Need some advice and machines for empty workshop

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Gubbins

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Evening all


I will be moving house shortly, and for once will have room for a workshop.
I'm a regular DIYer, and had envisaged I'd make new gates and fencing for a start, before tackling the host of jobs there will be in the house, like new skirting, door frames, window reveals etc.
I have a few questions and thought you guys might be able to help answer :D

What would be more useful a decent compound mitre saw or table saw?

Is a planer/thickness an essential item, or should I just buy planed wood?

Are morticers worth it, or are they just nice to have?


Sorry if it's a bit vague!

Cheers

Gubbins
 
The two most used pieces of kit in my workshop are a Startrite 275 table saw and a Sedgwick CP planner thicknesser. I think it would be true to say that every piece of stuff goes through these two machines.

The next most used machine is a Sedgwick spindle moulder.

The third most used machines are a Wadkin Radial Arm Saw (RAS), cheap mitre saw, a Startrite 14S5 bandsaw.

The next most used machines are a Multico tennoner and a Sedgwick Morticer.

The least used machines are a beautiful meddings drill and an Axminster Senior drum sander.

In truth I wouldn't be without any of them, but if I had to give them up this is the order of priority
 
If you are limited in terms of space and funds I might suggest getting the bandsaw before the saw bench. I have found a properly set up bandsaw to be one of the most useful and adaptable machines to have (not to mention one of the safest).
 
and substitute a router table for the spindle moulder, and forget the RAS
 
Large bench with 2 vices. Bandsaw, table saw, planer/thicknesser, pillar drill, table mounted router.
 
Gents, thanks for the suggestions.

For once, space won't be the issue. I haven't got a budget... I daren't!

I take it morticers score quite low on everyones list.
 
Well, I'm no builder, or furniture maker but I enjoy making stuff when I get the chance and have done a few skirting boards, door frames and fences. It seems your first priority is for DIY and that was my excuse to start buying tools.
For most of the jobs you mentioned I think it makes sense to buy sawn timber, or mdf for skirting and door surrounds. These jobs require long thin bits of timber which need cutting to length and/or have mitres added. For this the best tool is surely a compound mitre saw, it's certainly my most used workshop tool and almost all builders for do chippy work will have one. Make sure you position it with lots of flat space either side so you can cut long pieces. A tablesaw is mainly for ripping, cutting along the length of a board, or sizing sheet material. It is possible to set up a tablesaw for cross cutting but difficult to do on budget saws and even then hard with long lengths. I do have a tablesaw, a cheap one, but am struggling to think of a DIY job where it was useful. A circular saw or plunge (track) saw would be a better choice for ripping or using with sheet material. My tablesaw is on its last legs and I think I will replace it with a track saw.
I have a planer/thicknesser, bought it because I thought it was a cool thing to have (and I still think that) , I do use it occasionally but if I didn't have it I doubt I would be stuck. Couple of good hand planes would likely get most jobs done. I have a Bosch electric planer, that is quite handy for fitting doors as long as you are careful to avoid tear out.
A router is very useful for shaping edges, cutting groves or rebates, a table would be useful, I did make a very simple one for a job, but less essential for DIY work.
Bench, I got by with a workmate for quite a while but if you have a workshop then makes sense to put a bench in, it with a decent vice or 2 and probably some dog holes clamps to fit. Make sure you have lots of shelf space though else your bench becomes a shelf and you can never use it.
Morticer, used to think it would be useful, but read enough comments on this forum to make me want a Festool Domino as this seems far more versatile. I guess a biscuit jointer would be a cheaper second choice.
Don't forget clamps, might be best to get these for each job as if you buy them up front you will never have the right sort :)
I'm sure a bandsaw would be extremely useful when you get on to making things, as opposed to fitting stuff in your house. I'd like one but I'd like a big one and can't afford it at the moment.
Pillar drill is useful but don't get a really cheap one as they are too flimsy and wobbly to give them much advantage over a decent hand held drill.
If you have lot of fencing to do, maybe a nailer ?
 
Thanks for this lot.

I'd never heard of then domino, very impressive.
Never used a biscuit jointer, would this be a suitable method for a garden gates?
 
Festool do make different sizes of their Domino system. But something like a gate that's going to be expected to take a lot of punishment is, in my opinion, best built the traditional way.
 
If your doing only a few mortice and tenons infrequently, it's relatively easy to do them by hand. If you've lots to make or do them regularly c£500 on a secondhand Sedgwick or similar Morticer is an excellent investment. You will also need a selection of mortice chisels. Don't try using one chisel to do all sizes of mortises, accuracy will suffer. You will need to spend a few hundred on mortice chisels and sharpening system. If you take the plunge may I encourage you to buy English pattern (double fluke) such as Clico which for many reasons IMO perform a lot better than Jaoenese style (single fluke)
 
Plan out the workshop a bit. There's lots of books out there, but just think a bit about what you're making and how it will move through the workshop, from rough cuts, to detailed work, to sanding and finally finishing (varnish/paint/oil).

Before you put kit in it, also look at the floor and the walls. Are they up to scratch? Might be an idea to paint them now. Look at anti-slip matting for key areas, or just use the anti-slip paint you can get for the whole floor. Also now would be the time to up the number of power sockets you've got (and install a breaker maybe?).

Finally, think about storage, put up some shelves, racks or pegboard for tools. Maybe make a cart to hold wood ala - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZtIEFa3Ofk

Make a series of nice big benches if you've got the space. If you're just doing machine work, then plywood tops with 2x4s for the frames will do the job fine, be cheap and you can make them in an afternoon. Mount all machines on wheels and make sure you can push them all up against the wall for the time you're doing a big job and need the space.

Hope that's given you some food for thought. It's not always about the machines. But you'll get lots of mileage out of a decent bandsaw, planer thicknesser, router and track saw.
 
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