Woodworking Tool Kit - Suggestion/Critique

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Oct 25, 2011
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I have a number of the tools on your list.
PEC makes great stuff. Look on https://www.harryepstein.com/ for PEC seconds. Saves a bit of money and supports a great store.
I have had a Bosch contractor table saw for about 8 years and got a Milwaukee m18 track saw about a year ago. If i was starting over today I would get the track saw and a guide setup like TSO products and skip the contractor table saw. I did not see a miter saw on the list but I would recommend a 12 inch slider. Bosch makes a great one. Everyone’s Bosch sander advice is spot on. They are great.
 
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EricM1990

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You guys are talking about a much higher tier and probably larger size than I was looking at. I'm not sure. Is there any downside to a smaller sander beyond more time? I do hear you all saying sanding *****, i should make it as easy as possible., both clean up and sanding.

That all makes sense

Just trying to do the math on how much time I will save vs how much more i'm spending. Assuming the end result is the same anyway. Which it may not be.
 
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EricM1990

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I have a number of the tools on your list.
PEC makes great stuff. Look on https://www.harryepstein.com/ for PEC seconds. Saves a bit of money and supports a great store.
I have had a Bosch contractor table saw for about 8 years and got a Milwaukee m18 track saw about a year ago. If i was starting over today I would get the track saw and a guide setup like TSO products and skip the contractor table saw. I did not see a miter saw on the list but I would recommend a 12 inch slider. Bosch makes a great one. Everyone’s Bosch sander advice is spot on. They are great.

I actually found Harry Epstein and ordered. I couldn't find blemished product anywhere else for a reasonable price. Ebay had a little bit but not much stock

I am still trying to decide on circular/table/guides vs track saw/guides
 

f121

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You guys are talking about a much higher tier and probably larger size than I was looking at. I'm not sure. Is there any downside to a smaller sander beyond more time? I do hear you all saying sanding *****, i should make it as easy as possible., both clean up and sanding.

That all makes sense

Just trying to do the math on how much time I will save vs how much more i'm spending. Assuming the end result is the same anyway. Which it may not be.
Biggest things with a higher end sander are:
- dust extraction. I can use my festool in the house without worrying about stuff getting dusty.
- durability. Expect to get more years use out of a more expensive tool, although some cheap ones last a very long time.
- less vibration
- speed to get the result you want (either lots of material removal quickly or a decent finish quickly)
 

tyyost

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If I was doing it again I’d buy the 6” Festool Rotex or Bosch equivalent to start. I know it seems like a lot of coin, but there really is a huge huge difference difference. The off-the-shelf home center style sanders leave a ton of room to be desired. It’s like going back in time to vibrating sheet pad Sanders.
 

gahrajmahal

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Our host Ryan was going through this very similar quest only a few years ago or so it seems. He is an excellent metal man and mechanic and was new to woodworking. He asked the board for suggestions and followed many of them. Using search you can find his festool purchases and several wood project threads. Here is one I found to get started.


 
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gahrajmahal

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As far as my tool purchases I start cheap or free. Then, if my project requires a specific tool, say a router, I then purchase better or best as my budget allows selling off the cheaper one or giving it to Habitat for Humanity to sell.
 
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EricM1990

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As far as my tool purchases I start cheap or free. Then, if my project requires a specific tool, say a router, I then purchase better or best as my budget allows selling off the cheaper one or giving it to Habitat for Humanity to sell.

This is how I have done hand tools. I think there is merit in this approach. But even if I never use them again. If I just complete a couple projects that look like passable work, they will pay for themselves. Almost every tool i have ever bought was to fix something not make something. It's a novel feeling to gauge tool purchases in that way. I shouldn't get carried away though
 
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tarbellb

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To answer your question about size

Yes the larger size (6") has disadvantages, edge work is not optimal, anything vertical or overhead due to weight. All doable but not ideal.

Most sanding tho is large open spaces, flat, and needing lots of passes, all of which benefit from those things mentioned above.

My preferred setup is the larger dual action sander combined with a multi tool and triangle sanding pad.
Multi tools w sanding pads are surprisingly effective, excelling at edge work, contours, small spaces, etc....

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Aaron_W

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Not a bad list, I have some of those you have listed. Only thing is to reiterate what others have said, which is for some tools wait until you have a need, or the tool may sit in a box. Not terrible if the money spent isn't something maybe spent elsewhere, at least it is there when you need it and having it is sometimes all the motivation needed to find a use for it.

Measuring tools, I also weld and have a small machine shop set up so I have some higher end measuring tools available. For wood working I've found Stanley, Empire and General to be readily available at my local stores and they have been fine for the level of accuracy I need.

Not familiar with PEC but as an inexpensive tool, Igauging does get generally decent comments from hobby machinists who don't want to spend name brand money for Starrett, Mitutoyo etc. If it is good enough for hobby machinists there should be no issue for woodworking.

On the power tools, I'm mostly a cord guy, in part because that lets me pick and choose brands without concern for battery platform. Seems like every major brand has their excellent and subpar tools, so I don't like to be locked in.

Bosch 1617 router, I have this. A good router, but I don't actually use it much. This is a big router, you may want to also look at a smaller trim router. Dewalt's corded and cordless trim routers are well thought of. After quite a bit of research I've had the DWP611 on my wishlist for quite sometime. I just haven't run into a need for a router enough to convince me to buy it yet.

Bosch jigsaw, I have the d handle version. Again a good tool but sees limited use.

