.

I'm pretty sure that I never in my life drilled a perfectly straight hole until I got a drill press. I can't ever see spending a thousand+ dollars on one, but I use my cheapo drill press all the time.

[Dewald Swanepoel]

Wow, thanks for the great answers. Sorry for the silence, the weekend caught up with me, but I have read all your responses and now find myself thinking of new ways I could convince the wife of the importance of some power tool acquisitions.

I wasn't even considering jointers and planers but I can see how those would be very important.

Now, real dumb question time. What is a domino?

[..Kev]

Makes floating M&T joints.  It's a biscuit jointer on steroids..

 

http://www.rockler.com/festool-df-500-q-domino-joiner-with-new-t-loc-systainer

 

It's a very spendy Festool tool but very quickly earns its keep in an active shop!

 

Check youtube and you'll see lots of videos out there on it.

[Dewald Swanepoel]

Just a note, if you had to choose between a planer and a jointer, I would go with the planer first.  While it isn't optimal, you can use a sled in the planer to face joint a board, and a jig on the table saw to edge joint a board.  It is much more difficult to replicate the function of planer with other machines in the shop.  Of course there is always the hand plane option.  

 

MikeM, or anyone, I'd like to follow up on this post please. Our diction here in South Africa derives largely from British so I'm not quite sure what "jointer" and "planer" means. In my world there are surface planers and thickness planers. Which is which here? Furthermore I'm not quite sure what "face joint" and "edge joint" means. I'm trying to imagine how these sleds or jigs would look but I'm still trying to get past the jointing terms first. It'll make much better sense one I know what that is.

 

Which leads me to think; Could someone point me towards a glossary of terms perhaps? English is not even my mother tongue and the English that I do speak seems to differ quite considerably from yours

[Tpt life]

http://www.wwgoa.com/jointer-vs-planer/

Easy read, first pic shows a "jointer" in front of a "planer."

I don't care for some of the technique but this video is quite short for showing both in operation.

http://youtu.be/8UONmuQt_98

Use of a sled. This guy uses shims. Some here in the forum use hot glue and/or playing cards for warp that is less severe.

http://youtu.be/M-ZZ0dhbJYY

A lot longer, but Marc includes some workarounds for guys who might be missing a specific tool in the stream.

[Tpt life]

So the US power tool process reads like this.

1) Joint to flatten one face (surface planer, face joint) The key is bringing one face flat.

2) Plane the other face to bring it parallel (thickness planer)

3) Joint one edge square (surface planer with fence, edge joint) The key here is making one edge straight.

4) Rip the last edge parallel (table saw)

If you cannot afford all, you can see that the jointer is capable of being substituted with the thicknesser sled and a hand planes (there are also table saw sleds and circ saw guides) to true the edges. I am not trying to influence. I was just hoping to put images and processes with tool labels since you asked about terminology.

[TerryMcK]

MikeM, or anyone, I'd like to follow up on this post please. Our diction here in South Africa derives largely from British so I'm not quite sure what "jointer" and "planer" means. In my world there are surface planers and thickness planers. Which is which here? Furthermore I'm not quite sure what "face joint" and "edge joint" means. I'm trying to imagine how these sleds or jigs would look but I'm still trying to get past the jointing terms first. It'll make much better sense one I know what that is.

Which leads me to think; Could someone point me towards a glossary of terms perhaps? English is not even my mother tongue and the English that I do speak seems to differ quite considerably from yours

A north American jointer is a British planer. Used to produce a flat face and good at machining an adjacent face at right angles to the other.

A north American planer is a British planer/thicknesser. Used to produce stock of uniform thickness.

Very confusing terminology.

[TerryMcK]

Mel & Terry, What are your preferences in bandsaw blades?

Ken I normally have a 1/4" 6TPI steel blade on all the time. I sometimes go up to 5/8" 3TPI. When the blades wear out I throw them away as they are not hideously expensive. My bandsaw is not very big so resawing bigger than 6" thick is rare.

I do have access to a friends resaw bandsaw if necessary.