Hi everyone, been lurking around for week or so now trying to get the gist
of the group. Anyhow the wife has given me the go ahead to start buying
some woodworking tools for my new hobby. For the last 10 years or so have
not been able to do much physical work because of some illnesses but within
the last year I have been doing quite well. So now with the signing of a
new contract at work I will be getting a few thousand dollars in back pay
which wife is allowing me to spend on my new hobby. Was looking at
outfitting my entire shop. Table saw, jointer, planer. dust collection,
band saw, drill press, dust collection, some air tools and a multitude of
hand tools, ie, biscuit joiner, drills, sanders, circular saw, jig saw,
clamps, router, etc. I've worked as a carpenter for a number of years when
i was younger so I have a pretty good idea of safety, how to use tools and
what the different tools can be used for and not be used for. Now sinse I
do not have a whole lot of money to go out and buy top of line tools I have
been looking at the Delta Shopmaster line and thats pretty much the
direction I am leaning to. Where I live in Canada, norwestern ontario,
there are not alot of options as to where and what brands of tools I can
purchase and see before purchasing but have seen Delta tools at a few
places. My projects are not going to too detailed to start with. The wife
wants a new garbage can and maybe some toyboxes for the kids, and maybe a
new tv stand for the rec room. Anyways was just wondering what you folks
thought of the Delta Shopmaster line of power tools. Good? Bad? or just
useless? Thanks in advance for any insight or comments and sorry for the
longish post.

I'm feeling more blunt than usual today, so please don't take offense.
My immediate response regarding Shopmaster and stationary tools is
"ptooey!". I'd rather spend my money on good quality portable power
tools and hand tools instead of investing in tools that will wear out
soon and always be a compromise on accuracy (why you buy stationary
tools). Maybe invest in one or two to get stated but don't go building
a whole shop around junk.

Things that come to mind are top quality jig saw, a block plane and
jointer plane, a benchtop planer, a good workbench. I was thinking the
other day about how much money I've spent on tools over the last year
(YIKES!) and what I would do if I had to get rid of most of it or start
over on a limited budget. That's where my recommendations are coming
from.

Bob

Justa Beginner wrote:
Hi everyone, been lurking around for week or so now trying to get the gist
of the group. Anyhow the wife has given me the go ahead to start buying
some woodworking tools for my new hobby. For the last 10 years or so have
not been able to do much physical work because of some illnesses but within
the last year I have been doing quite well. So now with the signing of a
new contract at work I will be getting a few thousand dollars in back pay
which wife is allowing me to spend on my new hobby. Was looking at
outfitting my entire shop. Table saw, jointer, planer. dust collection,
band saw, drill press, dust collection, some air tools and a multitude of
hand tools, ie, biscuit joiner, drills, sanders, circular saw, jig saw,
clamps, router, etc. I've worked as a carpenter for a number of years when
i was younger so I have a pretty good idea of safety, how to use tools and
what the different tools can be used for and not be used for. Now sinse I
do not have a whole lot of money to go out and buy top of line tools I have
been looking at the Delta Shopmaster line and thats pretty much the
direction I am leaning to. Where I live in Canada, norwestern ontario,
there are not alot of options as to where and what brands of tools I can
purchase and see before purchasing but have seen Delta tools at a few
places. My projects are not going to too detailed to start with. The wife
wants a new garbage can and maybe some toyboxes for the kids, and maybe a
new tv stand for the rec room. Anyways was just wondering what you folks
thought of the Delta Shopmaster line of power tools. Good? Bad? or just
useless? Thanks in advance for any insight or comments and sorry for the
longish post.



Look at King and General - same as low end of Delta lines etc and
typically less money. Easy to get in Canada.

http://kingcanada.com/Products.htm?NL=1
King industrial is better....

