Retirement workshop - which machines to buy?

[adhb]

There’s generally 5 bands of quality.

Bottom Tier:

Cheap Chinese stuff that is poor quality. Record power, Axminster, SIP, iTech. Anything DM Tools sell as machinery

2) Cheap Chinese gear that is over priced and generally of poor quality. Axminster, laguna, ITech, Bosch, Dewalt, Nova.

Jet is a funny one. They are better than most but I’m still not sold. I think they’re still bottom tier but could be lower mid. They straddle the line.

Lower Mid Tier:

3) European professional brands with Chinese manufacturing. Not all great but still better than (1) & (2). Minimax’, Hammer, AJAX (Chinese end). Felder gear under the 700 series, so 500 series etc.

-Honorary mention to Sedgwick. Considered more ‘agricultural’ machinery.

Mid Tier:

4) European made, SCM, Felder. Casadai, Centuara? (Italian bandsaws).

Most stuff that comes out of italy, that isn’t SCM, is a bit ropey ime. Casadai isn’t too bad as it’s rebadged SCM stuff (for the most part) but isn’t quite the same quality.

Upper Tier:

5) Martin, Parnhans, SCM l’invincible

I would stay away from cheap gear. Record power, bosch, dewalt, Axminster, laguna (overpriced), Startrite. Anything DM Tools or Axminster would would sell.
It’s all drop shipped Chinese stuff that is pure pot luck.
This is a retirement workshop, not a starters workshop but price is king.

2) For a planer/thicknesser try to get a real SCM (not minimax), Felder etc.. At worse Casadai. Make sure to get Helical cutters.

3) All Chinese pillar drills are made by Rexon, you just decide what level you want, or badge name. Don’t be fooled by Optimum, it’s Chinese. Axminster drills are imo uniquely poor quality.
Speak to Oscia tools. They often have good used Meddings drills, woodpecker (rjh still chinese) Don’t buy anything pre 1970 Fabco etc..

3) For a Bandsaw get a Felder FB310? FB510, SCM, etc.. all under £4k

4) Instead of a panel saw you could get a wall mounted panel saw. Not as good but take up less space, easier to load. Or get the base model Altendorf. You can cut anything on a sliding panel saw. There are jigs and tricks to do it all, unlike what a previous commenter said. They are by far imo the best machine in the shop.
You can cross cut, rip, make accurate repeatable cuts. I have a felder and cut whole slabs (maple, poplar, whatever).
However they do gake up the most space.

To summarise:

Bench drill: lightly used Meddings (they did make some in china so pay attention to that re: price), woodpecker (chinese)bit expensive but higher end of the Chinesium line. Optimum at worst.

Bandsaw: Felder FB, SCM

Planer/thicknesser: SCM, Felder (helical cutter). Minimax at worst. Stay away from Axminsters planers.

Small Panel Saw: Altendorf. Used felder 700, Hammer at worst.

I’d take up matey selling his felder gear. If it’s been well looked after you’d likely do very well.

There is a significant leap in quality between Felder and SCM (mid tier European) than all the Chinese/Taiwan stuff. Night and day difference. Get good used European made and you’ll very happy.

I would lastly add that all of the above I’ve told you to avoid doesn’t mean there aren’t some gems in there and that people haven’t or can’t do perfectly good work on them. I’m just sticking to a general rule of thumb, that maybe unfair but is based on my experiences and often the experience of customers, if you check reviews.

Many thanks Delaney, much to mull over. Lots of names I've not come across before, especially the high quality ones. It will all come down to money of course, together with size and the practicality of getting items to my new home in Scotland.
I'll chug through your list and try to chart a sensible way forward.
Thanks again

 

[Delaney]

As a heads up, I’ve always used a courier company called Hatchback Couriers, based out of Luton.
They’ve driven across the country for me and picked up many 500kg + machines, for £150 a time, when everyone else was charging £400+
Not sure they cover Scotland but likely would for a price.

