Top 5 Must have shop power tools

[tmackay]

Folks,

Just curious the difference between what everyone has to what everyone wishes they had.

For me I have:

1. Table Saw
2. Band Saw
3. Drill Press
4. Router
5. Wide Belt Sander

My ideal would be:

1. Table S.
2. Band S.
3. Jointer
4. Planer
5. Mitre S.

That said what would be your ideal shop setup?

Cheers

 

[Kracin]

combination mig/tig/plasma cut/arc setup

drill press

cutoff saw (either friction or dry)

sheetmetal brake capable of thick gauges.

large press.

 

[#1SomeGuy]

Would depend if it's a wood shop, metal shop or automotive shop.

I have Mitre Saw, Table Saw, Compressor, Floor Jacks, and next up would be a welder?

 

[W_KY]

I think we can already see that it depends on if you are a metal worker or a woodworker. For me, I'm a woodworker so my list is:

1. Table Saw (have)
2. Miter Saw (have)
3. Random Orbital Sander (have)
4. Band Saw (want)
5. Drill/Drill Press (have both)

 

[tmackay]

For myself I agree with W_KY, definitely a woodshop and without derailing my first question I am curious are there more woodworkers, metal workers or autotechs out there? I would assume wood first, followed by auto, lastly metal??? Although I would love to learn to weld so maybe wood, metal, auto....

 

[jeffmoss26]

I use my cordless drill the most, then my key machine, then my bench grinder.
Ultimate #1 would be a Bridgeport mill with an unlimited supply of tooling and materials

 

[venturesomerite]

1) Welders - TIG and Mig
2) Cutters - Plasma and Oxy
3) Lathe/Mill
4) Compressor - Biggin
5) 2 post lift

 

[pepi]

For myself I agree with W_KY, definitely a woodshop and without derailing my first question I am curious are there more woodworkers, metal workers or autotechs out there? I would assume wood first, followed by auto, lastly metal??? Although I would love to learn to weld so maybe wood, metal, auto....

One of the same when it comes to tools, generally speaking they tend to cross over.

 

[WWIIjeep]

Just curious the difference between what everyone has to what everyone wishes they had.

5 is nowhere near enough. And, as W_KY said, it depends on what kind of work you want to do. There's also a difference between (stationary) machinery and portable power tools.

I do a little bit of all--woodworking, metalworking, automotive, general repairs--so here's my list of top fives, separated by category:

Woodworking:

1. Radial arm saw (or substitute miter/chop saw)
2. Table saw
3. Disk sander (or combo belt/disk)
4. Band saw
5. Wood lathe

Metalworking:

1. Lathe
2. Vertical mill
3. Band saw
4. Drill press
5. Sheet metal brake

Support/maintenance:

1. Air compressor (and air tools)
2. Grinder (bench or pedestal)
3. Oxyacetylene torch
4. Welder (MIG or SMAW)
5. Hoist (gantry or cherry-picker, or better yet, forklift)

Portable electric power tools:

1. Drill
2. Angle grinder
3. Sheet metal shear or nibbler
4. Router
5. Orbital sander

See, 5 is nowhere near enough, and even 20 is still nowhere near enough.

 

[the gypsy]

All of the above. Just tell the wife you are a Jack of all trades and Master of none.

 

[zkling]

Agree with all those that say it depends on the work you do. I guess for the home shop that does general repair and what not....

1.)Table saw (for those wood projects around the house)
2.)Milling machine (can be used as a drill press if need be)
3.)Vertical wood metal bandsaw (for contour cutting of all materials), use hacksaw for cutoff!!!
4.)Tig welder (for sticking things together)
5.)Metal Lathe (for making round things, mostly)

But please don't make me choose just 5

Runners up

Large air compressor
Horizontal bandsaw
Drill press
Jointer
Big arbor press
2"x72" belt sander w/ 8" disk for metal and wood

 

[Stuey]

Have:

1) Tabletop drill press
2) Track saw
3) Cordless drill and impact driver kit
4) Corded jig saw
5) Oscillating multi-tool

Wishlist:

1) More shop space
2) Small CNC mill
3) 15" drill press
4) Wall-to-wall Lista tool cabinets and workbenches
5) Woodworking bench

I'm not really in need of power tools, it's a bigger and better shop environment I could really use. Eventually I would like a cabinet saw, jointer, and planer, but they're not really things that I *need*.

 

[texchappy]

I'll have to think about the auto half but for the woodshop half - none. I'm a handtool only kinda woodworker. No table saw, band saw, etc - just a till full of old disstons and a new Bad Axe.

For the auto (now that I've though about it):
Lift, larger air compressor, and some welding equipment when I'm ready to start learning that.

 

[woody 73]

The winning ticket to the powerball.
A Garage the size of Alaska.
Money hidden in overseas bank accounts.
Good Health.
Good looks.
Hair.
My hearing back.

Oh wait power tools...

I better keep playing the lotto!

 

[BobKovacs]

Even beyond woodwork vs, metalwork, it depends on what exactly you're doing within that category.

