[masraum]

Originally Posted by Zeke

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:



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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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).

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.

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

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.

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