Tool & general advice for new workshop

[Rayman]

Hi folks, this is my first (and fairly long) post here so bear with me.

I'm finally looking to get my 'temporary' workshop up & running (may move after 2 years) - a 24ft x 11ft man cave mainly for hobby/DIY projects which includes fitted wardrobes for family/friends etc. I'll mostly be working with 8x4 sheet stock of MDF/Valchromat and ply in the usual 12/18/22mm thicknesses with the occasional hardwood banding where needed.

I'm trying to achieve my setup with a realistic but modest budget and need the advice of all you good folks to get me started.

1) Saws: I have a few options here:
a) eBay a cast table saw (half decent models from Jet/Axminster @ £800 ish)
b) Buy a decent site saw e.g. Bosch GTS 10 XC @~£500
c) start with a cheap Scheppach/Clarke 10" for now (<£200)

Notes: I'd like to have a dado stack but its not essential. Extension tables will be built around any saw regardless. The options have been killing me for weeks - please make a decision for me!!!

2) Dust Extraction: I'm inclined towards a shop vac for the portability factor. Should I Festool it @ £500ish or stick with a decent alternative from SIP/Bosch @<£300?

3) Clamps in the UK are surprisingly expensive (compared to the US). Anywhere I can buy cheap sash/pipe clamps on the cheap - perhaps up to 2m (yes 2000mm)? I'm going to need a dozen or so. I'll also be needing small varieties. You can never have enough clamps.

4) Should I continue with Standard MDF or opt for MR MDF for fitted furniture/wardrobes etc. (West Midlands area so fairly central and miles from the sea) ?

5) Do I really need Titebond3 or could I use regular builders PVA during glue-up of MDF sheets?

Sorry for the long post and what may seem like newbie Qs but I'm abit out of my depths here with the newly found space and unsure on how to proceed.

 

[Sleepy]

My thoughts for your questions (not knowing your budget):
1) A table saw is incredibly useful, but if you are working with mostly 8x4 sheet material have you considered a track saw instead? Wielding stock that size on a table saw (especially if you purchase from your b) or c) options) isn't easy. If you think you might like a track saw then I would go with a decent site saw (GTS 10 XC / Dewalt DW745) for everything that's not sheet material and then a track saw for the sheets.
UK saws don't fit dado stacks for the most part, so I wouldn't put too much emphasis on this.

2) A site saw like the DW745 takes a 100mm extraction port so a shop-vac won't really be able to move enough air to extract dust well. A track saw will work best with a shop-vac type extractor. This is why lots of sources say that you really need to cover both options (high pressure low volume shop-vac, low pressure high volume dust extractor). You could go with something like a Cam-Vac which has a 100mm port (it's really just a high pressure low volume extractor with a larger port than most) and that should do a decent job for most things (but not a great job for anything).

3) Buy pipe clamp heads and then buy the pipe separately for the cheapest long clamps. Otherwise, yeah at 2000mm they're going to be expensive.

4) Standard MDF should be fine for inside work.

5) Titebond 3 is waterproof (at least quite water resistant), so you don't need it for indoor stuff (though it is good glue). Titebond 2 is a good non-waterproof glue, but to be honest any wood glue is going to do fine.

 

[Trevanion]

I'll mostly be working with 8x4 sheet stock of MDF/Valchromat and ply in the usual 12/18/22mm thicknesses with the occasional hardwood banding where needed. Notes: I'd like to have a dado stack but its not essential. Extension tables will be built around any saw regardless. The options have been killing me for weeks - please make a decision for me!!!

I'd agree with Sleepy here and say a track saw and a couple of trestles would suit the application better than a table saw. It is still cumbersome to cut up sheet material on a panel saw by yourself, let alone on a little table saw with extension wings. Plus being in a 24ft x 11ft space a table saw with extensions would eat up a lot of room which could be better filled. The only real thing you gain with a table saw is that repetitive ripping of sheets is easier, there's not much else to be gained unless you start spending on the other side of £2000 on a machine. Plus I would say over 95% of the table saws in the UK aren't able to run a dado stack mostly down to the fact that the arbours are too short and the motors are generally underpowered for that kind of thing. Plus to get the tooling is expensive, CMT is the only manufacturer in the EU that I know of that makes the sets and it'll run you back £150 +Vat. You could get some of the vintage DeWalt sets on eBay but I've found them not to be particularly good even after sharpening them up.

I'm inclined towards a shop vac for the portability factor.

Again, with a track saw and dust extractor combo, there is virtually no dust because the track saws have very efficient extraction. With a table saw, no matter how much extraction you put on the damn thing there is always dust.

Clamps in the UK are surprisingly expensive (compared to the US).

With reason! Our clamps are better!

But in all seriousness whilst the clamps are more expensive I find myself cursing a lot less with the Record t-bar clamps than the Rolson ones, which makes it worth the £60 a clamp to me. Plus they are pretty much unbreakable, last forever and are backed by a very good guarantee. It's a hell of an upfront investment though so I can see why you would like to lean towards cheaper clamps but I've always found them to be just that, cheap and fail on you just when you DO NOT want them too (Middle of a big glue up). For smaller clamps you can't get much better than the Bessey duoklamps but a cheaper alternative is the Irwin quick-grips, not overly powerful but good for small stuff.

Watch some of Peter Millard's videos on youtube. He has a particularly small workspace and he makes the most of it while making built-in wardrobes, cupboards etc. Should give you some good ideas.

 

[Rayman]

Thanks folks - very helpful suggestions and you've both suggested track/plunge saws which I was inclined towards from the outset. I'm already a subscriber to Peter Millard's channel - he has some great vids (as does Rob Cosman). Thanks guys

 

[MikeJhn]

Pilana in the Czech Republic make wide tooth standard kerf blades: http://www.pilana.com/en/grooving-tct-c ... saw-blades

Mike