The links on my web page might help
http://woodwork.pmccl.com/Business/linksbusiness.htm

Home Page .. where you can find the shop...
http://woodwork.pmccl.com/index.html

And you can find "The Shop" page directly from here...
http://woodwork.pmccl.com/Business/i...shop/shop.html

I've pretty much just gone through the same scenario that you're
describing, only I'm about 2 years ahead of your curve. I just
finished equiping my shop with all of the things you want to get. I've
probably got as many name brands as tools I own including: Delta,
Grizzly, Craftsman, Harbor frieght, Ryobi, Hitachi, porter cable,
Yorkcraft!

I've come to feel that certain tools represent bargains, others are a
waste of money (i.e. cheep but not worth it). I suggest you do google
searches on this site to get testimonials on the major tools you want
to buy, then e-mail some of the owners and see how things held up.
Most people will mail you back. I found this approach to work pretty
well for most tools. Example, the Harbor Freight dust collection unit
which regularly goes on sale for $150 represents one of the great
bargains (in my mind anyway). Keep in mind the amount of time you will
be using each tool and also use that to consider how "high end" you
want to go. Finally, I would recommend getting the Grizzly catalogue,
They sell everything you will want, most of it at good prices and
pretty good quality. (Consider Yorkcraft for your 6" jointer: that
too represents one of those bargains!)
Good luck




Justa Beginner wrote:
Hi everyone, been lurking around for week or so now trying to get the
gist
of the group. Anyhow the wife has given me the go ahead to start
buying
some woodworking tools for my new hobby. For the last 10 years or so
have
not been able to do much physical work because of some illnesses but
within
the last year I have been doing quite well. So now with the signing
of a
new contract at work I will be getting a few thousand dollars in back
pay
which wife is allowing me to spend on my new hobby. Was looking at
outfitting my entire shop. Table saw, jointer, planer. dust
collection,
band saw, drill press, dust collection, some air tools and a
multitude of
hand tools, ie, biscuit joiner, drills, sanders, circular saw, jig
saw,
clamps, router, etc. I've worked as a carpenter for a number of
years when
i was younger so I have a pretty good idea of safety, how to use
tools and
what the different tools can be used for and not be used for. Now
sinse I
do not have a whole lot of money to go out and buy top of line tools
I have
been looking at the Delta Shopmaster line and thats pretty much the
direction I am leaning to. Where I live in Canada, norwestern
ontario,
there are not alot of options as to where and what brands of tools I
can
purchase and see before purchasing but have seen Delta tools at a few

places. My projects are not going to too detailed to start with.
The wife
wants a new garbage can and maybe some toyboxes for the kids, and
maybe a
new tv stand for the rec room. Anyways was just wondering what you
folks
thought of the Delta Shopmaster line of power tools. Good? Bad? or
just
useless? Thanks in advance for any insight or comments and sorry for
the
longish post.

I think this is the first comparison I've seen between the General line and
the "low-end" of the Delta line. And keep in mind that General is different
than General International...

To the Original Poster:

For Canadian vendor's, you can check out:

www.federatedtool.com
www.houseoftools.com
www.busybeetools.com

House of Tools and Busy Bee Tools have their own "house" brands.
Approximately equivalent to Grizzley, from what I can tell. But you'll
never see a review of those brands, since they're not really sold in the
States. You can check out http://www.workshopbuzz.com/forum/ for a Canadian
magazine discussion forum, where you might get more input on the Canadian
tools. For that matter, I think there are products in the Delta line that
are only sold in Canada (or just in the US, for that matter).

Anyway, if it was up to me (and this is what I did), I'd pick a project, and
say "What tool(s) do I need to do this project?". Then buy what you need,
of at least mid-range price (and hopefully quality). I would think the
Shopmaster series would be more focussed on the low-end, so I'd shy away
from them for anything that you intend to use on a regular basis. For
example, if you're going to by a cordless drill, you'll probably be using it
on almost every project (at least, I do). So I'd invest the money in a
Porter Cable, or DeWalt, or whatever, rather than a cheap Delta Shopmaster
drill. Thinking about what I just typed, though, I guess if it's something
I wasn't going to use on a regular basis, I'd try to figure out a way to do
it with what I have already. So I'd be reluctant to buy something on the
low end unless it was a specialized project that I wasn't going to need that
functionality again. And in that case, I'd probably try to rent or borrow
it from somewhere first...

