Setting up a hobbyist workshop - what to buy?

[mculik5]

Happy Father's Day to all the dads!

I am a hobbyist woodworker. My wife and I are in the process of moving to a new house where I'll have a dedicated workshop space with lots of room, 220V power, etc.

I currently have a bunch of Festools, and do a lot of work in plywood in my garage and on my driveway.

Part of the plan at the new house is for me to build some nicer furniture for the house (dining room table, maybe chairs, desk, etc.). I could do this the way I do things today, but would like to elevate my woodworking game and move beyond plywood.

If I were going to buy one or two of the tools below to get started in "real" wood, which would you recommend:

- Nice set of hand planes
- Drill press
- Router table
- Jointer
- Planer
- Table saw
- Festool Domino
- Something else entirely

Thanks!

 

[Acrobat]

A good solid workbench and vise for your handplaning and general woodworking anyway. Also a large flat surface for assembly and layout/painting work.
Clamps, clamps clamps, and while you're about it get some clamps
A bandsaw.
Vac to hookup to your sanders/domino.
At least 2 drills, one for drilling other for screwing. Amazing how just having an extra drill saves so much aggro and time.
Possibly a MFT table with the festool clamps instead of a solid trad workbench/vise setup.
Radio/music or whatever you're into.
Good lighting
Wall cabinet/storage for hand tools, glue bottles etc within easy reach.

 

[Kev]

Bandsaw
Jointer/Planer/Thicknesser (combo)
Domino for certain
... then every other tool you can imagine

When it comes to hand planes, a "nice set" can cost you a sqillion dollars and you really need to develop skill in setup, sharpening and use. A low angle block plane is one plane is one that everyone gets nearly immediate benefit from.

If you haven't already, you'll discover the need for a truckload of various clamps.

The list really becomes endless and there really is two working strategies ... plan your projects all in advance and acquire tools as you go or spend up really big early and be prepared to swap out tools as you learn.

Good luck [wink]

PS: A lot of the heartache can be limited by finding a really good timber supplier for your projects .. this can also save you some of the material preparation costs.

 

[Klemm]

absolutely: Bandsaw
with enough power to handle re-sawing and a wheel diameter at least one notch large than 14". Think benefits of bigger saw table too...
This is a piece of equipment you'll have a long time. Look at Fine Woodworking tool reviews on bandsaws. Ease of adjustmemtand blade changes. buy (used) books about bandsaw use by Lonnie Bird, Jim Tolpin or Mark Duginske to learn what to look for and how to get more out of this great tool.
enjoy!

 

[Wooden Skye]

Jointer and planer would be the absolute firsts you can't do anything without flat and square stock.  After that either the table saw or bandsaw.

 

[Corwin]

Jointer and planer would be the absolute firsts you can't do anything without flat and square stock.  After that either the table saw or bandsaw.

+1  Along with a DC (dust control) system that will handle the chips and sawdust from these tools.

 

[Holmz]

Happy Father's Day to all the dads!

I am a hobbyist woodworker. My wife and I are in the process of moving to a new house where I'll have a dedicated workshop space with lots of room, 220V power, etc.
...
If I were going to buy one or two of the tools below to get started in "real" wood, which would you recommend:

- Nice set of hand planes
- Drill press
- Router table
- Jointer
- Planer
- Table saw
- Festool Domino
- Something else entirely

Thanks!

Well one can say some things are wonky shaped, and some are normal.
A table is normal and shaker legs are normal.
Curvy legs are wonky.

For the table, a table saw seems reasonable, but a band saw does not.
Biscuits or dominos can hold boards together for a table... but if you veneer, then you would be Better off with a vacuum bag.

If you making chairs, then they are wonky shaped, and a table saw is not as reasonable of a tool as a bandsaw, but a jig saw may work.

I am not sure how many planes constitute a set... I have a jointer plane and a jack plane. A low angle would be nice to have too.

I am not sure where a drill press would be used for a table and chairs, but they are generally handy.

If it was me I would get the wood thicknesses and jointed, and get a table saw and band saw. But if the chairs are not coming along soon, I would skip the bandsaw.

Whenever you need to hand plane and shape things, like with a spoke shave, then a bench is a good thing to have. A bench can make use of a drill press or one can use a portable press to get straight holes. If you get planes you need a bench.

The 220v is good. Some shumko (eu) outlets open up EU tool options. Lights etc also can gobble up some funds...

 

[ear3]

Good recommendations so far, and I imagine you will probably end up getting most of the things on the list eventually.  So just some comments:

On the drill press: I have a large floor mounted machine, but I think I could probably get away with a decent benchtop model for 90% of the work I do.

