Been trolling this forum for some time, your question prompts my first post as I've recently gone through the process, returning to wood after 30 years The new technologies available are amazing, Festool system being a significant one, and the Internet being the primary one. Suggestions below assume this is a hobby for you, not a vocation, and that you're starting pretty much from scratch. Ask yourself what operations you need to achieve the desired results, and how can you minimize the frustration caused by errors?
- breaking down sheet goods (spend the money for baltic birch from a real lumber yard, avoid the home center stuff). TS55 and an extra 55 inch rail with holes as previously suggested plus the connectors. Get the package with a dust extractor, you will not believe how well it works.
- dimensioning rough lumber - you'll need to do this yourself to get stock that is straight and true. A good jointer is required, and you don't need to spend a lot of money to get one. Familiarize yourself with older machinery - vintagemachinery.org being the place to do it. Keep an eye on Craigslist or even Ebay, there's plenty of decent stuff out there for as little as $125. My personal machine is a 1950s vintage Atlas six inch, and I wouldn't trade it for a new in the box Delta. A lunchbox thickness planer is also required, I've had excellent results with my Makita.
- ripping lumber or plywood to exact width, repeat cuts over the course of the project. I will differ here about how much table saw you need, again older machinery can be a good choice. There is a ton of fifty year old Craftsman (gasp!) cast iron table contractor saws on Craigslist that people just want to get out of their garage for less than $100. These were all made by Emerson, compare favorably with new saws costing four times as much, and run on 120 volts. Critical parts are still available, there is plenty of information on the Vintage Machinery forum about how to tune them up and replace arbor bearings if required. Now that you've saved money on a saw, spend money on best quality blades and an accurate fence. Take a big gulp, spend over $400 on an Incra TS-LS fence for a $100 saw, and you'll never look back. Metal tolerances when working with wood. 32 inch is fine if you have a TS55. Yes, it takes a lot of space, but you can stack your Systainers or build a storage cabinet underneath the long end. If you ever upgrade to a cabinet saw, the same fence fits Unisaw and Powermatic too.
- crosscutting lumber or plywood to exact dimension. Here's where the MFT/3 and TS55 really shine. Add QWAS dogs and you'll never throw lumber in the scrap pile because your cut wasn't square. Much more accurate and repeatable than any miter gauge you can find or sled that you can build.
- drill accurate holes. A decent quality benchtop drill press can be had, new on sale or vintage, for less than $300. There are plenty of plans on the Internet to make a good table top with a fence for any drill press you find.
- strong joinery. Domino. Domino. Domino. Unless you're making doors or gates, DF500 is more than adequate, can't say enough about how this tool has revolutionized the craft.
- cut profiles, slots or whatever. Get two good routers, one fixed base for a router table. If I had it to do over again, I'd go Incra for the table, as your expensive table saw fence will work as a basis for a router mounted on the end of your table saw. Look at the YouTube Incra videos if you're concerned about losing your setup as you switch from one operation to another. I don't have any experience with the Festool routers, but recently bought one just to get the dust extraction.
- minimize and clean up your mess. You're not going to find an adequate dust extractor for your stationary tools that runs on 120 volts, so get a good broom, a Shop Vac, and a Dust Deputy cyclone accessory. Without the cyclone, the filter on your shop vac will clog after five minutes of use.
- glue up your project. You can never have enough clamps, good clamps are not cheap. Here's another place to look at buying used, they may need some cleaning, but clamps don't wear out.
- fine tune and finish your work. Good quality chisels, bench planes, again available used. Clean them up and sharpen to a keen edge with wet/dry sandpaper on a piece of plate glass. Since the recommended power tools give such excellent results, I find my most used plane is a Stanley 79 to trim grooves and dados to the exact dimension of the lumber you're working with. Purchased a RO 125 for the dust collection and find the Festool sandpaper to be in a class by itself. Applying a finish - a whole new discussion depending on your projects, I'll only say spend money on Purdy brushes.
Apologize for the long reply, but I wanted to share what is working so well for me. My FOG username says it all, and the word "oops" is being used less and less as I work.
- R. Beverly
chilly Wisconsin USA