Anyway, enough rambling... Good luck with your purchases!

Clint

"Will" wrote in message
. ..
Justa Beginner wrote:
Hi everyone, been lurking around for week or so now trying to get the
gist
of the group. Anyhow the wife has given me the go ahead to start buying
some woodworking tools for my new hobby. For the last 10 years or so
have
not been able to do much physical work because of some illnesses but
within
the last year I have been doing quite well. So now with the signing of
a
new contract at work I will be getting a few thousand dollars in back
pay
which wife is allowing me to spend on my new hobby. Was looking at
outfitting my entire shop. Table saw, jointer, planer. dust collection,
band saw, drill press, dust collection, some air tools and a multitude
of
hand tools, ie, biscuit joiner, drills, sanders, circular saw, jig saw,
clamps, router, etc. I've worked as a carpenter for a number of years
when
i was younger so I have a pretty good idea of safety, how to use tools
and
what the different tools can be used for and not be used for. Now sinse
I
do not have a whole lot of money to go out and buy top of line tools I
have
been looking at the Delta Shopmaster line and thats pretty much the
direction I am leaning to. Where I live in Canada, norwestern ontario,
there are not alot of options as to where and what brands of tools I can
purchase and see before purchasing but have seen Delta tools at a few
places. My projects are not going to too detailed to start with. The
wife
wants a new garbage can and maybe some toyboxes for the kids, and maybe
a
new tv stand for the rec room. Anyways was just wondering what you
folks
thought of the Delta Shopmaster line of power tools. Good? Bad? or just
useless? Thanks in advance for any insight or comments and sorry for
the
longish post.



Look at King and General - same as low end of Delta lines etc and
typically less money. Easy to get in Canada.

http://kingcanada.com/Products.htm?NL=1
King industrial is better....

The links on my web page might help
http://woodwork.pmccl.com/Business/linksbusiness.htm

Home Page .. where you can find the shop...
http://woodwork.pmccl.com/index.html

And you can find "The Shop" page directly from here...
http://woodwork.pmccl.com/Business/i...shop/shop.html

Except Grizzly and Harbor Freight don't sell into Canada, AFAIK.

Clint

"Doug" wrote in message
ups.com...
I've pretty much just gone through the same scenario that you're
describing, only I'm about 2 years ahead of your curve. I just
finished equiping my shop with all of the things you want to get. I've
probably got as many name brands as tools I own including: Delta,
Grizzly, Craftsman, Harbor frieght, Ryobi, Hitachi, porter cable,
Yorkcraft!

I've come to feel that certain tools represent bargains, others are a
waste of money (i.e. cheep but not worth it). I suggest you do google
searches on this site to get testimonials on the major tools you want
to buy, then e-mail some of the owners and see how things held up.
Most people will mail you back. I found this approach to work pretty
well for most tools. Example, the Harbor Freight dust collection unit
which regularly goes on sale for $150 represents one of the great
bargains (in my mind anyway). Keep in mind the amount of time you will
be using each tool and also use that to consider how "high end" you
want to go. Finally, I would recommend getting the Grizzly catalogue,
They sell everything you will want, most of it at good prices and
pretty good quality. (Consider Yorkcraft for your 6" jointer: that
too represents one of those bargains!)
Good luck




