What would you do

[harryangel69]

I am trying to choose tools that I have not touched. There is something about molesting a product before you buy it that just makes the decision less stressful. You know what you are getting into before you buy. So I am looking for a table saw, bandsaw, and a jointer.

Bandsaw needs to have cast iron wheels, and a good rip capacity. It should have a fence, but I have been really eyeballing the driftmaster as an upgrade. Considering the Grizzly G0457 14" 2HP deluxe bandsaw. For different reasons I keep coming back to it again and again. But at near enough that it makes no difference it is $1000. That's more than I was looking to spend.

I would prefer the jointer be a parallelogram just to prevent me from throwing things in set up frustration. Leaning towards an eight inch. Once again I keep coming back to the Grizzly G0490 8" parallelogram jointer. Once again $1000.

That leaves me with the table saw. Prefer cast iron tops and belt drive. I am not opposed to granite, but had been unlucky with steel. I have looked at everything I can think of from grizzly to sawstop, and I always end up back at another $1000.

I know, I know we should all be so troubled.

My point is that I am over my self imposed budget at $3000. I still need to purchase hand tools, router and table, as well as other misc crap. I have a table saw a direct drive Delta with a cast iron top. It runs good but the top has been neglected (my fault I bought it new), but it will do what I ask. I can always use my circular saw to break down sheet goods. Keep in mind that I use my tools hard. I have burnt up four table saws in the last ten years. The Delta is number five.

I am going to the woodworking show in St. Louis this weekend. Then I may make the haul to springfield MO to fondle some Grizzly tools.

Any feedback would be helpful. I am running out of people to bounce ideas off of.

[TimV]

It sounds like you've put a lot of thought into it already. Stay on track and focus on those items you've picked out. You'll be fine.

And if you're at the woodshow on Sunday, look me up at the Show Me Woodturners group. I'll be working the booth all day, if I'm not meandering around the show.

Tim

[Roger T]

Chad,

I would get the Bandsaw you have chosen, and the Jointer. You can do everything you want with these 2 tools. Buy a router and an assortment of bits. This should leave you $700 or so in extra cash to supplement your hand tools. You never mentioned a planer. You can get a Dewalt or something similar for just a couple hundred bux. You said you had a skil saw, make or buy a straight edge and away you go on breaking down panels.

This will at least give you some time to save up for a tablesaw that you wont burn up like your previous 5 or 6.

Roger

[ChetlovesMer]

The bandsaw you've picked out is really quite nice.

I'be been able to work my whole woodworking life with only a 6" jointer instead of an 8". Although I still dream of an 8", a 6" will save you a fair amount of cash and probably do nearly everything you want.

I think Roger is right about the router and/or the planer. I use mine a ton. (Actually I have 4 routers and feel it would be tough to live with less than 3) Build a couple of jigs for your circ and save your cash until you have enough to get a high end/high quality table saw. A really good one should last better than the 2 year average you're on right now. BTW you can take some load off that table saw by resawing on the new bandsaw you picked out.

Let us know what you decide and good luck.

[harryangel69]

I do have a DW735 planer, and a DW610 router. I am not a dewalt nut. It is a dewalt market. The damn things are everywhere. I have been thinking about the Triton 2HP models. They have a built in table lift and above the table bit changing. Two of those should do nicely. One for a table and one to freehand. Plus they have been on sale.

What about a router table? Look long and hard at the sommerfeld, but real pricey. I would rather pay more now that have to buy twice.

That jointer 6 and 8 inch thing is got me. If you look hard and long enough you will see only $260 dollar difference between them. That makes me lean towards the eight. I am also thinking that the first eight inch board I come across is going to be buyers remorse, or a fit of rage.

Not trying to argue about my decisions just need another point of view. My wife just does not know what I am talking about, but she does try.

I think I was wrong about my table saw time frame. I had a ryobi monster table saw and burnt up the motor on a job (1998). That belt drive beast with the sliding table. Ran down and picked up a new motor. Motor went out again in 1999. New motor and a month later the shaft bearing assembly explodes. So I buy a Delta looked good solid cast top, but direct drive. She lasted until 2002. My fault I ran it for five hours strait ripping down 2x12 20' long. A firey, honerable death. I was impressed with performance so I bought another Delta TS350. That is what I still use. Three years ago I swore I would never build anything again, and buried my tools in the back of that garage. That lasted two years and then I did a gigantic built in my basement. When I dug it out I rediscovered my love for rusty cast iron.

