I regret purchasing the belt sanding sharpening system where you need an adjustable speed to control the cut. I also regret buying the Rockler dust hose and connectors as they don't seem to work on the shop vac or the tools. As well as, I have collected tools that I don't use. I have a pantograph for a router. A 1980s router sign set up. Two tenon jigs from delta. A pulley system for an old delta saw.
@@donwight5806 I’ve thought about purchasing a similar sharpening system a few times myself! So far I’ve talked myself out of it! I do have the Rockler Dust Right hose and connecters. I like it so far since it seems to fit most of my tools, but I’ve learned to have very low expectations on any dust collection connectors. So many times I’ve bought a connector or adapter that doesn’t fit anything!
My true biggest purchase regrets were the Grizzly machines I purchased. I wish I had waited and just purchased the Harvey 14 or 15 inch bandsaw, and not purchased a jointer/planer at all. Three years later, I hand plane most everything and the Grizzly G0634XP 12 inch jointer planer just sits taking up a third of my space. It took over a year for Grizzly to not repair the issues with it, and during that time I became much more proficient and reliant on hand planes from learning from Paul Sellers. I was able to set it up finally, without Grizzly's help, by ordering several replacement parts etc. but it is so much easier to just start hand planing. If I absolutely must use a power planer, I am much happier with my Dewalt 735. When I have money again, I will instead purchase the helical upgrade for my Dewalt. Anyone interested in a $3,000 Jointer/Planer? :) the Grizzly G0513ANV bandsaw was another disappointment, the table is not even machined on the sides, so it is very difficult to square everything to the blade, and easily falls out of alignment. I completely redid the wheels, replacing the tires with aftermarket set, balancing and shimming the wheels, as they were completely misaligned from the factory. And now, after resawing small pieces of white oak, it feels majorly under powered. If I had it to do again, I would have gone with the Laguna, or the Harvey (since they make it) bandsaw! And I would never have purchased the jointer/planer.
Biscuits! I just came across your channel, and I like what I see. I’ve been working with wood for nearly 30 years, and am a firm believer that I can learn something new from every video I watch. Your tips are spot on! There are two things I learned along the way that every new woodworker should know. 1) Take the time to ensure your wood is PERFECTLY square. I remember trying to cut a mortise for the first time. I drew my line around the board, but my last line didn’t meet up with the first one. The frustration that ensued was enough to make me almost quit woodworking, and it was all because my board wasn’t square. 2) Take the time to be precise. Use a marking knife whenever possible. The thickness of a pencil line is sometimes too much. Rushing will only create more work for yourself. Slowing down and being precise made me a much better woodworker. Anyhow, I just wanted to say hi and share that with everyone. Take care, I have liked and subscribed! ☮️
I keep all kinds of different things from dowel extra nuts, bolts and washers I even saw dust. I thought I was the only one who kept some. Oh by the way Biscuit at 11:05. New sub.
I completely agree about the belt sander. I bought one at a garage sale for $40, it was a Porter+Cable that's not made anymore. It really did a fantastic job of removing material quickly.....so quickly that I realized this tool wasn't for me. I ended up re-selling it to a contractor I hired for some renovations, for the same $40 I paid for it. So I didn't lose any money over it, but I did gain the knowledge that a belt sander doesn't belong in my particular workshop.
Biscuit. I don't regret buying my small 6" Wen benchtop jointer. It's fine for what I do now and was cheap enough that I won't feel like it was wasted money if I later upgrade to something bigger. Meanwhile it works a whole lot better than the 0" planer I had to use before. ;-) Like you said, it depends on your own needs and workflow. I do regret buying a contractor saw that was not tunable in any way and with a fence that pointed in a different way each time it was locked. That's sitting on my garage floor unused. Between what I spent on it and the much nicer but still lower-end saw that I use now, I could have bought something much nicer than either. Your content is always worth watching, and there's lots of good advice in this video. Thanks!
I imagine the table saw is most people’s first big purchase and probably the first regret. We try to go cheap but end up spending much more in the end.
Biscuit! As a newbie just getting going I haven’t had a chance to buy enough tools to regret any (yet). It’s actually encouraging to hear how experienced woodworkers like yourself can still make mistakes about what tools to get. Great video.
Biscuits. Thank you for sharing your experiences. One of the nice things about the woodworking community is how we learn from each other, whether it be about tools or techniques.
Biscuits!! Thanks. I have just started doing some woodworking and have made a mistake or two, I found your videos and have begun watching them. I find you to be one of the more down to earth people I have watched, What you say makes sense and has been very helpful.
I have the rolling dewalt job site saw and I love it. The rack and pinion system is awesome to use and it can take a dado stack, which not all models can, so double check before you buy.
Apparently, we can't be trusted with dado stacks in the UK or Europe. When I get around to needing a table saw, (maybe early in 2024), I'll be looking to get a Dewalt 10".
@@mattgoodstadt2372 Firstly health and safety regulations are a good thing, particularly where blades are concerned. Table saws are most dangerous tool in the workshop after all. Secondly, they're not illegal at all - in a commercial setting, the rule is that the blade must stop within 10 seconds, the dado stack must be fittable to the machine without modification (i.e. a longer arbor) and there must be a guard fitted when using them. Basically their use is a bit more limited and it has to be done as safely as possible. That's commercial of course and it relates to duties of employers for their employees. You can do whatever you want at home in regards to this, go crazy and change arbors and have really long braking times. Personally, I wouldn't modify it, just work around it and use other systems (router) over dado stacks.
@samnichols4361 Ignore my last comment. UA-cam confused me! You are right, of course. Health and Safety always has to be the top priority. I LIKE all my fingers, and I don't have any to spare. When I need to make dados, (dadoes?), I'll get myself a router or use a jig.
good video! I think the best advice is something i remember Steve Ramsey saying that saved me a lot of money: Buy tools when you need them, not when you think you might need them in the futur. its very easy to buy a lot of stuff, only to use it only once, because you are exited about the purchase, then let it collect dust. Buy if you notice yourself actually needing stuff. Couple things i regret: a very cheap pocket hole jig. i bought the wolfcraft one, thats a cheapo german brand. its terrible. its a clamp on one and it cant even clear chips, so i need to manually vacuum every single hole out, before i even finish one hole. otherwhise it just gets jammed. it works, but its so annoying to use. Buy a good one if you do buy one. Cheap router bits. I bought a rather cheap set of router bits, thinking "better to have them all in okay quality in case i need one, then replace the ones i actually use"... well, i bought the set of 15 from bosch and 3 years in, i have used 4 of them. And one of those ones was a v grove bit that i wanted to use for some carving, that was so dull, every piece was burnt, even at tiny depth. So i replaced it with a festool one that was worlds better. Overall the bosch set is fine, but its never great, and as i mentioned before, its mainly collecting dust. Buy the bits you need and buy those in good enough quality. for the money that i spent on 15 okay-ish ones, i could have gotten the ones i actually need in great quality. Cheap casters. Man does it suck to replace casters a year or two in because you wanted to save 20 bucks Things i do not regret: Good japanese pull saw, i use Zsaw. I also love the 3m extract cubitron 2 sand paper. The Incra Tiny T is an amazing marking tool for joinery. A decent blockplane, i have never had an absolute need for one, but i grab it so often for things. Cerax sharpening waterstones. they last a good time before needing to be flattened and are just overall great value. ... this one is gonna be stupid, but a metal Stanley tape measure. it doesnt work any better, its just a tape measure... but it feels really nice :D
I bought the DEWALT biscuit joiner many years ago but it never worked quite right. Decades later I was fiddling with it to change the cutter and realized the cutter was never parallel to the fence. A quick adjustment and now it works.
For average construction you can't beat the biscuit jointer. Much faster than dowels and allows a little give if things don't fit exactly as intended. Built many a bookcase with biscuits.
Biscuits 2! I appreciate using Cubitron sandpaper with my Dewalt orbital sander. Their multiple grit types are really effective at material removal and finishing efforts. Good comments about watching other woodworker comments about tool choices 'for the type of work that I prefer to do'. Putting comments in the context of what you 'need' versus what you 'want' is important.
I have used so many joinery methods, and while there's an immense satisfaction I receive from doing traditional joinery and taking the time, I wouldn't trade my Domino for anything. No more time consuming dowels, everything always lines up perfectly. I love it so much, and have made some insane looking shelves with it.
Biscuits, I agree with everything you said here. I have a mixture of parallel clamps, and so far my favorite has been the Bremen from Harbor Freight! I won several Bessey K body clamps and are they expensive. I saw a few reviews of the Bremen clamp and decided to take a chance on a couple. Very pleased with them! Someday I’ll get a Saw-Stop but I need to save up for a while. Great video!
Biscuits. Found the belt sander works great for hogging off material when I'm doing a renovation/rejuvination, but for the finer stuff, the palm sander.
BISCUITS! And - "SUBSCRIBED". Not sure why this channel hasn't popped up before, but you have some really good content. Now, about this video. I've only woodworked for last 9 years after a lifetime passion/hobby for mechanics and cars. Cant work on them anymore and not willing to learn computer systems. So help me, power seats and cigarette lighters (when you can find the latter) are tied into modern car computer systems anymore, and working on cars is simply no longer enjoyable. Enter woodwork. I made THE EXACT SAME PURCHASES and mistakes you outlined. I have the Dewalt 7491RS table saw and love it after a miserable Delta and Craftsman. Used it hard for last 6 years. And once you take the time to dial it in, I think it will rival many really nice cabinet saws for accuracy and clean cuts. And very ironically - I built a near identical dust collection cart as I saw in the background during this video. It is "Frankencart v9.2". It works great. I look forward to going through your videos. Thanks for this - you struck a very familiar nerve!
