For my workbench I used 2x10 for sides and ends approx 45"x99" and put 2"x 4" with 1 1/2" side facing up across the 44" with 2" gap between, great for clamping through, if req I can place a sheet MDF on top to make solid. Used straight piece of aluminium bar stock and planed the top surface to get flat.

Here's my workbench I made about 25 years ago - took 3rd place in a woodworking show.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1605313846.jpg

I used two different designs/plans and modified them somewhat.
Frank Klaus' design was one - don't recall the other:

http://www.workbenchdesign.net/wbdold/frankbench.html

If you want to put the effort and time - and a moderate amount of $$ into a bench. I suggest you get your hands on a copy of The Workbench Book: A Craftsman's Guide to Workbenches for Every Type of Woodworking written by Scott Landis. It's a very thorough book on bench designs - including the Frank Klaus version.

Paul Sellars is a guru, no doubt. For us mortals, using a plane iron jig with the scary sharp system gives good results. And, make certain to FLATTEN / deburr the back side of the blade. One side does not equal sharp.

(Link was way too big to post)

What Paul didn't say, is that the sole / sides of the plane should be cleaned up. Most of the planes for sale will be ancient, rusty and in poor shape. Even in so, the oldies are better than the $20 new planes. Those are just awful.

True the plane up on emery cloth glued to a flat piece of granite or steel. Replace the iron (blade) if worn out. And then you can pretend to be Paul Sellars!!!

That would be super generous of you! I'd be happy to use a bunch of elbow grease and pay for shipping for sure. No rush, just when it's convenient for you. Just let me know what you need.

I've seen the Japanese saws at HD. I often find the Japanese are pretty clever about a bunch of stuff, so it wouldn't surprise me if these saws are easier or more efficient at least when used by someone that knows how to use them.

Cool, I had to look them up, bench dogs.

Wow, that's huge, and probably makes working with sheets of plywood easy.

Good info thanks. I'll check the bookstore for that book and check out the plans that you linked to!

I think HD sells the plastic handles one. Get the real deal. They are much better in terms of control. Its the rattan handle. They have very fine teeth that make a very fine cut. Some of them have a coarse cutting side directly on the other side of the saw. Its makes cutting faster but rougher finish. I mainly use them to cut bottoms of door jambs for fitting flooring under them. Its leaves a tiny gap, thickness of the blade.

I have both of these:
https://www.garrettwade.com/9-1-2-replaceable-ryoba-saw-gp.html

I always seem to grab this one when looking for a hand saw https://www.garrettwade.com/9-1-2-replaceable-ryoba-saw-gp.html

Look around their web site. They carry some fine hand tools if you are into that kind of work. Satisfying but takes forever compared to power tools. Did I jsut sent you a porn mag/ catalogue?:D

I see we have departed from the pending house remodeling all the way down into the fine woodworking rabbit hole.

Didn’t take long.

^^^ Yea, the world is full of people who build entire houses using (primarily) tools they carry around in a small van, or a station wagon.

I'm the worst for tool-itis, I own every imaginable tool. But my 'go to' tool collection is not big.

The point that I’ve been trying to make is that house remodeling uses a quite different set of tools than a woodworking shop. Not saying there’s not some overlap but you’d be surprised what you can do with a few of the bigger pieces and a few hand tools that fit in a carpenter’s belt.

We all love tools, but we shouldn’t let the tail wag the dog.

When you build a home, as our family did in Baja MX. The most enjoyable part to me was getting to help my father build credenza's, liquor cabinets (before & after dinner) and bookcases to fill it up. A little bit of Denmark in Baja.

Nice, the Internet is full of porn, now there's even more!

Awesome, right?!

I probably (definitely) won't end up making anything that ends up in a museum like some of Ziggy's acquaintances, but I may make some stuff that is finished and visible and out in the open like furniture or built-in features, and I want it to look good. I probably won't end up spending top $$ for top of the line equipment and getting one of everything. At the same time, I'd like to get good stuff that is not Chinese, disposable junk.

What I'm hoping to do with this thread is get a good idea of what's out there and distill what I end up with down to a core of quality equipment. I also won't be going out and buying all of it at once, but will purchase as needed.
I'm all for power tools, but I also appreciate hand tools, and at times, get Zen by doing something slower and more manually.
I'll probably be doing a wide range of stuff. Sometimes it's fun to let the tail wag the dog a little, but I'll reign it in before the $$$pending starts.

I said I'd get back here when I had more time. For someone that is not going to work as a carpenter or cabinetmaker for a living, the tool list will be different.

A jointer never seems to be high on anyone's list but if you get a 3 1/4" planer (bigger the better) like this guy:

https://img.directindustry.com/image...58-9479102.jpg

...then you have all you need even at $650. So look for used, parts are available.

Table saw, yes, best you can get for the money. Old CM cast iron saws mostly came with a 1HP (honest HP) motor. If you go to buy a quality used ! HP motor is can easily cost 2-3 times the cost of a good CM Table saw. Buy a better fence, that's the only thing Sears fell flat on the face with. CM saws sell everyday to $100 but look it over good. If you find one with a broken fence, that to your advantage as you're trashing the original.

But wait, you can use the old fence to make a router table on one wind and still have your high quality rip fence available while leaving some router setups intact.

