A lot of folks are just getting started at woodworking and it seems like everyone I talk to asks pretty much the same questions about tools and what they should have. Opinions are like faces, all different, and everybody has one, some are just uglier than others and that to is subject to opinion. Anyway, the tools you need to have....drum roll please, are the ones that work for you. What got me thinking about this is the fact that I prefer a small, lightweight tablesaw over a big, gazillion pound, cabinet saw. Blasphemy! I can hear the old woodworkers gasping. I HAD a monster saw that cut wonderfully, was consistent, never moved and seemed to ALWAYS be in my way when i wasn't using it. The lightweight saw on the other hand, I pick up and move where ever I want it and do the majority of my sawing OUTSIDE of my shop. I fudge and compensate for the lack of a monster saw and get by with the small one. I rip sheet goods down to size with a circular saw and a guide. I get by just fine. Keep in mind I am NOT punching a time clock and trying to make every minute count. When I take paying jobs I average out considerably less per hour BECAUSE of some of the tools I use. This is MY choice. Woodworking for me is a hobby that I frequently get paid to do. I have outfitted my shop to suit ME. What works for me won't always work for you and vice-versa. Having all the equipment Norm has would give me nightmares trying to figure out a shop big enough to hold it all. Yup, the OTHER shoe has fallen, how big is your shop? Too many tools can become a reality, usually when the shop is too small.
My best pointers for a beginner would be to buy the best you can afford and learn to use them to their fullest. Buy after much deliberation and planning only as needed. If you absolutely must have a table saw, buy what you need. If you need that massive cabinet saw then you have no choice, you will have to buy it. As my Dad was always fond of telling me, there are two folks you will ALWAYS have to deal with, old man NEEDMORE and old man GOTTOHAVE. Old man Needmore you can put off as long as you like but when old man Gottohave jumps on you, there are no choices. The tool decisions should be made, right or wrong, by the folks using the tools. Don't go at this with a keep up with Norm mentality, buy the tools that will work for YOU, forget what the others think.
More basics:
Shop Layouts; Basics Plans Benches More
 
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Last update : 19-11-2007 11:49
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