Beechwood Chip Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 Say all the tools, cabinets, etc in your shop were gone in a fire, tornado, theft, whatever, and you had a nice fat insurance check to replace everything. What would you do differently? I'd get a parallelogram jointer instead of my 6" Rigid, even if I had to save up for it. And I'd seriously look at getting a shaper instead of my home made router table, Jessem lift, and dedicated PC 690 router. I'd get shorter rails on my table saw, the 52" rails don't really fit in my shop. I'd look long and hard at a CMS with better dust collection. My DeWalt CMS is fine, except it sprays dust all over the room and there's no easy way to capture it. The main thing is that I'd plan the shop layout first, instead of collecting things through gifts, scavanging, and when I had an immediate need, and then sticking them wherever I happened to have space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 Say all the tools, cabinets, etc in your shop were gone in a fire, tornado, theft, whatever, and you had a nice fat insurance check to replace everything. What would you do differently? I'd get a parallelogram jointer instead of my 6" Rigid, even if I had to save up for it. And I'd seriously look at getting a shaper instead of my home made router table, Jessem lift, and dedicated PC 690 router. I'd get shorter rails on my table saw, the 52" rails don't really fit in my shop. I'd look long and hard at a CMS with better dust collection. My DeWalt CMS is fine, except it sprays dust all over the room and there's no easy way to capture it. The main thing is that I'd plan the shop layout first, instead of collecting things through gifts, scavanging, and when I had an immediate need, and then sticking them wherever I happened to have space. I'd probably go the Festool route and get rid of my TS, splurge and get a true sliding table saw. I'd also build on a spray booth. Btw, the DC set up I have for my SCMS does a really good job of collecting all the fine dust. I get a little heavy particle build up. Loogie has a hood on here that I think would be even more effective. Mine is attached. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bois Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 I likely wouldn't change much in the way of the tools I have (assuming I'd have the same amount of money to re-allocate). However, I'd definitely change the emphasis on some tools (and locations) over others. I do have a Festool track saw now, so I could get by without a table saw without too much trouble. I might consider trading in the table saw for a second bigger band saw with a dedicated resaw/ripping setup. I would also try to figure out a way to get 360 degree access around my bench (possibly if I were to get rid of the TS). I also would have bought a drum sander much earlier on than I did had I realized the massive amounts of time it would save me. I almost bought a floor-standing drill press a while back, and I'm glad I didn't. I find I use a drill press so little that I can't justify anything beyond a bench top model (remind me why wood shops always have giant drill presses prominently located?). But the biggest thing is that my original shop is sort of designed around the TS, whereas it would be designed around the bench or band saw if I had to do it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marist Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 I would look forward to the new space. My shop is in the basement and some day I'll steal more space from the recreation side so I can purchase the last 2 major tools on the list (8" jointer and drum sander). I'm very satidfied with the tools I have and their layout, but it would be nice to have higher ceilings - I'm currently at 82". I would also take the time to paint the floor and install fluorescent fixtures to give me more even lighting. I've been upgrading the fixtures as time and money permit, but I still have alot of dark areas. And lastly, I would LOVE to get some heat! I have some portable heaters, but man, it would be great to be able to spend time in the shop without "waiting for the temp to come up". No complaints in the summer - it's almost a constant 67 degrees Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilburpan Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 Say all the tools, cabinets, etc in your shop were gone in a fire, tornado, theft, whatever, and you had a nice fat insurance check to replace everything. What would you do differently? My shop is in my basement, so if my shop was gone, I'll need a new house. If that's the case, I'd build a shop as a wing of my new house so that I can have lots of natural light and ventilation. Then I'd get a ridiculously big bandsaw. Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with what I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 Slight tangent here. I was reading an article in Model Railroader Magazine, where it was interviewing a guy who had his house built with two extra courses of cement blocks in the basement. This allowed for a ceiling height of 9 foot, which allowed for several levels of model railroading. (back to the original thread).. If my current shop suffered "catastrophic project syndrome" and the house went up, I'd try to have the basement rebuilt with the extra courses (although in my case I'd go for three, as the current ceiling height is close to 5'9 in many areas) I'd also try to have the space laid out for a panel saw set up instead of a table saw. Smaller shop footprint, capability of breaking down sheet goods, and more adaptability for cuts (even if it is using a dedicated circular saw). Yes, I realize that the panel saw requires infeed and outfeed space, but that's why I'd engineer the panel saw to have two sets of sliding rails: one vertical, and one horizontal. I feel the saw should move, not the wood. Then again, as I'm moving now, any catastrophic events would be the tools failing to make it off the truck, or ejecting themselves while the truck is in transit. And I'm pretty sure insurance companies have a policy against reimbursing for Harbor Freight tools... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 Dust collection run under the floor. I did that in my previous shop but not my current shop. I'd also love to have a spray booth one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNehlsEnd Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 What would you do differently? After suffering a devastating loss of this nature, it would require me to re evaluate my woodworking. The first thing would have to be a shop that would be built partially underground as I live in Tornado Alley. Once I had a shop with all the amenities of plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling as well as a good dust collection system. I would invest in good quality hand tools which would be an upgrade from what I currently have. Next on the list would be a 20" Band Saw and 20" Planer as well as replacing all the other woodworking machines I have. The one tool I wouldn't replace would be the SCMS as I use my RAS more than I do the SCMS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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