Just one thing, one BIG thing...

[dbhost]

This might be a bit telling of where folks priorities are, but I have had a different version of this question posed to me recently regarding home improvement...

If you had the budget to make one major change to your shop or shop equipment, what one change would that be? A new big lathe? Cyclone? Cabinet saw? Maybe even a dedicated building for a shop instead of a cramped basement or shared garage?

I am honestly not sure what I would do. I am in a toss up on this, but would probably lean to a SawStop...

I really love my BT3100, but I am itching for a SawStop 3 HP Professional Cabinet Saw with 52" Professional T-Glide Fence. Very nice saw, but a bunch more money than I have at this point... Too many other projects, including saving for retirement. That $3 grand plus tax price tag sure puts a damper on things...

[Bruce Cohen]

I'd cut off another piece of one of my fingers if I could have a separate building for my shop, about 25' x 60' with heat, running water and air conditioning.
Oh, and a few windows, maybe a skylight and a garage door to get stuff into it.
Even though I can always use new or additional tools/machines, more space would be worth the loss of another body part.

Bruce

[atgcpaul]

I guess it depends on how much money we're talking about. If it was significant I'd want a bigger shop but really at 16x20 I shouldn't really be complaining. I'd also move houses before I expanded my shop--nowhere to expand and I doubt I'd get approval.

If it was enough to buy a new tool and I still had my BT3100, I'd definitely move up to a cabinet saw. My Grizzly has been awesome. If I had another $2K, I might spring for the SawStop.

Me, personally, if I had the space and the money, at this moment, I'd want an 8" jointer. Right now I buy the flattest rough stock I can find and just run it through my planer, but it would be less a PITA to start with a jointer.

Paul

[dbhost]

...
Me, personally, if I had the space and the money, at this moment, I'd want an 8" jointer. Right now I buy the flattest rough stock I can find and just run it through my planer, but it would be less a PITA to start with a jointer.

Paul

I actually somewhat like the combination planer / jointer machines that both functions use the same width knives. It just kind of makes sense to me to use the same size for both functions...

[wardprobst]

For me it was having more space. Nothing can take its place. If it was hand tools only I could have gotten by with what I had but for my work I have to have tailed tools. Having a combo jointer/planer is great (JJP12) but it would not have fit in my old shop.
DP

[Cochese]

I'm torn between more space and electricity.

I'm leaning more space.

[TB Roye]

If I could I would have a larger shop than the current 10x12. That way I could have the big tools in the shop instead of sharing the garage. At my age I don't think a new saw would be cost effective but more room would be. The garage now holds the BT3, Planner, jointer and Miter saw. Luckily we have good weather so I can work in garage in winter, and morning in the Summer it faces the west so i get the hot afternoon, sun. The shop is heated and air conditioned so I am good to go any time. The shop has the lathe, bench top Drill Press and Band Saw, work benches and storage.

[LCHIEN]

i'd like to put a second story on the detached garage and insulate and air condition it.
Return the garage to the cars and make the shop upstairs. Need a wide stairway on the side by the back yard. My best version has a double door to the stair landing overlooking the backyard and a double door over the driveway with a overhead beam and lift on a trolley to pick up large items and get them upstairs.
Would cost over $22K when I priced it a few years back. No running water or bathroom facilities.

[leehljp]

More space for me! I have been collecting tools for 50 years and most powered tools replaced for somewhat more modern in the last 15 years. Nothing major is needed except for space!

Electricity is not a problem but heating and cooling with a toilet/shower would be nice!

[stoli]

I am in pretty much the same quandary you are. However, I just had a momentary lapse that lead to 4 stitches in my thumb. The 3hp saw stop PCS is slated to replace my bt3k within 3 months. After the accident, I can't justify not doing this.

[Pappy]

As much as I would love to have a fully restored Unisaw, priority would be my shopm up with a/c and heat installed.

[jussi]

It depends on your shop size and how much more comfortable you would be with more space. If you're completely cramped, tripping over tools, and having to move tons of things around to get to a machine, then more space would be on top of my list. I use a 2car garage, and while more space would always be nice, especially a finishing room, I also don't have to move any tools to get to a particular machine. For me, if I had the spare cash I would go with the sawstop.

[lrr]

This might be a bit telling of where folks priorities are, but I have had a different version of this question posed to me recently regarding home improvement...

If you had the budget to make one major change to your shop or shop equipment, what one change would that be? A new big lathe? Cyclone? Cabinet saw? Maybe even a dedicated building for a shop instead of a cramped basement or shared garage?

I am honestly not sure what I would do. I am in a toss up on this, but would probably lean to a SawStop...

I really love my BT3100, but I am itching for a SawStop 3 HP Professional Cabinet Saw with 52" Professional T-Glide Fence. Very nice saw, but a bunch more money than I have at this point... Too many other projects, including saving for retirement. That $3 grand plus tax price tag sure puts a damper on things...

I really would love to build a huge outdoor shop, vaulted ceilings, and tons of windows for natural light, but not sure it is in the cards for our current home location. So this summer I started some remodeling, and some tool changes to my basement shop. At the top of the list was a SawStop PCS. I wanted to make some cabinets, and was tired of trying to cut plywood on the BT3100. But I have a small shop, and not sure I had room for greater infeed space, as well as a big outfeed table. I stalled that decision while playing with layouts for the shop, and then bought a Laguna 2HP cyclone dust collector when Woodcraft had their 15% off sale in July. I knew I desperately needed better sawdust collection, and I was tired of how bad my shop vac approach was working. That was one of the best shop upgrades I've ever done. By the time I was ready to get the SawStop, I discovered Festool track saws -- an incredible solution for sheet goods breakdown, and it produces amazing final cuts. I then realized the biggest reason for getting a bigger table saw just went away. I built my own super-sized version of the Festool MFT workbench, and this doubles as an out feed table for the BT3100. I could live with this table saw forever based on putting a Forrest blade on it.

I still want a SawStop someday, for the safety factor, but would only buy the 31" version.

My priorities now are to get more Festool products: Domino, Kapex, router (uses same guide rail as track saw). Then a big Oneway lathe -- I have a midi Rikon now.

And I still want that big shop.

[dbhost]

I am sensing a trend here somehow...

It seems that nobody is happy with their shop size. I must admit, I would personally LOVE a larger, separate, dedicated shop, but overall not my shop size isn't my biggest constraint. At least given the fact that LOML and I are working on piecing together the shop 100% which includes adding a small shed to move lawn & garden out of the shop...

I tend to agree somewhat with Loring on adding a 2nd floor to the existing garage to be able to use the garage as a, silly thing of things, garage... But in my case with the attached garage, I would have to literally add a second floor to the entire house for it to be right...

[Carpenter96]

More space. Right now I have 18 x 20, 36 x 20 would be great.

Regards Bob