I am rambling again.

[wilburpan]

I think that before you make the tool decision, you might want to take a while to think about what you want to make. Do you foresee knocking out a lot of plywood cabinets in the near future? Then you'll want a tablesaw. Are you going to use mainly solid wood and make furniture-type projects? Then you might want to go with Roger's suggestion, and skip the tablesaw.

I'd go with the 8" jointer. Wider is always better, and there's more to a wider jointer than being able to handle wider boards. You can skew a narrow board as you feed it over a wider jointer which will help with tearout issues if you have a board with squirrelly grain.

And I would go with the best that your budget will allow. Two things to think about: (1) Based on some rough calcuations, you've spent at least $800 on tablesaws and replacement motors, and you wound up with a contractor's saw. (2) Although we all have our budget constraints, there's a great quote that I think came from Henry Ford that goes something like this: "If you are concerned about buying an expensive tool that you need for a job, buy it. Tomorrow the job will be done, and you won't miss the money. But if you don't spend the money, tomorrow you will most certainly miss the tool."

[harryangel69]

I have been turning down commissions left and right. I may end end up having to do a few for a saw. Then its the snowball effect.

I'm being dragged back in. It's like a black hole.

I have a saying that I throw at people when they are struggling with anything.

Something will turn up, always does. Queue my wife.

It's not that I can't really afford the table saw. I guess I am struggling to justify a new saw when I already have one. I am a power tool guy. I am not trying to convince myself that I am a hybrid woodworker, yet. I will normally buy a tool at the drop of a hat. Not because I need it but because its there. Maybe I should just let the subject go for the moment. Concentrate on other things like my hand tools and router table.

I want to be able to build anything. I have a friend and my brother-in-law that are looking to learn. These are skills that they have always wanted, so I guess teaching is something I am getting into. Man, that's a revelation that I just had. WOW, me teaching. Mister don't try this at home kids is offering advice and lessons. Now I am going to need more feather boards and safety gear. crap

[decibel]

Not to throw in more confusion but have you considered picking up any used gear? That could help in the budget department quite a bit and there seems to be no shortage of some of these tools on craigslist. Obviously you have to be a little careful and not buy somebody else's lemon, but I picked up a ridgid 6" jointer, jet 14" bandsaw, Rikon mini-late with stand and 10+ turning tools all for $400. I've since moved on and upgrade my jointer (which is why you will see 6" jointers all over the used market).

If it were me I'd go with the 8" jointer. I upgraded from a 6 to a 12" but considered the 8 as well. Sadly with the economy being the way it is you see more and more nice tools coming up for sale at great prices

[harryangel69]

I have strongly considered used. I can refurbish just about anything in a long enough time line if it's worth it. There are a couple of used Jet contractor saws in the area for about $400 (give or take). I have not ruled that out at all.

[Beechwood Chip]

What about a router table? Look long and hard at the sommerfeld, but real pricey. I would rather pay more now that have to buy twice.

Build a router table. Some ideas:

Top

• Plywood, toggle clamps to hold router on
• two sheets of MDF and a sheet of linoleum, contact cement
• torsion box (See Marc's assembly table video)
• your table saw extension table or outfeed table
  • Do without
  • Use a router with above the table lift built in
  • Buy a lift
    • saw horses
    • build a simple set of legs
    • brackets to mount it to the side of a worktable or wall of your shop
    • build a fancy cabinet with dust collection, drawers, etc

    Fence
  • 2x4 held on with clamps
  • aluminum L-bracket held on with clamps
  • aluminum L-bracket with T-bolts into T-track
  • build a fancy fence with sub-fences, dust collection, T-track, etc
    Dust collection
  • 5 gallon bucket with a hole for shop-vac or dust collector hose
  • build a box with a hole for shop-vac or dust collector hose
  • use a router like the Triton that has dust collection built in
    All of these can be done quick and dirty until you have the time/motivation/money to redo them.

Lift

Base