Biscuits! Thank you so much for all the advice, it must really have taken you a while to make your list but everything you've said is absolutely true and I cannot express enough how grateful I am for this honesty and you sharing this insight with everyone. I'm really looking forward in watching all your other video tutorials. Many Blessing for you and your Family and please continue to make more tutorials I just love your channel 😇🙌
Biscuit. Blade quality for bandsaws is critical for your woodworking experience. Have a Grizzly 14” bandsaw for nearly 20 years. Used it mostly for resawing. Bought multiple blades from local saw specialists. The saw did not perform well. Upgrade guides to bearings, bought a blade tensioning device (good idea), installed modified dust collection. Still a difficult experience to the point of avoiding it. Bought a new blade from Highland recently and WOW what a difference! Now I’m considering doing shop made veneers.
Biscuits! One additional point on sanders, is that upgrading from a 125mm to a 150mm model can really speed things up without compromising the quality or breaking the bank. As for my biggest purchasing regret, that's probably my drill press as there just isn't the space in my shop to justify it... Wpuld have been much better off with something like the Rockler Drill Guide.
Those are both tools that almost made the list! I have a 6" sander that I never use. It's just too big and aggressive for most work I do. It's fine if you have a large table top to smooth, but too big for most smaller pieces. I also have a small workbench drill press that I regret picking up. It doesn't have enough stroke for a lot of jobs. Wish I had purchased a full sized floor standing one. Thanks for watching!
Bosch makes something called a PBD-40 that's fairly compact, and just light enough that it hasn't been a hassle to move around. It's an all-aluminium machine, so there's a teensy bit of flex to it, and they've been known for having some play in the chuck bearings, but mine's alright. Plus, with the way that the baseplate is also your table, it's super-easy to handle longer workpieces, and as it also has a 20mm hole in it below the chuck, you can put the machine on top of a workpiece and use it like a regular drill guide.
@@gustaveliasson5395Interesting points about the Bosch. It's on my list. It's way down, but it's on there. Maybe I should just learn how to drill properly!
Biscuits. I both regret and don't buying a cheap box store block plane. It wasn't good quality, but showed me that I enjoy using a plane and what they can do. I just got three used planes (Stanley #4, Stanley S5 Jack, and a Dunlap block) that I'm restoring and I'm looking forward to using them.
I just came across your channel a few days ago, and I really enjoy your delivery. I look up all the tools I see, and that you mention, and I really appreciate what you have to say. I must confess that some of the tools you use are a bit pricier than I'd like to spend, but I do have to make sure I don't go for the budget items...which, again, is why I appreciate all that you share. Those quality, but not overpriced, items like the Narex chisels and Jorgenson clamps are definitely in the mix though. As you said, regarding the clamps, I'll just have to accumulate over time...as the project requires. Thank you again for your videos...they are much appreciated 👍
If you're looking for budget tools, I'm working on a new video now that has a bunch of tools I use that are all under $20! Look for it to release in the next week or two!
Biscuits! I always look forward to your videos. Your content always seem to speak directly to me and my efforts in the shop. I would like to see more of your videos. But, I appreciate your efforts and look forward to those in the future!
Biscuits. Bought an M18 7¼ miter saw to whack together a basic Swedish/Scandinavian/whatever they're called 1X3/1x4 shelf to organize my tools and chargers. Really excited to get into wood working. I've done little DIY projects before. Took shop classes in middle/high-school and college. But never really had the money to buy the tools I needed until recently. I still need to be frugal so I appreciate videos like this! Researching table saws and routers now. Planning on working off a Bora collapsible work space so I can work outside. Or in the unfinished basement/celler. Hopefully by the time we buy a house- I'll have the tools and knowledge to build a proper shop and start cranking out projects!
Biscuit I had an older craftsman than you showed and bought the dewalt and it is 1000 times better 👍 It made me laugh when you pushed the domino out of the frame 😂
Biscuits. I’ll agree with you 90% The cheap F clamps in the smaller sizes (12” and smaller) from Harbor Freight are very useful. Pipe clamps are also a good for large glue ups. I use a belt sander for flattening large tops, but it was the only way years ago to flatten large panels. I’ve found a sled with my thickness planer the best way to flatten panels and boards
No problem, I don’t expect everyone to agree 100%. That’s why I tried to explain my reasoning for the tools I listed. For some people my issues may not be a problem at all and they may really like those tools! Pipe clamps are a great option and I should have listed them as an alternative. Thanks for your input and thanks for watching!
Biscuits. I’m just getting into this since working in a cabinet shop during college. I appreciate your videos, they are well done and honest, two of the best attributes of a quality craftsman.
Biscuits I definitely agree with the belt sander I bought a few years back and probably only used it twice and that was on rough construction not fine woodworking good video
Good to hear someone else agrees with me on the belt sander! I've had a lot of people say they use it all the time, but it just doesn't fit my kind of wood working!
Biscuits.. are good with gravy.. or fried chicken.. or glue.. Thanks for the honest takes, exactly the sort of thing some of us wanna-be woodworkers appreciate. I was debating on whether a 6" joiner would meet my needs and you helped make that decision (I'll wait and save my pennies). For that belt sander, turn it upside down and clamp it to your bench: instant usability for small projects.
Biscuit I just use Marples Chisels, fairly economical, hold an edge well. I just use a Grizzly industrial saw, with a micro-adjust fence. Love HPLV sprayers. I use a 6" 1950's era jointer, do not use wide boards without cutting them down anyways, to prevent warpage. When I need significant force I use pipe clamps. When just a little force is required I have dozens of $5 dollar clamps that work perfectly. For the price of a few box clamps I can supply my entire shop with perfectly adequate clamps. As a bonus, I have a lot more clamps than I generally use. The man with the most tools when he dies wins.
Nice video, but too late for me, over here in the UK! Table saw: I bought a used Kity table saw (didn't realise it also had non-standard mitre slots (without those silly tabs)) which drove me mad. Eventually I bought the DeWalt and discovered that it was the Kity as much as my incompetence that made cutting straight impossible. I love that bevel-geared fence. Also, the blade was utterly parallel with the mitre slots; I couldn't detect any deviation at all, even with a fancy dial gauge. Thoroughly recommended, but the downside is that here we're not considered grown up enough to be allowed to used dado stacks on smaller saws ... I wonder if I can modify mine to take them... My "workshop" is a damp garage, so everything ferrous rusts in the blink of an eye. I have to buy things with aluminium work surfaces, so the DeWalt scores another point. Chisels: 🤣🤣 Been there with the cheap chocolate chisels. I use them as pry bars. I bought another set from my about to emigrate brother in law which are much better, but I'm still wearing out my fingers flattening them. At least they took an edge... once I'd got rid of the nail inflicted abuse. I fancy a set of Narex Richters but couldn't bear it if they rusted. Belt sander: They serve a purpose - I use one for scribing board edges that need to fit wobbly walls. The amount of material a belt sander removes in a very short time is amazing. Whoever told you they're any good for finishing needs to be left in a dark room with eternity to contemplate their sins. I love my 150mm random orbital sander with amazing dust extraction. It's the mutt's nuts, as we say here. Sometimes. Fancy dovetail saw: I have one of those and I love it. I never got on with a pull saw and dovetails. It's possible I'm simply weird. I *love* my little Japanese flexible flush cut saw. I agree with everything else, but the best part of your video? The surreptitious Domino removal. I really want one of those but can't afford or justify it... yet. Thanks for making the video and, by the way, "biscuits".
Wish I could go back in time and post the video for you sooner! LOL! Thanks for sharing your experiences with tool purchase regrets. Hopefully we can help others from making the same mistakes!
Biscuits, My first and current table saw is a 1955 Craftsman 113 my grandpa used in his backyard shed woodshop. I upgraded the fence and thats it. I a workhorse and gives me no problems. I modified a dust collection system to it and haven't cursed it ..yet. Thanks for the video, I appreciate your time
my dad gave me his craftsman powered drill that was built like a tank and still runs like a beast, but any craftsman powertool nowadays wont last a year. I wish manufacture companies would take pride in their tools instead of building crap that breaks down every few years. But what do I know I'm a Eighties child, lol@@biscuittreewoodworks
BISCUITS, I like your style & am just now (age 64) preparing to launch my woodworking business. I'm looking forward to learning from your experience! All the best, Scott
Biscuits. Lots of good advice there. I know I've been taken in by the newest and shiniest toys out there. I do agree with you on the clamps. I bought a bundle of inexpensive plastic spring clamps and I don't know that I've ever used them. I need to donate them and get them out of my shop. All I do is move them out of the way to get to something else. I have a 5 gallon bucket full of Harbor Freight f-clamps, and I reach for them most often because my projects are small, but anything over 12" I would reach for my Pony/Jorgensen clamps. That said even though they cost more than my HF clamps I have some Bora clamps that are just crap. I regret buying them. I think saws are a personal choice, as I'm sure you would agree. I love my Japanese saws and do use them but, unlike you, I reach for my western saws first most of the time. That Veritas saw you showed is a very nice saw for the money. Where I made my mistake was buying every one they offered when I first got into woodworking. Some I never use and other get used regularly. I keep my dovetail saw right beside my bench hook, so I can save a few steps. Compared to today's prices, I bought my saws 10-15 years ago, even with buying all their back saws, I got a deal. 😆 If someone wanted an inexpensive western say, that isn't just crap, the Spear and Jackson tenon saw sold on Amazon is pretty decent. That said a beginner would need to add sharpening saws to their skill set. This is a great skill to have, especially if you are not using saws with impulse hardened teeth.
