Collecting tools for the sake of having them

[HowardH]

Do you guys collect tools knowing you might not need it for a project anytime soon or just because you want it? I kinda feel that way with some of the Woodpecker tools and I would dearly love to have a Lamello Zeta P2 without really having an application for it that I can think of at the moment. It is interesting though how one can come up with a project that utilizes a specific tool just because you have it. What tool have you purchased knowing full well you might not really need but you had to have it anyway? My wife does it with shoes... ;D

 

[AlexThePalex]

I have seen some members here who bought every tool they could get their hands on, and then have them sit in their boxes looking pretty but never being used.

I myself only buy a tool when I need it. When I buy a tool you can be sure it's going to be used immediately.

 

[rmwarren]

In a seperate discussion I'd mentioned that I sometime buy "capabilities" for the shop that I don't have an immediate need for. An example would be a long router template bit that I don't need for a current project but expect I will sometime in the future and don't want to stop and wait for it to arrive.

This often happens when something catches my eye or I have a few bucks smoldering in my jeans, many times at the mega industrial supply/toy store an hour from home.

RMW

 

[hdv]

Well, since supply chain issues raised their ugly head a few years ago I have been known to buy a plane or two (or more  [embarassed]) without an immediate need for it. I do love planes and ever since I had to wait for more than 18 months for a replacement Veritas #5½ jack plane I never wanted to be without the plane I needed for some project again. That has led to a tendency to buy, just to be sure I had it at hand whenever the need should come up. One example: I bought a spokeshave with a flat sole that hasn't been used (yet) in about 6 months. I just know I will need it sometime soon...  [cool]

 

[ChuckM]

In general (90% of the time or more), I buy tools when I have a need for them (that's why I have a lean shop compared to most woodworkers). Two reasons: too many tools spoil the fun of finding shop-made solutions, and money (I have a big budget for tools compared to most woodworkers, but I hate thinking that I'm a sucker  [tongue]).

Exceptions: When the deal is too good, I grab it. A case in point: I found a Dremel stand for $25 Cdn at Lowe's ($79 regular; $60 on Amazon), and decided it was too good to pass.

If I get a new toy, I try to get rid of something that performs the same thing. For example, my biscuit joiner and benchtop mortiser were sold after I got familiar with my DF500.

To conclude: I'm a tool user, and never a collector.

 

[Cheese]

I'm like Richard in that I purchase for "enhanced capabilities" if I'm pretty darn certain I'll be needing that capability in the future. The only exceptions to that rule so far is a Shaper Origin and a Festool HL 850 planer. The HL 850 was purchased to be used strictly as a small bench stand planer rather than having to fire up the 6" Delta. The results were disappointing.  [sad]

The Shaper Origin I still really like but I've yet to take the time to learn the .SVG software. There's always something that's "a little bit more important" to get done. Maybe this summer...the onboard software is up to date though. [smile] 

On a more positive note, there are a lot of previous purchases that have been very positive and when you look at the original purchase price versus the current pricing, those were moves well made.

 

[rmhinden]

The Shaper Origin I still really like but I've yet to take the time to learn the .SVG software. There's always something that's "a little bit more important" to get done. Maybe this summer...the onboard software is up to date though. [smile] 

My shaper origin was probably my biggest recent non-project related discretionary purchase.    I have used it a fair amount and am happy with the purchase.   

Regarding .SVG software, I have been using ShaperTools Studio.    It easy to use and is well integrated into the ShaperOrigin system.  I suggest giving it a try.   

Bob

 

[rmwarren]

The Shaper Origin I still really like but I've yet to take the time to learn the .SVG software. There's always something that's "a little bit more important" to get done. Maybe this summer...the onboard software is up to date though. [smile] 

[member=44099]Cheese[/member] you are probably aware of Shaper Studio, I've mostly moved to it from F360, and it is mega-simple to use. The downside is $100/annual ticket-to-ride, but I find this acceptable given how much I use it. You can whip out complex designs in minutes, on an old iPad, in the shop, and any change automatically synchronizes.

RMW

Edit: what Bob said...  [smile] there is a free trial.

 

[squall_line]

I'm a participant in the Festool OWNERS Group side of things, rather than the Festool USERS Group side of things.

Some of that is like HDV said, and came about because of good deals on unique Festool items that are no longer available for purchase (RAS, Vac Sys, etc.), some of it is projects that I had in mind that never came to fruition because of changing priorities in life, and some of it is just collectorism (I don't think that anyone NEEDS all 4 of Festool's current router offerings, but alas...).

