Tools - Which to buy First?

[Tanus]

You?re outfitting a shop. Which tool do you buy first?

That question?s been asked in the Wreck so many times, and answered, that I don?t even want to think about the frequency. Each time it gets answers that range from ?wait till you find what you really need? to more specific suggestions like a table saw or bandsaw.

I?ve been working along on a shoestring with crappy tools and a POS shop for a few years now, with dreams of sugarplums and monster tools (both handheld and powered) all along the way.

?Some day,? I keep telling myself?.

Well some day just happened. I came into a sizable piece of money that can be partially devoted to upgrading my tools.

Back to the question. Which should come first? Tools that come to the top of the list include: Table saw, Bandsaw, Drill Press, Better Router, Jointer, along with a truckload of stuff from Lee Valley.

Tough choices. Requires many days and nights of deep contemplation. Need to maximize the efficiency so it?ll fit into a small shop. After a long period of agonizing, I came up with the best choice I could possibly think up as the FIRST tool.

Here it is:

little baby will run all day long, never bog down and should last for 25 years. The company has been around for a long time, has a good reputation and will be able to supply parts for some time. (If that?s even necessary). The online reviews have been excellent. The 5 year warranty didn?t hurt either. Although no mention was made in this house, I can gloat here that it was on sale for 20% off.

I brought it home (UPS was an option, but I have a pickup truck), carefully unboxed it and installed it. Checked the manual for setup and table trueness, shimmed where it needed and wired the ?shop? especially for it.

And waited.

I waited until it had been through a few sessions of work to ensure that it was everything the online reviews had said it was. The reviews were right on the money. She was pleased.

THEN I ordered a new table saw. Bandsaw will be next.

I?m not sure what I?m gonna do when I get the urge to buy Festool.

[Lee Michaels]

snip

Your first tool was a Craftman paint mixer?? And the wife liked it?

If I had a chunk of money to spend on a shop, the first thing I would buy would be a new shop building. Ya know, a structure that is bigger, has lots of power and is insulated.

[Leon]

1. Thickness Planer
2. Dust Collector
3. Router Table with dedicated router
4. Drill Press
5. Band Saw
6. 12" Disk Sander
7. Oscillating Spindle Sander
8. Drum Sander
14. Jointer

[Robatoy]

Compressor Thickness planer Rotex sander Dust collector Drill press

[Lew Hodgett]

Lew

[David G. Nagel]

Can you say European road trip?

[Morris Dovey]

When that moment arrives, might I suggest that the seven-speed "Ultra Power Plus" handheld version of your original benchtop tool purchase may produce considerable satisfaction...

[Maxwell Lol]

One of the first "big tools" I got was a table saw. It's *extremely useful* to be able to cut 90 degree corners quickly.

[Phil Again]

1st pick a project to build. Figure out what power tools are needed. Figure out what tool accessories are needed. Figure out what finishing / sanding techniques you want. Figure out how you will apply finish coat plus prevent dust mites. Figure out Dust / Cleanup / air quality you want.

Show spouse project plans, show spouse why all those tools needed, and which step(s) each is used in making project.

Then buy the best tool your money can stretched to.

Then pick a second project, and add tools as needed. For your third project, change finishing product and buy finishing tools to accommodate.

(Gosh, This was plan a PLAN! It sounded so-o-o easy on paper. Why didn't it work? Where did I go WRONG?)

[Bored Borg]

SCREENWIPE !!!!!!

coffee everywhere...

[Bored Borg]

On Sun, 7 Sep 2008 00:44:31 +0100, Tanus wrote (in article ):

Seriously? Not a "wife alarm" or leather recliner?

My first / Desert Island power tool would definitely be a sliding mitre saw.

In the real world, sheet stuff for simple projects can be got from Big Boxery at the local woodyard, cut to size on a huge, accurate, expensive sheet saw. but cutting sticks accurately to length is the big at-home priority. The mitre saw can handle and trim small sheet stuff, of course, and flipping parallel-sided ply, for example, can give pretty good 24" normals. Beyond that, a good coffee pot and a radio...

yeah, sorry, MITER saw for the lost colonials among us. :-p

[Nova]

I think things may have gone wrong at this point:

"Show spouse project plans, show spouse why all those tools needed,". ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[Tanus]

Handhelds can be dangerous. She can't very well pick up the benchtop and chase me round with it. Or throw it at me.

[Tanus]

The original question was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but I got great comments regardless.

One of the most interesting was from Leon, and his waaaaaaaay down the list for a jointer. I'm assuming that's because you can joint on a number of other machinery, and a jointer takes up valuable real estate. I'm going to keep that in mind.

I'd already insulated the shop, but neglected to update the info. on the site. A shop expansion is also in the works, hence the question on how to populate it. This year, the winters are going to be a little less harsh in there, because I've also improved the heating system.

[krw]

^^^^^^ or perhaps here. ;-)

Actually, since we now have the house, the cabinet saw is soon (as I=20 can get space cleaned in the garage). I have a room over the garage=20 I can use too. It's got loads of headroom, so thought I'd put=20 everything up there except the cabinet saw. It's a little heavy to=20 get up there, though I could cut a hole (and one joist) and put a=20 hoist in. ...I think.

--=20 Keith

[curraveha]

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