Woodshop for less than $1,000??

[goofything2]

"The American Woodshop" TV show, hosted by Scott Phillips recently ran an episode claiming a woodshop could be outfitted for about $1,000 (major tools only, didn't include all the hand tools, clamps, etc required). I am curious if anyone knows what tools (makes, models, etc.) that he used in this or if anyone could recommend their own list. In the episode Scott had a table saw, drill press, planer, jointer, miter saw...I'm not sure what else. I didn't noitce a router, but you'd think that's a mandatory item as well.

Anyway, it seems it would cost more than $1,000 for all of these, unless you got real low quality tools, but I'd like to hear what everyone has to say.

I was thinking about a Delta TS300 Table Saw as a starter for $300 (or maybe the Bosch 4000-09, but I think it's about $450). Any thoughts on this.

What are some good and affordable jointers and planers? What do you think about a drum sander in a small home woodshop?

I hope this will be a good discussion.

Thanks for all the help and thoughts.

[cefischer]

The PBS that I get doesn't carry the show. A good suggestion to find out what he used to equip the shop might be on the American Woodshop web site

A quick look there gives the topics of the shows by season and I didn't find it in season 11 or

12 but didn't seach any further. Also check with your PBS station schedule to find out the episode number.

Ed

[arw01]

There have been a few of these done of the years.

Tablesaw is the biggest expense and always a bit of a compromise.

Then a $250 or so lunch box planer, then a $199 6" benchtop jointer. With the tablesaw, jointer, planer as the anchor, a $90.00 bench top drill press with a rotary sander kit added for god measure.

They always got a bit over, but you could make afew things with that set up, router likely comes in next to buy.

In my shop I've sold a few items i had a long time, bought a few at good prices.

Jet 10" contractors saw with upgraded 2hp motoer and original Jet fench replaced by a 52" Vega I got it with a mobile cart built under for $350.00. Tossed the blade, bought a forest WWII.

So I'm in $450, the factory original fence was sold on Ebay for $50.00 net, so I'm in $400. I also sold my old delta table saw which this replaced for $70.00, so net that out too.

Sold an engine I had around for 15 years on a stand for $800 which bought me a 8" Jointer from an Ebay auction in Californa that I got one friend to pick up and bring to his work in Ca, and a truck friend to bring it to Washington. No cost. AND it bought a Dewalt DW735 planer with wings.

When I picked up a Ryobi resaw bandsaw, which is a bit small, but takes baldes up to 2" wide. THis was $100.00 I have about another $100 into other blades. Noisy as hell.

Got a OSS for christmas, most of the rest I had around for years, and I've learned to use my handplanes to good effect most of the time.

Don't under estimate how much work can be done with a few basic electric tools and some handtools.

[David]

a drum sander is a luxury for someone who's thinking of getting a $300 TS. I've got $13,000+ worth of equipment and I'm still on the fence about spending $1,400 for a drum sander.

Buy what you need when you need it, rather than buying a lot of cheap "everything". It'll cost more in the long run, when you replace the cheap stuff.

Dave

Dave

[AAvK]

... you COULD do it!

[A.M. Wood]

Not everything has to be new. There are a lot of very good quality used tools out there. Check out ebay and craigs list for starters.

[Toller]

I have a $250 TS and just bought drum sander. Not a damn thing wrong with a good used $250 TS. (Okay, its not a $1,600 TS...)

[Frank Ketchum]

You may be able to buy most items of a good quality for this amount, but they will be used. Classifieds, garage sales etc. You need to know what things are worth. If you are talking new equipment, it will be the lesser quality models. If you are willing to think of the $1000 as seed money and can accept the fact that you will be replacing many of the tools in the future when you can't stand them anymore, then go for it.

I would spend more money on the most important tools first and do without the others until necessary. For example, you can get a nice 3hp grizzly cabinet style table saw in the $900 range. For 99.99% of woodworkers, this is the last tablesaw you will ever need to buy. The absence of a planer and jointer means that you can't surface your own rough lumber at first. Either by presurfaced lumber for your first projects or learn to prepare them the old fashioned way. You can do without a drillpress at first, use a cordless drill. It is very irritating to replace every tool that you purchased at first one at a time because you are unhappy with them. Don't ask me how I know this.

I think they are expensive and not necessary. Of course,,,, I still want one!

Frank

[Lee Gordon]

Delta is one of the underwriters for The American Woodshop so I would guess that the sub-$1000 woodshop would be equipped with bottom of the range Delta tools.

Lee

[Charles Self]

It strikes me that while you can equip a woodshop with new tools for a grand or so, it makes much more sense to go the used tool route. I recently saw a couple of good contractor's saws in local ad papers for $400 or less. A decent drill press for $125. No jointer or planer has showed up yet, but...

