Have $$$$ need tools & advice

[TheRic]

Looking for your help / advice. Have about $1000 - $1200 (can go a little higher) that I’m going to spend on tools. Got some old wood from my Great Uncle’s (and Great – Grandfathers) farm. Some rough cut Poplar of various lengths, widths, thickness, looks like it was cut yesterday. They have been drying (laying) in the barn for 10+ years. Also have some old barn beams that are 7” X 7” and 15’ long, not sure what type of wood. Guessing Oak or Hard Maple, since that was common for barn beams back then (guessing 50+ years). They are weathered / cracked / etc on the outside. Hoping to find some decent wood to work with inside.

My question is what tools should I be getting to work with this wood. Have not done any real fine woodworking. Most of my woodworking so far has been more construction, then fine woodworking.

I’m thinking of getting the following tools.
Ridgid Joiner
Ridgid Thickness Planner
Ridgid Oscillating Edge / Belt Spindle Sander
HF Dust collector
More clamps!! (probably HF clamps for now).
Lumber wizard (I know there are nails and stuff in the beams).

Woodworking tools I have are: BT3100, belt sander, Ryobi combo router,
¼ sheet palm sander, Ridgid 6” ROS, various size drills (corded & cordless), circular saws (corded & cordless), nail gun, Ridgid cordless hand planer, Small Air Compressor, Holbren router bit sets, swet/dry vac, some various types of small clamps (24” and under), cheap chisel set, cheap drill bits, levels, squares, rulers, tape measures, etc.

Thinking of using box fans with filters for air cleaner for now. Planning on using a chainsaw to cut up the large 7”X7” beams. Yes, I know it’s a waste, but I don’t think a bandsaw with riser is in the picture in the near future.

Projects in mind: shelves, simple book cases, simple cabinets, simple tables, etc. As I get better move into fancier items / more complex items.

Everything goes into a un-insulated, unattached 1 car garage that is shared with other garage stuff like, lawn mower, power washer, snow blower, bicycles, garbage cans, etc. Electric is not a problem, just got 100 Amp service run out there.

Thanks for your time, and help.
Ric

[Knottscott]

Hi Ric - It looks to me like your tool list will give you what you need to make those items. Not everyone uses a jointer or planer, but I do, and I think it's the easiest most effective way to get the wood flat and square right from the start. That's wwing 101 for me.

A table for your router will make routing alot easier and safer. I do handrouting less than 10% of the time vs table routing. You can build one in a day from scraps pretty cheap, or you can buy one.

The Ridgid tools you mentioned are solid performers, but there are plenty of others that some times come along on sale and offer some added features...don't be afraid to step outside the box for the right deal. Ie: the Jet 6" jointer is on sale for $400 now.

[newbie2wood]

Unless you are working outside, definitely get a dust collector. If you are planning to work with rough cuts, a bandsaw would be nice. Next in order of purchase would be a joiner and a planer. Both tools compliment each other but if you had to choose one, get the joiner.
________
LIVE SEX WEBSHOWS

[JR]

You've identified the high-runner tools, for sure. I'd seriously consider finding a way for a bandsaw and drill press in the budget. Those are two of the most useful tools in my shop.

You can get away with a small bench-top drill press and still get a lot of utility from it.

I suppose the same can be said for a bandsaw, but I opted for the HF 32208 14". When on sale and with riser block the HF BS should run about $300. You might really want one when get going on those beams.

You'll also want a dado stack.

JR

[Jeffrey Schronce]

I think you are on the right track. If you have a good bit of this wood, then being able to dimension that wood, along with further acquisitions, is a necessity.

$200 - HF DC on sale, with upgraded 1 micron bag or canister filter.

$400 - Jointer. As noted you can think outside the Ridgid box on the jointer.

$350 - Planer - I would agree that the Ridgid is top of the heap in value in lunch box planers. The Dewalt 735 is sweet, but at $500 for planer, +$50 for infeed and outfeed tables, $30 dust hood, $100 stand, etc you could easily get a 15" floor model. Again, Ridgid is the way to go in my opinion. Includes stand, extra set of knives, dust hood, tables, etc.

$200 - Couple good sets of parallel clamps (Jet is excellent value at Rockler right now). Some 48" Aluminum clamps from HF on sale for around $8.

Skip the sanders right now. Your 6" ROS should handle 90% of sanding needs. Yes, there are more efficient ways to sand and volume will dictate when you need specialized equipment.

[jackellis]

If you want it now, then buy new. If you can be patient, good used equipment stretches the budget further. Craigslist, local classifieds, and cabinet shops that are closing up are sources of really good deals.

[zootroy]

Ditto on the bandsaw. You'll use it for more than just curves. Mine ranks second in use behind my TS.