Biscuits. Thanks for the great videos. I got a cheap set of chisels and the metal was so soft. I have been holding off on getting a new set, and I am glad I saw this video on the set you got.
Biscuit. I use my belt sander a lot to prep wood for the other tools. I use a lot of rough cut directly from the sawmill that is not prepped so I use it to take off the high points and any dirt that might be on the wood after a wire brush. I completely agree with the jointer wows. I just found your channel, I like what I see so far.
Biscuits. I just found your videos and I'm enjoying your tips. I have the same belt sander and thought the same thing. I am definitely an amateur at woodworking as I do projects around the house. I've made plenty of mistakes. The biggest thing I've learned is take your time, no need to rush. When you do, well, mistakes happen. Also, learn from various people then experiment with what works best for you. Thanks and I look forward to checking out more of your videos.
Bought the cheap Harbor Freight trigger clamps first time around, most stopped clamping after a few weeks. Upgraded to a set of Bremen clamps and never had an issue. Have the Jorgensen F style clamps and they work good.
Biscuits - great video! I wish I’d seen this when I was starting out, you’d have saved me a boatload. I have yet to use my Jessem dowel jig, although the engineer in me loves the quality and design. I started with a Porter Cable table saw from the Big Blue Box store - good saw, supported a dado stack, I learned a lot. Leveled up to the Delta 36-725 for a built-ins/cabinet project. Great saw and it fits my tiny shop space, has a good enough fence and a Incra 1000HD miter ups the game. After 6 yrs I still havent unboxed my Kreg flip up router table top and built the router table that was supposed to be my first shop tool. My Dewalt trim router and decades-old Craftsman bench top router table with my Bosch 2 1/4 hp router can do just about everything I work on. I wish I’d skipped my Rikon 10” band saw and just bought the floor standing model, but like I said I have a tiny shop I have to use mobile tools in so I can move things around. Never have moved the saw & stand so would have been better off w the floor version. I have to say I have as many harbor freight clamps as Jorgs - just don’t use them for heavy jobs.
Biscuits - good info. I am just starting a woodworking journey and this type of information is invaluable for assisting in the selection of tools for the shop.
Biscuits. I had a similar craftsman table saw. Used it for 20 years until the fence finally gave out and then gave it to nephew. Bought a used saw at a garage sale and now I miss my old saw. lol. I also have a 6” mastercraft joiner and it has served me well. So it’s tough to say what will work or not work for each person. However, your point on getting the best you can afford is spot on. I’ve bought cheap chisels, clamps, sanders, etc. and regretted it almost immediately.
Biscuit. As usual, you offer excellent advice. I have been working wood for over 65 years, both as a carpenter and as a woodworker. I have experienced making some of the same decisions you have made and, thus, I share some of the same regrets that you have. During that time, I have become more oriented toward hand tool wood working. I learned the hard way that a machine is no substitute for skill. Machines are great if you need to make a living, just as long as you buy the right machine for the work you are doing. Now that I have a hobby shop rather than a production shop, my shop is quieter and less dusty. It's one benefit of living long enough to retire, I guess. 😎 Thanks again for another excellent video.
Biscuit! I love my belt sander. It was something I found I had patience to get the touch for. It's like playing air hockey, and you are holding the handle or what ever the thing is called. The way it floats across the surface, that's how you float a belt sander across a piece of wood. The piece has to be secured to the bench. It still takes practice.
Biscuits. I agree with most of what you said, we all have our own way and method of working. For me the belt sander is one of the better sanders I use for really rough surfaced wood and then finish it off with the orbital, it removed material really quick. Dowl jigs I make as I need them its super easy. For the rest I agree, but keep in mind we all have to learn to crawl before we can walk. I used my cheap site saw and built a table for it, it completely transformed the feel and function of the saw for the better. Clamps....don't even get started on that, they are soooooo expensive here that I ended up making my own out of scrap materials I could find, this also teaches you new skills.
The point I wanted to make was just consider the tool and how it will be used in your shop before buying and not relying only on the word of some stranger on UA-cam! There were a few just plain bad tools like my first table saw and the really cheap clamps, but most of the others are fine tools, they just don't fit my workflow and style of building.
Biscuits! Good information. I am just starting my journey. All I have is a jig saw, circular saw and a Brad nailer. I plan on starting out with some small sellables and buying tools with that money and working my my up . Good stuff to consider
That's a great start, pretty much the same I had when I first got started, although I had a drill instead of the brad nailer! For my first project I built a step stool for my wife to use to reach the top of the closet. I used some plywood and a wood stair tread from Home Depot. You can see a photo of it in the About section of my website! biscuittreewoodworks.com
Biscuits! It seems like I use dowels more and more. They are strong and relatively fast and easy. I haven’t used the JessEm but I love my Dowelmax. It’s easy and very accurate. Thanks for sharing.
I believe they are very similar. Both are great tools, if you do a lot of dowels. I tried it a few times and just don't enjoy that method. Glad it's working for you though!
BIScuits. I’m 47 now use to be a firefighter, vet, etc. I only had woordworking experience when I was in middle school for about 3 months. Of that… everything I made was an “astray”. Now I build up the courage to make stuff. Now I’m an artist making … starting to make my own frames. My first tool I bought last week is a miter saw: Dewalt 781 I want to get into making other things but not sure what ALL to have. I heard I should get a router and a planer I have a limited budget basically $500 to $1000 a month to spend if it’s really needed. But I hate wasting money my space is very limited. The idea of things I want to build; cabinets, tables, stools/ chairs. Along with art pieces of abstract etc. please provide a detailed list of WHAT you would buy with all your knowledge and experience… that if you could go back in time 30 years ago… you would say flat out what I should buy (brand name etc). That would really help me. I’m the type that like to “cry once”.
This is a question that is almost impossible for me to answer. There are so many variables involved in outfitting an entire shop of tools. Table saws alone there are hundreds of options and prices range from around $100 to over $10,000. Some shops have multiple table saws and some have none at all. It really depends on what you need and how you want to work. Instead of trying to figure out what all tools you should go buy to start building projects, just pick a project you want to build and get started building. Do you have the tools needed for step 1? Great, what about step 2? If no, what do you NEED to complete Step 2? Can you build or buy a jig for an existing tool or do you have to buy a piece of equipment for that specific task? Doing it this way will build your shop and tool set naturally with the tools you need instead of spending thousands of dollars on tools that you may never even use just because someone in the internet said you should. If you have any specific questions I'll be happy to help as much as I can. Good luck and happy building!
Biscuits! Greetings from Argentina, thanks for your advice, it´s really helpful for those who are beginning this journey in woodworking (including me).
BISCUITS! I made the same mistake starting out when I bought a cheap Ryobi table saw. The inrush was so violent when turing it on that the saw nearly jumped off the table and the workpiece would shift in your hand. I wound up buying the Delta Model #36-725T2 at Lowes for $599. And about the only thing I've used my belt sander for was stripping deck boards but it looks pretty just sitting there with those boxes of spare sandpaper rolls.
Although I'm not a new woodworker I did watch your video and I pretty much agree with your advice. I do use a belt sander but you aren"t wrong. You can really mess up a panel if you aren't careful. I'll just add that if you want to use a belt sander, get a 4x24 and not a 3x18. It's a lot easier to control. Ask me how I know.
Biscuits. I agree with you on a lot of items. First table saw was a Grizzly contractor saw, which actually a good beginner saw for me back when they were cheap. Then too many visions of my kids and son in law using my saw and missing a finger. Broke down and bought a sawstop😢, I sleep better now. Agree about the chisels, bought Craftsman and Irwin. Narex has to be a best buy! Clamps fortunately bought Jorgensen f style and 3/4 pipe clamps. You can never have too many on glue ups. Keep up the great videos!
Biscuit! My Dad was an apprentice trained cabinet maker back in the 1940's when he passed I had to go through all his tools the really strange ones are handmade planes for doing jobs were would use a router for. thank you for the advice. Drills are the one that most woodworkers forget about
Biscuit (Great advice! I’ve made most of those mistakes, but my biggest mistake was buying a house with neither a walk out basement nor a large garage. That said, we love our home of 39 years. Anyway, I’m more of a finish carpenter with furniture woodworking aspirations.)
I don't and won't have any Grizzly tools in my shop. Their commercial grade tools are good, but their 'hobby' tools are hit or miss. I would suggest a centralized dust collection system for your shop, and make sure to get the pleated paper filters, and a 2 stage system. HUGE improvement over the one you have in the corner, plus it saves you from having to move that from place to place in the shop. A FM frequency on/off remote is by far superior to the infrared system which you have to point at the DC to turn it off and on.
Oh, forgot...... A HUGE 10/4 on throwing the blade that comes with the bandsaw away. They generally are totally worthless. I cut mostly bowl blanks on my bandsaws. The 'bimetal' blades from Lennox are probably the best out there for being able to cut through nails and not going bad.... I have a local saw shop that makes them for me. I asked about the carbide tipped blades, and they told me that they are for cutting veneers only. I had to try one anyway, and yup, they were right....
Grizzly has been fine, not great not poor, just fine in my shop. With my shop so small, the DC has been ok. I just move the hose to different machines as needed and keep them all very close. Hopefully one day I'll have a bigger shop where I will setup a larger system.
biscuits. I find the hand belt sander to be useful for striping stain and muck off of reclaimed wood. I don't own a planer or jointer and I have found ways to not need them. Granted both power tools make things go faster, when you're not busy maintaining them. I did buy a Rigid brand contractors saw in the mid 1990s, and have had no issues with that saw. The one tool I found to be unnecessary was the biscuit cutter. I'm old school, I find dowels work great, because all I need is a drill. If a tool is a 'one trick pony' it better be worth it.
