roflson":2rkwhfpy said:
Hi all!
I'm new here, and to woodwork. I've been dabbling here and there but nothing too serious. I've mostly been cutting things up with a jigsaw and doing things that don't require too much precision such as making raised beds in the garden.
I've just been on an evening woodworking course where we did a lot of the basics, joining wood, various joints.
However something that was always glossed over, was preparing the wood, as it was always either already done, or if we needed to cross cut a square edge on something, he would just fire up the table saw and it was done in seconds.
The things I have on my list to make are: Boxes (small and big), shelves, bathroom cabinet, perhaps a chicken run.
From this list, I would like to 'accurately' rip and crosscut. I put apostrophes around accurately because I realise for the money I want to spend right now, I may not get super accurate cuts.
My long term goal is to have all the tools, a table saw, band saw, thicknesser, jointer/planer, etc.
I've kept fighting with myself over which tool to get first and keep switching between them.
If I only wanted to spend £200 today on one of the above tools, which should I start with? I was thinking about getting the Titan tablesaw from screwfix as a 'my first table saw'. But some reviews of it are good, and some of the reviews say it should be thrown away. I'm not sure if it will just frustrate me as I'm unable to set it up properly, especially given my lack of experience.
Thank you!
Paul
Thats one of the best beginner posts I've read on here. You've got the right idea from the start in my opinion.
The machines you've listed are all pretty major purchases and the choice of which to buy would largely depend on what you already have and your ability with hand tools. Out of the list, I'd say for smaller piece work, the bandsaw would be without doubt the most useful. A heck of a lot can be accomplished with one but, and here's the rub, it does need to be accurate, especially for box making. I'd also say that the cuts a bandsaw is able to make, such as long rip cuts, are one of the hardest to accomplish with hand tools.
I'm not going to point you to a £200 bandsaw, because as you rightly identified, it will end up frustrating you, sooner rather than later.
However, if you are prepared to save a little more, you could probably source yourself something like an Inca Euro 260, used of course as they are no longer made, but, if you looked after it, it would last a long long time. Properly set up, they are extremely accurate and you'd be able to cut veneers, which for box making, I gather is very useful.
Another tool to look at may be a decent mitre saw, which will help with cross cutting in lieu of a table saw. Of course it depends on the size of stock you wish to work with and the space available to work in. I'd be looking at Bosch or Makita for a mitre saw. Again, they are out of budget but believe me, until you're able to buy a decent one, you're better off learning how to use a quality cross cutting handsaw properly. Cheap ones very rarely cut square and it will water you off, it did me!
So I'm going with this advice:
Save a bit and get an Inca 260
A decent bench plane, maybe an older Stanley No.4 from ebay and learn how to refurbish it and sharpen the blades.
Look into a mitre saw for later, but learn how to cross cut with a handsaw for now. Veritas make decent ones and they aren't enormously expensive. You may also wish to consider a track saw. Dont forget, with the right method, a bandsaw can be used for crosscutting too, subject to capacity.
Patience is key to woodworking and you are right to be considered in your approach.
