Which ONE would you choose(Bench, dust collection, laser or CNC)

[juststartingout]

Hi all,

I've gotten the green light from the finance dept(Wife)to go ahead and make a purchase for my small hobbyist shop where my car sometimes lives.  Any way, I am tempted by several of the latest specials going on with the sjobergs benches and the intro of the laguna dust collection, there are a couple of other tools that I'm pretty interested in as well (shaper origin, and a laser engraver).

The problem is that these tools are pretty $$$ and I'm not sure which to go with so am seeking a bit of advice.  Now I know the questions will come, so let me answer some below:

-I'm a hobbyist that builds 2-4 pieces per year, and a DIYer for my home
-I've been into woodworking for about 3 yrs.
-my shop is slightly larger than a 1 car garage
-I have an MFT and a work bench i've built myself (MDF and redwood) the bench isn't in the best of shape but does the job
-I have 2 shop vac's and a CT 26
-I have a jet air filtration system for when I do sanding or finishing

So my options are:
-Sjobergs elite workbench (1500 or 2000) on sale right now for a good price(I have a good enough bench but this would be a really nice upgrade)

-Laguna C Flux dust collection.  on special with a 10% discount and seems to be a pretty good system (right now I have just my CT and shop vacs)

-Pre order the shaper origin(hand held CNC) from a kickstarter campaign and built out of right here in San Francisco

-Small Laser engraver likely a desktop system for branding or other small things.

To be honest writing this post has me leaning one way but I would love your thoughts on the virtues of one vs the other. 

Cheers!

 

[Holmz]

Which one will you use more?

For me it would be the bench, but for others maybe an engraver.

 

[copcarcollector]

What machines do you have that you need the Laguna DC for?

I like the versatility of a laser engraver, what brand(s) are you looking in to?

I think the Shaper Origin will be cool, but i can't get my head around pre paying and then waiting a year...

 

[nickao]

Stay away from that Shaper Origin, it's a farce.

If you are going to spend that kind of money get a little table top CNC machine or build a larger DIY 48"x48".

It's just not going to be as useful as some people think. I am woodworker by trade and compliment that with daily CNC use, I have several CNC machines and I struggle to think of ways I would even use that.. Though that tech is neat you have to think  to yourself what EXACTLY are you going to do with the thing. I can only think of very specific one off' scenarios where such a machine might be useful.

I believe the tech will work its way into other things, but as a tool for a woodworker it is limited in doing anything better than we can do now.

And a laser engraver for you will be nothing but a toy. Tell me what do you think  you will do with that laser?

 

[dalep]

Hi,

Laser cutter / engraver

The possibilities are endless and limited only by your imagination, something that will cut / engrave 2 to 4 mm is simply a godsend.

I personally struggle with the shaper origin, it seems far too much effort , i would rather have a CNC where I could simply place the wood, press start and leave it to do its own thing while I get on with something else..

Do you NEED to replace your dust extraction? I would rather a new tool

Just my 2 pence worth lol

Dale

 

[juststartingout]

I have a Bosch table saw, a 6" powermatic Jointer, Dewalt 13" planer, a router table, and a miter saw That I would imagine using the  dust collection for.

What machines do you have that you need the Laguna DC for?

I like the versatility of a laser engraver, what brand(s) are you looking in to?

I think the Shaper Origin will be cool, but i can't get my head around pre paying and then waiting a year...

 

[stvrowe]

None of the above.  Your selection is of such a wide variety that it leaves me with the impression you just have money burning a hole in your pocket as your intended purchase does not appear to be related to fulfilling a specific woodworking need or want.  While your spending may improve the economy, my suggestion is to put the money aside until you have decided what you really need or want.  That is something only you can determine for yourself.

Steve

 

[HarveyWildes]

By the time the Shaper Maker is out, you'll get another pass from finance.  I'd hold off on that to see how the production units are evaluated.

WRT the bench, with the Sjobergs deal you get the bench and the cabinet basically for the cost of the bench.  I don't like the Sjoberg vices.  If it were me, I'd get the bench anytime, probably from Lie Nielsen, and build the cabinet myself.  Actually, if it were me, I'd probably build the bench myself to make sure I got what I wanted.

What do you have to hook up a dust collector to?  Dust Collectors excel at gathering major dust from planers and jointers - you almost can't run those machines without a dust collector.  A big sanders, band saw, miter saw, and table saw all use my dust collector, as does my router table - if I only had 1-2 of those tools, I'd resent the space the Laguna dust collector takes up.  If you got the dust collector and, say, a SawStop table saw, that could be a sweet combination.  I did that when I had a one garage stall shop for a while, and it worked pretty well.

In general, though, I agree with Steve - evaluate what you want to accomplish in the coming year and buy based on those priorities.

I wouldn't ignore the hand tools either.  This might be the right time to get the quality planes and chisels that you need if you don't already have them.

 

[alexander]

I would go wit a table top CNC too.

I have access to  a laser engraver and a CNC at the makerspace where I supervise the shop one evening each week and give woodworking classes. I learned to use both the laser and the CNC and thought I would use quite a lot the laser. But now after a year I dig a lot more the CNC and the ability to cut thick pieces, mill 3d pieces and so on. The only time I fire the laser is to cut router templates.

My two cents.

Alex

 

[Euclid]

I think I'd be looking to buy in some really nice wood for more projects…!

 

[RussellS]

-Sjobergs elite workbench (1500 or 2000) on sale right now for a good price(I have a good enough bench but this would be a really nice upgrade)

Build a bench yourself.  You have enough power tools to make a fine bench.  Not sure it will be more or less dollars to build a bench than buying.  But building you will end up with a high quality, solid bench.  Mine is red oak.  3 inch thick top.  2x8 feet top.  Veritas twin screw on the end.  Record vise on the corner.  Router drilled bench holes down both sides.  Nothing fancy but I don't even know if you can buy a bench as nice and functional as mine.

 

[Holmz]

... Nothing fancy but I don't even know if you can buy a bench as nice and functional as mine.

I theory one could, but I could not afford to in practice.

 

[Maximus]

None of the above.  Your selection is of such a wide variety that it leaves me with the impression you just have money burning a hole in your pocket as your intended purchase does not appear to be related to fulfilling a specific woodworking need or want.  While your spending may improve the economy, my suggestion is to put the money aside until you have decided what you really need or want.  That is something only you can determine for yourself.

Steve

My thought too  [smile]

 

[egmiii]

None of the above.  Your selection is of such a wide variety that it leaves me with the impression you just have money burning a hole in your pocket as your intended purchase does not appear to be related to fulfilling a specific woodworking need or want.  While your spending may improve the economy, my suggestion is to put the money aside until you have decided what you really need or want.  That is something only you can determine for yourself.

Well said. Create a project list, then buy tools.

 

[Mort]

The dust collection. Build your own workbench, and forget about the other two because they're considered cheating in my world.

 

[Svar]

The dust collection. Build your own workbench, and forget about the other two because they're considered cheating in my world.

Is Domino cheating?  [big grin]

 

[bdiemer]

Safety First ! Buy the dust collector, so you don't get ill and can save for the other goodies. You have too much invested in your shop already, to buy someone else's workbench. Give it a lot of thought and build the bench of your dreams.