miker296

hi, i'm looking into doing some woodworking projects such as cabinets, bookshelves, etc. I dont have a whole lot of experience with woodworking other than shop class back in high school, but i do like building stuff (i've always been more of an auto mechanic).

Anyways, i'm looking for some suggestions on some tools that are must-have's for a shop, such as table saws/routers, and even the smaller tools that are always handy to have.

Again, just looking for stuff that would be good for some at home projects such as cabinets and stuff...not looking to build a house or anything just yet.

thanks in advance!

Mike

43longtime

I would have to say that the number one tool to get is a table saw. I would start with the table saw and get a router/router table that would work out for making the doors on cabinets. there are a lot of there tools to get like sanders jointer planers bandsaws.

I guess you have to figure out what you are going to be building and figure out what to get first. you can never have to many tools.

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miker296

That's what I figured. Any recomendations on what brands to look for? Opinions on ryobi products? how about craftsman (I work there so I get a discount)?

43longtime

Craftsman is not to bad I have heard. I myself have all different types of tools. the best thing to do is buy the best you can because you will have it for a long time.

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Sleeper

It also depends how much you want to spend. I built a lot of stuff with just a good circular saw, router, sander, and a drill. I also had the required hand tools like a hammer, square, and stuff. I recommend building something with the simple stuff first to see how it goes. I know of and have seen a lot of people selling stuff on Craigslist because the big stuff didn’t work out. When I finally got my 1st table saw, I knew that’s what I wanted because I was building stuff for a long time.

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GeorgeC

If I was to be starting over buying tools I would get a table saw, router, router table, jointer, circular and sliding compound miter saw (SCMS). You will also want a random orbital sander (ROS) and probably a belt sander. Of course the smaller stuff like power screw driver(s), drills, etc.

You do not need to get all of this at once. Buy what you need as you develop your projects. Sears is always the first place that I look for tools, especially the major ones. One exception is the router table in the less expensive version. I do not like their tables in the less than $199 version. Craigs List(CL) is always a good place to look for the larger tools. Of course what is CL is very dependent upon where you live. In my smaller area (the Pensacola Florida listing) there is not much available.

George

Just Bill

Personally, I MUST HAVE one of everything in Woodowrkers Supply, but I also must have a lot more space and $$$ than I have. Good suggestions above, but it will depend on what you want to accomplish. I am very limited in space, so have to keep the list short and make do. I have done well over the years with the basics suggested above, by learning shortcuts with what I have.

snowi

If I were to start over again, I would get a skill saw, strait edge (this could be just a piece of plywood), a cheap miter box with a back saw, clamps, belt sander, orbital sander, drill ( corded or cordless), and a router ( plunge ).

This is not a complete list, just list of the things that I would start with. As you find the need for more bigger and better tools, you just add to the collection.

You will aslo need things like a framming square, hammer, chisels, hand saw, and a tape measure.

I might have missed a whole bunch of things, as long as you get the general idea.

Good Luck

Ralph

Cookn

Having just started over, the first three tools I purchased where a table saw, a floor jointer, and a floor drill press. Basically because I got a good deal on them. I needed them and that's pretty much why I purchased them.

Having had a fully equipped shop, what I really miss the most are my set up tools. Good squares, my 20" dead straight machinists bar, dial indicators. Stuff that when I purchased them, were cheap pawn shop finds, $5.00 here $10.00 there, now to go out and replace them, because I realize their worth to me, is serious coin. Tools you can find at the right price if you stop at enough Pawn Shops, but a 20" Snap On Dead Straight bar for $5.00 isn't something that usually is more than a once in a lifetime find.

I hesitate to recommend tools and stuff for someone else, because what I need and want may not be what you need and want. You can always use good squares, good workbenches, your basic shop stuff. If you can lay something out, it's not much of a problem to find someone to cut it or machine it. Get some good layout and set up tools, it's the solid base that you start building your shop on.

dbhost

On Ryobi, it all depends on the model. I had a BTS-21 that worked very well for me for some of the more basic cuts for a little over a year before I sold it. I upgraded to a used BT3100. IF you are going to consider a Ryobi table saw, I would STRONGLY suggest you try to find a BT3000 or BT3100. These models are out of production unfortunately. But there is a good used market for them.

