Planer and Jointer Economics

Rob Keeble said:

Drew brings up another good point. With what you planning to do I believe you will need to think about a small pancake compressor and a nailgun.

.....or you buy the tools the pro has to be able to make that long list yourself and in the process get to enjoy doing it, learn a lot, have a huge amount of fun and frustration at times and stand back and say, i made that and i have some new skills and i got satisfaction out of it. By then, i very much doubt you will part with those tools that easily.

This stuff is like a drug. ......The tools well they just the facilitators almost like an orchestra with different instruments being conducted to play great music.

........ If i had to build it from real wood, it would be way different to me. But few others realize this or appreciate the difference.

Its all your choice at the end of the day. And there are always trade offs.

Click to expand...

I've condensed what Rob said so I could address I couple of points. Thanks Rob for that input.

Yes, I know I need a compresser and nailer. It's on the list. One thing I haven't mentioned is that while LOML is not interested in woodworking, he is interested in the auto mechanic hobby and is getting ready to buy a classic chevy....50-something....sorry I don't know much about classic cars. I have the double-garage for me, but he has a shop that's bigger than mine for the car thing. So any tools that he can use for *his* hobby are a shoe-in

He's already got the compressor picked out and he wants a framing nailer for a shed that he wants us to build. (We moved onto a small acreage.) So the new CS (his was really old) and the new MS are tools that we would have bought *anyway*. I bought a JS and he's already used it. I can make the case that the only big tool I've bought just for me is the TS. I bought him a terrific drill for last Xmas. So we'll share some tools and some will stay in my shop, and some will stay in his.

I agree with you, Rob, about the real wood thing. I want the real stuff. Last year we bought a beautiful Teak (outdoor) table and chairs that cost a king's ransom. I'm sure it could have been built for substantially less. SUBSTANTIALLY.

I would like to learn this hobby and learn to do it well. I will never be a master at it, but I think I can learn to do it well enough to be proud of what I've made. And that's what I want. I want to buy the tools I will use if they make economic sense to buy them. And at a later date if I don't use them or want something bigger or better, I'll resell them.

For this current project, I'll use what I have. I'll use the old router by hand, the CS, the JS, the TS, screws, glue, etc. After this one is done, then I'll set up a dedicated router table with a good heavy duty router, and I want a drill press.

Then before the next big project I'm going to get a planer and jointer and buy rough lumber. I'm sure you guys will be happy to tell me what other tools I can't live without.

"I'm sure you guys will be happy to tell me what other tools I can't live without. "

Since you opened the door......

One of the most underrated shop "tools" is a good bench. Its not just a place to stack stuff!

It is a flat surface that you can clamp against reliably and have your assembly remain true. With vises, it is also a big clamp. Sturdy enough, you can bang away happily with the really big hammer and cause no damage. They don't need to be all that big or all that expensive, but they do need to be flat, sturdy, have at least one vise, and be at the right height. When you have such an item, you will wonder how you got along without it.

When I was teaching woodworking, folks who - finally - took the bench class and built one, always asked themselves why they didn't do that in the first place.

Just sayin...