I try to make up for my extra purchases by attempting to be a sort of encyclopedia of information by virtue of having the tools on hand to look at something on them.

I'll admit that I also bought a P2 just for the sake of buying a P2 to say I had one, but I've actually used it more than once.  I enjoy using the Clamex so much more than the Festool D8 knockdown connectors other than the extra cost involved in the connectors.

 

[ChuckM]

I'm a participant in the Festool OWNERS Group side of things, rather than the Festool USERS Group side of things.Snip.

[big grin] [big grin] [big grin]
[thumbs up]

 

[Cheese]

Regarding .SVG software, I have been using ShaperTools Studio.    It easy to use and is well integrated into the ShaperOrigin system.  I suggest giving it a try.   

Bob

[member=44099]Cheese[/member] you are probably aware of Shaper Studio, I've mostly moved to it from F360, and it is mega-simple to use. The downside is $100/annual ticket-to-ride, but I find this acceptable given how much I use it. You can whip out complex designs in minutes, on an old iPad, in the shop, and any change automatically synchronizes.

RMW

Thanks Bob [member=66813]rmhinden[/member]  and Richard [member=8712]Richard/RMW[/member] for the suggestion, $100 per year is doable considering I've had a $2500 router sitting in the basement for the last 5 years doing zilch.  [embarassed]

I'm going to start with the trial version and see how that goes, as I have a list of projects that I can use it on. Even more embarrassing is that I purchased the Shaper Plate back in November thinking that owning that item would kick-start the .SVG software debacle.  [doh]

 

[woodbutcherbower]

From what I've observed on this forum and from life in general, the question is all about whether you're a professional or a hobbyist. If you're the latter, if you're interested in woodworking, and if you can afford to buy nice stuff even though you might not necessarily need it straightaway (or at all), then jump in with both feet and enjoy. It's your money to spend exactly how you want to. And besides - collecting stuff isn't done because you actually need the stuff - it's done because you like the stuff and you want it.

My girlfriend collects books - really beautiful ones. She has upwards of 1000 of them. They get read once, and then spend the rest of their lives on a shelf (well - a full-scale Gothic Victorian library actually, constructed by yours truly after months of persuasion for me to find a time slot in my schedule - she waited almost a year). They don't serve any purpose apart from looking great, but they're her proudest possession. It's all about gazing at them with that warm glow inside - about pride of ownership.

Every tool I purchase, however, represents a ruthless, unemotional business decision based on likely utilisation, time savings, job quality increases, return on investment, depreciation rate and so on. There's a list of probably a dozen stellar tools (including the Shaper Origin) which I'd dearly love to have - but which I can't justify because I know that they'd sit in the van for 11+ months of the working year. When tool use is your livelihood, you just have to harden your heart and be totally objective.

EDIT = I have a 1957 Morris Minor. I don't need it. I just like it.

[attachimg=1]

 

[HowardH]

The Shaper Origin I still really like but I've yet to take the time to learn the .SVG software. There's always something that's "a little bit more important" to get done. Maybe this summer...the onboard software is up to date though. [smile] 

[member=44099]Cheese[/member] you are probably aware of Shaper Studio, I've mostly moved to it from F360, and it is mega-simple to use. The downside is $100/annual ticket-to-ride, but I find this acceptable given how much I use it. You can whip out complex designs in minutes, on an old iPad, in the shop, and any change automatically synchronizes.

RMW

Edit: what Bob said...  [smile] there is a free trial.

The ShaperHub page has several thousand designs and templates for users to download and they are adding to it all the time.  Unless you have something very specific in mind, it's probably out there for use.  That being said, their new design software is very intuitive and doesn't require any software design knowledge. 

 

[ChuckM]

Snip.(well - a full-scale Gothic Victorian library actually, constructed by yours truly Snip.

Any chance to share a pic or two of it?

About collecting...I've spent a lot of money on mechanical banks, tin toys and dancing calipers.

 

[MikeGE]

From what I've observed on this forum and from life in general, the question is all about whether you're a professional or a hobbyist. If you're the latter, if you're interested in woodworking, and if you can afford to buy nice stuff even though you might not necessarily need it straightaway (or at all), then jump in with both feet and enjoy. It's your money to spend exactly how you want to. And besides - collecting stuff isn't done because you actually need the stuff - it's done because you like the stuff and you want it.