When I was doing woodworking, the majority of my work was paint-grade built-ins, so my list was:

1. Festool Midi Vacuum
2. Festool TS-55 Track Saw
3. Festool Kapex Miter Saw
4. Festool Rotex RO-90 Sander
5. Festool ET-125 Random Orbit Sander

With those five tools, a compressor/nail guns, and a cordless drill, I could handle 99% of my projects and produce virtually no sawdust. I never had the need for a bandsaw, lathe, or some of the other tools that guys who did different types of woodworking need.

 

[fflintstone]

I have a lot already.
The five I WANT are
AC TIG welder
English wheel
Sheet metal brake
Working metal lathe. (I have a non functioning one)
Bridgeport.


For woodworking a panel saw would be nice.
More storage buildings.


By far the most useful thing would be more income…

 

[AV tinker er]

Mine are: (I have been doing flooring/tile/molding recently)
1. compressor
2. miter saw
3. jig saw
4. cordless drill
5. table saw

 

[greasemonkey44]

a bench grinder
functioning drill press
welder
drill/impact

 

[Givl Reggin]

 

[illmatyk]

1. Compressor w/various pneumatic tools-( Have ).

2. Drill-( Have 5 of them ).

3. Welder-( Have, Lincold HD140 ).

4. Bench grinder-( still want one ).

5. Plasma-( dreaming of one ).


Alot stuff that can go here but I can't make up my mind!!

 

[HTGTS350]

A BIG mill
A Big lathe(8ft+ bed length)
A spark eroder
A horizontal bandsaw
and a 500A welder. Just about got everything else I need.

 

[Jersey Tom]

"Must have" vs. "most wanted" is a tough balance! Speaking from a balance of machine shop and home garage...

(Tie) 1. Good saw. Preferably vertical bandsaw for versatility, but depends on what material you're cutting. Horizontal bandsaw or cold cut or multicut saw could be nice. Hell I'm amazed how much stuff you can do with a good jigsaw and the right blades!

(Tie) 2. Good sized air compressor, and preferably hard-line connections all over, for the amount of good air-powered tools you can use!

3. Welder. Preferably AC/DC TIG, but MIG is probably the easier and more accessible.

4. Pedestal or bench grinder, or belt sander. Leaning toward belt sander, again for versatility.

5. Either a vertical mill or toolroom lathe. Probably lean toward mill. 100x better than a drill press!

 

[cgv69]

This is always a tough one because it really depends on what you want to make, how much room you have, how you like to work, etc... Based on your list, I assume we are at least focusing on WW'ing but are we talking cabinet making, furniture making (those 2 are not the same IMO), home improvement, turning, etc.?

If I was starting all over again and didn't have any specific plans or projects planned and just wanted to be in the shop and make something then I would seriously consider focusing on wood turning. Wood turning is a lot of fun and you would be amazed at the variety of things you can make and it doesn't require as much time or space or tools compared to other types of WW'ing. For a turning shop, you really only need a lathe and bandsaw. A chainsaw and chop saw come in very handy as well. Then all you need is a good chuck and turning tools. Some type of grinder or other sharpening device to keep those chisels sharp is also advisable.

For any other type of WW'ing it really depends. The only universal must have tool IMO is a table saw. After that it kind of depends? A jointer and planer are just about must haves for furniture makers using solid woods but a cabinet making could get by without if need be.

A bandsaw and drill press are both very handy tools but you can get by without them (depending again on what your making?). A miter saw is another great tool, especially for home project type work but its not that important of a tool for furniture making.

For a general purpose shop, there are 4 machines that I would find hard to live without...

1. Table Saw
2. Router w/Router table
3. CMS or SCMS
4. Jointer/Planer combo (I consider this one tool even if bought separately because one without the other is almost useless)

You can do 90% of anything you want to do with just those 4 items (and associated accessories and hand tools). Really you would be amazed at how much can be done with just the first 2 tools (TS and router table). The CMS is more for home improvement type work and the jointer and planer just gives you the option to buy rough cut lumber which is much cheaper then pre surfaced lumber. Beyond that, a bandsaw and drill press are very nice and handy to have.

 

[kc-steve]

I'm not particular . . . I'd like a machine that will print my own lottery tickets. And then when I win I can buy more than my fav top five power tools.

Steve

 

[larry_g]

The top 5 I have in no particular order

Mill
Lathe
air compressor
wood saw
hand drill

lg

 

[Steevo]

My disc/belt sander has worked its way into my most-used tools list. I never thought about one until I got one at a garage sale, and now I turn to it more often than to the bench grinder.

So, my current list, if limited to five, would be:

Disc/Belt sander
Band saw
MIG welder
Lathe
Mill

 

[paulrey27]

1. Table saw
2. Drill press
3. Band saw
4. Planer
5. Jointer

Because I'm curious and it seems like many of you are jacks of many trades, are there GarageJournals for woodworking out there? I would enjoy browsing them IN ADDITION to GJ. Looking for more places to lurk. Feel free to reply or PM me with suggestions. Thanks.
Lots of good top 5's.

 

[kazlx]

So, my current list, if limited to five, would be:

Disc/Belt sander
Band saw
MIG welder
Lathe
Mill

Right with Steevo except a TIG instead of a MIG.

 

[WhyMe]

Miter saw
Cordless impact driver
Compressor
Drill
Pressure washer

 

[Exceller8]

1. Cordless drill
2. Bench grinder
3. Drill press
4. Jigsaw
4. Circular saw