Justa Beginner wrote:
Hi everyone, been lurking around for week or so now trying to get the
gist
of the group. Anyhow the wife has given me the go ahead to start
buying
some woodworking tools for my new hobby. For the last 10 years or so
have
not been able to do much physical work because of some illnesses but
within
the last year I have been doing quite well. So now with the signing
of a
new contract at work I will be getting a few thousand dollars in back
pay
which wife is allowing me to spend on my new hobby. Was looking at
outfitting my entire shop. Table saw, jointer, planer. dust
collection,
band saw, drill press, dust collection, some air tools and a
multitude of
hand tools, ie, biscuit joiner, drills, sanders, circular saw, jig
saw,
clamps, router, etc. I've worked as a carpenter for a number of
years when
i was younger so I have a pretty good idea of safety, how to use
tools and
what the different tools can be used for and not be used for. Now
sinse I
do not have a whole lot of money to go out and buy top of line tools
I have
been looking at the Delta Shopmaster line and thats pretty much the
direction I am leaning to. Where I live in Canada, norwestern
ontario,
there are not alot of options as to where and what brands of tools I
can
purchase and see before purchasing but have seen Delta tools at a few

places. My projects are not going to too detailed to start with.
The wife
wants a new garbage can and maybe some toyboxes for the kids, and
maybe a
new tv stand for the rec room. Anyways was just wondering what you
folks
thought of the Delta Shopmaster line of power tools. Good? Bad? or
just
useless? Thanks in advance for any insight or comments and sorry for
the
longish post.

"Justa Beginner" upick1athotmaildotcom wrote in
:

Hi everyone, been lurking around for week or so now trying to get the
gist of the group. Anyhow the wife has given me the go ahead to start
buying some woodworking tools for my new hobby. snip

A week isn't _nearly long enough to get the jist of _this_ complex group!
;-)

Advice, worth what you'll pay for it: Find an adult ed class in your area,
or a commercial school, and take a couple of classes. You'll learn a lot
about what you like, what you already know, safe working practices, who
sells what in your area, what local clubs may be available, and what you
can do for your budget.

THEN you can warm up the checkbook, more intelligently, and to better
purpose.

Save money for materials acquisition.

Patriarch,
owner of several expensive tool acquisition mistakes...

Start with a General 350 table saw, made in Canada. Add a 2 HP DC.

On Tue, 1 Mar 2005 12:53:50 -0500, "Justa Beginner"
upick1athotmaildotcom wrote:

Hi everyone, been lurking around for week or so now trying to get the gist
of the group. Anyhow the wife has given me the go ahead to start buying
some woodworking tools for my new hobby. For the last 10 years or so have
not been able to do much physical work because of some illnesses but within
the last year I have been doing quite well. So now with the signing of a
new contract at work I will be getting a few thousand dollars in back pay
which wife is allowing me to spend on my new hobby. Was looking at
outfitting my entire shop. Table saw, jointer, planer. dust collection,
band saw, drill press, dust collection, some air tools and a multitude of
hand tools, ie, biscuit joiner, drills, sanders, circular saw, jig saw,
clamps, router, etc. I've worked as a carpenter for a number of years when
i was younger so I have a pretty good idea of safety, how to use tools and
what the different tools can be used for and not be used for. Now sinse I
do not have a whole lot of money to go out and buy top of line tools I have
been looking at the Delta Shopmaster line and thats pretty much the
direction I am leaning to. Where I live in Canada, norwestern ontario,
there are not alot of options as to where and what brands of tools I can
purchase and see before purchasing but have seen Delta tools at a few
places. My projects are not going to too detailed to start with. The wife
wants a new garbage can and maybe some toyboxes for the kids, and maybe a
new tv stand for the rec room. Anyways was just wondering what you folks
thought of the Delta Shopmaster line of power tools. Good? Bad? or just
useless? Thanks in advance for any insight or comments and sorry for the
longish post.

Bob,

You took the words right out of my mouth and make more sense than any reply
that can possibly follow. We have been so brain washed and our pockets
picked to death by the advertising world that it is pathetic. They have a
way of turning "wants" into "needs" in a hurry. Watch the enemy!