I have a LOT of Ryobi tools, and generally am a bang for the buck kind of guy. So what works best for ME and my budget is what is in my shop...

I had a Ryobi router, it's great to get your feet wet with, but was incapable of spinning the bigger bits I wanted to use...

I upgraded to the Hitachi KM12VC from Amazon and am tickled pink with it... I have 2 of them, one free hand, 1 table mounted. Never left me wanting for a better router...

So going low $$ or used, I outfitted my shop for less than some guys have in their table saws / dust collectors. My shop is filled with...

-Ryobi BT3100 w/Wide table kit (72" rip capacity, which is honestly too big). Frued Diablo blades, Router kit and shop built fence for improved accuracy. I also have an Oshlun 6" Dado stack that is a great stack for not a lot of $$. Ryobi sanders (quarter sheet, and detail), biscuit joiner (Norm Abrams fault), recip saw, VSR driver / drill, 13" lunchbox planer (from my darling wife for our first Valentine's day present...).
-2 @ Hitachi KM12VC plunge / fixed base router kits. Look for them on Amazon.com, anything under $125.00 is a good deal. I got one of mine for $99..00.
-Harbor Freight fills in some of the voids. I have a Harbor Freight 2HP Dust Collector, 14" Band Saw, and 12x36" cast iron lathe with reversible head. All good tools for the $$. Well worth the $$ if you buy them on sale and use the 20% off coupons.
-Skil products. Old Skil 13 amp circ saw I bought in college. Put a good Freud Diablo blade on that. Happy with it. Old Skil jigsaw. Walmart special from when I was in college. HATE IT. Want a Bosch, but too cheap to buy one new. Looking for a good sale on refurbished through CPO tools.
-Sunhill Machinery (built by Geetech, well known import MFG) 6" Benchtop jointer.
-Northern Tool 15" 16 speed floor model drill press. This was a Craigslist find on the ultra cheap...
-Craftsman. Old drill, toolboxes, various router templates and tool stands. The ONLY current variant of the Ryobi BT3x00 series is branded as the Craftsman 21829. a good, but overpriced saw...

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ACP

I started out not really knowing what I wanted to do or what I needed. If I started over I would, like others said, start with a table saw, router combo set, tape measure, quality combo square, and jig saw. I would then start collecting clamps. Every project I undertake seems to add a new tool, blade, bit, clamp or stain to my shop. Like the waist line of America's youth, my shop slowly grows larger.

Kender

I have always been around woodwork but have just recently gotten into on a serious level. I am still building the stands for my shop equipment (I am really anal about measuring multiple times) and I have been able to make a few small items as well. So far the table saw and router/router table have been the 2 most used tools. There is always the standard tools that every shop should have, like cordless drill and circular saw, but as far as the bigger tools goes the table saw and router set up is the place to start. While not given much thought a dust collection system is essential. Give it a few days of working in the shop and you'll see how much saw dust gets made by even a simple project. A bandsaw is nice to have as well as a planer, there are threads on which bandsaws are good and what size is good to start with so when you get to that stage look around *cough*grizzly g0555 *cough*. I have a Craftsman compound dual bevel miter saw which did it's job when making my daughters swing set but ever since I got my table saw I have not used the miter at all.


As for what brands to look for, this gets tricky. Harbor freight is good for some things like vises, hammers, dust collector, bench grinder, etc. HOWEVER when it comes to tools that I want precision and repeatability from I don't use HF. Craftsman tools are hit and miss, I know you get the discount but the headaches are not worth the few $$$. In the old days Craftsman couldn't be beat, my table saw is a vintage Craftsman 100 series from the 50's/60's. My for basic household/automotive work Craftsman tools are good (that's what I have and use with great success) but when you get into the router/table saw/drill press/bandsaw arena things change. I have found with these tools you have to look at specific things before buying them. Craftsman tablesaws.....as long as it has a standard 5/8" or 1" arbor AND a standard miter slot your ok. Many "Homeowner" models have the mini-t-slot sized only for the oem miter gauge. This t-slot is smaller than standard and there are NO accessories available for it. So if you want to upgrade to a better mitergauge your out of luck, feather boards....forget it, jigs and other things for miter/t-slots are out of the question. You want to make sure it has a standard 3/4" wide by 3/8 deep miter slot if you ever want to use other accessories. The Craftsman routers are another pain. The base models work ok but accessory sizing is an issue and is different from model to model, one factory in china makes one and another makes the next. I bought the top end non-professional model with digital depth gauge and built in vacuum port......very nice for plung routing. The issue is that in order to use a guide bushing (even craftsman bushing kit) you have to order the oem sub base for the professional series router. The sub bases for a plunge router won't work so you have to get the kit for fixed base routers. The craftsman router tables won't bolt up to this router either. No other manufacturer makes accessories that works with this router, and neither does craftsman. You will end up making all of your own attachments. I had to buy a seperate router to use in a router table, Freud has good stuff at a reasonable price for routers. Dewalt stuff seems to have industry standard sizing and has a good rep for quality......and for being on the pricey side so depending on what tool it is you may be better off looking elsewhere. If your looking for Craftsman price with industry sizes and decent quality then check out freud, grizzly, delta, and sometimes dewalt.