Belt sander is great for that purpose. I don’t usually work with reclaimed lumber. I’m typically working with hardwood so a jointer and planer are necessities in my shop.
Biscuits, I came across your channel today and have watched several of your videos. The tools I regret buying are the tools that I thought I should have but find myself not using them at all (belt sander) or should have waited until I could afford a better quality (Grizzly tablesaw), etc... Absolutely love your content and style so you have a new subscriber!
Ok, I'm going to give you a couple options. Your choice may depend on how deep into this you want to go. First: Cheapest option for good clamps is to get some decent pipe clamps. You can get the clamp hardware from Bessey and get some sections of black pipe from Lowes or Home Depot, or any hardware store. Second: Get some good parallel clamps. These are my most used clamps. I like the Jorgensens, but Bessey makes good ones as well. They are much more expensive than pipe clamps but are great if you plan on doing a lot of woodworking. Third: If you are going to be doing a lot of panels and want to get specialty panel clamps, Rockler has a really good set. They are expensive, more so than parallel clamps, but they excel at what they do which is to help ensure you get flat panels everytime. There is a level beyond this, but I'm guessing that's not for you unless you are planning on getting into industrial type equipment.
I had it just a few months and upgraded. When I looked for it while making this video it's not even available anymore. That's good, because it had so many problems!
Biscuittree? What do those taste like? Your Craftsman tablesaw is almost the model I have, mine came as a base and what was left of the motor, needless to say, the base I built for mine has no flex and an upgraded motor, I spent almost nothing compared to a new saw and it's still portable, I am glad it didn't have the miter slots with the keys, those made no sense, I think it was a safety feature for beginners. This was pretty good information, it's hard for some on an extremely tight and limited budget to get great tools, some just have to get the best they can to do a job or build their own
Congratulations on the saw! I’m hoping this video will help some beginners get into woodworking easier and without wasting too much on tools they don’t need or won’t use!
Biscuits. Well done! I've made a few of the mistakes but am trying to go with the BOCO methodology (buy once, cry once). My jointer story is akin to yours. I did get an 8", but a table top unit which I don't like using. I'll sell it at a big loss as I want to get a full-size 8" Grizzly or Jet.
Biscuit. OK, I saw you roll your eyes! While I would love to have your domino cutter, @ nearly 72 I'll never purchase one. I do admit that I love my PC557 and have been using biscuits for nearly 25 years. I just used mine this past week while joining some Black Walnut from trees that I cut down on my father-in-law's farm in 1975. They're going to be a desktop for my granddaughter's new writing desk. Hey, on another note, I love your content. I've always been of the mindset to never purchase cheap tools, (haven't always followed my own instincts...) but still use tools I purchased over 50 years ago. Count me as a new subscriber!
I bought an $11 Harbor Freight dowel jig and have yet to build something with dowels. I mostly use pocket hole screws and will upgrade to dadoes and rabbets as pocket holes are ugly.
Dowels are okay, I made a couple projects with dowels but quickly moved on to other methods. Same for pocket holes, I can't stand the sight of them so I avoid using them too much. They are fine for making face frames and inner case components.
Biscuits! I just recently started to get into woodworking and bought almost the cheapest table saw I could find. I went with the Craftsman and they're still putting those stupid slot tabs on their saws! It was super frustrating that the first thing I wanted to build was a cross-cut sled, but couldn't find anything to go in the slots. It ended up being a several day process of designing and redesigning something for my 3D printer that would work well. Hopefully things go well from this point. Great video and information!
Biscuits. ( by the way that is one my purchase regrets)I would say for clamps buy 4 pipe clamps, they are not the best design,but they work pretty well for beginner projects. And they are very inexpensive. And later on they come in really handy for very large glue ups ( you can buy couplers and add another piece of standard length pipe) without paying a fortune for clamps you may only use once or twice.
Biscuits. Just found your page glad I did. Definitely subscribed. I'm Milling and building while running a tree service I bite off more than I can chew but i will figure it out. Great stuff sir and look forward to seeing more
Biscuit..I've made traditional mortise and tenons using my drill press, table saw, router, and chisels for a couple tables, but got my domino when faced with chairmaking and I love it. Yep, it was a big gulp purchase, but the time savings is worth it.
Biscuits. Being retired and woodworking as a hobby I really appreciate any money saving tips. I can relate to a lot of what you were talking about. Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
I'm in the same situation. Retired just over a year ago, been doing woodworking for about nine months now...about 8 months has been watching every video I can.
Biscuits need gravy. my tool regrets are mostly centered around the fact that 2 years ago while I was in the VA hospital, someone broke into my garage, and used my 3 shop carts, to steal most of my hand tools, and quite a few of the small table top power tools I had. they cleaned out over 40 years of tool collection, including a lot I had gotten while working in home building, and cabinet making. as a disabled vet, it is hard to replace them on a VA pension, but my son and I have been trying to slowly rebuild our tools. I am teaching him how to do a lotof the different styles of wood working that I have enjoyed over the years, but we are having ( because of finances, we have no other choice) to rely on Harbor Freight tools for a lot of the things we have. having used quality tools in the past, I know they suck, but they get the job done, more or less.
So sorry to hear that. Good luck with rebuilding your tool kit. Keep an eye out for people selling good tools on Facebook marketplace. You can find a good deal every once in a while.
Do you have any tool purchase regrets?
I regret purchasing the belt sanding sharpening system where you need an adjustable speed to control the cut. I also regret buying the Rockler dust hose and connectors as they don't seem to work on the shop vac or the tools. As well as, I have collected tools that I don't use. I have a pantograph for a router. A 1980s router sign set up. Two tenon jigs from delta. A pulley system for an old delta saw.
@@donwight5806 I’ve thought about purchasing a similar sharpening system a few times myself! So far I’ve talked myself out of it! I do have the Rockler Dust Right hose and connecters. I like it so far since it seems to fit most of my tools, but I’ve learned to have very low expectations on any dust collection connectors. So many times I’ve bought a connector or adapter that doesn’t fit anything!
My true biggest purchase regrets were the Grizzly machines I purchased. I wish I had waited and just purchased the Harvey 14 or 15 inch bandsaw, and not purchased a jointer/planer at all. Three years later, I hand plane most everything and the Grizzly G0634XP 12 inch jointer planer just sits taking up a third of my space. It took over a year for Grizzly to not repair the issues with it, and during that time I became much more proficient and reliant on hand planes from learning from Paul Sellers. I was able to set it up finally, without Grizzly's help, by ordering several replacement parts etc. but it is so much easier to just start hand planing. If I absolutely must use a power planer, I am much happier with my Dewalt 735. When I have money again, I will instead purchase the helical upgrade for my Dewalt. Anyone interested in a $3,000 Jointer/Planer? :) the Grizzly G0513ANV bandsaw was another disappointment, the table is not even machined on the sides, so it is very difficult to square everything to the blade, and easily falls out of alignment. I completely redid the wheels, replacing the tires with aftermarket set, balancing and shimming the wheels, as they were completely misaligned from the factory. And now, after resawing small pieces of white oak, it feels majorly under powered. If I had it to do again, I would have gone with the Laguna, or the Harvey (since they make it) bandsaw! And I would never have purchased the jointer/planer.
Biscuits
I don’t have any regrets on any of my tools though I don’t use my drill press very much. But it is nice to have it
Biscuits! I just came across your channel, and I like what I see. I’ve been working with wood for nearly 30 years, and am a firm believer that I can learn something new from every video I watch. Your tips are spot on! There are two things I learned along the way that every new woodworker should know. 1) Take the time to ensure your wood is PERFECTLY square. I remember trying to cut a mortise for the first time. I drew my line around the board, but my last line didn’t meet up with the first one. The frustration that ensued was enough to make me almost quit woodworking, and it was all because my board wasn’t square. 2) Take the time to be precise. Use a marking knife whenever possible. The thickness of a pencil line is sometimes too much. Rushing will only create more work for yourself. Slowing down and being precise made me a much better woodworker. Anyhow, I just wanted to say hi and share that with everyone. Take care, I have liked and subscribed! ☮️
Excellent tips!
Those old folgers cans in the background just got you a new sub. Utilizing old coffee cans and containers speaks to my heart.
Awesome! Thank you! I keep my small glue brushes in those!
Biscuit
I keep all kinds of different things from dowel extra nuts, bolts and washers I even saw dust. I thought I was the only one who kept some. Oh by the way Biscuit at 11:05. New sub.
I just subscribed as well due to you making that comment...lol
I completely agree about the belt sander. I bought one at a garage sale for $40, it was a Porter+Cable that's not made anymore. It really did a fantastic job of removing material quickly.....so quickly that I realized this tool wasn't for me. I ended up re-selling it to a contractor I hired for some renovations, for the same $40 I paid for it. So I didn't lose any money over it, but I did gain the knowledge that a belt sander doesn't belong in my particular workshop.
At least you were able to get your money back!
Biscuits! I have some WWII chisels. Really good steel, great handles. They also came free!
Hard to beat that!
Biscuit. I don't regret buying my small 6" Wen benchtop jointer. It's fine for what I do now and was cheap enough that I won't feel like it was wasted money if I later upgrade to something bigger. Meanwhile it works a whole lot better than the 0" planer I had to use before. ;-) Like you said, it depends on your own needs and workflow. I do regret buying a contractor saw that was not tunable in any way and with a fence that pointed in a different way each time it was locked. That's sitting on my garage floor unused. Between what I spent on it and the much nicer but still lower-end saw that I use now, I could have bought something much nicer than either. Your content is always worth watching, and there's lots of good advice in this video. Thanks!
