In an interesting article on Highland Woodworking’s Wood News Online™, Bruce Lamo discusses which woodworking tools he would buy, based on his 30 years of experience, if he were starting over. For example, he would start with three or four hand planes (a low-angle block, a smoothing, a jack, and a jointer: “With these…and some practice, you can go a long time without a planer, jointer, belt sander, and a few other machines.”), a good hand saw, a few good chisels, some clamps, and a scraper. His first power tool would be a good contractor saw, followed by a plunge router.
He says he would not buy a small or medium-sized jointer because of the space they require (e.g., edge joining an 8-foot plank needs 16′ of work space; in this case he would rather move the tool than the material). After the router, he would go for a small planer, and a drill press. He recommends early investing in dust collection.
How about you? Take a look at his list, and see if you agree. If you knew then what you know now, what woodworking tools would you buy to start out? Let us know in comments.
What Woodworking Tools Would I Buy Now… [Wood News Online™]