On the bandsaw: I have a bandsaw, but not a very good one, and I've learned to adapt my work to operate without it.  Some things, like resawing, are impossible without it.  But for curving pieces you can do the majority of it (except for very thick pieces 2"+) using a jigsaw to make a thin mdf template, then working off a router table.  This is often the better option anyway, as it allows you to batch out pieces exactly the same size.

On the Table Saw: only as good as it's fence.  You don't have to get the best tablesaw on the market, and you can make even a mediocre one into an incredibly precise machine with an Incra or a Biessemeyer Fence and Jessem roller guides.  Obviously you have a lot more options given your electrical situation.

I don't have room in my shop for a jointer/planer -- or I would if I got rid of my lathe, but I'm not willing to do that right now -- so I've learned to work around it using a benchtop planer for thicknessing, the tracksaw for edge jointing, and just in the past couple of weeks, handplanes for treating seriously deformed stock.  Could I benefit from a jointer?  Sure.  But I've been able to replicate the majority (though not all) of what the jointer does with other tools.

Finally, start thinking about dust collection and workflow from the beginning.  You have a great opportunity to build a clean and efficient environment from scratch.

 

[JimD]

Happy Father's Day to all the dads!

I am a hobbyist woodworker. My wife and I are in the process of moving to a new house where I'll have a dedicated workshop space with lots of room, 220V power, etc.

I currently have a bunch of Festools, and do a lot of work in plywood in my garage and on my driveway.

Part of the plan at the new house is for me to build some nicer furniture for the house (dining room table, maybe chairs, desk, etc.). I could do this the way I do things today, but would like to elevate my woodworking game and move beyond plywood.

If I were going to buy one or two of the tools below to get started in "real" wood, which would you recommend:

- Nice set of hand planes
- Drill press
- Router table
- Jointer
- Planer
- Table saw
- Festool Domino
- Something else entirely

Thanks!

I wouldn't spend a lot of money on planes.  I have a jack plane I don't use and a block plane and shoulder plane I do use.  The shoulder plane is for trimming tenons.  I would budget something like $50 for the block plane and $100 for the shoulder plane unless you get the domino

I use my drill press a lot but you can get buy with a portable drill for awhile, it wouldn't be my near first purchase.

I also use my router table a lot but I think it is something you make, not something you buy.  Mine has a home made lift.  I also have a setup in the extension table of my drill press I used before making a dedicated table.  I would build something simple next time you need one and go from there.

I have a jointer but rarely use it.  I should use it more.  My issue is that the lunchbox planner is a lot easier to use.  But it won't easily flatten a board.  But I tend to get wood too thin if I flatten it.  I would get a planner first.  You can make a sled for it for flattening.

I like my track saw, I hope it is one of your festools.  But I also use my table saw a lot.  I think it should be one of your first purchases.  With a track saw, I don't think you need 50 inch rip capacity but a table saw is much easier to use for many things.

I want a domino but I don't think it needs to be an early purchase.  On the other hand, it seems like a much easier way to make mortise and tenon joints so maybe it would be a good thing to think of early.  Mortise and tenons are normal for solid wood furniture.

I hope that gives you some ideas.  I would probably get the table saw first, then a lunchbox planner, then maybe a domino.  You could also do mortise and tenons the way I do with a hollow chisel mortiser and shoulder plane and table saw jig.  But a domino wouldn't be a lot more than all that.

 

[andrew.wickes]

Jointer, planer and band saw...

My first tool used is usually the band saw to either resaw 4/4 or 8/4 to approx. thickness. Then I head straight to my jointer to hit one face and an edge. Throw that right into my planer to get it to thickness and flatten the last side. If you have a table saw, great. You can rip it to width there or if you want, you can use a track saw or the jointer again to get the last edge straight. I personally use the table saw since I have it.

It's all personal choice and depends on budget, space and electrical situation. Sounds like you'll be good on everything except the budget. Just have to think about what will best suite you in the long run. If you go the jointer route, get an 8". I have a 6" and wish I had gotten the 8" to start out with. Gluing up panels is annoying...

 

[Max Fracas]

I agree with [member=61639]andrew.wickes[/member].  Bandsaw to resaw, and a j/p to thickness and square things up.

 

[grbmds]

I wish I had bought tools as I needed them for a project instead of just buying to suit some planned acquisition, so I'd recommend picking one of your desired projects and determine what you need beyond what you already have to get the desired end result; high quality with the design you want.

You will always need good dust collection for use of any power tools; a HEPA vac (if you don't already have a CT from Festool) for smaller power tools like a track saw, sander, router, Domino (if you have it). If you invest in larger tools like a bandsaw, table saw, jointer, planer, drill press, then you will need a more substantial dust collector (either portable to move from tool to tool or stationary with ducting); again HEPA to avoid fine dust in your shop.

