# Question Of The Week... (2022 week 48)



## ripjack13 (Dec 4, 2022)

*Besides the primary ones (table saw, miter, planer, etc) what tools have you guys found especially helpful? (What are the best-kept secrets of your woodworking shops?)*



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**Rules**
There is no minimum post requirement,
primates, woodticks, wood spinners, and leprechauns are welcome to post an answer.
I know exactly where my pencil is.

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## Ray D (Dec 4, 2022)

Drum sander. I had wanted one for many years but could not justify the price. I had the opportunity to pick one up and after a lot of good advice through WoodBarter I worked out a deal.

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## Mike1950 (Dec 4, 2022)

DC is most important and bandsaws. I say DC because you need your lungs and if bandsaw is running. So is DC

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## 2feathers Creative Making (Dec 4, 2022)

I probably have 3 grinders see up with different heads. Diamond edge for metal. Burr heads for shaping. Flap sander for rough finish of odd shaped pieces.

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## woodtickgreg (Dec 4, 2022)

I agree with Mike, DC has been a game changer for me after years of not having any. Next I would say having dedicated sanders of various kinds, drum, disc, and spindle. They just are very helpful for shaping and time savers. 
And last but not least my chainsaw mill, it has allowed me to acquire so much wood that I couldn't afford to buy. Without wood there is no wood working, it was a game changer for me and got me out of big box store wood.

Reactions: Like 5 | Agree 2


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## 2feathers Creative Making (Dec 4, 2022)

woodtickgreg said:


> I agree with Mike, DC has been a game changer for me after years of not having any. Next I would say having dedicated sanders of various kinds, drum, disc, and spindle. They just are very helpful for shaping and time savers.
> And last but not least my chainsaw mill, it has allowed me to acquire so much wood that I couldn't afford to buy. Without wood there is no wood working, it was a game changer for me and got me out of big box store wood.


Yep. Csm is a gateway drug... Makes a poor person want things they cant afford. And let's you imagine that with just a couple more things you will be all set to work.

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## Arn213 (Dec 4, 2022)

The jointer planer and a bandsaw- they go hand in hand for my use to re-saw billets for tops/sides/fretboards and for book-matching in general. The planer comes in 3rd for material thickness consistency for plates, but the jointer planer could do that for me if need be.

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## DLJeffs (Dec 4, 2022)

I'm finding my Dremel with small router bits to be very useful for small projects where fine detail joints and stuff are needed. I have the base plate with adjustment screws, which allows for exact depth of cut. Plus I can figure out a way to clamp a straight edge in the right place and run the edge of the base plate along it to make some really clean, very exact dados and rabbets.

Reactions: Like 5 | Way Cool 1


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## trc65 (Dec 4, 2022)

Low angle block plane. Absolutely a must for me to have one around whether doing construction work, fine joinery, or renovation work. I've got 4-5 of them positioned in various places- shop, garage, basement, etc.

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## Sprung (Dec 4, 2022)

Dust collector was a game changer. I owned several machines before I bought a DC. After I finally got a DC, I realized it was soemthing I should have bought earlier. It's not as fun of a purchase as another machine that adds more capability to your shop, like a saw or lathe, but it's definitely a purchase that should be prioritized early on. (Along with an air cleaner and a respirator - hey, you only get one set of lungs.)

In that realm, in addition to a respirator for dust, a respirator that can handle vapors is extremely important too for doing finishing or paint work or working with nasty chemicals. I have one of these and it has been great. Again, you only get one set of lungs.

The Microjig Grr-ripper push blocks were something I saw and thought they were overpriced for what they are. I was able to buy a pair of them second hand, barely used, for about half off retail. Yeah, after using them, I understood why some people like them so much. I still think they're priced a bit high, but they are so nice, I'd pay retail for them.

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## Sprung (Dec 4, 2022)

Maybe a tangential thought to this - a secret of the shop - is having a well rounded shop. The better equipped your shop is, the more possibilities that open up as to what kinds of projects you can make or what design possibilities you can delve into. Or even what problems you can solve.