Used tools in good condition--check, and make sure, that they're running and in good tune before even considering making an offer--would mean a double step in quality, and sometimes capacity, and maybe more.

[Odinn]

On 12/11/2005 11:09 PM Frank Ketchum mumbled something about the following:

[evodawg]

Ya know you can always look on ebay if your not in any hurry. I got a Jet Cabinet Saw used 4 times for 400.00 with all the extras. Of course you have to go and pickup these items but hell it's worth it.

Rich

[Stephen M]

While I agree that the used market can yeild some decent equipment at a good price, someone who has never owned a table saw is likely to be the least qualified person to asess it's present condition.

On the couple of occasions when I have sold items, I made a special point of demoing the equipment before being asked.

If you can, bring along a buddy with some experience.

-Steve

[Leuf]

Most of us are accustomed to having the table saw be the cornerstone and catch all tool that does all sorts of stuff it wasn't even really intended for. But at this price level I would skip it. Unless you can get a good deal on a used one it's either going to take up half the budget for a decent one or be the first tool you have to upgrade.

14" band saw $350 Circular saw $150 10" Miter Saw $200 Router $200

Total $900

The last $100 can get you a drill press, hand planes, part way to a jointer, or count towards your hand tools/clamps/blades/bits.

Next purchase would be the buy-it-once cabinet saw.

-Leuf

[brianlanning]

When I decided to start woodworking, I had about that much money to start with, although I cheated a little because I had a few hand power tools already. For that money, I got the delta bench top table saw, delta bench top band saw, delta bench top jointer, delta bench top planer, delta miter saw, and delta bench top drill press. Most of them were miserable tools. The first to go was the table saw. I did two projects with it, then put it on ebay. I actually got back most of my money on it because I was able to include the "free" saw blade that came with my delta CS. The band saw was next. I was able to ebay that one also. The jointer was ok, but the table wasn't flat and was too short. I ebayed that one for maybe half what I paid. All I have left are the bench top DP and planer. I now have a floor standing delta DP. I'm debating whether I should sell the other DP or keep it as a just in case second drill press. The planer will be replaced in january or february. I also need to replace the miter saw because there's so much arbor runout, I can't miter anything. I may keep it as a loaner for friends or for cutting things I don't want to put on the nice miter saw. I also have some throw-away routers that I don't know what to do with.

Of the tools I got, only the planer and the DP were winners. If I could do it again, I would have gotten the base model grizzly contractor's saw. That way, I could have upgraded to cast iron wings or a different fence later. Rather than a miter saw, I would have made a miter sled for the table saw and used the circular saw to cut down big stuff. For the jointer, i should have bought s2s until I could afford a good one. I should have also started with the porter cable

690 for a router rather than the ryobi I started with.

On the other hand, maybe it would have been better to buy/build a workbench and start off with chisels, planes, and a dozuki.

brian

[nospambob]

[Larry Jaques]

On 12 Dec 2005 10:55:10 -0800, with neither quill nor qualm, "brianlanning" quickly quoth:

I agree. The OP would do better with a few books on woodworking (for the style of woodworking he wishes to undertake) and a few hand tools. The HD kit bench would give him a start and a Harbor Freight vise would top it off. With those, he could start building a real woodworking bench.

As to saws, I've tried some lovely old Disstons (rip and crosscut) dozukis, ryobas, gent's saws, dovetail saws, and a few others. I have never found anything better for most sawing requirements than a ryoba. The little $26 razor saw I got from the Japan Woodworker is just great! Ads for these are in most copies of FWW magazine.

They're $25.95 DELIVERED! (ask for the hardwood version of their

9-1/2" Gyokucho) 1-800-537-7820 (Dept. D2, Fine Woodworking ad)

- They who know the truth are not equal to those who love it. -Confucius ---

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[Mike Berger]

I don't know what he used, but our local big box stores have

5 basic (crappy) power tools for $ 99 each (and often under on sale):

Table saw, bandsaw, drill press, belt/disk sander, miter saw

That's a lot of different tools for just half of your budget. Probably nobody > "The American Woodshop" TV show, hosted by Scott Phillips recently ran

[rickluce]

You really know how to work it.

[rickluce]

Good point. You can buy used if you know what your looking for. Most new woodworkers do not. The big question is...are you building bird houses or a table for twelve. A table for twelve would be considerably more difficult on a tool budget of 1000.00. But I could build one heck of a bird house with a 200.00 Ryobi table saw. I've worked on many a types of tools and the cliche "you get what you paid for" certainly rings true when buying tools.