What Would You Do With $1000?

Vaughn McMillan

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If you suddenly had $1000 to spend on your shop, what would you buy? I know everyone's needs and wants will be different, but it should be interesting to see what everyone would do with a thousand "found" dollars.

What say you?
 
You know, I hate to say it, but I've got a pretty full complement of tools at this point. I don't do all that big of projects, so my shop is working pretty well.

There are 2 things that I'd probably like to do.

1) At our old house, I had a subpanel placed in the shop. At the new house we moved to, well, the wiring leaves a lot to be desired. My Tablesaw and Compressor are both wired for 220, and in fact, I'm sharing the dryer outlet with them. If I had a 1000 dollars, I'd probably have a subpanel placed out in the garage, but unfortunately, the wiring in this house is pretty antiquated and that would most likely take more that 1 grand.

2) At this point, the only tool I wished I'd gone bigger on is my little performax 10-20 drum sander. I find it really handy for making cutting boards, making veneers, etc. For pen making and doing things like celtic knots, it helps to match the thickness of the veneer to the thickenss of the blade cut. I'd really like to have gone the next step up on it. so If I did have 1 grand, I'd probably go the next step up on that.
 
Any found money goes towards maintenance and necessities .... like that stimulus check i got a few months ago bought a new water heater.

I buy tools whenever I want them.

Vaughn, you gotta set priorities! :rolleyes: ;)

joe

seriously, i suppose you want an answer, things that spin and things that help things spin and things that make those spinning things change shape have my interest at the moment. WC is going to have a certain lathe on sale in Oct at what I think is a great price.
 
Wait a sec,

I think i lost my mind.

I'd buy a Real Lathe!

(Although my Jet Mini really is doing quite well for me)
 
Well mostly buy wood to work with. There are few small tools I would buy but not much that comes to mind. I need a lower guide and tires for the bandsaw. I would like a good dowel maker of some type. Stock up on some boring items I never have enough of like sandpaper, spare blades, spares of few other items. Yea I am not helping the economy one bit.

OK, just thought of something. if this was free money there are two tools I would probably look for. An old iron OSS and I would probably consider a good belt/disk sander combo. Those are on my list but I am not really looking for one. Just waiting on one be given to me. But if I had free money I would probably shop for one.
 
Since our shop is now so full that if we buy another machine or tool, we'll have to get rid of something--I think I'd buy wood - something exotic and expensive, and then I'd have to decide what to do with it. But I sure would like having a nice piece of bubinga sitting in the shop--

Barring that, it would have to be a new computer--just for back-up, since all of the current ones (5 of them!!!) are running fine.
 
$1,000 huh . . Too bad you can't buy inspiration or use it to have inhibition removed!

How far would $1,000 get in picking me up a lathe large enough to spin table legs and things of that genre? I've not done any research since the $$$ isn't there. If I was closer to the Allentown WC I'd take a basic turning class to see if I take to it / enjoy it.

Does an i-pod count as shop equipment?

I'd buy a used jointer, a good dado blade for my table saw and maybe a another router.

Anything left over would be split between buying lumber and misc. shop supplies.

Cheers

Jim
 
If for a tool, I'd have to put it in a fund for a TS and add to it. I'd love to have a decent cabinet saw. But that is a want, not a need.
Maybe an OSS like the little Ridgid unit, a better blade for the SCMS, and light fixtures, wood and laminate to finish the shop fixtures and interior. Jim.
 
Option 1) Well, if I sell my current GI Contractor Saw, this just might be enough to buy the new SawStop contractor saw. But I was sort of thinking of saving up for the cabinet saw version. Then again, with what I heard about new riving knives on domestics, and the fully redesigned Unisaw, I might just want to wait and evaluate the market.

Option 2) 2 words... Fes Tool. :D like a nice ROS and vacuum

Option 3) Replace my average 14" Tai/Chi bandsaw with a 17/18" unit... Hmm. Not something I was really thinking about at all, but as this is "found" money with no prior claims to it...

Option 4) Hmm, that kind of mad money just might cover having someone come in and cut a big hole in the side of my basement foundation to put in a nice window.

Sorry Vaughn, no spinny thing. (a) the shop doesn't have room for it (b) I don't dare take up turning until the kids are bigger. So that I can have a bit more time for the hobby.

Oh and a nice cordless impact driver would fit in with any of the leftovers. Can't really justify it right now, but it'd be fun.

dreaming dreaming dreaming.
 
This question really made me think of my recent purchases. I'm not saying that I can't afford my purchases, but I have to admit I'm some what of an impulse buyer. I have many duplicate items ( some never opened ) in my shop. I will buy an item then read of a similar item and will buy the latter and then realize it is no better then the original.

In the last three months I purchased a 10" Steel City Table Saw, a 17" Grizzly Band Saw and $1800.00 up-grade on electrical work in my shop.

I have 5 routers never taken out of their cases, but they were purchased because they were a "good deal"

My wife handed me 3 boxes the other day which have been sitting in the spare bedroom for over two months. Two of them were from Rockler and one was was MLCS. She asked what was in them, and I had to say I had no idea, I had forgot I had ordered them or it which ever the case may be.

So any way if I were given or found a $1000.00, I would have to give it to my wife with an apology of my indiscriminate spending and tell her to spend it on herself.

If she had no idea what to buy, I may give her a few hints like a Rockler catalog with certain pages earmarked and various items hi lighted,

Jiggs Elphison
 
I think I would spend it all on Lee Valley tools. Starting with some really good Chisels and then onto all the planes. Man their stuff just cries out to be bought. Either them or Lie Nielson but since I can drive on over to Lee Valley in 30 minutes I would choose them. Thats my version of a male Jewelry store. Only thing is $1000 won't go too far. But what's left over I would buy more wood. Oh Oh and dont forget the Rigid Sander I have posted about for comments. That would be first on the list.
 
First place:

The largest piece of waterfall bubinga I can get.


Second Place:

A panel Saw.



Third Place:

A metal lathe and/or mill. How awesome would it be to make your own hardware when you need it?
 
Boy you don't give easy questions... but here goes...
At the moment I've got several tool 'wants' , For the sake of this conversation, I'm going to ignore the glaring needs, I could easily burn through more than $1000 just finishing the shop and what's the fun in that? SO with a bit of thought and in the order in which they come to me

$300 to Grizz for the 6"jointer and sanding station he's had on hold for me for a long time. (approximate price)

leaving $700
$130 to Doug T for a set of 1/2" v and u shaped bowl gouges

$570

$150 for a trio of Timberwolf BS blades (estimated cost)

$420

a 'trip' to hartville tool (at midnight, it was my first thought for serious tool shopping)
$250 for a set of incra rules, bench chisels and a marking wheel, two japanese saws (10" Ryoba Saw and a DOZUKI NOKO)

$90 for a 6" freud dado stack



leaving me $90 for the low speed grinder from woodcraft

that would still leave a few gaps, and I just realized I would be slightly over budget by about $20 plus some shipping costs, but at 12:30 I'm off to bed.
 
Ned, you're at least $75 too high on your bandsaw blade price estimate. Blades from Suffolk Machinery for your saw will run in the neighborhood of $20 each. ;)
 
Sheesh Vaughn, You DO make a fella Dream, don't you?:rolleyes: There is NO doubt in my mind that I would IMMEDIATELY add it to the Shop Kitty Fund, and the Birthday money I got yesterday and it would put me over the top to Finally catch up to the runaway inflation of Copper cable and get Electricity to my shop, (and maybe have enough left for some of the material to build one long wall of shop cabinets with a bench top).:thumb::thumb:
 
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