I was wondering if anyone can give me advice for what I need for a begining wood working shop. My Husband had desided that for my birthday we should spend about $1000 to start a shop. I am looking for advice on what to buy first, obvously $1000 is not going to come close to buying everything, so I will probably start out with lower end stuff...lol...
Any advice gladly accepted :)
Deborah
What do you have now?
What do you want to make?
Do you own the home or just renting?
How much room do you have?
Can you borrow for a time tools from relatives as you get started?
Alan
What do you plan to make? A bandsaw and lathe is nice if you are into turning. Tablesaw is good if you will be working with sheet goods and making bookcases and furniture. Are you more into power tools or hand tools?
Very little is needed if you are just going to do fret work on a scroll saw.
Tablesaws run from $200 to $2000. The more you pay, the better the saw, the fence, etc. How serious and how experienced are you? Not sure if woodworking was going to be a long term hobby, I started with the $200 saw, but a year later bought a much better one for $800. My total investment is about $7500 now.
If nothing else, buy a couple of clamps. You can never have too many clamps.
Probably the most function in a shop is cutting.
To cut, you need saws.
My choices were as follows:
Delta contractor's saw complete with a 30" UniFence and a mobile base.
About $800-$900.
A Bosch Saber saw.
About $150.
A Bosch 6" ROS.
I just replaced one for $133 delivered.
A Porter-Cable or equal router kit.
About $200.
An 18 VDC drill package kit.
About $200-$300.
Add about $300 for good saw blades for the Delta and the Bosch.
Add about $200 for router bits.
The above puts you in a good to go position with power tools, but it's a $2K, not a $1K list.
After that it's always clamp time.
After clamps, start thinking about a drill press.
Lew
try finding used stuff. ALL new equipment costs a bundle when you are talking a grand limit. Even neander tools cost an arm and a leg, if new. (Neander tools are those you can use during a power outage and w/o batteries, like chisels, planes, gouges...)
Dave
Don't know what your interests are, so it's a hard question to answer. But a decent table saw will eat up over half of that grand. With a good edge guide and a good (Bosch?) jigsaw you can do without a tablesaw for a while. A drill press, even a cheap tabletop model, is invaluable. A random orbit sander (again, I like Bosch) avoids a lot of sore muscles. A powered screwdriver does too.
Past that, I'd get mostly hand tools to start. A couple of planes, some decent chisels and rasps, some scrapers.
Shellac and a rag will put a good finish on most projects.
I'm sure I've forgotten a hundred things, but that's what comes to mind.
P.S. I wish I could get my wife to capitalize "Husband" :-).
Of course it depends on what you want to make and the other questions listed above. Think a lot about that first. Then buy a few books and magazines about general woodworking and maybe the type of furniture or whatever you want to make, and spend some time with those (I liked "The Complete Book of Woodworking", $15 used on Amazon). There's your first $50. Before you start buying a bunch of tools, I'd reconsider your plan to start with low-end stuff - I think many people in this newsgroup would agree it would be wiser (and usually cheaper in the long run) to start with the best tools you can afford - you'll probably be happier with them and they'll definitely last longer. Of course everyone has a budget and you'll hear different things from different people on what to scrimp on if you must, but here are my opinions on what to do with your next $950 (depending on what you want to make...)
Dust masks, safety glasses, gloves, hearing protection ($50) Good jigsaw (Bosch 1590 and progressor wood blades, $150 from coastaltool.com) Drill if you don't have one, plus brad-point bits (Start with a cheap corded drill and good bits, $60) A bunch of clamps (spring, bar, C, etc. $100+) A good combination square (Starret etc $70) Router (PC, Bosch, or Dewalt, $150, plus a router bit set, MLCS 16pc set to start, $40, then get better bits in whatever styles you use most) Steve Knight plane (Smoother or jack, $165) Screws, glue, sandpaper, finish, wood, etc ($150+++) Make some stuff and see what you need next.