[Tom Miller]

I'd urge you to reconsider your position on the bandsaw. Not only will the chainsaw be wasteful of wood, but I think you'll end up putting in a lot more time and effort surfacing what's left. I'd definitely put it above an OS/BS.

Regards,
Tom

[LarryG]

So, do you need yet another person telling you to get a band saw? Okay, I'll volunteer.

Really, given your particular situation, it's arguably the tool you need most. Or if not most, it's certainly the tool you need first, before the jointer and planer. Given the projects you're envisioning, I agree with Tom and the others that a band saw will be far, far more useful than an OS/B sander. (With the possible exception of table legs, I'm not sure why you'd need one of those for the sort of projects you named.) A chainsaw will not only waste more wood itself, it will also yield a rougher, less-true cut that will require you to lose even more wood when you mill it square with the jointer and planer.

Look at it this way: if those barn beams do turn out to be diamonds in the rough, and if you had to pay for the quantity of board footage you'll likely end up turning into dust and shavings, it might be enough money to buy a band saw ... or at least make a sizeable down payment on one.

[bigsteel15]

I agree with the BS...
And definitely get the Wizard. The small one should do.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...5125&cat=1,240

[TheRic]

OK, OK already I'll get a bandsaw.

I was thinking about getting the Ridgid Bandsaw (down the road). Saw some nice comments, reviews about it. The Limited Lifetime Warranty is a nice touch, one of the many reasons I'm going with mostly Ridgid products. Can you tell me, so I can pass on the justification, why I need the bandsaw now. Other than re-sawing the beams, what would I use it for? I have a jigsaw, so I figured I could use that to cut curves. Maybe I'm missing the whole point, capabilities of a bandsaw?

As a side note has anyone heard about any sales on these items coming up. Been waiting for a sale / been looking for used, since late spring, with little to no luck.

[cwsmith]

TheRic,

I add my voice to the priority of a bandsaw. Given the list of tools that you already have and of course the wonderful stock of wood that you have inherited, I think I'd make the bandsaw a #1 priority!

But please, please, do your homework... from what I have read, the Ridgid bandsaw would definitely NOT be on my list. There are far too many reported problems with it and though there are many cures, workarounds, adjustments etc., for that kind of money, you shouldn't have to do any fixes. There are a few other bandsaws that are much more worthy of your consideration IMHO.

With the budget you mentioned, I'd probably look at spending almost half of it on the bandsaw. That would put you in the market for the very popular Grizzly "Ultimate" 14-inch with riser option (privides you with almost 12-inches of cutting depth). Similarlly the newest Craftsman 14-inch has become very popular too. It is made by Rikon and offers an 8-inch depth of cut. It's welded steel frame is more rigid than the conventional cast iron two-piece designs and it has some very nice features. Rikon itself has recently announced a super 14-inch with a 12-inch capacity, but that would eat up 2/3rds of your budget at a price around $800, as I recall.

So, what does a bandsaw do for you besides resaws? Well first off, with your wood supply, resawing is a big need and there will be very little waste, thanks to the bandsaw's rather small kerf. You'll also find that the bandsaw is probaby the safest and most efficient power saw you'll ever use. It can rip through hardwood boards faster than most table saws, with NO kickback risk. It's small kerf, straight and curve cutting abilities, ease of use, and safety factors make it the perfect tool for trim, legs, and other styling features of fine woodworking. You'll certainly not be limited to the "box-look". You can also use it to make dovetail and similar joints, albeit not as efficiently as a router and dovetail jig; but certainly it provides a more "customed" handfitted ability.

Many other applications too, but probably the best thing you could do is stop by the library or bookstore and look at some of the bandsaw books. I'm sure you'll see the advantages of adding a good bandsaw to your shop.

I hope this helps,

CWS

[onedash]

I just got the 14" craftsman for $383 on Black Friday (Christmas Present that has to be wrapped .....
I have wanted a bandsaw for a while but thinking I have gone this long without one.....The only big tool I need now is a Lathe.
Then its time to start upgrading.....The dust collector will be the first upgrade I think.Or maybe my circular saw......or the jig saw....HMMM.....

[Knottscott]

OK, OK already I'll get a bandsaw.

... Can you tell me, so I can pass on the justification, why I need the bandsaw now. Other than re-sawing the beams, what would I use it for? I have a jigsaw, so I figured I could use that to cut curves. Maybe I'm missing the whole point, capabilities of a bandsaw?

"Projects in mind: shelves, simple book cases, simple cabinets, simple tables, etc."

The BS would be useful to resaw the beams if you don't have another method....but your BT3100 can resaw those beams with a rip blade. That said, I'll contend that a for the projects you stated, a jointer and planer would be more useful now. I like having a BS but I went 2 years without one and used a jigsaw for cutting curves.