Bluemax Bob is right on this one!


wrote in message
ups.com...
I'm feeling more blunt than usual today, so please don't take offense.
My immediate response regarding Shopmaster and stationary tools is
"ptooey!". I'd rather spend my money on good quality portable power
tools and hand tools instead of investing in tools that will wear out
soon and always be a compromise on accuracy (why you buy stationary
tools). Maybe invest in one or two to get stated but don't go building
a whole shop around junk.

Things that come to mind are top quality jig saw, a block plane and
jointer plane, a benchtop planer, a good workbench. I was thinking the
other day about how much money I've spent on tools over the last year
(YIKES!) and what I would do if I had to get rid of most of it or start
over on a limited budget. That's where my recommendations are coming
from.

Bob

"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
Start with a General 350 table saw, made in Canada. Add a 2 HP DC.

On Tue, 1 Mar 2005 12:53:50 -0500, "Justa Beginner"
upick1athotmaildotcom wrote:

Hi everyone, been lurking around for week or so now trying to get the gist
of the group. Anyhow the wife has given me the go ahead to start buying
some woodworking tools for my new hobby.
----------------
Best advice I've heard is: don't buy it till you need it.

Just because you can afford to buy a whole bunch of toys doesn't mean you
should. As you progress you will know more about just what it is you want
from a particular tool, then buy it.

The odd cheapo tool to get going isn't a sin. It teaches you what you don't
want want and helps you determine what you do want. Some of the cheapo stuff
isn't all that bad occasionally.

I started off with cheapo stuff and am gradually replacing. Not much to
replace thankfully as I followed advice on here and only got what I needed.
Now when I need a new tool, as in one I haven't got or a better replacement
for one I have got, I am better able to judge what I'm buying.

Resist the urge to buy all the toys in the shop, we all love them but it's
not the best approach.

"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
----------
Sorry, meant to reply to the OP.

Thanks for all the advice. I looked up a local woodworkers club and found
out my neighbour across the street is a member as well as owning his own
cabinet making business so I ventrued over to chat with him and in the end
he gave me an old rockwell beaver table saw. The saw needs a new fence and
base and the blade size is only 71/4" but it will do just fine for starters.
He said alot of the guys in the club share and lend tools to cut down on
costs for the tools that may not be used as often but needed occassionally.
He also told me of a store just around the corner from my work office that
sells tools mainly for woodworking and also has a section for used tools as
well as aboard for used tools to be posted. He said for having such a
limited amount of locations to buy new tools there are alot of resources for
some good used tools. So i've got my table saw and already have basic hand
tools, ie. chisels, planes, assortment of hand saws. I am going to attend
the woodworkers club meeting on thursday evening and see what that is all
about and probably venture out to my wifes' uncle sawmill to see what kinds
of woods I can get and decide on a project and go from there. Once again
thanks for the advice, probably saved me a ton of money and saved me an even
bigger headache by buying lesser quality tools just to get a fully stocked
shop. Will take it slow and buy what needed as needed and hide the money I
don't spend from my wife hahaha.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Justa Beginner" upick1athotmaildotcom
Newsgroups: rec.woodworking
Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2005 12:53 PM
Subject: beginner tools


Hi everyone, been lurking around for week or so now trying to get the gist
of the group. Anyhow the wife has given me the go ahead to start buying
some woodworking tools for my new hobby. For the last 10 years or so have
not been able to do much physical work because of some illnesses but
within the last year I have been doing quite well. So now with the
signing of a new contract at work I will be getting a few thousand dollars
in back pay which wife is allowing me to spend on my new hobby. Was
looking at outfitting my entire shop. Table saw, jointer, planer. dust
collection, band saw, drill press, dust collection, some air tools and a
multitude of hand tools, ie, biscuit joiner, drills, sanders, circular
saw, jig saw, clamps, router, etc. I've worked as a carpenter for a
number of years when i was younger so I have a pretty good idea of safety,
how to use tools and what the different tools can be used for and not be
used for. Now sinse I do not have a whole lot of money to go out and buy
top of line tools I have been looking at the Delta Shopmaster line and
thats pretty much the direction I am leaning to. Where I live in Canada,
norwestern ontario, there are not alot of options as to where and what
brands of tools I can purchase and see before purchasing but have seen
Delta tools at a few places. My projects are not going to too detailed to
start with. The wife wants a new garbage can and maybe some toyboxes for
the kids, and maybe a new tv stand for the rec room. Anyways was just
wondering what you folks thought of the Delta Shopmaster line of power
tools. Good? Bad? or just useless? Thanks in advance for any insight or
comments and sorry for the longish post.

