Woodworking Machines advice

Gryzor

hi all

I've been woodworking with handtools for the last two years or so and love it. The most time consuming part for me is dimensioning rough boards to the sizes I need. It's limiting my progress with getting things made, as with a young family, I can't dedicate hours at a time to the task.

Might have a bit of cash coming my way soon and would like to get some machines, table saw, planer, thicknesser and dust extraction. I want to get quality tools that'll last but at the same time I'm not after top end either. Kind of, buy once cry once thing.

I've had a look around some of the sites, but unsure of what exactly to look for.

Any advice appreciated, thanks

Fingalian

Howdy Gryzor,
I'm not a tradesman so my tools are not trade quality but they are more than adequate for DIY and projects around the house.
I ran a Ryobi 1525s table saw for years , changed the blade on it to a good quality Freud and it did the business. Very noisy motor on it though and the stand was very flimsy , I fixed this by bolting on diagonal wooden braces and throwing a bag of cement( for the weight) on the stand.I recently changed to a Charnwood w619 , smaller blade , very quiet motor and a nice saw but I would not run 2x8's through it( Ryobi would handle them no prob).You can clean up any saw marks with a smoothing plane or a block plane.

I run a Metabo SPA 1101 dust and chip extractor with a 4'' hose on it. Nice and quiet and very powerful. One mod I'm considering for it ( saw the idea on a US woodworking forum) is a remote to start it up so you don't have to walk down the workshop and hit the switch!

I also have a Metabo HC 260 Planer/Thicknesser. Its fairly easy to switch from one mode to another however I seem to use the thicknesser the most and I think I could have got away with a good bench top thicknesser. It is a very handy machine and a great time and money saver. I have run a lot of reclaimed oak through it and in no time you have 'new' timber.

One bugbear with the Metabos is that the power cord on them is very short (less than 1m).

Couple of bits of kit I consider essential are:

Dakota DK2040 Mobile Base, put your table saw on this and you can move it at will. Rutlands do a 'special' on them now and again.

Dakota Heavy Duty Roller Stand DK2030 , a godsend when working alone.

Good ear protectors and eye protection , knots and bits will sometimes fly out of the table saw. Eye protection is cheap, buy 3 pairs and leave one on each power tool.

Push sticks for the table saw and watch a few vids on saw safety and don't take the splitter/riving knife off.

I drew a redline on the saw table with a marker and made sure my fingers never went past it.

Don't get me started on bandsaws:-)

Gryzor

Thanks for the detailed reply Fingalian, good info there. Where did you buy your gear, locally or online. Looks like the biggest selection of stuff is in the UK..

Calahonda52

I would agree re the thicknesser being used much more than the planer side.
There is one on a UK website that is for sale in Ireland, will pm you.

For a lot of tools, you need to decide on what agree of precision you want for the finished product.

For example, a cheap chop say from Lidl will never have the consistency and repeatability of a more expensive and better made product.
Same with table saw:
I started with a cheaper Sheepach, with pressed steel deck, direct drive, 2840 rpm etc.
Canned it after several years for a bigger machine, belt drive, 3hp, 4000 rpm, alu deck.

It really depends on what you want to do, how much room you have and your budget.

In closing, never stand behind the workpiece on a tables or a planer if you value the crown jewels

Fingalian

Hi Gryzor
I bought the Metabos and Charnwood from McQuillans, The Ryobi online and the rest of the gear from Rutlands UK. I bought a Jet lathe from Axminister Tools ( Uk too) and the shipping was not too bad.

Calahonda52: I've nothing against band saws , au contraire, I love my bandsaw( its my favourite tool in the shop) especially when I have a Highland Hardware wood slicer blade on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6sbcjiWkso

recipio

Two tools will liberate you from drudgery - the table saw and a planer thicknesser ( with dust extraction ) No brand is universally 'the best ' but I will offer some tips. A table saw should be belt driven. The trunnion ( the bearing holding the blade ) can then be made to industrial dimensions and be way more accurate than the cheaper direct drive models. For planing and thicknessing most models come in around 250 x 140 mms and that is plenty for anybody starting out. I'm a great advocate of Scheppach models as they have rubber rollers and offer very precise control of thicknessing down to fractions of a mm. For cutting up sheet goods the world is changing and I see a lot of people going over to track saws or even vertical wall mounted saws.........for when the lottery comes in.

Calahonda52

Awesome blades: thanks for link, you buy them from the US?

Fingalian

Yep sure do , from this crowd.

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/

Gryzor

Was very busy in work today

Half decided on the machines below...any reason to steer clear of any of these?

DEWALT DW745 TABLE SAW, went for this as the ability to store it out of the way is attractive. Also reviews are good on this machine aswell.

RECORD PT260 PLANER THICKNESSER, reviews on this seem to be pretty good overall

RECORD BS300E BANDSAW, not sure on this really??

RECORD CX2000 CHIP COLLECTOR, this seems bottom of the line so not sure here either...I can't see myself generating massive amounts of chips/dust very regularly..

Calahonda52

Depending on what you have in mind, IMO the table saw is the runt in the litter so to speak when compared to the P/T and the Bandsaw.

If you use the P/T then you will have bags of chips.

Its a chip collector so a good face mask should be included

Gryzor

Yeah, the saw is a bit of a compromise alright, but still a good saw from what I've read. I won't have room to swing a cat if I have to leave a saw in situ permanently along with the other stuff.

Have a dust mask already, might look at a better chip/dust collector if funds allow.

Calahonda52

Gryzor wrote: »

Have a dust mask already, might look at a better chip/dust collector if funds allow.

Chip collection and dust containment are really two different problems which require different solutions, its not a question of a better chip/dust collector.

If you are doing a lot with dusty stuff, especially manmade timber then maybe an trend air shield or similar.

Gryzor

How big of an issue is rust on these machines?? Anything cast iron will rust . I currently work out of an uninsulated Steeltech shed. During the winter my planes etc need a film of oil to keep the rust away.

Also regarding power, will most of the lower end\hobby machines run off standard 13a power?