Need Advice Please

[Cameronhill97]

For a few years now my machines have consisted of bench top type machines, a dewalt DW745 Table saw, a Titan thicknesser/surface planer and a small (really small) axminmster bandsaw plus a few others. I have got abit of money saved up but only enough to really upgrade one of these tools to something abit more industrial then a bench top machine.

Which one do you think would be best to upgrade?

my woodworking varies from furniture projects to general diy.

If it was the table saw i would be looking at the 10 inch model axi do and for the bandsaw probably the Record Power bs350. Thicknesser im not sure?

So yeh what would you do in this situation.

 

[AJB Temple]

I would ask myself which tool creates the biggest limitation on what I want to do, and buy that.

 

[sunnybob]

I would put bandsaw first. Its versatile. You can rip wide planks, you can make bandsaw boxes, you can cut very accurate angle pieces. router table second. Table saw third because although its very accurate, for general DIY it doesnt do as much as the other two.

 

[custard]

Invest your money in good wood, then use it to make great furniture.

 

[pops92]

I have just bought a BS300e a few weeks ago and it's opened up an whole new world to me. I totally agree with sunnybob so verstile.

 

[YorkshireMartin]

Bandsaw. It's the most versatile tool I own, except for maybe the TS55, but you have a table saw and I don't.

I'd go for an ex-school Startrite 352 with a cast iron table. £400-500 if you avoid ebay and will travel. I say school rather than college because they get almost no use (pupils aren't allowed these days) and are likely to be well maintained. I went to Wales for mine, wasn't perfect initially, but I got there in the end. Had a lovely day out fossil hunting as part of the trip.

 

[PAC1]

If you do not know then the answer is None. I usually spend money on machines when I am fed up with making do with something inadequate or when I have a job where the new machine will make a significant efficiency improvement. So as I say if you do not know then save your money until you really need to upgrade

 

[sunnybob]

I've found that I dont know what machine I need untill I buy something else.

Once I got the hang of the bandsaw for ripping planks thinner, I realised I needed a router on a sled to smooth them to a nice finish. Then I bought a thicknesser to cut down on time spent smoothing rough sawn planks. Then i found out how much I could do with a router in a table. Which meant I was now held up making stuff by spending too much time sanding, especially inside curves, so I bought a bobbin sander. And so it goes.

Only thing I dont have now is a table saw, but I'm desperately short of space and I can do almost everything with what I have.

 

[YorkshireMartin]

I've found that I dont know what machine I need untill I buy something else.

Once I got the hang of the bandsaw for ripping planks thinner, I realised I needed a router on a sled to smooth them to a nice finish. Then I bought a thicknesser to cut down on time spent smoothing rough sawn planks. Then i found out how much I could do with a router in a table. Which meant I was now held up making stuff by spending too much time sanding, especially inside curves, so I bought a bobbin sander. And so it goes.

Only thing I dont have now is a table saw, but I'm desperately short of space and I can do almost everything with what I have.

LOL......I can relate.

 

[Cameronhill97]

thanks everyone think im gunna go for a bandsaw, going to the show at harrogate next weekend so will have a look around then.

 

[undergroundhunter]

The only power tool I have is a bandsaw but it's a big one. I would say everything can be done by hand but the thing that has made the most difference to me is getting a decent bandsaw to take the drudgery out of ripping stock and resawing, everything else I do by hand. So I would get a better bandsaw, or a Custard has said spend it on wood.

Matt

 

[Moonsafari69]

There will 'always' be a next tool you want to buy or maybe upgrade. The key will be how much benefit will a new tool give you? For me, the electric type tool that's made the biggest difference and improvement is investing in a really good planer/thicknesser. Everyone's different but if you are going to invest the need will be driven by what you want to make. No tools are any good at all without some decent wood though.

 

[pike]

thanks everyone think im gunna go for a bandsaw, going to the show at harrogate next weekend so will have a look around then.

I've found my bandsaw to be the biggest challenge and frustration for me compared to fairly easy (but more dangerous and noisy) things like table saws and track saws.

It is however the one I like the most, after I figured out how to put a new blade in and set it up right so it cuts well and doesn't get destroyed by being too loose, too tight, guides misaligned etc etc..

I wanted to cut some 9mm strips of hardwood for the weird sized mitre slots on my BS400. I managed it much easier on the bandsaw than my tracksaw. There have also been times when I couldn't cut anything like a straight line on my bandsaw, and times I've wasted blades by running it badly set up.

So if you haven't used one expect a learning curve, be patient and it'll end up being the best tool you have because it's versatile, a bit safer and quieter.

Carl

 

[skipdiver]

Bandsaw. That is all.

 

[sunnybob]

Listen to Pike.
You WILL have to learn the bandsaw. It tells you what it can and cant do. Once you come to an agreement with it, you will love it.
For me the steepest learning curve was slowing down the wood feed.