Need Advice on shop equipment

[Wilmingtonian]

As stated in my intro, I am new to wood working. I have the basic power tools:

Table saw; Mitre saw; two routers w/ table; compressor w/ framer, finisher, and brad guns; dovetail jig; kreg jig; orbital sander; circular saw; and such.

I have been seeing alot about jointers, sanders, and planers. I use my garage as a work space. With cabinet making in mind, what would you recommend that I need in a amature shop? What does the recommended item do? I have the current grizzly catelog, is this a good place to shop? Also, I am working on a pretty tight budget when it comes to tools. Any and all advise from the Gurus would be much appreciated.

-David

[Matt]

Welcome fellow New Hanover Countian (is that a word?)!

I can help with a couple of your questions:

Jointer: Very handy. Used to give a flat surface to a board to reference from.

Planer: I wish I owned one. Gives you even thickness and will clean up the opposite face of a board that has been through the jointer.

I live on a budget as well I prefer to buy higher quality and hopefully (lightly) used stuff instead of cheap new stuff. My neighbor is the opposite. So far, the jury is still out on who is smarter. This forum is a great place to find used stuff. It seams like someone is always upgrading something.

Hope this helps and welcome.

[Wilmingtonian]

Thanks for the input!

[Monty]

Matt has given some sound advice! For cabinet making, or for any other project for that matter, a jointer and a planer are essential. If you have never used them, it's hard to understand how useful they are. Buy quality used or watch these forums for sales/clearance deals, etc - that's what I did to get my jointer & planer.

[DaveO]

I'll add on top of the other bits of good advice that you have already received that Grizzly make good machinery for a good price. 90% of my shop machines are Griz, because I am on a budget and I don't make a living with them. Best thing with ordering Griz equip. is to pick it up at the freight terminal. The local common carriers tend to mistreat things.
Dave

[NCPete]

The local common carriers tend to mistreat things.
Dave

Unfortunately, this can be very true. Some local carriers are great, but in Fayetteville area, there is one local hauler that I have asked my vendors not to ship with. If the merchandise isn't damaged by this one outfit, the drivers give a seriously bad attitude.

If Averitt is available to deliver to your house(not sure if you have a choice of carriers with Griz), have them do it. I have never had a bad experience with this outfit, and they have been carrying to my stores for all five years I have been working with this company.

[SteveColes]

A couple of days ago, I was watching David Marks' Woodworks. In that episode he gave a tour of the tools in his shop.

He said that there are 4 power tools that he considers essential.

1. tablesaw
2. bandsaw
3. Jointer
4. Planer

Of course, I suspect Roy Underhill would disagree

[4yanks]

To develop further on the subject of jointers and planers I'll add the following information.

Jointer: In order to make straight and paralell cuts/surfaces on your table saw/planer you need to be able to produce straight/flat reference surfaces. The jointer is a purpose-built tool to make those surfaces. It can make those surfaces perpendicular to each other as well (or at an angle if required). These surfaces are the foundation for accurate work with the rest of your tools. It also makes them safer to use in some cases. The jointer can perform some other functions such as tapering and rabbeting. However, these are likely to be easier and safer on other machines.

Planer: This machine dimensions stock paralell to a reference surface. In other words it makes it as thick as you want it along its length. It is typically only used on the faces of stock. However, it can be used on edges of square or nearly square stock or when thinner pieces are "ganged together.

If you are purchasing your lumber from a home improvement store and it is already dimensioned you can live without ithese machines for a little while. However, once you begin using rough-sawn stock they are indispensible. That is to say they are essential if you don't wish to perform these tasks by hand. I have, it is rewarding, but very time consuming.

As to size I would recommend the largest you can afford/fit in your shop. For most of us this means a 6" - 8" jointer and a 12" "lunchbox" style planer. I have a 6" jointer and a 12" planer and they work fine for me. Hope this helps.

[McRabbet]

I would concur with 4yanks post that the planer and jointer are essential tools for anyone wanting to do good cabinet work, because you'll want to buy rough lumber and cut it to the sizes you need to make face frames, raised panel doors and the like. I can vouch for Grizzly as a great source for your jointer -- a solid 6" like the G1182 or, if you can afford them, the larger 8" models like the G0586 with standard knives, or the G0593 with a spiral carbide insert cutterhead. I have a G1182HW and it workes very well, but I'm limited to 6" of board face width.

For a planer, if you want a tool that will stand up to planty of use, I recommend getting a DeWalt DW734 3-knife "lunchbox" planer -- right now, you can find one at Amazon.com for around $380 (less any rebates or specials). If you want a serious planer, and have the funds, get the Grizzly G0453 15" stationary planer. BTW, if you want to save on the shipping costs and buy both jointer and planer from Grizzly, consider a road trip by pickup truck to their store in Muncy. PA. You'll pay PA sales tax, but no shipping cost. I did it and loved the opportunity (see my Gallery).

Rob

[sapwood]

It's great if you can buy new tools! Grizzly gets excellent reviews on tools and customer services. Woodworkers Supply has one retail outlet in the state and carries an inhouse brand (Woodtek) and a wide complement of other tool brands like Delta, Jet, Powermatic, etc. Woodcraft has several locations in the state and also carries a similar line of tools (Delta, Jet, Powermatic, Rikon, etc). They have frequent sales and, of course, you can visit their stores and see the actual products. I think they also offer a one year store warranty on their stuff.

I've had good luck purchasing used equipment on this site and Craigslist. You just have to be a little more careful about Craigslist!

Enjoy the search,
Sapwood

[Steve D]

tablesaw, bandsaw, Jointer and planer are definitely essentials. Add to that the router and table, miter saw and drill press. Increasingly, there is little if any difference between Grizzly, Delta and Jet. Many of these products are coming from the same manufacturer in Asia. There are some differences in specs, features and options but I think Delts is seeing more quality problems right now than anyone. You can generally get more tool for the money with a used tool and with certain tools, the older ones are better made.

[Wilmingtonian]

ok, great help!! I have been looking and seen jointer/planer together. Which would you get first, the combo, the jointer, or the planer? I am looking at purchasing from Lowes, Home Depot, or Sears; any opinions on that? Thanks for you time and help!!

-David

[RandyJ]

David, Are you talking about a jointer/planer combo? I don't think I've ever seen one of those! Have you got any pics of one?
Thanks,
Randy

[Wilmingtonian]

I believe that is how Home depot advertises their Ridgid model
here is the link:
http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS...4+3966&pos=n24

thanks, david

[RandyJ]

Thanks for the link David. I'm no expert on WWing but that looks like just a jointer to me! Maybe the brain-trust here can straighten me out. Am I missing something?
Take care,
Randy