Power tool recommendations?

[Rexel Matador]

Hi everyone,

I've just moved to a house with a garage so can finally set up a proper workshop for building basses. Does anyone have any recommendations for which bandsaw, drill press and planer/thicknesser I should buy?

All suggestions much appreciated!

Thanks 🙂

[Maude]

You might be better off putting this request in the 'Build Diaries' section. That's where all the wood whisperers gather. 

Stay down wind of them and don't make sudden movements and you should be alright. 

😉

[Waddo Soqable]

The only bit above I'd have knowledge of would be the drill press, and I'd say get an old British made Fobco Star or something similar rather than some Chinese thing.. I've had a couple of old Brit made pillar / bench drills, and they were something daft like 50 quid each, and will last several lifetimes

[HazBeen]

If you are buying new, and want good but not too expensive.

I would get the PBD40 Bosch drill press, it is light and compact but has a very decent light and digital depth gauge. It is accurate enough for building and just really convenient.

Band saw, depends on money you want to spend. I have a Scheppach Basa 1 that I really like, not the biggest table but enough for my builds, but I would probably suggest getting a Basa 2 or a Record Power BS250.

Triton does a great thicknesser, but I would actually recommend getting a jointer/thicknesser. An 8” version would suit most situations and would not cost an arm and leg. I have an Einhell TC-SP204 (many clones of these available all from same OEM) 

 

Edited July 22, 2021 by HazBeen

[FinnDave]

26 minutes ago, HazBeen said:

[…]

Band saw, depends on money you want to spend. I have a Scheppach Basa 1 that I really like, not the biggest table but enough for my builds […]

 

I have one of these I bought for my model making, which I have had to give up due to eyesight problems.

I think I used the bandsaw once, to cut a piece of 1/8" ply. 

I am willing to sell it, along with the spare standard blade a pair of finer ones I bought but have never used.

 

[Rexel Matador]

On 22/07/2021 at 10:32, FinnDave said:

I have one of these I bought for my model making, which I have had to give up due to eyesight problems.

I think I used the bandsaw once, to cut a piece of 1/8" ply. 

I am willing to sell it, along with the spare standard blade a pair of finer ones I bought but have never used.

 

Hi FinnDave, I could well be willing to take you up on this. I am away from home until mid-August though, so can't do anything about it until then. I'll message you when I get back to see if it's still available, but there's no need to wait for me if you find a good home for it in the meantime 🙂

[Rexel Matador]

Thanks everyone for the responses, it's really appreciated. I thought about posting in the Build Diaries section but decided not to as it's not a build diary 🤣  - looks like I've got plenty of good info to go on in any case 👍

[FinnDave]

1 hour ago, Rexel Matador said:

Hi FinnDave, I could well be willing to take you up on this. I am away from home until mid-August though, so can't do anything about it until then. I'll message you when I get back to see if it's still available, but there's no need to wait for me if you find a good home for it in the meantime 🙂

 

No problem - in fact we are planning to visit my wife's cousin & family in Wallasey in early September, so will be fairly near you.

[Jabba_the_gut]

I have a Titan planer thicknesser from Screwfix which is about as cheap as new ones come. I'd be inclined to avoid something like this and buy a better second hand unit. The Titan is VERY noisy, so much so that I am quite conscious as to when I use it which is limiting. I have had to replace a drive belt and a bearing on it (complete pain to do) on a unit that is three years old and pretty lightly used. I replaced it with an Axminster Craft AC250 but that is a massive leap in size and expense!! The Axminster is really quiet, not used it much so far but pleased with it for what I have done.

 

I used a small bandsaw I got off eBay for £20 for quite a few builds and that was fine (I still use it for smaller tasks). Main thing is to get some decent blades - I've bought quite a few from TuffSaws and been very pleased with them. I mainly use a Record BS250 bandsaw now which I'm pretty pleased with. Again, decent blades make the difference. 

 

For a drill press I have used a normal drill in a stand for years (already had the drill, got the stand off FreeCycle!). That has worked well enough but I bought a small Clarke drill press off Facebook marketplace last week for £25 which is really good.

 

Tools are one of those things you can spend any sum on (never get an Axminster catalogue as you'll end up skint!!). Whatever you choose, always spend a bit extra on things like decent router cutters, decent bandsaw blades, decent Forstner bits and drills - in my experience they are well worth the extra. 

 

Look forward to seeing your builds!!

 

Cheers

[JPJ]

General rule is you get what you pay for, and my own ‘workshop’ (shed) is equipped with a variety of tools sourced from Axminster. That said, I’ve recently purchased a small palm router from eBay of all places that is a direct knock off of the equivalent Makita unit which appears to be very good value and should be perfect for working on scratch plates etc.

[Soledad]

Bit late to this but from years of experience I would strongly advise second-hand. I've been through around 5 bandsaws over the years, 3 planer/thicknessers, various cheapo pillar drills etc. It's a really expensive journey!!

SO, pillar drill go British (eBay's a good place to look). I have a Startrite Mercury - green body means made in Gillingham (prob in the 70s). It is a lifetime machine. Just check for wear in the quill (the sliding pillar) but they are super-precise, compact, 3 speed... Fobco really good but maybe a bit big/heavy for purpose.
Bandsaw... you guessed it > Startrite 502 (Green paint = Gillingham build). Almost bomb-proof, I deep-rip 10" hardwood boards into bookmatched panels with it - a handy talent for basses etc. After years of pratting about with various blades I only use Tuffsaws, usually his fastcut 3tpi. Ian there will make almost any blade you can think of including super-thin kerf custom blades. I promise you there are a lot of junk blades out there, and a good blade, well set-up, transforms any bandsaw.

Planer thicknesser - been through Axminster (truly awful); Scheppach (acceptable but really a pain to go from planing to thicknessing) and finally found a single phase Sedgwick (Sheffield 'brick' makers of many years standing). It's a 10" and again a lifetime machine. I concede it cost me around 1100 second-hand which was actually a bargain for what was an unused ex-school machine). 

 

I really believe, and have learned the long and expensive way - buy quality second-hand once. And surprisingly in the field of machine tools, Britain (well, England tbh) has made amongst the very best ever, anywhere. 

[Rexel Matador]

Thanks again everyone - I've been away from the computer for a few days so have only just read the last few posts. Some really useful information here. Seems like second hand might be the way to go - I'll see what's out there!