I imagine the table saw is most people’s first big purchase and probably the first regret. We try to go cheap but end up spending much more in the end.
Biscuit! As a newbie just getting going I haven’t had a chance to buy enough tools to regret any (yet). It’s actually encouraging to hear how experienced woodworkers like yourself can still make mistakes about what tools to get. Great video.
I make mistakes all the time, but that’s usually the best way to learn a lesson!
Biscuits. Thank you for sharing your experiences. One of the nice things about the woodworking community is how we learn from each other, whether it be about tools or techniques.
Absolutely! For the most part it is a very positive and helpful community! Thanks for watching!
Biscuit. All are great tips! Oh, I wanted a belt sander - not any more. Sandpaper quick reviews, great Thank you! 😊
You are so welcome!
As a tool buying junkie extraordinaire, I knew I hit the right vid at about 30 seconds in.
Awesome! Hope it was helpful!
We need to set up "tool buyers anonymous" meetings. I'm also an addict.
Biscuits!! Thanks. I have just started doing some woodworking and have made a mistake or two, I found your videos and have begun watching them. I find you to be one of the more down to earth people I have watched, What you say makes sense and has been very helpful.
Awesome, thanks!
I have the rolling dewalt job site saw and I love it. The rack and pinion system is awesome to use and it can take a dado stack, which not all models can, so double check before you buy.
Thanks for the info!
Apparently, we can't be trusted with dado stacks in the UK or Europe. When I get around to needing a table saw, (maybe early in 2024), I'll be looking to get a Dewalt 10".
@@mattgoodstadt2372 Firstly health and safety regulations are a good thing, particularly where blades are concerned. Table saws are most dangerous tool in the workshop after all. Secondly, they're not illegal at all - in a commercial setting, the rule is that the blade must stop within 10 seconds, the dado stack must be fittable to the machine without modification (i.e. a longer arbor) and there must be a guard fitted when using them. Basically their use is a bit more limited and it has to be done as safely as possible. That's commercial of course and it relates to duties of employers for their employees. You can do whatever you want at home in regards to this, go crazy and change arbors and have really long braking times. Personally, I wouldn't modify it, just work around it and use other systems (router) over dado stacks.
@@samnichols4361Thanks for the name check, but you got the wrong guy 😁
@Scottturner3831 was the droid you're looking for.
@samnichols4361 Ignore my last comment. UA-cam confused me! You are right, of course. Health and Safety always has to be the top priority. I LIKE all my fingers, and I don't have any to spare. When I need to make dados, (dadoes?), I'll get myself a router or use a jig.
good video! I think the best advice is something i remember Steve Ramsey saying that saved me a lot of money: Buy tools when you need them, not when you think you might need them in the futur. its very easy to buy a lot of stuff, only to use it only once, because you are exited about the purchase, then let it collect dust. Buy if you notice yourself actually needing stuff.
Couple things i regret:
a very cheap pocket hole jig. i bought the wolfcraft one, thats a cheapo german brand. its terrible. its a clamp on one and it cant even clear chips, so i need to manually vacuum every single hole out, before i even finish one hole. otherwhise it just gets jammed. it works, but its so annoying to use. Buy a good one if you do buy one.
Cheap router bits. I bought a rather cheap set of router bits, thinking "better to have them all in okay quality in case i need one, then replace the ones i actually use"... well, i bought the set of 15 from bosch and 3 years in, i have used 4 of them. And one of those ones was a v grove bit that i wanted to use for some carving, that was so dull, every piece was burnt, even at tiny depth. So i replaced it with a festool one that was worlds better. Overall the bosch set is fine, but its never great, and as i mentioned before, its mainly collecting dust. Buy the bits you need and buy those in good enough quality. for the money that i spent on 15 okay-ish ones, i could have gotten the ones i actually need in great quality.
Cheap casters. Man does it suck to replace casters a year or two in because you wanted to save 20 bucks
Things i do not regret:
Good japanese pull saw, i use Zsaw.
I also love the 3m extract cubitron 2 sand paper.
The Incra Tiny T is an amazing marking tool for joinery.
A decent blockplane, i have never had an absolute need for one, but i grab it so often for things.
Cerax sharpening waterstones. they last a good time before needing to be flattened and are just overall great value.
... this one is gonna be stupid, but a metal Stanley tape measure. it doesnt work any better, its just a tape measure... but it feels really nice :D
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your regrets and some good finds!
Biscuits! Speaking of biscuits, one of my regrets was buying a biscuit jointer back when, as it never did quite work right.
I picked up a biscuit joiner at a yard sale once. That's another tool I never even used!
I bought the DEWALT biscuit joiner many years ago but it never worked quite right. Decades later I was fiddling with it to change the cutter and realized the cutter was never parallel to the fence. A quick adjustment and now it works.
I have a Freud biscuit joiner, and love it. I've used it on Cabinetry, tabletops, and boxes. Been using it for about 15 years
My Makita biscuit joiner is AWSOME, many years used!
For average construction you can't beat the biscuit jointer. Much faster than dowels and allows a little give if things don't fit exactly as intended. Built many a bookcase with biscuits.
Solid content pal
New sub earned, keep doing what you're doing.
Thank you!
Biscuits 2! I appreciate using Cubitron sandpaper with my Dewalt orbital sander. Their multiple grit types are really effective at material removal and finishing efforts. Good comments about watching other woodworker comments about tool choices 'for the type of work that I prefer to do'. Putting comments in the context of what you 'need' versus what you 'want' is important.
Totally agree! Thanks for watching!
I have used so many joinery methods, and while there's an immense satisfaction I receive from doing traditional joinery and taking the time, I wouldn't trade my Domino for anything. No more time consuming dowels, everything always lines up perfectly. I love it so much, and have made some insane looking shelves with it.
The Domino really is an incredible tool!
Biscuits, I agree with everything you said here. I have a mixture of parallel clamps, and so far my favorite has been the Bremen from Harbor Freight! I won several Bessey K body clamps and are they expensive. I saw a few reviews of the Bremen clamp and decided to take a chance on a couple. Very pleased with them! Someday I’ll get a Saw-Stop but I need to save up for a while. Great video!
Thank you! Keep an eye out for people selling off all their tools, that's how I snagged mine cheap!
I took my virtually new DeWalt biscuit joiner to the Goodwill.
Biscuits. Found the belt sander works great for hogging off material when I'm doing a renovation/rejuvination, but for the finer stuff, the palm sander.
A palm sander is ok, I prefer a random orbital sander for most of my projects.
Biscuits! Still using my old craftsman tablesaw, saving and researching between Harvey and Sawstop. Thanks for the video
I don't think you would go wrong with either choice! I love my Sawstop and I see a lot of woodworkers happy with Harvey!
BISCUITS! And - "SUBSCRIBED". Not sure why this channel hasn't popped up before, but you have some really good content. Now, about this video. I've only woodworked for last 9 years after a lifetime passion/hobby for mechanics and cars. Cant work on them anymore and not willing to learn computer systems. So help me, power seats and cigarette lighters (when you can find the latter) are tied into modern car computer systems anymore, and working on cars is simply no longer enjoyable. Enter woodwork. I made THE EXACT SAME PURCHASES and mistakes you outlined. I have the Dewalt 7491RS table saw and love it after a miserable Delta and Craftsman. Used it hard for last 6 years. And once you take the time to dial it in, I think it will rival many really nice cabinet saws for accuracy and clean cuts. And very ironically - I built a near identical dust collection cart as I saw in the background during this video. It is "Frankencart v9.2". It works great. I look forward to going through your videos. Thanks for this - you struck a very familiar nerve!
Thanks, I hope you enjoy the videos! I'm glad the Dewalt table saw is working out for you!
Biscuits! Good advice brother. Had me rolling with the domino! Keep up the great work!
Thank you!
Biscuits! Great advice, I switched to using 3m Cubitron and am very happy that I did. The dust removal from using it is second to none
That Cubitron really cuts through the material!
Biscuits! Thank you so much for all the advice, it must really have taken you a while to make your list but everything you've said is absolutely true and I cannot express enough how grateful I am for this honesty and you sharing this insight with everyone. I'm really looking forward in watching all your other video tutorials. Many Blessing for you and your Family and please continue to make more tutorials I just love your channel 😇🙌
Glad it was helpful!
Biscuit. Blade quality for bandsaws is critical for your woodworking experience. Have a Grizzly 14” bandsaw for nearly 20 years. Used it mostly for resawing. Bought multiple blades from local saw specialists. The saw did not perform well. Upgrade guides to bearings, bought a blade tensioning device (good idea), installed modified dust collection. Still a difficult experience to the point of avoiding it. Bought a new blade from Highland recently and WOW what a difference! Now I’m considering doing shop made veneers.
Yes, a good blade can make a world of difference!
Biscuits! One additional point on sanders, is that upgrading from a 125mm to a 150mm model can really speed things up without compromising the quality or breaking the bank.
As for my biggest purchasing regret, that's probably my drill press as there just isn't the space in my shop to justify it... Wpuld have been much better off with something like the Rockler Drill Guide.
Those are both tools that almost made the list! I have a 6" sander that I never use. It's just too big and aggressive for most work I do. It's fine if you have a large table top to smooth, but too big for most smaller pieces. I also have a small workbench drill press that I regret picking up. It doesn't have enough stroke for a lot of jobs. Wish I had purchased a full sized floor standing one. Thanks for watching!
