Shop tour: stationary machines

When I was getting ready to have my shop built, I didn't budget any money for new tools other than dust collection. I’ve given a tour of that before and explained why it’s so important to me.

At the end of my time in my last shop, I planned on bringing most of my tools over to the new place. I just didn’t see the need to rush out and drop cash on machines that, at the end of the day, I didn’t really need. I had a Dewalt lunchbox planer, a 6” Delta jointer from the 40s, a pretty nice router table, a 14” Laguna bandsaw, and a Sawstop job site saw. They all seemed good enough to continue using.

A year later, I own none of them. The jointer, planer, and job site saw never saw a day in the new shop, and the other stuff was quickly replaced. Some of the replacements had to do with my realizing a new need, and some were solely due to opportunity.

First things first — I have a lot a nice tools in my shop. Probably nicer than what I need and certainly nicer than what I deserve. But I’ve been doing this a long time, it’s what I like to do, and I use all of them quite a bit.

I don’t, however, think that most or any of them are necessary. I did plenty of great woodworking with far less for many years with no issue. It definitely required a different approach compared to what I can do now, but it was fun all the same. So please do not misinterpret my tour of these tools as being in any way prescriptive.

Another thing I want to make clear is that my tool choices and how I do things are wholly based on my own situation. When I say things about tools, I’m speaking about them in specific relation to the work I do. I do not think folks who choose to use different tools are misguided or wrong — it’s literally just a tool.

While most of the tools I have are luxuries, I do think there are a couple that I couldn’t go without. If I really had to strip things down, the two tools I’d insist on having are a decent bandsaw and a jointer. I’m perfectly comfortable and happy to do a lot of hand tool work, so everything else really isn’t all that necessary. I could even go without those two, but they certainly speed up a lot of tasks that would suck otherwise. It basically comes down to me not wanting to face joint rough lumber with a hand plane or resaw wide boards with a frame saw.

With all that out of the way, let’s jump in.

One of the greatest joys in my life is owning not one, but two bandsaws. At one point before my friend picked up my old Laguna, I had three. I’ve never felt richer in my life.

As many of you surely know, my primary bandsaw is a Harvey Alpha A-15 — it was given to me by Harvey in exchange for some reviews last fall.