Depending on what Festools you own (don't think you said), you can do much more than plywood. If you own a TS55 plus MFT3, for example, you can do most of the cuts you'd do with a table saw with the track saw just as you would do them in plywood. Same is true for other smaller power tools.

For hardwood, you can get wood planed to the thickness you want (for a nominal cost most of the time) but a jointer would be very useful to joint edges straight when the wood is ripped to the right width.

By the way, if you don't own a Festool Domino and don't wish to learn about mortise and tenon joinery from the ground up (either cutting by hand or by machine), then the Domino is a tool that will serve you well for most of your joinery tasks. It's fast, easy and is a great tool for furniture joinery (any joinery really).

I'd still advocate buying tools you need to fit the project. That way you will use the new tool right away and find out how it fits into your work and what else you are missing.

 

[sancho57]

I'm guessing you don't want to go all festool. So with that being said, a good table saw and router are the basics. Everything else is built on those

 

[mculik5]

Thanks for all the tips and advice.

Here are the Festools I have:

- MFT
- Track saw
- Router and LR32
- Sander
- Jigsaw
- Vac

I forgot to mention that I have a track saw in my original post. When I thought about the responses I'd get, I stupidly assumed people would  assume I have a track saw, and thus their responses would be, in order:

jointer, planer, Domino, router table, tablesaw

I was not expecting bandsaw to come up so much. Even working in plywood now, I'm always mumbling to myself during projects that "this would be so much easier if I had a router table/tablesaw/Domino." I've never said that about a bandsaw, so I'm surprised it came up so much.

Going to sound like an idiot for asking this question, but what makes a bandsaw so useful. I know it's good for making veneers, cutting some curves, resawing, and doing some tablesaw operations (though not as easily/precisely), but if I'm not planning on veneers yet, is it still as useful?

Also, what size as a minimum, and is a bandsaw one of those things where bigger is always better?

Also, the reasons for the jointer and planer are to get into hardwoods and "real" wood. As [member=14478]Wooden Skye[/member] said, won't get far without straight, square stock.

 

[andrew.wickes]

It is still a very useful tool to have. Resaw is the biggest thing is use it for. I'm able to get rough stock and pay less for it versus S4S stock which costs more. You can also do tapers on it as well as curves and everything else you listed already.

Size wise, at least a 14". I have a Grizzly G0555LX with the 6" block and it's awesome. Throw on a good blade and you'll be happy. You're also going to need multiple blades. A small 3/16" for curves and a nice 3/4" with 3-6 TPI for resaw work. Bigger isn't always better. Depends on budget and shop size. Shoot for at least a 1hp motor though. You'll need that to cut through thick hardwoods, if you go that route.

If all you plan on doing is plywood with the occasional hardwood, I'd go tablesaw. Crosscuts, rips, dados, tapers, jigs, etc...If I did mostly plywood, that's what I'd do. Grizzly G1023 line, G0690/1, even a Powermatic PM1000. Lots out there.

 

[grbmds]

I think that the bandsaw is seen as very versatile. Since you have a track saw, you might use the band saw to rip wood when it would be easier to do that  than use the track saw. So, they you'd have all the other capabilities of the band saw plus have it for the occasional rip. Personally, when I had dumped my table saw and only had the TS55/MFT and a bandsaw for awhile, I found it difficult to rip well with the band saw and it does require some jointing usually (either with a hand plane or a jointer). If you aren't going to do any resewing or curve cutting for awhile, I'd say that the band saw, while versatile and useful, wouldn't be the first priority. Again, though, I'd say buy your tools as you need them for a project. Then you are guaranteed to at least use them once when you get them. Otherwise you are just buying tools to accumulate those you think you might need. Nothing wrong with that. Tools are cool! However, it does tend to require more money that buying them as you need them.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I have 3 large BS set up. All serve a different purpose, I hate changing blades, I also hate resawing on a regular BS, I pay my mill to do it on their larger Robinson with a feeder.

I couldn't live without a jointer. In fact I have 3 set up currently. A 16, a 25 and a 30"  have a little 8 I found that will be my bench machine for small work.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Warner, you've disqualified yourself from answering this query... [wink]

"...hobbyest workshop"

 

[JimD]

I used to have a bandsaw and will probably have one again but I use my table saw a lot.  The chairs I like to make have curved back slats.  I may be able to cut them with my Bosch jig saw but they were easy on even my old wood band saw.  Some prefer bandsaws for small pieces arguing they are safer and quieter.  I wouldn't (and haven't) put that high on the list.  It is challenging to cut small pieces with a track saw.  Table saw does small cuts well and also joints.  But some people do tenons on a bandsaw.  Depends on how you like to work.