what should be my first power tool?

[Ah10201]

hi...

I'm just getting into wood working and was wondering if there is a stepwise list of tools to acquire. what tool do most people recommend buying first? a router? maybe a miter saw?

thank...

[abe]

Skilsaw.

[Rob]

Most folks I know would say a good tablesaw is the foundation of any good shop.

You have a myriad of choices but I recommend you get the best you can afford.

Buy a good one and you only cry once.

Rob

[Bay Area Dave]

table saw. it's the heart of most folks ww shops.

dave

Ah10201 wrote:

[Wes Stewart]

|hi... | |I'm just getting into wood working and was wondering if there is a stepwise |list of tools to acquire. what tool do most people recommend buying first? a |router? maybe a miter saw?

It depends. If you are considering working with sheet goods, i.e. plywood, etc. then as most everybody will answer, you need a table saw.

Otherwise, a strong case can be made for a bandsaw for your first big power tool purchase. They are much safer, quieter, create less dust and turn less wood into sawdust. A good one is also a little less expensive than a good table saw.

If you are thinking portable power tool, then a good router would be my suggestion.

Recommended reading: Fine Woodworking Magazine. issue No. 153.

Wes

[xrongor]

woodworking is a pretty broad area. what are you going to do? build birdhouses? cabinets? guitars? or just frame up a new room on your house? are you trying to fill a closet with tools or a shop?

a decent table saw is pretty expensive to buy 'just to get into' woodworking. so is a decent drill press. you might start with a router... lots of bang for buck there.

randy

[A Dubya]

I agree. For someone just getting started, a bandsaw is a useful and safe choice to start outfitting your shop.

An investment in basic hand tools (smoother, block, chisels, scrapers, hand saws, measuring and marking implements, files, rasps, bench/vises and some good books) could be the most useful to start. Not much can get accomplished in your shop without the use of handtools and some knowledge.

By the time you've set yourself up with quality hand tools, you'll definately be familiar with the term "budget" and "yes dear". By the time the "heavy iron" hits your shop floor, make sure you can breath through your ears! lol

Cheers and good luck!

aw

[Rumpty]

A used DeWalt Radial Arm Saw and a Porter Cable 690 router.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

What do you want to make? That will determine the order of buy. Anything done with a power tool can be done with a hand tool usually cheaper, but it may take longer to accomplish. It is possible to rip even very long boards with a hand saw if you want to get that router first, but be sure you have something to rout before spending the money.

Electric drills are more efficient than a brace and bit (probably cheaper too) , but holes can be made many ways.

What kind of money do you want to spend? Table saws can be had for $200 or $2000. Both will cut the same wood, one just does it will much less fuss and maybe a little faster. Give us some more idea of your goal and we can offer more detailed advice. Ed

[Michael Press]

If you expect to buy only a couple of power tools ever and build only the occasional project then I agree that RAS and router give you a broad versatility with low expense.

However if you expect to get serious (build cabinets, furniture, etc), then I suggest avoiding the RAS. As others have suggested, go with table saw and router first.

My RAS was ok for a while. I ripped, crosscut, mitered, beveled, drilled and routed with it (with drill chuck and router collet attachments). I made ok outdoor furniture and general stuff like adjustable garage shelving.

But I've regretted my RAS purchase ever since I've tried doing precision work. (I went to Sears to buy a table saw 10 years ago [before I knew not to] and was convinced by the Sears salesman that the RAS was more versatile). It's a pain to keep in adjustment, a pain to set up for each cut, and you can never get it to be as accurate as a good table saw with good fence. Like every tool that tries to do many things, it does none of them as well as other tools that do just one thing.

Michael

[Doug]

Pick a project to build, and buy the tools as you need them. The job will let you know what they should be. You have a piece of wood. You need to cut it??? Aha .. a saw would be nice..... a Skiksaw will do the job, but accuracy will suffer. Am I likely to need to cut lots of pieces of of wood...maybe it's time to look at a table saw...and on and on it goes... You will find that you have a certain style (interests) i.e. building sheds, doghouses, bird houses.....or maybe it's fine furniture each will have it's own set of preferred tools. Many people will say a jointer is necessary......I have been woodworking for 30 years and still don't have a jointer , although there have been times when it would have been nice. Now excuse me cuz I have to go looking at jointers ;-) Good luck with your new hobby

Doug

[Mike G]

There is no step like method nor correct answer for that question. The variables are mind boggling. If you have to ask you are also probably not prepared to properly evaluate the varied responses you are going to get much less use it when you buy it. There is only so much information that can be put into an e-mail and nobody responding knows any essential facts about your circumstances to be able to correctly answer the question in any way except through luck.

Woodworking has little or nothing to do with power tools and everything to do with skill developed with practice and knowledge, despite what how Norm makes it look in a half hour. Hell, there are a hundred and one things you need and need to do too accomplish a task before you even turn on a power tool. Alright, maybe only fifty. It isn't rocket science but it sure isn't using the remote to change the channel on the TV either.

If you don't have the patience to sit down with some books on woodworking and do a little study on the basics, pick a not too ambitious project you think you'd like to make, get some books on the basics, then at least go through them and figure out what tools would be appropriate to make that project and only buy those tools I highly recommend the first option.

If you insist on running out and buy every other power tool you are going to get recommendations on, convinced that they are going to turn you into the next DIY woodworking star, I feel confident in projecting you will shortly be joining those people with ads in the classifieds that say "For sale, Hardly used". Bless their hearts.

[TeamCasa]

Start by building a simple workbench with a drawer and a vise. Seek out a woodworker near you to help and advise. If he has Harbor Freight Tools, find someone else. ;-) Dave

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[Jay]

This assumes total novice to woodworking and standard bugetary constraints.

