Outfitting a shop

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jyreene

jyreene

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Okay, I posted while back asking for some feedback regarding outfitting a new shop, http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=43168

I am still a few months away so bargains at the time could change things but I'm at work and the means I have nothing to do so I figured I would change the question from the previous post.

If you had around $2,500 that you and your wife were going to spend on setting up a wood shop, for pen making, turning other projects (read bowls, pepper mills, other objects) and making small things (possible more rocking horses depending on number of kids we decide to have and how many fingers I still have after making the first one) what would you buy? It will be a two car garage set-up (would be nice to have room for a car even if we don't use it for a car) and neither of us have any saw dust or wood allergies so I don't know if dust collection is a must.

Guidelines would be:

1. Must include a lathe.
2. Some sharpening system for the tools we have
3. Can include some other tools (we have turning tools)
4. Can't be so big or heavy that PCSing (Permanent Change of Station) would force us to sell or leave behind.
5. Can't cost more than $3,000

This is something my wife plans on doing as a side to being a stay at home mom to make some more spending cash for herself and spoiling of children.

Thanks for you help

and...... GO!!!
 
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A dust collection system is a must unless you are running a very good respirator(self contained air system). Even then, I would run one. I use a triton respirator and a large dust collector. It's not so much the allergies involved, it's more about the long term damage you are doing to your lungs by breathing in all the dust. A lot of the woods we use are carcinogenic.
 
I have a garage shop and can keep two cars in it and still use most of my tools at the same time. Everything is close to the walls in an arc around the cars.

Well lathe wise I would go with some 12x or 16x lathe if you want to do bowls and stuff. The Jet 1220VS or its clones are nice and reasonably priced and sized. A step up from there would be something like a Nova DVR XP which is a 16x20 and weighs in at 150-180 lbs I think so it can be picked up by two folks, bolt it to a sturdy bench and you have the mass to do decent size stuff. Most of the other 16x lathes are quite large.

Any sort of 8" bench grinder, preferably one that has a 1760 RPM option with a Wolverine sharpening system and you are set for sharpening. Nothing fancy on the grinder.

Given your description of the sort of flat work you have in mind, some decent 14" band saw is in order. The Grizzly G0555X is a good bet at $575, it has the muscle to cut large bowl blanks.

Since you will do a mix of flat work and turning, you can't drill it all on a lathe so some sort of Drill Press is in order. I am not sure if you can go with a bench top model or a floor model. They don't tend to be all that different in price.

For flat work, you may need a Table Saw, Jointer and Planer. You can probably get by with a contractor style table saw for a few hundred. Depending on what sort of projects you do will determine if the Jointer and Planer are needed, or if you can get by with some big hand planes.

If you are going to be doing the craft circuit, you may wish to consider focusing on scroll saw work rather then furniture size stuff.

The tool type selection needs to based on your projects. For example if your flat work can be almost all plywood then the jointer / planer are not that important.
 
I agree with what has been said above. I would also suggest some type of collapsable table for the flatwork if you are going to be parking the
car(s) inside. If you are willing to park outside then a good workbench will definitely be useful.

I build all my own benches and tables and have a complete shop (except jointer) in a two car garage and my wife can still park inside. A contractor table saw will do a good job on what you are wanting to do. A drill press, benchtop or floor will be a great asset. I would include a belt/disk sander, I use mine on almost every job. The lathes and bandsaw recommended earlier will do a great job. I have the Grizzly 0555 bandsaw with a riser installed and have been very happy with it.

Dust protection. Just because you don't have allergies now doesn't mean you won't develop a sensitivity as you are exposed over time. In addition the damage you can do to your lungs can be significant.

Good luck
 
For what its worth here are my 2 cents...

Grizzly makes a 3hp 220V dust collector that does a fantastic job. At $450 with free shipping from their site, it's a steal.

Keep and eye out for sales like the one at Woodcraft in Springfield, VA. There is a 15% off everything with out a motor and 10% off with motors sale on the 24th and 25th this month. You may find the sale to get what you need for a good price.

As for a lathe, I would look at the Rikon Midi 16x20, about $300 or so. It is a small enough to move around but big enough to turn some nice sized bowls.

Since you are doing a lot of flat work I would suggest only a contractor saw. Get a decent one and not a granite top one. Sure granite does not rust but it certainly chips easily in the shop! The Rigid 10" at Home Depot is not a bad option. You can find these on craigslist.org for about half of the retail price.

For under $3000 here is my list...

Hope this helps out some. Please get a dust collector of some kind. You will appreciate it in the long run.
 
I think it's great to dream, ahead of time and to look at the tools that are avail..and ask others what they think...but I think you need to start with the projects you BELIEVE you will like doing and get tools for that..if you continue to like, great..if you branch out, then get the tools for that...buying tools willy nilly will bust that 3,000 limit in no time
 
Got to agree with Wolftat. Clean air is essential. I have had GREAT success with http://www.clearvuecyclones.com. It is a father and son shop and they make the best dust collection stuff that I have found. Also, when you call them you are talking to the person that will be making your stuff. Mine performs substantially better than my Grizzly did (which cost more). You can make your own air filtration system for about $50 or less. Just Google "woodshop dust filtration" and you'll many shop built filtration systems that really work. I found a HVAC contractor that gave me all of the squirrel cage blowers,etc to build mine (2 units -big shop). My total cash outlay for both units was less than $70.

Some of the woods, etc that I turn will kill you. So, dust management is not a step you want to omit.
 
Thanks guys. I will look into a dust management system and bring it up to the wife. I know we had wanted to get one eventually but weren't sure if we needed one right away.

Anyone else?
 
setting up a small shop

my vote goes to watching craigs list or ebay for a used Shopsmith. many can be picked up for next to nothing and many include accessories like a bandsaw, jointer and/or belt sander. a shopsmith will do anything a mini lathe will do and more. save the left over money for supplies.
 
I think that a dust collection system is essential. I have a Clearvue cyclone and use it all the time. It is a great system. I think that you should get a couple of tools like a Rikon Midi lathe- I can turn pens, and even bowls up to almost 10". I would also get a bandsaw, I use a Rikon 14" and a drill press, also a Rikon 13", which works nicely. I have used these 3 tools most and slowly bought other tools.
 
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