"Justa Beginner" upick1athotmaildotcom wrote in message
...
Hi everyone, been lurking around for week or so now trying to get the gist
of the group. Anyhow the wife has given me the go ahead to start buying
some woodworking tools for my new hobby. For the last 10 years or so have
not been able to do much physical work because of some illnesses but
within the last year I have been doing quite well. So now with the
signing of a new contract at work I will be getting a few thousand dollars
in back pay which wife is allowing me to spend on my new hobby. Was
looking at outfitting my entire shop. Table saw, jointer, planer. dust
collection, band saw, drill press, dust collection, some air tools and a
multitude of hand tools, ie, biscuit joiner, drills, sanders, circular
saw, jig saw, clamps, router, etc. I've worked as a carpenter for a
number of years when i was younger so I have a pretty good idea of safety,
how to use tools and what the different tools can be used for and not be
used for. Now sinse I do not have a whole lot of money to go out and buy
top of line tools I have been looking at the Delta Shopmaster line and
thats pretty much the direction I am leaning to. Where I live in Canada,
norwestern ontario, there are not alot of options as to where and what
brands of tools I can purchase and see before purchasing but have seen
Delta tools at a few places. My projects are not going to too detailed to
start with. The wife wants a new garbage can and maybe some toyboxes for
the kids, and maybe a new tv stand for the rec room. Anyways was just
wondering what you folks thought of the Delta Shopmaster line of power
tools. Good? Bad? or just useless? Thanks in advance for any insight or
comments and sorry for the longish post.

I would recommend being opportunistic - if you see a good deal on a
good, used sander, grab it, because bargains don't come along all the
time.

Justa Beginner wrote:
Anyhow the wife has given me the go ahead to start buying
some woodworking tools for my new hobby.


What a great lady!

John

What is you plan on making?
Mark

"Justa Beginner" upick1athotmaildotcom wrote in message
...
Hi everyone, been lurking around for week or so now trying to get the gist
of the group. Anyhow the wife has given me the go ahead to start buying
some woodworking tools for my new hobby. For the last 10 years or so have
not been able to do much physical work because of some illnesses but
within
the last year I have been doing quite well. So now with the signing of a
new contract at work I will be getting a few thousand dollars in back pay
which wife is allowing me to spend on my new hobby. Was looking at
outfitting my entire shop. Table saw, jointer, planer. dust collection,
band saw, drill press, dust collection, some air tools and a multitude of
hand tools, ie, biscuit joiner, drills, sanders, circular saw, jig saw,
clamps, router, etc. I've worked as a carpenter for a number of years
when
i was younger so I have a pretty good idea of safety, how to use tools and
what the different tools can be used for and not be used for. Now sinse I
do not have a whole lot of money to go out and buy top of line tools I
have
been looking at the Delta Shopmaster line and thats pretty much the
direction I am leaning to. Where I live in Canada, norwestern ontario,
there are not alot of options as to where and what brands of tools I can
purchase and see before purchasing but have seen Delta tools at a few
places. My projects are not going to too detailed to start with. The
wife
wants a new garbage can and maybe some toyboxes for the kids, and maybe a
new tv stand for the rec room. Anyways was just wondering what you folks
thought of the Delta Shopmaster line of power tools. Good? Bad? or just
useless? Thanks in advance for any insight or comments and sorry for the
longish post.