If your woodwork is going to involve some elaborate joints like dovetail and box joints then I would recommend the incra router fence system. Look at the fence system before you decide on a router table since this set up requires a bigger table or an addition to your existing table. When you look at the price of a decent fence and a dovetail jig that can do half blind, through, double dovetail, box, double box, corner post, etc. the cost of the incra is well worth it. If your just doing dados and edge routing then a regular fence should do the trick.

peerawit

-> table saw, compound miter saw, router , sander, multi tools, nail gun

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Runs with Chisels

Just starting out and on a modest budget...most ways I'm right there with you.....just start with the basics...hand tools. Hammer, chisels, I like the japanese hand saws, miter box and saw, circular saw, drill, tape measure, combination square, a couple sanders (belt and random orbit) and clamps.... lots and lots of clamps. A few different hand planes and a bit of practice can accomplish much of what a planer and jointer would do for alot less money, just takes quite a bit more time. These maximize your "bang-for-buck" ratio unless quick completion of projects are a factor. If that's the case or for the larger projects and/or those with a fair number of repetitive cuts, it's time to get the table saw, router and table, and drill press.

frankp

Okay, being the stingy bastard that I am, I'm going to have to weigh in here. Cheap doesn't always mean low quality. I have been using a hand-me-down tools (of the low dollar variety too) for most of my woodworking over the last 8 years or so. I bought a new table saw (Craftsman) last year, I think, for $130. That is the only power tool I believe is an absolute must have. A decent router is a very close second because of its versatility but isn't essential for all projects. Jointers are wonderful if you can afford the space and cost, but are highly unnecessary for hobbyists. Hand planes work very well and you can have a whole variety of them for less than half the cost of a jointer. Not to mention, if you're careful, you can get cuts plenty clean enough off a table saw to join.

Nice to haves that go high on my list of power tools:
Router: I bought one with a plunge and fixed base. Works great and is probably the most versatile tool you can buy. I bought a cheap ryobi table and the router ripped through the top so I took some components from the table and made a "clamp on" table to fit on my table saw. Works better now... either buy a decent table or build one.
Miter saw, compound miter, or sliding compound miter. I have a standard miter saw from Delta I picked up for $20. Can't complain about the price.
Bandsaw--I started with a Ryobi 9" that worked well for me but now I'm looking to upgrade so I can do some resawing.
Drill press??? I've never needed one, but some people drill a lot more holes that need precision. If you're going to be mounting hinges or doing pegboard type adjustable shelving or something, drill presses come in very handy.
Sander: I have a really old hand-me-down belt sander that I almost never use. I have a ryobi benchtop belt/circular sander that I occasional use. I have Rigid 6" ROS I use all the time. They all have a time and place, I just find most of my projects are better suited to the ROS. Having options is important though.
Circular saw: If you have a sliding miter, I see no need for a circular saw. I don't have a sliding miter so I use a circular saw.
Jigsaw: I use my jigsaw all the time. I would say, for me, it's my second or third most often used power tool. I have a "Skil" and a Hitachi (I think) both of which I got hand-me-down and both of which work very well.