 

[adhb]

As a heads up, I’ve always used a courier company called Hatchback Couriers, based out of Luton.
They’ve driven across the country for me and picked up many 500kg + machines, for £150 a time, when everyone else was charging £400+
Not sure they cover Scotland but likely would for a price.

Many thanks. Top tip

 

[Inspector]

Since your shop is in the future you have time to read and learn about dust collection. Here is a link that summarizes it.

https://billpentz.blogspot.com

And here is a more detailed one of the same. It will take you quite a while to go through. A hard read but as it also tells you how to make and design one, well worth the effort. You won't to my knowledge be able to buy one as good in the UK.

http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/index.php

Pete

 

[adhb]

Since your shop is in the future you have time to read and learn about dust collection. Here is a link that summarizes it.

https://billpentz.blogspot.com

And here is a more detailed one of the same. It will take you quite a while to go through. A hard read but as it also tells you how to make and design one, well worth the effort. You won't to my knowledge be able to buy one as good in the UK.

http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/index.php

Pete

Thanks Pete. Looks pretty comprehensive, will be an interested read.

 

[Morag Jones]

Thanks Pete. Looks pretty comprehensive, will be an interested read.

After advice from Inspector and the gang from this forum, thank you, I went down the road of installed ducting (6” with 4” tee offs) along the whole workshop. The cyclone machine is outside but under cover and screened for noise and from prying eyes. I’m just a hobbyist and am retired and can honestly say that getting this done at the outset was the very best decision for me. One project here morphs into another without a break and I might not have done the extraction installation if I’d left it to a later date!

All the best for your move.

 

[adhb]

After advice from Inspector and the gang from this forum, thank you, I went down the road of installed ducting (6” with 4” tee offs) along the whole workshop. The cyclone machine is outside but under cover and screened for noise and from prying eyes. I’m just a hobbyist and am retired and can honestly say that getting this done at the outset was the very best decision for me. One project here morphs into another without a break and I might not have done the extraction installation if I’d left it to a later date!

All the best for your move.

Thank you!
Really finding this advice invaluable, very much appreciated. An installed system is most definitely what I'll aim for, but must admit I'm rather daunted by the prospect. I have more questions but don't want to tax the patience of the good people on the forum.

 

[spiritburner]

Agreed! I'm interested to know what dust extraction you're using... I've got a cheap Lumberjack, but it's noisy, filter is hard work and hose keeps contracting/shortening. Not very impressed.

I actually built my own. I don't know if you're aware but in this part of Spain it's actually legal to grow your own marijuana at home as long as it's not visible on the street and it's for personal consumption.

I simply bolted together two of the marijuana air extraction devices which are used when you're growing quite a lot of plants inside in a controlled atmosphere. These cylinders are about 1.2 m long and 500 mm across use filter material around them and on the bottom I bolt on a special centrifugal fan which you get from the grow shop , which can move very large volumes of air and I have found those very useful linked to a cyclone and my standard one 110 mm extraction system in the workshop.

Actually, a lot cheaper than anything purpose made believe it or not, half the time the equipments the same, next time I'm in the workshop I'll try a couple of pictures and post them minus the plants of course

 

[adhb]

I actually built my own. I don't know if you're aware but in this part of Spain it's actually legal to grow your own marijuana at home as long as it's not visible on the street and it's for personal consumption.

I simply bolted together two of the marijuana air extraction devices which are used when you're growing quite a lot of plants inside in a controlled atmosphere. These cylinders are about 1.2 m long and 500 mm across use filter material around them and on the bottom I bolt on a special centrifugal fan which you get from the grow shop , which can move very large volumes of air and I have found those very useful linked to a cyclone and my standard one 110 mm extraction system in the workshop.

Actually, a lot cheaper than anything purpose made believe it or not, half the time the equipments the same, next time I'm in the workshop I'll try a couple of pictures and post them minus the plants of course

Ha! Well I wasn't expecting that answer. Very enterprising.
Must be difficult woodworking under all that UV light though Only joking.
Thanks for the info would certainly be interesting to see a pic sometime.