Everyone wants a miter saw and a good sliding 10 or 12" can be had for under 600 bucks. Talking Bosch or Milwaukee. Probably get the Bosch, but I've used a DeWalt 12" SCMS and it was great, albeit a beast.

I would buy a belt driven cast iron pump air compressor even as a homeowner/remodeler. Just too handy to not have one.


A good vac. HF sells a beast in terms of suck power but it's louder than anything else on the market. OTOH, I have a CM vac, a handheld Dirt Devil and a Festool HEPA vac that is so quiet and efficient that I now use it to vac the house where the upright doesn't quite work out, like stairs. Forget the hose attachments on an upright. I've had many brands (mostly given to me) and after a tune up, the hose and bits don't do a good job. Get a tank vac for the house with a reusable filter. That can be used to generally clean up around an interior project w/o bringing in the big gun.

So, vacs are important just like having a fan to use however you wish, in the shop or in the house.

Next, and in no order is a set of cordless drill and impact driver. Get one with the hammer function on the drill. An impact drive is NOT a hammer drill.

If you're gonna have a router table you need a router. Get a full size router kit with both the fixed base and the plunge base. Again, Bosch is good, but many brands of routers work just fine. No HF for that, partner.

I'm gonna make a few more notes while looking over my tools and post again with more.

Speaking of router, let me look next time I run out there. I have to dig through the back of the shop and see, but I remember seeing three or four old router in a box stored away somewhere. It just might need brushes or a screw missing here or there or a plastic base. Its faster for us to just buy a new router then to search for a replacement base. It takes too long to get it here by mail and most tool shops around here had been put out by HOme Depot of similar home centers and they carry no parts. Most then likely its a Porter Cable or Bosch. I know parts are readily available. If I find it that worth an easy repair, I will throw it in the box along with the vice.

So are you suggesting that can do the job of both?

I'm considering a sawstop table saw. They are expensive, but I'd hate to make a painful mistake. I used my old saw for several years and never lost a finger, but it only takes once. A router table seems like a good idea. Controlling a router by hand can be difficult.

I had a DeWalt 12" (not sliding) but based on my experience with that, it seems like the "sliding" is a worthwhile upgrade.

Good call. I had a cheap air comp before and used it quite a bit.


Wow, I think the vac that I had was a $50 Rigid. The Festool stuff is, apparently, an order of magnitude nicer (which is believable).

I'm pretty sure that I kept the Makita corded 5/8" hammer drill, and I have a small Milwaukee cordless drill/driver.

Thanks for all of the tips and recommendations and taking the time to think about them and write them up.

Wow! Thank you so much.

You are welcome sir. This is something I know it will never get get fixed or parts ordered. The guys will jsut grab one that works and its up to me to dig it out and get it repaired. That's wouldn't happen for a long time so I rather see it go to good use. Let me see how bad they are. It may not be worth fixing, who knows?

Even if it doesn't work out, the thought and effort to check is super generous and greatly appreciated!

I went through my tool cabinets and here are some more tools. I will try and prioritize them with being a home renovator in mind rather than strictly woodworking or construction (which you will inevitably do it you get into building a deck, outbuilding, or just moving walls).

Belt sander, very handy and aggressive tool that can be used fixed in place or by hand such as the planer I showed (there is a stand for that which makes a bench jointer).

Angle grinder(s), you can't have too many and you don't need to spend a lot of money on this kind of tool.

Jig saw, it's best to find one of the better ones here but it's not a mandatory tool up front.

Speaking of reciprocating saws, you will get a lot of mileage out of a Sawzall type of tool. Many companies make a good one. The old standby is the Milwaukee and make sure to buy the orbital stroke type as opposed to straight back and forth. For this you will pay more but it's worth it. And buy the best blades you can. There is a YT channel called "Project Farm" that has reviewed just about everything and has a good treatise on recip saw blades. I rate this tool a important.

Sanders. Well, I mentioned the belt sander but a random orbital sander with dust collection ability is a very handy tool for prepping old paint for recoat or just sanding wood. They work with plastic and metal too. Festool is king here with a sander that is both a locked disc and a RO sander. The thing is nearly 600 bucks but you'll get every dime back in production. Other RO sanders are only RO sanders so if you go that route, one of your angle grinders can be set up with a hook and loop pad for the disc operation. I use a disc sander a lot.

Circular saw. You can't get by w/o one and the standard of the industry is the Skil 77. It's a heavy workload saw and heavy to handle in any position but horizontal. A sidewinder is a good option and I use both. One I really like is a worm drive 4 1/2 inch model. It will cut a 2 x 4 and is very light and maneuverable. Under 100 bucks easily. Good starter saw too.

Heavy duty corded drill with a low speed for torque. Yeah, it can break your wrist if you don't respect it but once you use an auger bit or mix plaster and mud, You'll know why you bought it. Even HF makes a suitable one but if you can step up, do it.

I think the aforementioned multi tool is a good recommend. Good ones are better but the HF model does the job at a cheap buy in. Good blades again are the key to performance. Bosch is top of the line here.

Well, that's it for this episode and if I think of more (I will) I will be back with Episode III. Take your time buying power tools. Well cared for and older models come up FS at estate sales and pawn shops. Don't overlook a good used tool. That goes double for hand tools. An old beat up pry bar is just as good as a branny new one and might be better from a metallurgical stand point.