Equipping a Small Workshop

[WibbleWobble]

Good Morning,

I have recently been bitten by the bug to get into woodwork in a more serious way, and I am looking for some advice regarding tool selection and requirements.

My current size of project is small boxes (mainly inspired by Andrew Crawford's book and his excellent Box Making Weekend course).

I have an external brick built garage which I am going to insulate, don't know quite how yet but currently thinking Celotex and battens on the walls.

My current wish list is :

Router and Router table - Looking at the Triton and Makita - I like the idea of above table adjustment on the Triton
Band-saw with minimum 250mm under the guides (for cutting off the lids) - Currently thinking Record Power BS400 et al
Thicknesser Planer - Not sure what model on this yet
Disk Sander - Might make my own if I can find the right motor or else DS300 or the like

Does anybody have any recommendation or comments is this overkill for small projects?

Pete

 

[marcros]

Welcome Pete.

I would suggest making a router table, or looking at the Dakota table from Rutlands if you do not want to do so. It will be on offer soon if it is not, and is normally about £100. The triton gets good reviews- i have not used one myself.

You may find a small table saw more useful than the bandsaw. I can see arguments for both/either. I have only just got a bandsaw, and sold my table saw, and of all the projects I have done, boxes without the tablesaw are a pain- particularly trays for inside them. Without the bandsaw, you wont be able to rip down thicker timber into thinner boards, but you can get around that by buying 1" boards to start with. There are other ways of seperating the lids- using a slotting cutter on teh router table for instance, but the table saw will do it nicely. You could also get a sliding carriage for cross cutting and can tilt the blade/use your carriage for cutting mitres (presumably cleaned up on the disk sander if I recall a review from Andrew's course). Look at the Axminster TS200 for starters- others are available).

I have an axminster ct330 bench top thicknesser and a floor standing ct150 axminster 6" planer- I think that they are great bits of kit for boxes and pretty available secondhand. A wider planer would be better, but I manage for now. Worth looking at, particularly instead of a bottom of the range planer thicknesser. A typical box takes 4ft (??) or so of tmber, so it you decide to plane it by hand to get one side flat, it isnt a mamouth task, and will save you some space.

The sander looks good. Axminster do an equivalent. I have no experience on either.

Dont forget your workbench. It doesnt need to be expensive or fancy, but you probably need to plan where that is going first in the agrage. Having just moved my beast of one, i wish that i had thought a little harder before putting it along the long wall. My single garage is like a game of chess- you have to control the centre of the board and move machinery in to it to use much of it. Even with small boxes, you probably still have to buy long boards of timber to begin with!

Hope taht helps. dont be afraid to ask questions when you narrow your kit down to a couple of different models and cant choose between them.

 

[WibbleWobble]

Thanks for that advice, I may look at a table saw, depends on space. I think I might have to use my garage like a slide puzzle where you can only move one piece at a time and a bandsaw seems to have a smaller footprint.

On the subject of benches I was looking at the Sjoberg Nordic plus 1950 from Axminster at £369, as I really dont have the tools or time to make my own.

Does that seem like massive overkill?

Pete

 

[marcros]

there are a lot of threads on benches- worth searching through- quite probably a review of that actual bench. Personally I would always say make one- even if it is a simple one from 4x2 screwed together and a fire door on top, but each to their own and i note your time restraints. The worst case with the bench you mention is that you might need to add some bracing. In making boxes though, you are not going to be subjecting it to too much force- it is more for assembly and light work than anything. Just dont down spec it too much or you will end up with something that is very lightweight and only suited to my daughters wendyhouse.

You will have to use your garage like a slide puzzle I expect, so budget for some mobile bases, or make some. The bandsaw may have a smaller footprint, but it may also prove to be less useful for what you plan to do with it- particularly if you need to supliment it with a sliding mitre saw etc. There are many ways to skin a cat though, so there wont be a single correct answer.

 

[coot]

Hi,

I got a JCB router from B&Q and use it with the Dakota table, works alright for what I need it for.
As thats pretty tied up in what it does I've since bought a Triton router that I can move about a bit more, use with FMT jig etc.

I needed a table pretty quick so bought "Professional Joiners Workbench with Free MHG 6 Piece Chisel Set (DK2700PACK)" from Rutlands to get me going.
I'll be building any additional tables though - have some oak tops left over from the kitchen that I can knock something up with.

