On Fri, 27 Aug 2004 17:17:48 -0500, "Bob Peterson"
wrote:

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
news:1LIXc.67$B91.63@trndny08...

"bob peterson" wrote in message

I am mostly interested in projects for things around the house, maybe
some furniture later on, craft projects, etc.

I am wondering what you guys think is an appropriate set of power
tools for such a task. I am thinking along the lines of the following
items:

lathe
big table saw (I have a small one that is almost useless for cutting
plywood)
drill press
band saw
sander


Add a router and router table. The best value in a bandsaw is the 14"
models. Get at least a 12" drill press.

I have a router and a small plastic router table, but my router does not fit
to the table, so I will have to either get a different one, make some kind
of adapter, or maybe just make a router table as a project. Does not seem
like there would be a whole lot to making one, other than being careful.

Are any of the bench top drill presses adequate, or is it better to bite the
bullet and get a floor mounted unit? I have limited space, but could
probably find room for a floor unit if I had to.

I am curious if any of the cheaper DP or BS such as supplied by harbour
Freight are even worth looking at.

file woodworking reviewed the Harbor freight 14" bandsaw. the
conclusion was that it worked fine, was kind of a pain to change
blades on and represented a decent value for occasional use.




Some of their pricier units seem pretty
sturdy and I know some people who have them and think very highly of them,
but some of the lower priced ones don't look like they would work all that
well.

the little HF drill press at the frequent $40 sale price is supposed
to be a good deal for a useable small drill press. if you get one of
their floor models buy near their top of the line. should be OK for
woodworking.





Also, if I wanted to do mortising is a mortising attachment to a DP OK or
should I just get a mortising machine?

get a mortising machine.






I don't have a lathe and have survived, but turning is a hobby in itself.

Hand tools like a good set of chisels and a block plane is good. See
www.leevalley.com for a very good plane. I have the low angle.



I sort of like the idea of an all-in-one approach to save space (ala
Shopsmith) and if I could get one at a reasonable price used, I might
head that way, although I have heard they are not all that great as a
table saw.

Never used one so I dno't know how they perform. I don't like the idea of
having to change modes just to drill a couple of holes, then go to the
bandsaw to cut a piece out, then go back to the drill press again for one
more hole, etc. Seems like a PITA.

I see a lot of them for sale in out local Shopper paper. You can probably
get a good price on a used one if that is what you want.

Get some clamps. Get a couple of 24" and buy larger as youneed them. You
can never have enough clamps.

I got LOTS of clamps. Probably at least 50. But you can never have enough.



I don't expect to be doing a lot of this stuff, although you never
know when a hobby is going to become an obsession, so I am thinking
that professional grade tools might be an overkill, but I don't want
to waste money on stuff that will fall apart after being used a few
times.

You don't need the "best" but you don't want junk. A good cast iron top
contractor's model saw with a good fence willk blow away what youh ave.
Excellent at about $750 to $1000. A cabinet saw is better, but 50% more
in
cost. Sure, it would be nice to have, but most of us don't need it for a
hobby.


I'm not sure my budget would allow for a $1000 table saw at this point. My
existing cheap table saw does pretty good for cutting most things except
sheet goods, where I am forced to use one of my circular saw with a
straightedge as a fence. Or sometimes I can use my KMart special compound
angle miter saw. I got it for $50 at a closing KMart and I was amazed at
how well it has worked. And its pretty strudy as well.


I even have a $6 angle grinder I bought from Homier, cause I wanted
one to grind down the tops of some fence posts I had cut off at ground
level, but did not want to spend a lot on something I will probably
never use again.


Good deal for what you did. The important thing is that you recognized
that
it is a crappy tool and a smart buy for your use, not for repeated use.
Some buy the cheap tools and wonder why it does not perform like the pro
models.

Buy tools as you need them. If you get hooked, buy more as you go. At
some
point a planer will be important, as will a jointer.

Have fun. Get a couple of books also.
Ed