Drill press, this is a tool where used often makes the most sense. They are often cheap and plentiful on CL, FBMP etc.
I've got an old Delta radial drill press that gives me a large capacity drill press in a medium size package. It isn't a powerful drill press being based on their 11" drill press, but it does give me up to 31" reach. I paid $80 for it a few years ago.
New or used though don't go small, I wouldn't bother with anything under 12" and would try to go larger. This is a tool where going with budget brands isn't usually an issue, and Harbor Freight can offer some decent options.

I have an old cast iron top Craftsman 113 contractors table saw. I've looked at that Skil 10" before and it does seem to be a pretty nice option for a smaller budget table saw. Unless you have a specific need for a smaller table saw I'd avoid one that doesn't use a 10" blade. With a 10" blade you will have far more blade options, better availability and the blades will generally be cheaper as well. Consider your needs though this type of small table saw is far less useful than a full size cabinet style or hybrid saw.

A circular saw with a track is super useful for breaking down sheet goods. You don't have to spend "tracksaw money" to get the benefit. You can make a guide yourself or buy a universal track for whichever circular saw you have.
I bought an Evolution multi-material circular saw with their track system and have been very pleased with it at only a fraction of the cost of a "real" track saw. It is a pretty nice circular saw as well. I have the corded version, but they offer cordless as well.

Bandsaw is like a jig or scrollsaw. Super handy when you need one, but not too useful outside of their specific uses. That said I have been happy to have a bandsaw for those times I needed one as not many other tools can do what it does. No particular recommendations for new as I have a 1940s Davis and Wells 14", and a 9" Delta from the 1990s.
I will say although it leaves something to be desired I've had the 9" for more than 20 years and it has proved to be useful before I got the 14" a couple years ago. The 9" doesn't take up a lot of space and is light enough to be easily moved into an out of the way spot when I don't need it.

You don't have a miter saw on your list. Personally I've found this and the circular saw to get more far use than all the other saws. Only having a contractors table saw I find the miter saw is often a far better choice than the table saw. I've got a 12" Rigid double bevel non-sliding miter saw I bought about 12 years ago. If I were to buy another I might go with something else, but the Rigid has served me well, I have no complaints.

On the sanders, I'd just go Dewalt on the orbital sander. I'm not a huge Dewalt fan, but orbital sanders and trim routers seem to be things that they really got right. I've had a corded Dewalt 5" orbital sander about 25 years, still works great.

I've had a couple of belt / disk sanders. They are ok, but evaluate your use / needs. You get what you pay for. The common, fairly inexpensive 4" belt / 6" disk sanders are decent general purpose, but may be very inadequate for furniture making. I was gifted a Delta 6x48" / 8" disk and it is practically a different tool from the 1" / 5" Craftsman or 4" / 6" Grizzly I had.

A combination spindle / belt sander might be something else to look at.


Don't ignore Harbor Freight. Many of the Bauer and Hercules tools are very competitive with Ryobi, Craftsman, Rigid and Kobalt. I've ended up with a bunch of Bauer and a few Hercules cordless tools and I've been quite happy with them. Some of their bench tools seem to be solid as well, but I still have to much of my old don't buy anything with a cord from Harbor Freight to take that plunge.
 

Aaron_W

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No experience with on the Bora Centipede, but for portable work stations in general I've become a fan after (finally) buying a B&D Workmate.

I'd seen the Workmates for years but just thought they were an "as seen on TV" gadget. There was a thread here a couple years back that convinced me to give one a try, I got the WM425 on sale for around $100, and I love that thing. About a year ago Costco had some Pegasus Worx folding tables on sale, so I bought one of those as well. A different use than the WM, but It does make for a nice work table.

The Centipede does look nice though and offers the ability to expand the work surface.
 

willy3486

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I got tired of the quality of newer tools so if I find a vintage or older tool I buy it over new. As far as new types of tools I haven't used yet I will buy a cheap tool and see if I will use it. If I use it a lot I will replace it with better quality when it breaks. For example years ago I bought a cheap biscuit joiner at a flea market or something. I got the hang of using it and used it all the time. I saw a good sale on a Makita biscuit joiner and bought it. One time I bought a sawzall at HF to see if I would use it and I used it a lot. So after it broke I bought a Milwaukee sawzall I found at a good price. I bought a cheap compression gauge and used it once. I probably will never use it again but I spent very little on it. but if it broke and I needed one I would probably buy a cheap one as I almost never have a need for it.
 

T45

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Pretty good list, curious if the OP has any updates.

I just went thru a similar build out last fall. $1k is doable if you make some strategic choices, but as with anything, its not just the quality/price consideration but the buy/not buy this category of tool that will make or break the budget.

One tool I would add...I didn't see an impact to match the drill. For that, I really like m12 surge...esp. for indoor use. It's surge is sooooo... much quieter , and so much of what you really need is small things.

Maybe its a luxury item for a DIY but alot of pro's seem to recommend it.
 

RickP

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Your list of tools looks good -- as others have said, buying as you go works well. And your list will help you pull the trigger when you see one go on sale.
Taught by framing a house. Weak in metal fab and woodworking that ends with a serious finish. Bulk of future work should be furniture making
Furniture making and getting a serious finish will take you up a level from using plywood for shop cabinets (like most of my stuff). I'm trying to make the same jump. For that, you'll probably need to flatten boards faster than just sanding them. Have you thought about adding a lunchbox planer to the list? I was shopping for one last year, and most brands are very similar. The one model that consistently stands out is the Dewalt DW735X, which is a heavy duty (more accurate) version of the standard lunchbox model.

I bought mine around Black Friday, and got it for $679, including a rolling stand. It's on sale for $639 (without the stand) this week: Home Depot Link Edit: just went on sale today for $581: Link

Have fun with getting all the tools on your list!
 
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