A thicknesser is next on my list so I'll sit and wait so see what else is recommended on here.

Pete

 

[marcros]

remember of course, that if you buy well looked after kit, secondhand, if it doesnt suit what you want you should be able to move it on for very similar money to what you paid- sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less. There is a ready market for planers, thicknessers, saws etc from beginners and others which is also ideal for those looking to upgrade. Try to buy things for the features that they have rather than because they are in fashion at the time- probably more appropriate to hand tools than to machinery.

 

[WibbleWobble]

Oohh that promises to get confusing two Pete's on the same thread

Thanks guys for the advice. I have thought about the Bench/Table and might go for a 4"x2" legged affair with a laminate of MDF top just to get me going. Then I can always upgrade.

I think I will look at the Rutlands Dakota table.

I have a Sliding Mitre saw and a Hand held rip saw so can cut the panels down.

Pete

 

[marcros]

ironically the dakota table is on offer at the moment. If you are not in a position to buy right now, it is never that far away from being £100 including carriage. Wait a few weeks if it is a bit more and it will come down.

 

[Glynne]

Hi Pete,

Dakota table is currently £89.
There is a review of this on the home page of the forum and I posted a thread a couple of weeks ago about a very simple fine adjustor for the fence.

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/dakota-deluxe-router-table-fence-fine-adjustor-t69317.html

Whilst not exclusively a box maker, I have been on one of Andrew's courses but tend to go for solid wood boxes rather than veneered.
In terms of other sources of information for boxes: -

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/veneering-box-making-books-t67673.html

and

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/humidor-help-t69707.html

I personally would go for a bandsaw before a table saw as you will have seen how Andrew separates his lids.

Glynne

 

[WibbleWobble]

And now for for something different, I have been having a look at Routers and can get a fairly good deal on a Makita RP2301FCX does anybody have any experience of these good/bad?

Pete

 

[marcus]

I would consider getting a small radial arm saw for crosscutting (which are cheap as chips secondhand) and build it in to the outfeed table for the bandsaw (assuming you have room for a permanent outfeed table). The outfeed table can also be used as a second work surface for finishing, assembly etc.

 

[dp341]

Bandsaws are good and safe for resawing, if set up reasonably then can give pretty clean cuts that can be finished for glueing etc. with a couple of strokes of a plane. They are good for opening a box (although a tablesaw can do that too), a table saw can't make fancy curved "bandsaw boxes". Boxes are small, hand saws (not bandsaws) are inexpensive, quiet, safe and brilliant for accurate cross-cutting and detailed joinery. Personally I wouldn't bother with a table saw, I use mine mostly for big boring things like plywood cabinets not for the fun stuff like fancy boxes.

 

[WibbleWobble]

Thanks for the advice on this, I think I will look at radial arm saws, they look like they could be useful. Might look at the ideas of building it into the outfeed section of the bandsaw if I get one.

Will probably wait till I get the garage insulated until I commit too much cash, unless ideal second hand kit comes up.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to share there experience. I will post updates as I get equipped.

Pete

 

[Lesk63]

Good Morning,

I have recently been bitten by the bug to get into woodwork in a more serious way, and I am looking for some advice regarding tool selection and requirements.

My current size of project is small boxes (mainly inspired by Andrew Crawford's book and his excellent Box Making Weekend course).

I have an external brick built garage which I am going to insulate, don't know quite how yet but currently thinking Celotex and battens on the walls.

My current wish list is :

Router and Router table - Looking at the Triton and Makita - I like the idea of above table adjustment on the Triton
Band-saw with minimum 250mm under the guides (for cutting off the lids) - Currently thinking Record Power BS400 et al
Thicknesser Planer - Not sure what model on this yet
Disk Sander - Might make my own if I can find the right motor or else DS300 or the like

Does anybody have any recommendation or comments is this overkill for small projects?

Pete

Hello Pete

Have been running a small workshop with the Record 10x6 planer / thicknesser, Axminster cast iron router table and the Record 350 BS ( i think) bandsaw.
All of the above work very well. Had a problem with Router table, cast iron bed was bowed. Axminster couldn't fix it so i had it machined, works a treat now.
The bandsaw needs some setting up but once down , good bit of kit. Record machines come with trolley wheel which makes life easier.

Hope this helps.

Regards

Lesk

 

[marcros]

Lesk,

what is the typical cost of having a router table skimmed?

cheers
Mark