What machines?

[implanecrazy]

HI All.

I'm new here & have about £2500 burning a hole in my pocket.

If you had £2500 to spend on woodworking machine/s what would you buy?

I was thinking of buying a jet 250 super saw,
jet 260 planer/thicknesser,
SIP 1 inch heavy duty mortiser on stand,
SIP dust extractor.

This little lot comes to just under £2300 Inc VAT locally.

I already have a 14" SIP band saw
SIP 10" sliding mitre on stand
plus various hand tools.

I was looking at some tools locally today & the build quality of the jet tools over the sip seem far superior but then again so was the price. But I was reading some of the post on this site & notice that some of the jet planner/thicknessers had a problem with the fence not being true, so are the jet tools as good as they look?

£2500 is a lot of money to me, but I only plan on buying the machine/s once so want the best I can get for the money. A Table saw is a must have, Question is which one? The other tools can wait & can be added in the future if needed.

I was originally considering buying the record TS300 ELB & not a lot else, as I know a good table saw is the heart of the workshop. Record have some deals on at the moment & the above saw with sliding carriage comes in at £2000 + delivery, which is a lot of money for a saw.

Basically I would appreciate any advice as I don't want to make a costly mistake. I only have a 16 X 8 shed, but will be increasing its size to 16X12 in the spring so space is limited.

One thing I forgot to mention is I live in the Scottish Highlands, so not too many places around here for me to view machines.

 

[andycorleone]

have you think in buy a combination machine like this:

http://www.poolewood.co.uk/acatalog/cop ... chine.html

 

[implanecrazy]

Are they any good?

I thought about a combination, but was wondering how reliable they are & how accurate etc.

 

[Pete Robinson]

Just to remind you that the DM Tool show is on next weekend 16th - 18th Nov. This would be an excellent opportunity for you to off-load all that cash in one go!! See alot of the different makers under one roof and get some really good deals, some suppliers do all sorts of deals at the shows, special prices, no VAT etc and if you go on the last day of the show alot of them sell the display machines at a real bargain!! May be worth a look!!

 

[mr]

... and the Yandles "show" starts this Thusday. (8th).

Cheers Mike

 

[implanecrazy]

IM working from 09:00 Wednesday 07 -11 untill 09:00 the following wednesday (168 hrs).

I done an AA route check for the DM tool show & it is 601 miles from me, so I won't be travelling that far!

The Record combi c26 plus looks good on the DM website but its just a little out of my price range, I could always ask if they can do a deal on the special they are running at the moment. I wouldn't want the basic one as It would cost me loads to update it to the plus version which seems better all round, "but what do I know"!

My biggest concern with a combination bench is if one of the tools don't work as good as it should or maybe wears out, then the rest of the machine will suffer, but it would save me a great deal of space.

 

[ByronBlack]

I wouldn't touch record 'power' tools or machinery with a rusty finger. Jet IMHO has a much better reputation for build quality and performance. They are also a lightyear ahead of SIP in terms of quality.

I would go with your original list, but substitute the SIP mortiser for either a Jet one, or the floor-standing Axminster model, that comes with a very good reputation, and Axminster's delivery policy is very good, and with the weight of all the Iron, they'll help you get it into your shed.

Good luck fitting it all in though!

If you are stuck for space, I have a link that shows how to create a tool laden workshop in a single car garage and makes the most of the space. I've since changed to this layout and it's like a different workshop.

 

[OPJ]

If you're looking for a 10" wide planer-thicknesser with a reliable fence then you may be interested in Axminster's upgraded AW106PT2, which now comes with a cast iron fence - as I mentioned elsewhere. :wink:

Byron, I'd also be interested to see your setup in a single car garage, if you'd be so kind? :wink:

 

[ByronBlack]

here's the link to the article and excellent information/photographs:

My layout is now virtually identical, and working in it is a lot more pleasurable.

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/ ... x?id=29505

 

[OPJ]

Thanks for this, Byron. Looks like it'll take me a lot of work some day, but that big chest freezer and unused sunbed will both be getting the shove! :wink:

 

[ByronBlack]

You can use the freezer to cryogenically 'improve' your plane blades, and you can use the sunbed to artificially age cherry - both very useful additions to the workshop

 

[ProShop]

I'll give a second vote for the Axminster P/T AW106PT2.
I had some time back the previous model and it worked well. The thing I like about it most was that every conceivable adjustment is there, so you can set it up well, (You need to setup these machines to get the very best out of them).

And I'll also give a second vote for giving the Record Power machines a miss. It'll take to long to give my reasons, lets say I learned my lesson well.

Have a good look around on the morticer, the SIP had a gas strut for the return pressure and failed with constant use, try & find one with a counter weight or balance.

IMHO I would also look for a dust extractor with a 0.5 micron filter cartridge for a small workshop, you'll not regret buying one.

Good Luck

 

[OPJ]

Hah, thanks Byron!

I found out at college last week that a big empty freezer is a good place to store all your spirits and finishes down the bottom of your garden, away from the 'shop. Apparently, it can help with your insurance is you're looking to go it alone and keep a large amount of 'flammables' available as stock... :wink:

 

[Waterdiddy]

I just bought the FOX 7/8" from Rutlands and I must say, t's a very heavyweight machine. Build quality is super and it copes with all the stuff I've chucked at it. It's a smidge under 38kg!!

As for the saw, I'm a Unisaw clone man, so I'd have to go JET super saw - think the 250, or the Excalibur - nice.

 

[implanecrazy]

I have decided on the Jet super saw & the jet planner/thicknesser. Main reason was that it was from a localish supplier (65miles away) & they gave me a better price than I could find anywhere on the net. I got the pair for £1755 inclusive. IM going to take the advise from some of the members on this forum & buy a dust extractor that can filter down to 0.5 microns.

The morticer I shall hold back on for a while & keep an eye out for a one with a counter balance, even if it ends up being a secondhand one.

Next thing is to try & sort my shed out to fit it all in "looks like a few trips to the tip"! The link above that ByronBlack put up should help with my shed layout.