Bosch makes something called a PBD-40 that's fairly compact, and just light enough that it hasn't been a hassle to move around.
It's an all-aluminium machine, so there's a teensy bit of flex to it, and they've been known for having some play in the chuck bearings, but mine's alright.
Plus, with the way that the baseplate is also your table, it's super-easy to handle longer workpieces, and as it also has a 20mm hole in it below the chuck, you can put the machine on top of a workpiece and use it like a regular drill guide.
@@gustaveliasson5395Interesting points about the Bosch. It's on my list. It's way down, but it's on there.
Maybe I should just learn how to drill properly!
Biscuits. I both regret and don't buying a cheap box store block plane. It wasn't good quality, but showed me that I enjoy using a plane and what they can do. I just got three used planes (Stanley #4, Stanley S5 Jack, and a Dunlap block) that I'm restoring and I'm looking forward to using them.
Oh yes, those cheap planes are terrible!
Biscuits and gravy, rip some wood daily.
Thanks!
I just came across your channel a few days ago, and I really enjoy your delivery. I look up all the tools I see, and that you mention, and I really appreciate what you have to say. I must confess that some of the tools you use are a bit pricier than I'd like to spend, but I do have to make sure I don't go for the budget items...which, again, is why I appreciate all that you share. Those quality, but not overpriced, items like the Narex chisels and Jorgenson clamps are definitely in the mix though. As you said, regarding the clamps, I'll just have to accumulate over time...as the project requires. Thank you again for your videos...they are much appreciated 👍
If you're looking for budget tools, I'm working on a new video now that has a bunch of tools I use that are all under $20! Look for it to release in the next week or two!
Biscuits! I always look forward to your videos. Your content always seem to speak directly to me and my efforts in the shop. I would like to see more of your videos. But, I appreciate your efforts and look forward to those in the future!
Thank you, I really appreciate that!
Biscuits. Bought an M18 7¼ miter saw to whack together a basic Swedish/Scandinavian/whatever they're called 1X3/1x4 shelf to organize my tools and chargers. Really excited to get into wood working. I've done little DIY projects before. Took shop classes in middle/high-school and college. But never really had the money to buy the tools I needed until recently. I still need to be frugal so I appreciate videos like this! Researching table saws and routers now. Planning on working off a Bora collapsible work space so I can work outside. Or in the unfinished basement/celler. Hopefully by the time we buy a house- I'll have the tools and knowledge to build a proper shop and start cranking out projects!
That's great! I'm glad the videos are helping!
Biscuit I had an older craftsman than you showed and bought the dewalt and it is 1000 times better 👍
It made me laugh when you pushed the domino out of the frame 😂
Awesome, glad to hear you like the Dewalt saw! Thanks for watching!
I really like how you explain the bad buys but then offer up an alternative.
Glad you liked it!
Biscuits. I’ll agree with you 90%
The cheap F clamps in the smaller sizes (12” and smaller) from Harbor Freight are very useful. Pipe clamps are also a good for large glue ups.
I use a belt sander for flattening large tops, but it was the only way years ago to flatten large panels.
I’ve found a sled with my thickness planer the best way to flatten panels and boards
No problem, I don’t expect everyone to agree 100%. That’s why I tried to explain my reasoning for the tools I listed. For some people my issues may not be a problem at all and they may really like those tools! Pipe clamps are a great option and I should have listed them as an alternative. Thanks for your input and thanks for watching!
I love your sense of humor...sliding the domino out of the shot had me laughing out loud!
That's awesome! Glad you enjoyed it!
Biscuits! You are reminding me how much I desire to really just take my time and create beautiful pieces!
Awesome! Go make something amazing! That's what I hope to do, inspire people to build great things!
Biscuits - Thanks for taking the time to make this video. As a newbie woodworker, I'm sure you saved me a lot of time, frustration, and money.
Awesome! Glad it helps!
Biscuits. I’m just getting into this since working in a cabinet shop during college. I appreciate your videos, they are well done and honest, two of the best attributes of a quality craftsman.
That's great! If there's anything I can do to help you get going, just let me know!
Biscuits I definitely agree with the belt sander I bought a few years back and probably only used it twice and that was on rough construction not fine woodworking good video
Good to hear someone else agrees with me on the belt sander! I've had a lot of people say they use it all the time, but it just doesn't fit my kind of wood working!
Biscuits.. are good with gravy.. or fried chicken.. or glue.. Thanks for the honest takes, exactly the sort of thing some of us wanna-be woodworkers appreciate. I was debating on whether a 6" joiner would meet my needs and you helped make that decision (I'll wait and save my pennies). For that belt sander, turn it upside down and clamp it to your bench: instant usability for small projects.
I built a cradle for my random orbital sander so I can mount it upside down for that very purpose! Works great for small parts!
Biscuit
I just use Marples Chisels, fairly economical, hold an edge well. I just use a Grizzly industrial saw, with a micro-adjust fence. Love HPLV sprayers.
I use a 6" 1950's era jointer, do not use wide boards without cutting them down anyways, to prevent warpage.
When I need significant force I use pipe clamps. When just a little force is required I have dozens of $5 dollar clamps that work perfectly. For the price of a few box clamps I can supply my entire shop with perfectly adequate clamps. As a bonus, I have a lot more clamps than I generally use.
The man with the most tools when he dies wins.
Great tips!
Nice video, but too late for me, over here in the UK!
Table saw:
I bought a used Kity table saw (didn't realise it also had non-standard mitre slots (without those silly tabs)) which drove me mad. Eventually I bought the DeWalt and discovered that it was the Kity as much as my incompetence that made cutting straight impossible. I love that bevel-geared fence. Also, the blade was utterly parallel with the mitre slots; I couldn't detect any deviation at all, even with a fancy dial gauge. Thoroughly recommended, but the downside is that here we're not considered grown up enough to be allowed to used dado stacks on smaller saws ... I wonder if I can modify mine to take them...
My "workshop" is a damp garage, so everything ferrous rusts in the blink of an eye. I have to buy things with aluminium work surfaces, so the DeWalt scores another point.
Chisels:
🤣🤣 Been there with the cheap chocolate chisels. I use them as pry bars. I bought another set from my about to emigrate brother in law which are much better, but I'm still wearing out my fingers flattening them. At least they took an edge... once I'd got rid of the nail inflicted abuse. I fancy a set of Narex Richters but couldn't bear it if they rusted.
Belt sander:
They serve a purpose - I use one for scribing board edges that need to fit wobbly walls. The amount of material a belt sander removes in a very short time is amazing. Whoever told you they're any good for finishing needs to be left in a dark room with eternity to contemplate their sins. I love my 150mm random orbital sander with amazing dust extraction. It's the mutt's nuts, as we say here. Sometimes.
Fancy dovetail saw:
I have one of those and I love it. I never got on with a pull saw and dovetails. It's possible I'm simply weird. I *love* my little Japanese flexible flush cut saw.
I agree with everything else, but the best part of your video? The surreptitious Domino removal. I really want one of those but can't afford or justify it... yet.
Thanks for making the video and, by the way, "biscuits".
Wish I could go back in time and post the video for you sooner! LOL! Thanks for sharing your experiences with tool purchase regrets. Hopefully we can help others from making the same mistakes!
Biscuits, My first and current table saw is a 1955 Craftsman 113 my grandpa used in his backyard shed woodshop. I upgraded the fence and thats it. I a workhorse and gives me no problems. I modified a dust collection system to it and haven't cursed it ..yet. Thanks for the video, I appreciate your time
They sure don't make them like they used to!
my dad gave me his craftsman powered drill that was built like a tank and still runs like a beast, but any craftsman powertool nowadays wont last a year. I wish manufacture companies would take pride in their tools instead of building crap that breaks down every few years. But what do I know I'm a Eighties child, lol@@biscuittreewoodworks
Biscuits! These days I use my belt sander clamped to my bench as a moveable bench sander. It's pretty useful.
I did something similar with my random orbital sander. I made a cradle for it to use upside down on my bench for sanding small parts.
BISCUITS,
I like your style & am just now (age 64) preparing to launch my woodworking business.
I'm looking forward to learning from your experience!
All the best,
Scott
Best of luck!
Biscuits. Lots of good advice there. I know I've been taken in by the newest and shiniest toys out there.
I do agree with you on the clamps. I bought a bundle of inexpensive plastic spring clamps and I don't know that I've ever used them. I need to donate them and get them out of my shop. All I do is move them out of the way to get to something else. I have a 5 gallon bucket full of Harbor Freight f-clamps, and I reach for them most often because my projects are small, but anything over 12" I would reach for my Pony/Jorgensen clamps. That said even though they cost more than my HF clamps I have some Bora clamps that are just crap. I regret buying them.
I think saws are a personal choice, as I'm sure you would agree. I love my Japanese saws and do use them but, unlike you, I reach for my western saws first most of the time. That Veritas saw you showed is a very nice saw for the money. Where I made my mistake was buying every one they offered when I first got into woodworking. Some I never use and other get used regularly. I keep my dovetail saw right beside my bench hook, so I can save a few steps. Compared to today's prices, I bought my saws 10-15 years ago, even with buying all their back saws, I got a deal. 😆
If someone wanted an inexpensive western say, that isn't just crap, the Spear and Jackson tenon saw sold on Amazon is pretty decent. That said a beginner would need to add sharpening saws to their skill set. This is a great skill to have, especially if you are not using saws with impulse hardened teeth.
I wish I had bought more saws and hand planes back then when they were cheap! The prices these days are outrageous!