Next priorities for me might be: Bandsaw (14", Delta, Grizzly, etc., $350+, plus bandsaw blade selection from suffolkmachinery.com, $50), japanese pull-saw, chisels, forstner bits, more clamps, shopvac for dust collection, cordless drill, etc etc etc. Lee Valley, Rockler, and Woodcraft seem to be popular general woodworking supply companies on this newsgroup, and I've had good experiences ordering from all of them. Shop around also on Amazon, ebay, local classifieds, etc - prices can vary a lot, and some used tools (both power and hand) are better than new ones when properly tuned up. I'd think carefully and get some training and good safety equipment before getting a tablesaw - they can turn a piece of wood into a missle or a finger into a stump very quickly. Alternatively, many people say it's very rewarding to skip the power tools altogether and start with good-quality handsaws, chisels, hand planes, scrapers, files, rasps, and the like, and enjoy woodworking and still listen to the birds. A lot of good furniture was made this way.
Well, sorry for the long-winded and rambling reply. Remember: as a wise professor of mine once said, a piece of advice is like a butt - everyone's got one, and most of them stink. Good luck and have fun, Andy
I'll probably catch a lot of flak for this, but you could always look for a used Shopsmith. I've seen decent ones for under $500. Then a router, which I forgot in my original response.
I wouldn't buy one sight unseen, but look online for one within driving distance.
Unless you have been doing woodworking of some sort for a while, I'd recommend looking around your area for woodworking classes. Take a couple of classes and Then decide whether or not you want to start down the slippery slope of tool buying. If you take the classes and decide to go ahead, you already have some experience. Otherwise you may buy a bunch of tools and be selling them next year at a yard sale.
Books and magazines have also been recommended here. Don't forget the library. Note that some woodworking shops also rent videos - a good source of inspiration and knowlege.
Good Luck, and have fun.
My personal observations are interspersed among Lew's good recommendations. What you need depends largely on what you intend to build. You could buy a piece at a time as needed, but it's a real time waster when you need something you don't have and have to drive around or wait for the mailman to get your hands on it.
Acceptable choice. Maybe shop for a good used one. Make certain the table is flat and not twisted.
I have built a few nice things with only a good circular saw and a clamp on straight edge. Don't buy a cheap $150 benchtop saw - it'll only break your heart. If that is all you can afford, stick to the circular saw and clamp.
Another fine piece.
Or Dewalt or PC...
The venerable 690 series is a good choice. I have the wiz-bang 895PK model, and I kinda wish I'd gotten a Bosch or PC690 instead. :-\
Make sure whatever you get will use 1/2" bits. Cheap routers often will not, and 1/4" bits will flex and chatter under stress and generally wear out quickly.
A big maybe on this one. A corded variable speed drill is cheap, and works fine. No batteries to fail or discharge as you're finishing up a project.
A cordless screwdriver with clutch is pretty useful, however. I inherited a Dewalt, but it was made in China.
As you need them. $150 dollars will get you a few really good blades. A good Dado is pretty useful. $100-$250 for that alone. Stay away from wobble dados.
Maybe a bit high for a starter set. A small assortment of straight and roundovers, plus an ogee or two will cover a lot of ground. Get specialty bits as you need them. Buy good quality bits, Whiteside and Amana - even some of the Bosch. They last much longer and splinter less wood. Please avoid crappy router bits sets from Vermont and such.
You have to have clamps right off the bat. These should be WAY towards the top of the list. You can NEVER have too many. All glueups require clamps, sometimes as many as 8-10 - and even more, depending on the job. Pipe clamps are cheap, but unwieldy. Aluminum bar clamps are becoming an inexpensive favorite of mine. Bessy K clamps are great, but expensive. Don't forget about small 6-12" clamps while you're picking out those 50 inchers. A couple of band (strap) clamps are quite handy as well.
I would opt for a drill press even before a cordless drill, unless you are doing home repairs. Very useful item. You can even use it as a drum sander, although this stresses the quill bearings. A floor model is much more useful than a benchtop model in woodworking but both are useable. No better way to get good, square (to the face) holes.
You will need a sturdy workbench. Building your own is good practice.
You also will need good chisels ranging from 1/4" to 1" Good steel means less sharpening and better cutting. Figure on spending $20-$50 for these depending on brand. I primarily use a set of Marples Blue Chips I got for $20.
And you need a way to keep them sharp - 1/4" glass plate, sandpaper, and elbow grease works fine.
Don't forget drill bits for the drill. Brad point, HSS lipped drills are best for woodworking - but not metal. Lee Valley has an excellent set. Get a starter set in increments of 1/8" - $15-$40. A set of matching Split Collar Stops are very useful, also.
Countersink bits are useful as well as a chamfering bit.
Forstner bits are also quite handy. This is one area where you could try a cheaper set and fill in with better units as needed.
