Lucky

Jerry Gordon

Member
Messages
1
Just retired and got some bucks for starting new hobby. Want to get a Bandsaw, Jointer, Planer, Shaper and Sliding Miter saw. I know not to buy junk but should I get same brand for all or most recommended for each tool.
 
Congrats on the retirement and the extra cash. :thumb: I think most of us have shopped for our tools without being too brand-specific. There are some brands that have pretty consistent quality across their entire product lines, but I think most folks would agree that for each of the tools you're looking to buy, you're likely to get better tools (or save some money) by shopping all the major brands instead of just one.

And welcome to the forum. :wave:
 
Welcome back Jerry and congratulations on the retirement and decision to get into woodworking.:thumb::congrats::wave:

I would wholehearted agree with Vaughns comment and add some more that i have picked up from being a member here. I wish i had done what you have and asked and joined this forum before i went out and bought my tools.

1) Buy a tool as you need arises rather than going full hog and kitting yourself out. That way you buy to suite your needs rather than hopes and wants. Eg if you find you like turning wood and have bought a expensive jointer you might find it sits collecting dust while you could have put that money into something better.

2) Look around and buy second hand. There are a great many deals to be had in these tough times as people off load or others upgrade. You can always come back to the forum to ask guys for advice on the purchase when you find something. They will all give you good advice on the price range they would pay and even on things to watch out for.

3) I would not get caught up in brand loyalty. I did and in a couple of cases i paid the price. I did use tool reviews and buyers magazines but i think i could have done better listening to some of the folk here had i known of the place prior to getting going.

4) My personal motto has not been to buy with a view to upgrading later so i bought with a hobby in mind for the longer term. If i wear out the level of tool i have bought then yup i would upgrade. So i have bought reasonable quality tools. Not the biggest or the best but fine for a hobby.

5) Most important consider where yo gonna do this woodworking and put he machines. You will want to consider the aspect of voltage and whether or not you are prepared to pay for electrical upgrades. Some machines come with 220v motors. You will also want to think about dust and dust control in your workspace.

So in my view with hind site i would have put a great deal more effort into planning my shop and consulting the guys here before buying a single tool.

Then make sure you leave some money for wood. Like an idiot i did not.:eek:

I am sure others will chime in with their views as well. Most important as loml says to me enjoy the ride its a great journey.

To get you going here some links to consider if you aint already found them

http://grizzly.com/ ( A pretty good one stop shop with very reasonable machines and pretty good after sales service and good shipping in the USA)
http://www.woodcraft.com/ ( You will need all sorts not just machines)
http://www.leevalley.com/ ( A favorite among many of us for you name it in tools)
http://www.harborfreight.com/ ( the low cost tools some good and really good deals some bad and really junk you gotta know what you are looking at here. I would ask before i buy a tool here what others think first.

Well i hope that gets you going.:D
 
Congrats on the retirement. Moreso on the cash availability for your tools. Rob has given a very good, and very complete response. If you live near a Grizzly outlet, do give their line serious consideration. Keep asking questions and tell us what your interests are. Lots of opinions and, joking aside, talented and experienced people here to help.
 
welcome and wish i was retired:) i too agree on shopping around and checking out craigs list often. the size of your tools will be dependant on what you want to make in the future. look ahead at where you want to be and plan for it, not todays ideas. that way you are ready when you get to that point rather than to have to replace in a couple years because you dont have what you need.
 
When shopping used here are some rules.
Rule #1 know what your looking for and how much it costs new.
#2 Know what it cost when it was new not what it cost new now.
# 3 Never pay more than half of what the price new was.
I don't care if it's still in the box and was never used. It's only worth half. The warranty has run out, and you have no store to fall back on if the brand new in the box never been set up tool is missing parts.
You wont find out until its to late that sears,and the borgs are not the best place to shop for tools unless you know exactly what to look for. You can get good tools from each of them. But one must look them over and realize that those plastic wheels are not going to last on that model. Or the crank on this saw hitches when you run the blade up. If it does it on the show room floor, most likely it will when it sitting in your shop.
Oh and Vaughn has it right I never shop by brand. I know what brands have the good stuff and there are brands you can't even give me.
 
Jerry,
Congrats on the retirement and welcome to the family. Like others have said most do not have a preferance to a specific brand. Also as has been said hold off on purchasing a tool until you need it for a project. You may decide you prefer and tools over power tools or turning over flat work so just buy aas you go along, shop for the best tool for the money as you need em and don't be afraid to ask questions, most of us have made mistsakes we can help you avoid.
 
First off, Welcome Aboard! Target your research, listen to everybody, ask questions more than once and learn from our mi$take$.

+1 on wishing I had found forums before I found the tool stores. I only had a few big dollar goofs that would have been avoided so I consider myself lucky. As to brands; they all have their good and bad products. Someone may get rave reviews for their jointer will make a drill press that is barely worth holding your boat still.

I have found information from actual owners to be of the most value. First, I try to narrow the field down to experienced folks; not those who just want to talk things up due to having just spent X amount of dollars on a certain item. I like to hear from folks who have used the item for awhile. Preferably someone who has used other like items before their current one.

I then try to determine if how they use the tool mirrors my expected use; some folks can't live without the very best striking knife out there, an X-Acto knife works fine for me. Other folks think one table saw blade can do it all, I found that to not work for me and lean toward the task specific (and more costly due to needing more than one) blades.

What I am trying to say is that my "requirements" may just be of only passing interest to another and their "gotta haves" may be of little interest to me. appreciate the information someone offers but also try to make sure it applies to what you want to do ;-) Most of all, have fun!

P.s. I am brutally jealous that you are retired. . . congrats.
 
whole `nuther perspective........
don`t spend a dime yet!
first you need to decide what you want to build and how you intend to go about it.
once you`ve made those decisions then it`s time to think about what tools your budget will allow.......
before you can build squat you need to be able to lay-out the piece......do you own lay-out tools?
once you`ve laid-out the piece you`ll need to cut the parts.....here`s a major expense! saying "i want to build furniture" is kinda abstract....will you need the ability to cut boards 4" thick?.....or mill profiles on curves? how about flatten 30" wide glue-ups?
once you have given some thought to cuttin` the parts it`s time to assemble...got clamps?......buy more;)
then finishin`.....you gonna hand sand everything? production sanding equipment is big bucks! homeowner knockoffs are generally a waste of time and money.:eek:
how about stain/top-coat?........you gonna spray/brush or wipe?

know that reading and talkin` and even driving around talking to other folks who do what you aspire to do can and will save you both money and time.


more thoughts......compressed air.........dust collection.......
 
Jerry, Welcome to the Family! :wave:

Lots of info given already and more will follow too.

Just for some hardcopy reference take a look at this book.

Setting up Shop I gave it to my dad for xmas the year before he set up his shop and it helped him a lot. I stole it back :rolleyes: and have been looking at it quite a bit for ideas as well.
 
One more thing. Check around for a local woodworking club. Join up. Nothing like face to face, hands on to get you information that suits you. Tell us where you are. One of us might be close enough to have you over to our shop and kick things around in person.
 
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