Here's my order of operations with an explaination:

1. Preliminary tool assumptions: Hammer, hand screwdrivers, pliers, tape measure. Basically, the tools that come in the "Christmas Gift Tool Packs". Wait for after father's day for the best deals.

1. A couple of 4" C-Clamps, Cheap paper dust mask, foam earplugs, safety glasses - As Jeff Foxworthy said, "Safety first, pumpkin. Safety first". Use them.

2. Cheap Circular saw with a good blade (I'm talking B&D from the BORG here, nothing special) - Its amazing how much you can do with with butt joints and finishing nails. Later on down the road (Maybe a year, maybe a decade) you will shout profanities from your shop, throw up your arms, and get a good one. Or, by then you might have a 00 table saw and won't care about your crappy circular saw.

1. Buy Cheap plywood and studs. Have fun slapping crap together. Make a pair of sawhorses or a folding "workbench" - You'll find it a luxury after having to clamp your sheet goods to a picnic table.

2. Handsaw(s) of your liking - So you can stop your cut with the circular saw and then square off the cut.

1. Cheap corded drill. It's not just for screwing anymore :)

2. Better blade for the circular saw. After using the included steel crap, you get a better understanding of why some say "Buy quality"

1. Some good layout tools. Start thinking about precision, but don't necessarily practice it :) Learn to use a starightedge guide for your circular saw on sheet goods, you'll be amazed at how much easier straight things fit together.

2. Random orbit sander (ROS) and/or planes and scrapers. Start into the "finishing thing". Every now and then, work above 60 grit.

1. Buy better plywood and good pine (or even poplar!)

2. Jig saw - Start making some curves. You'll probably use the thing for more than you expect.

1. Chisels - DAGS "Scary Sharp". Don't go overboard, but don't buy the cheapest at the store either. A cheap chisel that is sharp is better than an expensive one that is dull. Believe it or not, at this point you could be making dovetails!

2. Decent router (PC, dewalt, etc). Buy a good router book. Unleash the power! Don't buy a bit set. Start with a few quality straight bits and a roundover, ogee or other bearing-guided profile bit. Now you can (More easily) make rabbets, dadoes and other fun joinery. Buy bits as you need them. After using it for a while, you will probably get the true thirst for power tools.

1. Clamp, clamps, and more clamps. Did I mention clamps? Buy some glue so you can use the clamps. Who said clamps?

2. Table Saw. Used, new, whatever. Buy the best you can or have inner piece about spending money you will throw away. My suggestion: (ATTN: FLAME MAGNET HERE!!!) Don't put too much stock in the "Buy it once" philosophy. I alway thought it was a funny argument when you factor in the net present value of the thousands of board feet of wood that will go through any table saw (Except the crappy benchtops, of course). After using your first table saw for a while you will invariably want to try out other models or upgrade.

1. Buy quality hardwood and practice precision.

2. Upgrade the tools you have or continue the slippery slope from here. At this point, you should start getting a feel for what you need instead of having other dictate it. Buy what you need if you need it. At this point your grandchildren's inheritance will soon be squandered and you wife will refer to herself as "the woodworking widow".

[Rumpty]

[before I knew not to] and was convinced by the Sears salesman that the RAS was more versatile).

The sears RAS of that vintage is/was junk. A good used DeWalt is a superb RAS.

pain to set up for each cut, and you can never get it to be as accurate as a good table saw with good fence.

A used DeWalt is more accurate and doesn't lose adjustment.

[B a r r y]

I know a neander who lists a band saw as his ONLY power tool.

Barry

[Morris Dovey]

Nearly every woodworking project will involve making smaller pieces of wood out of larger ones...

If woodworking means "building a deck" then I'd suggest a good portable circular saw. I've particularly liked those with a worm gear drive - they're somewhat more expensive; but are worth the difference (IMO).

On the other hand, if woodworking means bookcases, tables, and cabinets, then I'd suggest the Porter Cable panel saw. It's not cheap; but it'll last for a long time and do a good job. Mine has been doing a first class job for over thirty years and may last longer than I.

The second tool I'd suggest would be a variable-speed drill, which can drill holes, drive screws, and even spin a sanding disk.

If you stay with woodworking, you'll probably want both a router and a miter saw. It's probably worth pointing out that the miter saw isn't much good for ripping or cutting sheet materials, so the portable circular saw is a better choice when you're just starting out. I'd be inclined to prioritize a good table saw (the best you can afford!) ahead of a miter saw.

I suggest talking with people in your neighborhood who do the kind of woodworking you're interested in. Ask them what they like and don't like about the tools they have (or have seen) in use.

Resist the urge to buy tools just because they're pretty, because they're cheap, or because you /might/ need 'em someday. If you buy tools as you have actual need, and if you only buy quality tools, your money will go a /lot/ farther. I've discovered that it's worth waiting and saving up for really good tools.

[mp]

How about a variable speed cordless hammer?

[Bay Area Dave]

So THAT'S what I've been doing wrong! I keep trying to take small pieces of wood and make larger ones from them. Duh!

dave

Morris Dovey wrote:

[Mark]

Assuming you have basic hand tools:

The most versatile saw you can get is a Radial Arm Saw (RAS). Yes, a bad RAS is a pain in the ass, and their not building good ones anymore, least their not building a RAS most of us could afford. This would limit you to buying used. Last week I saw a well cared for Red Star go for $110 at auction.

If I wanted to buy my first saw, knowing what I do, that Red Star would not have gone for $110. I would have been involved in the bidding.

If you haven't basic hand tools:

Get a 3/8 reversible drill.

You really haven't given us much to go on here.