Hand tools:
I'm a big fan of pull-saws... whatever type gets the job done. I only have two but will soon be adding to that because I'm using them more and more rather than going to the power tools.
Planes: I have two, one jack plane and one rabbit plane. I probably should use them more than I do, but I find I rarely need them if I set up my TS carefully. They make for light sanding work though, which is always a plus.
Straight edges. So many options to choose from with this I don't even know where to start. I have 2 levels that also act as straight edges, a metal yardstick, a t square, a combination square, several triangles, and a few more I can't think of right now.
Clamps: I use bar-clamps primarily, but also have 8 spring clamps and several dozen homemade spring clamps (cut from 4" PVC) which all have a place. A few C-clamps and some tubular webbing, and that pretty much settles it for my clamping needs. I do have two 90 degree "corner clamps" which I've used for squaring small boxes but find they aren't what I had hoped they'd be. The point is, once again, that clamps have a lot of different uses and everyone has slightly different needs.
Some chisels ( I have a set of three--1/4" 1/2" and 1") and the obvious screwdrivers hammers etc.

To sum it up: Get a tablesaw first. That and some hand tools as listed above and you can have a slowmoving fine furniture factory for less than $300.

As others have mentioned, Craigslist and ebay are both excellent sources for inexpensive, good quality tools if you can wait.

Brands: I have found nearly every manufacturer makes decent tools if you don't expect too much from them. I have stuff from all the low end guys and a couple of the medium grade tools too. I personally really like Rigid and Delta tools, but also own craftsman, ryobi, and several others. You can rarely go wrong with Rigid, Grizzly, or Delta, in my opinion, but you're going to pay more for the last two. Others have said get the most you can with your budget. IE the most expensive best tool you can afford, but I tend to be a buy medium buy more variety kind of guy. Really good tools are great, but they often prevent me (due to limited budget) from doing what I want because I can't buy as much wood, or another tool or whatever. I buy low(ish) end tools and make up the difference in quality with careful planning and using more of my time to do what I want with my projects. I'm not the best woodworker, but I'm also never going broke from doing it and will have a lifetime of friends and family using the pieces I make, which is the best reward I can think of.

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rrbrown

Man this was a loaded question on here. Soo many personal choices and opinions. I think a tablesaw and router are the two must haves along with either a good resperator or dust collector depending on space and money. Then possibly a sander, drill press, bandsaw, compressor and nail guns depending on the types of projects you are looking to do. As for the best brand, that varies by tool and model. I would always look for model specific reveiws, ask for advise on here, are look over the tool and it warranty really good before you buy something especially if its a high ticket item. More money does not always insure a better product. I have everything from a few select Harbor freight tools to craftsman, Dewalt, Grizzley and Shop Fox.

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clarionflyer

These guys are right on the money.
But my philosophy has been to start cheaper (not junk). Then, if you wear it out... go high quality on the next one.
I pride myself that I have a very able shop for the dollars. It's certainly not the best shop around, but it's hard to beat if you compare $'s vs ability.
After a lot of research, I usually seem to start out Craftsman for new things (though not always). For the money, they're very hard to beat.
If I wear it out, I go up on the next buy.
I've had several buy's that I rarely use. I've had a few great used pieces of equipment.
Your options are endless if you research.

mmtools

Here is a great article that lists the 5 top power tools everyone should own.

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Harddog Wood

One of my first tools was a compound miter saw. I hardly ever use it anymore. I mainly use the table saw, miter gauge and tilt blade, since I don't do compound angles. You would want a solid table saw and good router. the router would have a fixed and plunge housing. I would go with porter cable 890 series or 690 if you want to save a few bucks. I have a rigid ts3650 table saw and I love it. I can make big chunks of wood into smaller ones without much effort. I have a 12" band saw and a 6" jointer that was donated and I had to make things work and buy a couple of parts. So, it all depends on what your making or what you want to do. I don't have a drill press and it would have made things easier if I had. To sum it up. 1. good table saw. 2. great router with table, build yourself, the table that is, trust me. 3. jointer. 4. planer. 3 and 4 don't have to be top of line but workable, ie. benchtop, box. That will get you started. Add a bandsaw to the mix, again, doesn't have to be great and you got something. These tools will keep you busy for a long time. P.S. My opinion. I've got a few satified customers and my family has given many compliments on stuff I made for them.... Remember, it is my family!!! I only do this as a hobby because I love it. as a business, I don't like it. HATE DEADLINES! GOOD LUCK1

Harddog Wood

OH! Craftsmen wouldn't be in my top three manufacturers for my top four good tools. Sorry Craftsmen Loyals.