 

I am definitely in the latter category and woodworking is my retirement hobby.  My latest purchase is a fully refurbished Elektra Beckum TF-904 RDNB Spindle Moulder (Shaper).  There's a guy about two hours north of me who reconditions the full line of EB machines and sells them with a two-year warranty.  While I don't have an immediate project for it, I do have plans in the next year or two and didn't want to pass on the deal. 

My girlfriend collects books - really beautiful ones. She has upwards of 1000 of them. They get read once, and then spend the rest of their lives on a shelf (well - a full-scale Gothic Victorian library actually, constructed by yours truly after months of persuasion for me to find a time slot in my schedule - she waited almost a year). They don't serve any purpose apart from looking great, but they're her proudest possession. It's all about gazing at them with that warm glow inside - about pride of ownership.

Like [member=57948]ChuckS[/member] , I would like to see your girlfriend's library shelves.  My wife has a considerable collection of books, unlikely as nice as your girlfriend's collection.  Bespoke shelving for her library is the primary reason woodworking is my hobby, but it has been delayed in favor of the smaller home projects.

 

[jeffinsgf]

For me, the real weakness is stationary machinery...the older the better. I have 5 table saws, only one of which is from this century. I have 3 planers, one of which pre-dates WWII. I have 4 drill presses, two from the 40s, and one each from the 50s and 60s. I have two radial arm saws...down from 4...one from the mid-50s and one from the early 60s. And 2 Swiss bandsaws from the 80s. Most of the machines I've restored. Some only needed a little, some needed a lot. Rebuilding the machines is as much of a hobby as using them to build furniture. Despite the duplication, only one item out of that list sees little or no use. My Elu TG-172 is the first table saw I ever owned. I can't bear to part with it, but it hasn't made a cut in 7 or 8 years. The funny side of this is that I feel little nostalgia for portable power tools. My modern ones (mostly, but not exclusively Festool) are much better than what I used 40 years ago. But machinery? Other than SawStop and the Felder group, there's little you can buy today that measures up to what was made a half-century ago, in my opinion.

 

[HowardH]

For me, the real weakness is stationary machinery...the older the better. I have 5 table saws, only one of which is from this century. I have 3 planers, one of which pre-dates WWII. I have 4 drill presses, two from the 40s, and one each from the 50s and 60s. I have two radial arm saws...down from 4...one from the mid-50s and one from the early 60s. And 2 Swiss bandsaws from the 80s. Most of the machines I've restored. Some only needed a little, some needed a lot. Rebuilding the machines is as much of a hobby as using them to build furniture. Despite the duplication, only one item out of that list sees little or no use. My Elu TG-172 is the first table saw I ever owned. I can't bear to part with it, but it hasn't made a cut in 7 or 8 years. The funny side of this is that I feel little nostalgia for portable power tools. My modern ones (mostly, but not exclusively Festool) are much better than what I used 40 years ago. But machinery? Other than SawStop and the Felder group, there's little you can buy today that measures up to what was made a half-century ago, in my opinion.

I'll bet half of your shop is red...  ;D ;D.

 

[Mini Me]

I have what some would call a big workshop (7.5 x 9.5 metres) but it is not as big as I would like so if I need a machine I don't own for a job I will buy a used one and sell it immediately after finishing the job as I hate clutter caused by little used equipment. I did buy a few WP OTP items some years ago but found they sat in the drawer unused so I sold them just keeping what I found useful. The only machine I bought on an impulsive whim was an Arbroga gear head drill press offered to me for $50 when a workshop was being cleared out, I could not get the money out of my wallet quick enough and I am never selling it.

 

[Max Fracas]

[member=75780]woodbutcherbower[/member]

Another vote to see the bookshelves!

I collect books from the Heritage Press and the Limited Editions Club. These are all illustrated and come in slip cases. They were issued from the 1930s to the mid-80s. Likely not on par with the books Woodbutcherbower mentioned, but I like them.

 

[woodbutcherbower]

[member=18240]Max Fracas[/member] [member=57948]ChuckS[/member] [member=70363]MikeGE[/member]

I’m working away from home on a restoration project just now - I’ll be here for the next three weeks. All the photos are in a folder on the PC at home - so I’ll put them up on a ‘Member Projects’ thread when I get back home. In the meantime, here’s a simple, rustic alcove pair made from reclaimed, stripped and waxed pine I built for an old schoolhouse a coupla years back;

[attachimg=1]

Kevin