Freddie Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 Hello everyone, I'm moving into a new house and Im turning a single car garage into a small workshop. I'm currently in the market to purchase a bandsaw, drill press, and drum sander. I know this is a small shop im going to be working in, but I want to make the most of it and build beautiful creations. My first thought was to get the portercable bandsaw from lowes, then I was looking on amazon and saw that the grizzly g0555 ultimate 14 inch bandsaw was only 75 more, with a fence! I need a little help here as to what would serve me better, and not have a headache later. I think for what Im doing right now either one would serve its purpose, but should I go for the grizzly? It does have 1hp so if i wanted to add the riser block in the future I could do some light resawing. Please let me know what you all think. second: Another lowes consideration. I planned on getting the porter cable drill press. Does that sound like a worthy purchase, or something in the similar price range with same or better features? third: I was planning on the jet 16/32 drum sander. I wasnt planning at this time to dive into anything much pricier, but if someone knows something I dont, then feel free to set me straight =) Hope to hear from the community soon!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southwood Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 I have the porter cable press and I have had no problems with it. Done everything I have ask of it. You will need a woodworkers table on it, but they all need that upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikem Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 I have the polar bear 14" Grizzly (Same as the one you described, only white). When going between the two machines, the only real advantage the PC had over the Grizzly is that the PC has 1.5 HP motor vs. the 1 HP motor. What the Grizzly has, as you said is the fence, but it also has the quick tension release, and the guide bearings (vs the guide blocks). After doing some research on the power considerations, I decided the grizzly was the better value for the dollar. I have been cutting 3" thick hardwood turning blanks, including some exotics with no problem. I have done a little bit of resawing as well with success. The key to making successful cuts is a good blade. Which ever band saw you choose to buy, don't even bother with the included blade, buy a couple good ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 I think it depends on how far you think your going to go in the hobby. Alot of people get caught up in filling the shop with smaller tools and then end up upgrading later only to find that they wished they would have just waited and done it to begin with. A drum sander is a very handy tool but at a $1000 its money that could be used towards a much nicer bandsaw or tablesaw. If you think your going to end up wanting to resaw larger stock or cut your own veneers down the road then I'd skip the drum sander and use the money towards a more powerfull bandsaw. The 16/32 is an ok drum sander but having owned one then getting the 22 /44 oscillating, sure made me with I had never bought the 16/32. You dont need alot of HP when it comes to a drill press. You need slow speed and stability especially if your not going to bolt it to the floor as it was designed to be. Ive seen the PC and it looks like most other small imports and will most likely serve you well for many years or a lifetime. Go to lowes and lower the arbor all the way down and shake it. If it moves check for adjustments to tighten it. See if you can get a tool guy to plug it in. Fire it up and hold a pen or something steady against the chuck and make sure there isnt a bunch of wobble. If it checks out I'm sure it will be a fine drill press. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcustoms Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 I agree with Don. I, like most people have bought tools and then had to replace them later on. If I had to do it all over again I would have bought a nice band saw in the beginning and not wasted the time, money and frustration on an under powered saw that could not be accurately adjusted. I am not saying that either of the saws you are looking at are that way, as I have no experience with either. I own the Rikon 14 in BS and have had no problems with it. The Rikon is a far cry from the ridgid 14in BS i started with. The whole drum sander thing is tricky because most of us are in that battle against space, equipment and getting high quality results. Personally I run a successful (well at least somewhat) custom woodworking shop with out having a drum sander. Space is at a premium in my shop and I have two places that have wide belt sanders that charge me a minimal amount to process my glue ups, they are also near by. The nice part about that is I don't have to own and maintain the piece of equipment, nor do I have to give up valuable space. With all that being said I would love to put a 22/44 oscillating in my shop. Good luck with your purchases and setting up your new shop! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted September 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 Thanks for the responses guys. Its funny, because last night I was laying in bed, and remembered my bosses friend is a cabinet maker, and if i had him mill my 20bf of mahogany for me, then i could skip the drum sander for now and upgrade the bandsaw, its funny how great minds think alike =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdale51@yahoo.com Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 Freddie, As far as drill presses go I bought the Ryobi bencn model (I think it's a 13in but I'm having a brain fart right now) from Home Depot about a year ago and It's exceeded all of my expectations. One of the primary reasons I bought it was it got a really good review in Wood Magazine. One of the things they said about it that I like was it was one of the best tables for clamping to out of everything they tested. It's had plenty of power to run up to 2inch forsner bits in oak, maple redheart(Chokte coke(sp?)) and fir with no problems, The laser took less than five minutes to adjust to dead on. The depth stop took some getting used to but once I learned my way around it it's been reliable. And it wasn't expensive. I know that dosen't really answer your questions but it's food for thought. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 Thanks for the responses guys. Its funny, because last night I was laying in bed, and remembered my bosses friend is a cabinet maker, and if i had him mill my 20bf of mahogany for me, then i could skip the drum sander for now and upgrade the bandsaw, its funny how great minds think alike =) I thought I would mention. Getting the drum sander before a planer and jointer is bit premature IMO. If your using all S4S stock then I guess it would be fine. If you resaw, or use rough a drum sander is not the tool for the job. A drum sander is nothing more than a finishing tool. Great for doors and face frames and removing saw marks but not much more. Its not designed to remove stock. Alot of folks buy these little drum sanders with high expectations of milling lumber and those are the ones you see complaining about the tool. Don 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted September 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 Hey Don, I dont have a planer or jointer, I have a router sled that i use to router plane my boards, and i use my table saw to joint the edge of the board. I simply use carpet tape and stick the board to a piece of mdf and run it through the table saw. I know its not "super professional", but its my poor man method and it has worked great so far, slowww, but great results. I figred i could use this method and get to my rough thickness, then finiesse it with a drum sander, but i might wait on that for a nice bandsaw. So heres a good question. Is the laguna 14" suv bandsaw worth it, cuz if it is, i would love to add it to my shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted September 3, 2011 Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 I'm with dwacker...put the drill press and drum sander on the backburner and pick up a jointer and planer instead. They're not as much fun and they're not as versatile, but they're far more necessary. If you can only afford one right now, get a planer and keep jointing with your router until you can afford the jointer (I'm not sure how you joint the faces of your boards now, hand planes?). IMO the first five power tools a shop needs is the table saw, jointer, planer, router, and band saw. All the rest is gravy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted September 3, 2011 Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 I was going to suggest that you go for the Laguna 14" SUV; world of difference between it and other 14"s, starting with the Laguna ceramic guides. There are a lot of things you can do with a drum sander though I'll say most are more specialized. Cleaning shop-cut veneers is its specialty. If you aren't doing that, most every other function can be done with other tools. I had that Ryobi drill press and my only complaint was the quill travel, but that doesn't come up as an issue too often. Otherwise, I loved its fast cam-lock depth stop. I see that Ryobi on CL often so you might get a score. Otherwise, buying it new and (maybe) replacing it years from now will set you back $75; that's a fair trade. I think you'd do well getting a lunchbox planer, the Ryobi drill press, and Laguna 14SUV bandsaw. The planer has minimal footprint in your single-car bay. The planer, though, needs reasonable DC. I used my lunchbox for a long time with a shopvac connected through a 5-gallon paint can separator; classy, no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted September 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 Eric, I think you misread my post. I plane my stock with a router and sled. This is how i remove twists/bows on both faces. Once the boards are flat, I run the edges th=rought the table saw attached to a "known" straight edge, which rides along the fence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted September 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 Paul, I was a bit hesitant about the smaller planers for now, being that I work quite frequently with ribbon sliced african mahogany, and I am afraid of tearing up these boards. Im on a strict timeline right now to finish a cradle for an arriving god son, and have no time to waste. That being said, I really want to pick up some tools that will help my cause, tools that will be worthwhile, while at the same time not breaking the bank. Im not rich, and I want to make sure my purchases are well considered. Its so great to hear all of your feedback, it really helps to drive home the important issues, and it always sheds some light on something you may have missed during your research. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted September 3, 2011 Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 Eric, I think you misread my post. I plane my stock with a router and sled. This is how i remove twists/bows on both faces. Once the boards are flat, I run the edges th=rought the table saw attached to a "known" straight edge, which rides along the fence. Gotcha...yeah, I missed that. That method certainly works! I wish I had some of your patience LOL. I get no joy out of milling stock...I just want that part done and over with as quickly as possible so I can start on the fun stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted September 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 Eric, haha it is quite a lengthy proccess, thats why I might have my friends cabinet maker mill this stuff for me. But first I have to ask him if he can do it without ruining my boards. Plus, I dont want him to mill it all the way down to final thickness in one session, cuz this wood has a tendency to jump around. Hopefully he has no problem with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 Your Mahogany will mill very easily and most of the lunchbox planers (12 and 13") will do a real nice job on African Mahogany. The Laguna 14" SUV seems to be a very nice start and will probably be as good as you will ever need. Laguna seems to get some mixed reviews when talking about customer service. Personally Ive only owned their slot mortisers and had very good luck and great customer service. Don 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.