Which shop tool next?

[Tom.Trout]

I am renovating a house in the North Country.



I have the hitachi bandsaw, the bt3, and a tradesman jointer. Basically I am a hacker not a fine woodworking cabinetmaker. I already have all the power hand tools so I am open to recommendations.... (drill press maybe?),,,

what do you think?

[LarryG]

Got any kind of budget figure in mind? That will heavily influence the possibilities.

[jhart]

If you are going to be doing a lot of finish work, you may want to get a miter saw. You can get some good ones for under $250, and they are portable and used inside or out.

[germdoc]

Drill press then planer.

[monte]

Miter saw or drill press.

[pierhogunn]

sliding compount miter saw, allows really nice cuts on trim boards

[Jim-Iowa]

Tom: Since i`ve seen the pictures you posted above.
And with the snow on the ground, your winters must be much like they are here. First tool I would want is a stapler and a few rolls of insulation, then maybe a heater for that garage. The tools are worthless if its to cold to work with them in that shop.

[LCHIEN]

a drill press is high on my list of valuable tools.

Compound miter saw if you crosscut long boards.

further down the list - thickness planer if you work with unfinished lumber.

[Tom Miller]

Is your tool purchasing prioritized for the house renovation first, and later, a general WW (hobby) shop?

If so, a good miter saw will serve you well now, and in a WW shop. Even though a 12" CMS might be better for house renovation, a 10" sliding CMS might serve better in a WW shop.

Hey, I might be the first to mention it -- air compressor and nailers! 18ga 2" is good for baseboards, etc. 15ga for hanging doors. Framing nailer for, uhhh, framing.

Depending on your renovation projects, a drill press may or may not be called for, but I'd still rank it highly as a good general purpose tool.

Regards,
Tom

[Tom.Trout]

I was thinking about a stapler and insulation myself. But I consider that a hand tool. [8D]

I plan on using the shop mostly for renovation and fixing up other houses too. Please keep the comments coming. They are great food for thought.

As for my budget, well I am not doing this full time and as I said I am really just a hacker, well maybe I'll get better.

I consider tools in the $100 to $400 dolor range viable. Is that too limiting?

quote:Originally posted by Jim-Iowa

Tom: Since i`ve seen the pictures you posted above.
And with the snow on the ground, your winters must be much like they are here. First tool I would want is a stapler and a few rolls of insulation, then maybe a heater for that garage. The tools are worthless if its to cold to work with them in that shop.

[maxparot]

Drill press, Thickness planer,Miter saw, Radial arm saw, Lathe

[LarryG]

I gotta go somewhat against the general trend. I use my drill press and thickness planer heavily; a drill press gets more use than one would think until you actually have one, and a thickness planer would allow you to get the most out of your jointer.

But that's in a woodworking shop. For a self-described "hacker" doing mainly house fix-ups, and given that budget, I'm with Tom. A compound miter saw or an air nailer rig would have to be right at the top of my list.

If you shop carefully and don't insist on owning the top brand names, $400 would actually buy both.

[Thalermade]

For renovating and fixing up, the mitre saw is probably your best bet. I felt it was worth the extra bucks to go with a 12 inch saw instead of the 10 inch saw. Also people seem to like the lasers on those saws (lasers weren't readily available 7 years ago when I got mine).I also suggest you get some type of portable mitre saw cart (like the Ridgid MSUV) which would give you excellent flexibilty for shop or portable use.

The air conmpressor with nail guns and staplers would be my next choice. Now you will be all set up to cut and install trim and also build a deck.

Have fun deciding.

[pierhogunn]

renovation, okay Sliding Compound Miter saw it is then, plus a nice folding stand to keep it on, lowes has 2 of them, a little beyond the budget limits you have, but awful nice...

[kyle.w]

drill press thats what i would get and also a wood stove!!