Tooling midpoint - what's next?

So..tooling up has been a somewhat long process. I have a 14" bandsaw, nice full size drillpress, 16-32 Drumsander, laminate trimmer/mini router, some crappy chisels. I also have some specialized luthiery tools such as a bending iron, fretting tools, mini router base for the dremel, measuring/marking tools, etc. Anyway I have just sold some stuff and saved a few bucks, so...

My next tools want's/needs are: Combo belt/disc sander, maybe a spindle sander, jointer, some hand planes (low angle block and a #4 or #5 for shooting) and some better chisels.

I'm having a tough time deciding which tool comes next...I can make a case for each and have wished I had each of them at different times and in different stages of building.

Anyway, what tool out of the above would you grab FIRST? Not to say that the others won't follow later...

A combo disc and belt sander is probably one of my most used tools. I prefer a small one, 6"disc and 4"belt. It seems much safer than the larger ones.

The belt/ disc sander is a good one. The 2HP Powermatic is a good smallish one. I bet you would totally dig that tool. Also, making sure that the 14" bandsaw is totally dialed in.

Chris_H said:

The belt/ disc sander is a good one. The 2HP Powermatic is a good smallish one. I bet you would totally dig that tool. Also, making sure that the 14" bandsaw is totally dialed in.

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Yeah. A combo disc/belt is probably the most tempting. I saw a nice Powermatic, but it was pretty expensive (1400). I liked that the end of the belt guard can be flpped out of the way to do some contour sanding. From what I have gathered, the jet belt guard end cant be removed, making it unusable for contour sanding on the end of the belt.

My bandsaw is a 14" Rikon 10-325. It's perfectly setup, but no non-oem upgrades like a better fence, guide bearings yet. I use a decent timberwolf blade.

I'm an advocate of the minimalist shop, so I've actually purchased a few larger tools that I've regretted and sold of in favor of something that would be considered a serious downgrade to most.

One of my favorite tools is the small 6" disc / 4" belt combo sander. I like these so much that I've worn out two and I'm working on my third. At $100 each I consider them to be throw-aways. They see a LOT of work, so a couple of years is a good service life for them. I had two larger combos in the past that I got rid of and went back to the smaller version.

Most of these smaller machines have one deal-breaker for me; they turn at too high an RPM. I've found the type that the disc is driven from the same shaft as the belt works much better. Originally these were the small Delta, now sold and made by Black and Decker. A seriously great $100 investment. Most of these machines have the disc driven from the motor shaft and as such are unusable.

I don't want anything that I can't easily move by myself. I have a slightly older Delta Mexican-made 12" cast frame saw that I retro-fitted with a 3" riser. With a 3 tpi skip tooth 1/2" blade it will even resaw a full 9". That's all I'll ever need, so I'm quite happy not having a larger 14" saw.

I suggest you start making ukes unless your intent is to collect equipment. Then you will know what you need.

Tarhead said:

I suggest you start making ukes unless your intent is to collect equipment. Then you will know what you need.

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Thanks. That was very helpful.

From my limited experience "building things," I feel the need for all the equipment I mentioned. I am just having a hard time deciding which to get next. I'm not really collecting equipment just to collect equipment. It occurs to me that there are far sexier things I could collect than power tools.

I'd go for the low angle block plane and good chisels. And more clamps.

ukeonthebeach said:

Thanks. That was very helpful.

From my limited experience "building things," I feel the need for all the equipment I mentioned. I am just having a hard time deciding which to get next. I'm not really collecting equipment just to collect equipment. It occurs to me that there are far sexier things I could collect than power tools.

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Sorry! That did not come out like I wanted.

Your list of current tools is more than enough for you to get started. Find a block plane plus a #5 or #62 (LV or LN Bevel Up Jack are great) plane. Make a shooting board for precise square and 45 degree miters after using the bandsaw or a hand saw to get close. If you don't have one, the Al Caruth scraper is the bomb for getting a smooth surface http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Scrapers/StewMac_Ultimate_Scraper.html. You'll need a grinder or sander with a tool rest positioned very close to 90 degrees to prep the edge. A roll of scotch tape and a box of razor blades are very handy. These are my most used tools.

Tarhead said:

Sorry! That did not come out like I wanted.

Your list of current tools is more than enough for you to get started. Find a block plane plus a #5 or #62 (LV or LN Bevel Up Jack are great) plane. Make a shooting board for precise square and 45 degree miters after using the bandsaw or a hand saw to get close. If you don't have one, the Al Caruth scraper is the bomb for getting a smooth surface http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Scrapers/StewMac_Ultimate_Scraper.html. You'll need a grinder or sander with a tool rest positioned very close to 90 degrees to prep the edge. A roll of scotch tape and a box of razor blades are very handy. These are my most used tools.

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Thanks, Tarhead. Those scrapers look quite nice. I'll have to add one to my next stewmac order.

I recently got a 6" jointer, and I now consider it essential for converting a raw piece of wood into something I can run through my bandsaw. If you're starting with squared off pieces, then it may not be quite so essential.

What is your uke building bottleneck? Until you can identify that, it is all just tool collecting.

The single most important intellectual exercise when building is the sequence of operations. Once you're clear about that, then you can "plug in" appropriate tools and "tooling"...which is really different than "tools" since it includes all your jigs and fixtures. In production shops, we talk about "tooling up" for a new design, and that assumes that we have all or most of the tools. "Tooling up" means understanding the sequence of operations, knowing where you'll get reference points on each of the parts; how you may have to change reference points as the parts move from one step to the next, and having the right jigs and fixtures to make the parts on your tools.

As any of the pros here know, making ukes is pretty easy once you're tooled up. Tooling up is where a lot of the real creativity is to be found.

You are right Rick. It's a real let down after the jig works and your first run is done... like, "What can I do next?" I love building tools and jigs.