A small palm sized block plane. Useful more times than I can count. I use an old Stanley - although I am now boycotting the company for bad behavior and Chinese imports that replaced quality US made goods.
Card type Cabinet Scraper. Plus a file and burnishing rod for sharpening / creating a hook. Around $10.
A Japanese style pull cut saw - for those impossible with power equipment cuts and dovetails.
Diamond sharpening paddles in ~250 and ~600 grits. Handy for tweaking the edges of bits and blades of various types. A set of these will probably run less than $20.
Eventually you will want/need a jointer, planer, and a compound miter saw. Even though a CMS is often regarded as a home repair tool, I use mine way more than I thought I would. Try cutting a 45 degree angle on a 6 foot stick of wood on a tablesaw and you'll see what I mean.
Some prefer hand planes - we call them Neanderthals... ;-) I have a few of these as well.
A brad nailer is very handy, as is the air compressor needed to power it. I primarily use a Senco, but I also have a $20 Harbor Freight model that works OK and came with a rebuild kit.
Finally, a dust collector. You won't believe how much sawdust and shavings accumulates and drifts through the air while working wood. While you are at it, a shop air cleaner is a real consideration for your health and the quality of your finishes.
Sandpaper in incrementing grits, paint brushes, glue, glue spreaders, clean-up solvents, rags, stains and varnishes, tung oil, linseed oil, shellac, polyurethane, etc.
That's all I can think of right off hand, and this is from someone who fairly recently entered the realm of Real Woodworking.
But rest assured, no matter how many tools you own, you will always need one more. A good rule of thumb is:
New Project, New Tool.
Good Luck!
Greg G.
Best advice thus far, IMO ... along those same lines, and absent a place to take those kind of classes, pick out a simple project that you want to build and buy just what you need to complete it as you go along, repeat.
Norm (genuflect) has always said that anyone starting a shop needs two big power tiools first: a table saw and a joiner/planer. After that it's a bit broader.
A tip from my experience:
Get two cheap-ish to medium priced cordless drills instead of one good one. Lot easier picking up one to drill the hole and the other to drive the screw rather than changing the drill bit/driver each time. And make sure each unit comes with TWO batteries.
Look for power tools that can double as something else. For instance a bench-top pillar drill is useful as a drill but get a drum sanding set and you now have a very serviceable sanding station.
FoggyTown
You are doing this in a most interesting way. I am sure that most of us just started somehow and never really made a list of what was needed. If you are totally new to woodworking, the best investment may be in a good woodworking course. This will provide a little experience with some really good tools and may help you decide which of the many paths to woodworking addiction you choose to follow. If you are in the Boston area, I cannot recommend The North Bennet St. School strongly enough. They have a webpage. I took several courses there after 40 yrs of woodworking and wished I had started out with the course. In a way, woodworking is all about learning how to do things; it is much more efficient in a good class than alone at home. Books have their place but watching a good instructor is much more illuminating. Good luck and I hope you enjoy the process. Dave
lol that is why I'm looking at lower end stuff...lol... I don't know if I can find anything used out here this is a small town...lol
Dedorah
lol that is why I'm looking at lower end stuff...lol... I don't know if I can find anything used out here this is a small town...lol
Dedorah
Get used equipment. Sure it takes time, but with patience you can get some very good equipment for around 1/2 the price of new. Makes a big difference in your budget.
I picked up a 1955 vintage Unisaw for $350 that with a little bondo, a coat of paint and some new belts will be great. Though I'm planning about getting her a biesemeyer fence for Xmas so I guess she's not that cheap :) But even with the new fence and some sweat, that unisaw will have cost me about as much as a high end contractor's saw and IMO I got much more for my money.
I did exactly this when I started (minus the mobile base) for exactly that much money. I didn't know about grizzly at the time. Now, I wish I had gone with either the grizzly cabinet saw for the same money, or a smaller griz contractor's saw for a lot less money. The detla saw has been great, but I think better values are out there.
brian
I hate ta say it but you have to look at more like $2.000 and up for a shop,
Tablesaws:
handheld stuff. get a drill, a jigsaw, a circular saw, measuring tools, chisels and sharpening stuff... oops, the thousand is gone...
Different opinion from here. Bought a benchtop Delta drill press and have to shim the table in every direction for ANY cut requiring 90°! It's due for replacement like 9 years ago! Cheap is NOPT the primary criterion!
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