Biscuits. Thanks for the great videos. I got a cheap set of chisels and the metal was so soft. I have been holding off on getting a new set, and I am glad I saw this video on the set you got.
The Narex chisels are great!
Biscuit. I use my belt sander a lot to prep wood for the other tools. I use a lot of rough cut directly from the sawmill that is not prepped so I use it to take off the high points and any dirt that might be on the wood after a wire brush. I completely agree with the jointer wows. I just found your channel, I like what I see so far.
Great tip!
Biscuits. I just found your videos and I'm enjoying your tips. I have the same belt sander and thought the same thing. I am definitely an amateur at woodworking as I do projects around the house. I've made plenty of mistakes. The biggest thing I've learned is take your time, no need to rush. When you do, well, mistakes happen. Also, learn from various people then experiment with what works best for you. Thanks and I look forward to checking out more of your videos.
Awesome! That's a great tip as well, take your time and don't rush or you will be more likely to make mistakes. Thanks for watching!
Biscuits - Thank you. Loved your video! Learning and appreciating content such as yours. Any advice on Woodpecker lineup?
I really like their squares! I have a couple on my wall and use them often. Some of the one-time tools can be a bit gimmick, so I don't do those.
Biscuits. Straight to the point. Thanks
Thanks for watching!
Bought the cheap Harbor Freight trigger clamps first time around, most stopped clamping after a few weeks. Upgraded to a set of Bremen clamps and never had an issue. Have the Jorgensen F style clamps and they work good.
I haven't tried Harbor Freight clamps, or HF anything really. I like the Jorgensen and Bessey clamps. Very good quality and really strong clamps.
Biscuits. Good advice, I have just started my woodworking. These tips are spot on.
Glad it was helpful!
Biscuits - great video! I wish I’d seen this when I was starting out, you’d have saved me a boatload. I have yet to use my Jessem dowel jig, although the engineer in me loves the quality and design. I started with a Porter Cable table saw from the Big Blue Box store - good saw, supported a dado stack, I learned a lot. Leveled up to the Delta 36-725 for a built-ins/cabinet project. Great saw and it fits my tiny shop space, has a good enough fence and a Incra 1000HD miter ups the game. After 6 yrs I still havent unboxed my Kreg flip up router table top and built the router table that was supposed to be my first shop tool. My Dewalt trim router and decades-old Craftsman bench top router table with my Bosch 2 1/4 hp router can do just about everything I work on. I wish I’d skipped my Rikon 10” band saw and just bought the floor standing model, but like I said I have a tiny shop I have to use mobile tools in so I can move things around. Never have moved the saw & stand so would have been better off w the floor version. I have to say I have as many harbor freight clamps as Jorgs - just don’t use them for heavy jobs.
Sounds like you are doing pretty good! If you make a mistake on a tool buy just upgrade when you can and try to learn form it!
biscuits and band saws, you got to love em.
Absolutely!
Biscuits - good info. I am just starting a woodworking journey and this type of information is invaluable for assisting in the selection of tools for the shop.
Great to hear!
Biscuits. I had a similar craftsman table saw. Used it for 20 years until the fence finally gave out and then gave it to nephew. Bought a used saw at a garage sale and now I miss my old saw. lol.
I also have a 6” mastercraft joiner and it has served me well. So it’s tough to say what will work or not work for each person. However, your point on getting the best you can afford is spot on. I’ve bought cheap chisels, clamps, sanders, etc. and regretted it almost immediately.
Going cheap can be hit or miss, and it's usually a miss.
Biscuit.
As usual, you offer excellent advice.
I have been working wood for over 65 years, both as a carpenter and as a woodworker. I have experienced making some of the same decisions you have made and, thus, I share some of the same regrets that you have. During that time, I have become more oriented toward hand tool wood working. I learned the hard way that a machine is no substitute for skill. Machines are great if you need to make a living, just as long as you buy the right machine for the work you are doing.
Now that I have a hobby shop rather than a production shop, my shop is quieter and less dusty. It's one benefit of living long enough to retire, I guess. 😎
Thanks again for another excellent video.
Thank you, and great advice! I love using my hand tools and I'm starting to use them more and more!
Biscuits! I'm a hobbyist and I appreciate all your advices on this subject as I'm still building my array of tools. Thank you. Cheers!
Glad it was helpful!
Biscuit! I love my belt sander. It was something I found I had patience to get the touch for. It's like playing air hockey, and you are holding the handle or what ever the thing is called. The way it floats across the surface, that's how you float a belt sander across a piece of wood. The piece has to be secured to the bench. It still takes practice.
If it works for you that's great, I didn't like using it. I have much better results and control with my random orbital sander.
Biscuits. I agree with most of what you said, we all have our own way and method of working. For me the belt sander is one of the better sanders I use for really rough surfaced wood and then finish it off with the orbital, it removed material really quick. Dowl jigs I make as I need them its super easy. For the rest I agree, but keep in mind we all have to learn to crawl before we can walk. I used my cheap site saw and built a table for it, it completely transformed the feel and function of the saw for the better. Clamps....don't even get started on that, they are soooooo expensive here that I ended up making my own out of scrap materials I could find, this also teaches you new skills.
The point I wanted to make was just consider the tool and how it will be used in your shop before buying and not relying only on the word of some stranger on UA-cam! There were a few just plain bad tools like my first table saw and the really cheap clamps, but most of the others are fine tools, they just don't fit my workflow and style of building.
Biscuits and gravy and learning from others advice is a great way to start the day! Appreciate you!
Thank you!
Biscuits! Good information. I am just starting my journey. All I have is a jig saw, circular saw and a Brad nailer. I plan on starting out with some small sellables and buying tools with that money and working my my up . Good stuff to consider
That's a great start, pretty much the same I had when I first got started, although I had a drill instead of the brad nailer! For my first project I built a step stool for my wife to use to reach the top of the closet. I used some plywood and a wood stair tread from Home Depot. You can see a photo of it in the About section of my website! biscuittreewoodworks.com
Biscuits! It seems like I use dowels more and more. They are strong and relatively fast and easy. I haven’t used the JessEm but I love my Dowelmax. It’s easy and very accurate. Thanks for sharing.
I believe they are very similar. Both are great tools, if you do a lot of dowels. I tried it a few times and just don't enjoy that method. Glad it's working for you though!
BIScuits. I’m 47 now use to be a firefighter, vet, etc. I only had woordworking experience when I was in middle school for about 3 months. Of that… everything I made was an “astray”. Now I build up the courage to make stuff. Now I’m an artist making … starting to make my own frames.
My first tool I bought last week is a miter saw: Dewalt 781
I want to get into making other things but not sure what ALL to have.
I heard I should get a router and a planer
I have a limited budget basically $500 to $1000 a month to spend if it’s really needed. But I hate wasting money my space is very limited.
The idea of things I want to build; cabinets, tables, stools/ chairs. Along with art pieces of abstract etc.
please provide a detailed list of WHAT you would buy with all your knowledge and experience… that if you could go back in time 30 years ago… you would say flat out what I should buy (brand name etc). That would really help me. I’m the type that like to “cry once”.
This is a question that is almost impossible for me to answer. There are so many variables involved in outfitting an entire shop of tools. Table saws alone there are hundreds of options and prices range from around $100 to over $10,000. Some shops have multiple table saws and some have none at all. It really depends on what you need and how you want to work.
Instead of trying to figure out what all tools you should go buy to start building projects, just pick a project you want to build and get started building. Do you have the tools needed for step 1? Great, what about step 2? If no, what do you NEED to complete Step 2? Can you build or buy a jig for an existing tool or do you have to buy a piece of equipment for that specific task? Doing it this way will build your shop and tool set naturally with the tools you need instead of spending thousands of dollars on tools that you may never even use just because someone in the internet said you should.
If you have any specific questions I'll be happy to help as much as I can. Good luck and happy building!
biscuits; seems I had to get a lotta tools that I now don't use, so I could finally decide what I really needed and liked.
Unfortunately that's the way it usually goes!
Biscuits! Greetings from Argentina, thanks for your advice, it´s really helpful for those who are beginning this journey in woodworking (including me).
Glad it was helpful!
Biscuits!!!! Totally agree on the 6" jointer. Thanks for the video. Good stuff.
Thanks for watching!
BISCUITS! I made the same mistake starting out when I bought a cheap Ryobi table saw. The inrush was so violent when turing it on that the saw nearly jumped off the table and the workpiece would shift in your hand. I wound up buying the Delta Model #36-725T2 at Lowes for $599. And about the only thing I've used my belt sander for was stripping deck boards but it looks pretty just sitting there with those boxes of spare sandpaper rolls.
Yikes! That table saw sounds down right dangerous!
Although I'm not a new woodworker I did watch your video and I pretty much agree with your advice. I do use a belt sander but you aren"t wrong. You can really mess up a panel if you aren't careful. I'll just add that if you want to use a belt sander, get a 4x24 and not a 3x18. It's a lot easier to control. Ask me how I know.
Thanks for the tip!
Biscuits. I agree with you on a lot of items. First table saw was a Grizzly contractor saw, which actually a good beginner saw for me back when they were cheap. Then too many visions of my kids and son in law using my saw and missing a finger. Broke down and bought a sawstop😢, I sleep better now. Agree about the chisels, bought Craftsman and Irwin. Narex has to be a best buy! Clamps fortunately bought Jorgensen f style and 3/4 pipe clamps. You can never have too many on glue ups. Keep up the great videos!
Thanks! Yeah, when my kids got big enough to be out in the shop I knew it was time to upgrade to a SawStop!