Couple minor examples:
1. Several years ago I was building a small cabinet. I needed a knob for the door. I didn't like any of the few I had on hand for it, and felt something smaller and in wood would work better. So I turned a small knob out of ebony for it. Even if you really don't want to dive deep into turning, a lathe can be a nice addition to a flatworker's shop. (Other examples of other machines can easily be made. For example, some cuts are much easier and/or safer to make some certain saws than they are on others.)
2. I was restoring a late 1930's Delta 24" scroll saw. I had bought a belt guard from someone for it, but I still needed to acquire the standoffs/mounts for it. Those are very hard to find, and expensive if you can find someone who has a set they will part with. I found a diagram someone had made with the dimensions and I made my own set out of aluminum, using my late uncle's Taig MicroLathe.

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## 2feathers Creative Making (Dec 4, 2022)

Sprung said:


> Maybe a tangential thought to this - a secret of the shop - is having a well rounded shop. The better equipped your shop is, the more possibilities that open up as to what kinds of projects you can make or what design possibilities you can delve into. Or even what problems you can solve.
> 
> Couple minor examples:
> 1. Several years ago I was building a small cabinet. I needed a knob for the door. I didn't like any of the few I had on hand for it, and felt something smaller and in wood would work better. So I turned a small knob out of ebony for it. Even if you really don't want to dive deep into turning, a lathe can be a nice addition to a flatworker's shop. (Other examples of other machines can easily be made. For example, some cuts are much easier and/or safer to make some certain saws than they are on others.)
> 2. I was restoring a late 1930's Delta 24" scroll saw. I had bought a belt guard from someone for it, but I still needed to acquire the standoffs/mounts for it. Those are very hard to find, and expensive if you can find someone who has a set they will part with. I found a diagram someone had made with the dimensions and I made my own set out of aluminum, using my late uncle's Taig MicroLathe.


I am no professional restorer but have managed to take on projects that required required custom aluminum or brass knobs and uses low speed on pen lathe to shape a replacement that would otherwise have required using non standard hardware.
That was on a mahogany buffet . The more tools the better. As long as they are quality tools.

Reactions: Like 5 | Agree 1


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## Jonkou (Dec 4, 2022)

Dust collection and air filtration. A bag dust collector is permanently attached to the belt sander and another with a HEPA filter is portable and used mostly for sanding at the lathe. An air filter runs on low whenever I’m in production sanding mode. Use a respirator for all operations that create airborne particulate, safety and health are always top priority.

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## duncsuss (Dec 4, 2022)

SWAG Offroad "Portaband Table". It converts a Portaband saw into a miniature table-top bandsaw - perfect for small metal work (such as cutting out sheet metal to make pen clips) as well as trimming pen blanks to length.

(They have different attachment plates for different brands - I'm using it with a HarborFright one that I bought using a gift voucher.)

Reactions: Like 3 | Creative 1 | Useful 2


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## Tom Smart (Dec 4, 2022)

Dust Collection is obviously essential and something I backed into. Shoulda been first on the list, which is what I tell anyone just starting out.

For production work my drum sander, hands down, gets the most use.

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## Mike Hill (Dec 5, 2022)

In order of what I use most - a tabletop belt sander and my JawHorse and then a compound sliding miter saw

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## T. Ben (Dec 5, 2022)

Palm sander and disc/belt sander.

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## eaglea1 (Dec 5, 2022)

Woodbarter.com is my best learning tool.

Reactions: Like 3 | Great Post 4


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## Nature Man (Dec 5, 2022)

Bench model belt sander! Chuck

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## phinds (Dec 5, 2022)

My floor model belt sander is essential in making my bowls. My RAS is also, but it's very much a primary tool and used for lots of stuff. The belt sander could be considered secondary for many people (but not me).

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## Maverick (Dec 6, 2022)

Well, I am going to second Mikes 'jawhorse' as one of the tools in my shop that I would have a hard time doing without. I remodeled my home, built a deck and erected an aluminum cover by myself. There are so many things that it provide me a second set of hands and/or support that I can not imagine trying to do them without it.

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## Gdurfey (Dec 8, 2022)

okay, going a different direction than most, but this was my very first thought when I saw the question: I can't live without my battery powered impact driver and drill/driver duo!!! My palm ROS is right behind those 2 a ways. I think I have more alternatives for sanding than I do driving/drilling. That duo brings all the pieces together from the big tools into a project.

Reactions: Like 5 | Agree 2


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