Ronnie Boyett Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 Once again I need your advice and I am STILL new at woodworking. I have a decent table saw, nice miter saw, decent router table and pretty nice router, and a better than nothing stand alone jointer. I know there are tons of tools I need but here is my question. (by the way, this is currently just as a hobbyist.) I have new funds and I have enough to purchase a bench top drill press and bench top bandsaw, nothing fancy, OR I could purchase a bench top (middle of the road) thickness planner. What are your thoughts on which way to go or maybe you have other ideas I haven't considered. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STL Woodguy Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 The best time to decide on what to buy next is when you hit a roadblock on the project and there's no way to move forward on it without that one thing, or if alternative methods are just too annoying. Regardless, I would personally go for the planer first over the drill press / band saw (especially as you already have a jointer), but that's my choice. Even though stores will sell surfaced woods, wood movement happens sometimes and they're still not perfect when you get it home (especially after sitting a while), so I always count on remilling to some degree even if it's S2S/S3S/S4S or whatever. Bandsaw would be a great next purchase to resaw that wood. More ways to drill straight holes than a drill press, so I'd put that at lower priority. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 IMO, the planer would be next. You have to be able to mill lumber before you can build projects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minorhero Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 Planer to mill Lumber. That being said, what projects do you have on the horizon? If nothing then keep saving. If you have projects where you absolutely must gave X then you should buy that first. Also consider used equipment, there are some real jewels out there for 50% or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 I really like my planer, I like my band saw and my drill press comes in handy, in that order. IMO, a bench top drill press might be ok, but I would opt for a floor model band saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieboy Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 I think the next two tools you need are band saw and planer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim0625 Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 Dewalt 735 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 Hhmmmm..I think every possible combination of answers is covered now, so I shall withold my opinion... PLANER! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knotscott Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 If you're using dimensional lumber, the planer is a terrific acquisition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Boyett Posted September 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 Seems like PLANER is a winner... Thanks to everyone for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 I may take some slack for this but I'd avoid the benchtop bandsaw. Unless your plan is simply just to make artsy/craftsy kinds of projects you are likely to out grow a benchtop bandsaw very quickly. I have a 9 inch bandsaw for a while way back when I started. Now I wouldn't want anything smaller than 14". In my humble opinion, you are better off looking for a used 14" rather than a new 9". 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdie Posted September 17, 2014 Report Share Posted September 17, 2014 I would've suggested planer as well so the two cents I'm going to throw in are to agree with Chet. I'm not thrilled with a benchtop drill press but it's a usable tool. On the other hand I've spent most of the weekend arguing with my brother to try and convince that a benchtop band saw isn't worth the money he'd invest in it and before long he's going to want a bigger one anyway. He argues that he doesn't have the room for a floor standing model (I tried to explain mobile bases but I don't think he gets it) but I did a pretty good job of explaining cutting depth. He's stubborn, tho so I don't know if I won the argument yet. Making short of the above, hold out for a full size floor model bandsaw. You won't regret it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.