Biscuit! My Dad was an apprentice trained cabinet maker back in the 1940's when he passed I had to go through all his tools the really strange ones are handmade planes for doing jobs were would use a router for. thank you for the advice. Drills are the one that most woodworkers forget about
Very cool! Those old molding planes are really neat!
Biscuit (Great advice! I’ve made most of those mistakes, but my biggest mistake was buying a house with neither a walk out basement nor a large garage. That said, we love our home of 39 years. Anyway, I’m more of a finish carpenter with furniture woodworking aspirations.)
Thanks for stopping by!
@@biscuittreewoodworks Looking forward to your next project. Have a nice holiday weekend.
BISCUITS- New wood worker. Thank you for the advice. Keep up the good work!
Glad to hear it’s helpful!
My HF brand clamps are ok for small uses, but the longer ones bowed considerably when I was gluing up my first work bench top.
Yeah they just aren’t strong enough for the bigger jobs.
Biscuits! Amazing video and tips, I'm starting and all the information was very useful! Thanks!
Glad it’s helpful!
I don't and won't have any Grizzly tools in my shop. Their commercial grade tools are good, but their 'hobby' tools are hit or miss. I would suggest a centralized dust collection system for your shop, and make sure to get the pleated paper filters, and a 2 stage system. HUGE improvement over the one you have in the corner, plus it saves you from having to move that from place to place in the shop. A FM frequency on/off remote is by far superior to the infrared system which you have to point at the DC to turn it off and on.
Oh, forgot...... A HUGE 10/4 on throwing the blade that comes with the bandsaw away. They generally are totally worthless. I cut mostly bowl blanks on my bandsaws. The 'bimetal' blades from Lennox are probably the best out there for being able to cut through nails and not going bad.... I have a local saw shop that makes them for me. I asked about the carbide tipped blades, and they told me that they are for cutting veneers only. I had to try one anyway, and yup, they were right....
Grizzly has been fine, not great not poor, just fine in my shop. With my shop so small, the DC has been ok. I just move the hose to different machines as needed and keep them all very close. Hopefully one day I'll have a bigger shop where I will setup a larger system.
Biscuit.
Hi from the Caribbean.
Beginning DIY , still in the process of buying tools , and so far I think I am making some fairly good choices
Awesome!
biscuits. I find the hand belt sander to be useful for striping stain and muck off of reclaimed wood. I don't own a planer or jointer and I have found ways to not need them. Granted both power tools make things go faster, when you're not busy maintaining them. I did buy a Rigid brand contractors saw in the mid 1990s, and have had no issues with that saw. The one tool I found to be unnecessary was the biscuit cutter. I'm old school, I find dowels work great, because all I need is a drill. If a tool is a 'one trick pony' it better be worth it.
Belt sander is great for that purpose. I don’t usually work with reclaimed lumber. I’m typically working with hardwood so a jointer and planer are necessities in my shop.
Biscuits, I came across your channel today and have watched several of your videos. The tools I regret buying are the tools that I thought I should have but find myself not using them at all (belt sander) or should have waited until I could afford a better quality (Grizzly tablesaw), etc... Absolutely love your content and style so you have a new subscriber!
That’s awesome, I’m glad you’re enjoying the videos!
Biscuits and gravy is what I had for breakfast yesterday. Also pipe clamps are amazing and super cheap
Mmmmm, gravy!
Biscuits ... I need some clamps for a panel I'm making. Great to hear your thoughts on that. Thanks!
Ok, I'm going to give you a couple options. Your choice may depend on how deep into this you want to go.
First: Cheapest option for good clamps is to get some decent pipe clamps. You can get the clamp hardware from Bessey and get some sections of black pipe from Lowes or Home Depot, or any hardware store.
Second: Get some good parallel clamps. These are my most used clamps. I like the Jorgensens, but Bessey makes good ones as well. They are much more expensive than pipe clamps but are great if you plan on doing a lot of woodworking.
Third: If you are going to be doing a lot of panels and want to get specialty panel clamps, Rockler has a really good set. They are expensive, more so than parallel clamps, but they excel at what they do which is to help ensure you get flat panels everytime.
There is a level beyond this, but I'm guessing that's not for you unless you are planning on getting into industrial type equipment.
Biscuits. I had that same Craftsman table saw.
I had it just a few months and upgraded. When I looked for it while making this video it's not even available anymore. That's good, because it had so many problems!
Funny thing is that craftsman table saw was my first one as well and I really hated to use it. Then I purchased that same dewalt and love it
Glad you are having good results with the Dewalt!
Biscuit-- lots of good, down-to-earth advice.
Thanks!
Biscuittree? What do those taste like? Your Craftsman tablesaw is almost the model I have, mine came as a base and what was left of the motor, needless to say, the base I built for mine has no flex and an upgraded motor, I spent almost nothing compared to a new saw and it's still portable, I am glad it didn't have the miter slots with the keys, those made no sense, I think it was a safety feature for beginners. This was pretty good information, it's hard for some on an extremely tight and limited budget to get great tools, some just have to get the best they can to do a job or build their own
Congratulations on the saw! I’m hoping this video will help some beginners get into woodworking easier and without wasting too much on tools they don’t need or won’t use!
Biscuts, I'm a beginner here learning a lot
Good to hear! Thanks for watching!
Biscuits. Well done! I've made a few of the mistakes but am trying to go with the BOCO methodology (buy once, cry once). My jointer story is akin to yours. I did get an 8", but a table top unit which I don't like using. I'll sell it at a big loss as I want to get a full-size 8" Grizzly or Jet.
Yeah, I'm not a fan of the benchtop jointers. Not a long enough bed to joint long boards.
Love Biscuits!!!! What about pipe clamps? I have some good tools but I could really use some 7' clamps!!
Pipe clamps are a great option especially if you need long clamps. The Bessey pipe clamp hardware is pretty good from what I hear.
Biscuits, with extra chocolate chips! Very good advice thanks, I wish I had heard some of this before I started woodworking.
You are so welcome!
Biscuit. OK, I saw you roll your eyes! While I would love to have your domino cutter, @ nearly 72 I'll never purchase one. I do admit that I love my PC557 and have been using biscuits for nearly 25 years. I just used mine this past week while joining some Black Walnut from trees that I cut down on my father-in-law's farm in 1975. They're going to be a desktop for my granddaughter's new writing desk. Hey, on another note, I love your content. I've always been of the mindset to never purchase cheap tools, (haven't always followed my own instincts...) but still use tools I purchased over 50 years ago. Count me as a new subscriber!
Welcome! Glad you enjoyed the video!
I bought an $11 Harbor Freight dowel jig and have yet to build something with dowels. I mostly use pocket hole screws and will upgrade to dadoes and rabbets as pocket holes are ugly.
Dowels are okay, I made a couple projects with dowels but quickly moved on to other methods. Same for pocket holes, I can't stand the sight of them so I avoid using them too much. They are fine for making face frames and inner case components.
I have made these trees and watched many videos and yours is my favorite. Thank you. Also early American is my fav
Awesome! Thank you!
Biscuits! I just recently started to get into woodworking and bought almost the cheapest table saw I could find. I went with the Craftsman and they're still putting those stupid slot tabs on their saws! It was super frustrating that the first thing I wanted to build was a cross-cut sled, but couldn't find anything to go in the slots. It ended up being a several day process of designing and redesigning something for my 3D printer that would work well. Hopefully things go well from this point. Great video and information!
Sorry to hear they are still making those saws like that! Such a poor design choice!
Biscuits. ( by the way that is one my purchase regrets)I would say for clamps buy 4 pipe clamps, they are not the best design,but they work pretty well for beginner projects. And they are very inexpensive. And later on they come in really handy for very large glue ups ( you can buy couplers and add another piece of standard length pipe) without paying a fortune for clamps you may only use once or twice.
Pipe clamps can be a great option for the value!
Biscuits. Just found your page glad I did. Definitely subscribed. I'm Milling and building while running a tree service I bite off more than I can chew but i will figure it out. Great stuff sir and look forward to seeing more
Awesome! Thank you!
Biscuit..I've made traditional mortise and tenons using my drill press, table saw, router, and chisels for a couple tables, but got my domino when faced with chairmaking and I love it. Yep, it was a big gulp purchase, but the time savings is worth it.
Oh yes, that domino saves so much time!
Biscuits. Being retired and woodworking as a hobby I really appreciate any money saving tips. I can relate to a lot of what you were talking about. Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
It can be a very expensive hobby if you buy a lot of tools you don't really need! Hopefully these videos help some people not make the same mistakes!
I'm in the same situation. Retired just over a year ago, been doing woodworking for about nine months now...about 8 months has been watching every video I can.
Biscuits need gravy. my tool regrets are mostly centered around the fact that 2 years ago while I was in the VA hospital, someone broke into my garage, and used my 3 shop carts, to steal most of my hand tools, and quite a few of the small table top power tools I had. they cleaned out over 40 years of tool collection, including a lot I had gotten while working in home building, and cabinet making. as a disabled vet, it is hard to replace them on a VA pension, but my son and I have been trying to slowly rebuild our tools. I am teaching him how to do a lotof the different styles of wood working that I have enjoyed over the years, but we are having ( because of finances, we have no other choice) to rely on Harbor Freight tools for a lot of the things we have. having used quality tools in the past, I know they suck, but they get the job done, more or less.
So sorry to hear that. Good luck with rebuilding your tool kit. Keep an eye out for people selling good tools on Facebook marketplace. You can find a good deal every once in a while.
Biscuits.
Wow! Can’t stop listening your content. Thanks.
Glad you enjoy it!