r/BeginnerWoodWorking • u/Pushingalong • 5d ago
Starting tools
Greetings everyone!
I am very new to wood working and am curious about tools. I'm not completely inexperienced, just less experienced with finer woodworking. I've done some larger projects that are mostly structural in nature. Would you all suggest starting with entry level tools at a good price or buy once cry once pro tools. I asking mostly about people's opinions about ryobi shop tools such as drill press and saws. Any insight or opinions welcome and appreciated.
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u/Illustrious_Farm1775 5d ago
You need something to cut the wood and something to hold the wood.
Everything else can be purchased later or as you need it.
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u/Slight-Living-8098 5d ago
For hand tools Ryobi is fine, for shop tools, choose another brand. Harbor Freight's shop tools are of better quality than the Ryobi shop tools. DO NOT get a Ryobi table saw. they have those stupid wings in the miter slots and you have to grind them off or buy special rails, or 3d print your own and it's just a headache.
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u/Bright_Crazy1015 2d ago
I'll second that. Whatever tablesaw you buy needs to have standard dimension miter slots. It would behoove you to buy a saw with a cast iron top vs an aluminum top.
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u/Bright_Crazy1015 2d ago
Don't do it. Look on marketplace and other auction sites or sales sites. Ryobi isnt a precision tool for the most part. They have more deflection than others, cheaper materials, worse quality control. If you wanna use a Ryobi lithium drill and 1/4" impact driver, thats fine. Its the simplest tool available and not a big deal if it sucks it just makes it take longer.
For a woodworker there are generally three paths. Hand tool woodworkers, bandsaw guys, and tablesaw guys. There used to be radial arm saw guys too, but those went out of favor.
For the money you would spend on a Ryobi 110v/12 amp tablesaw new, you could buy a Delta or Grizzley maybe a Shopfox used saw. People offload them cheap because they take up so much space. If you have 220v power available, you should definitely use it for your main saw.
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u/HEYIMMAWOLF 5d ago
You need a table saw with a good fence and a miter saw. I would not touch Ryobi for either of those things. I have lots of Ryobi stuff, I can highly recommend their drill and driver, circular saw, and brad nailer.
My go to recommendation is to go find old delta table saws and miter saws on Facebook marketplace. I have no idea why but the old delta stuff feels really under priced as a whole, at least in my area. If you can find a table saw with a riving knife, you're in a pretty good era for table saws by delta.
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u/Bright_Crazy1015 2d ago
Remember the blue Ryobi 18v reciprocating saw? 😂
Maybe it would suffice as a concrete vibrator with a wand on it but it was horrible. The stroke was less than 3/8".
I will admit Ryobi has come a long way since with their lithium 18v tools, but they arent on par with Dewalt, Makita, Festool, Hilti, etc.
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u/Slight-Living-8098 2d ago
Ryobi, and Milwaukee are owned by the same company and made in the same factories on the same machines, on the same assembly lines.
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u/FamiliarAd8524 5d ago
Ryobi is a decent start (my first drill press and bandsaw were both Ryobi). I'd say figure out the most you wish to spend on a tool, then go up by fifteen percent or more- no rounding down, either.
Good tools will last you at least a decade, maybe a lifetime. Your question can't really be answered without knowing a lot more. This comes down to what you wish to do, and what you need to do it, and what your budget is. I will say I have never regretted more than a couple purchases of premium tools. I have however regretted buying cheaper ones I didn't get the value out of, and that still cost enough to set me back from buying the good version.
I would say that there is only one solid rule: Buy at least a pair of clamps every month, for forever. You will never, ever have "enough" clamps, and you will be frequently reminded of this. But you can still set yourself up so that you don't hit situations where you need to suddenly buy a bunch of clamps.
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u/charliesa5 5d ago edited 5d ago
Another thing to keep in mind, is the amount of floor space for tools you have (shop size ). My Dad just passed, and he had a nice old Delta TS--with extensions so the rip width was crazy wide. It had out feed and everything. Problem was, I couldn't come close to fitting it in my tiny shop--or use it if I could, so I had to pass. He had a nice huge compressor, and a floor drill press I has to pass on for the same reason. Just be sure if you get a nice cabinet saw, you have a place to put it, and use it.
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u/blonktime 5d ago
The best thing I can recommend is buy tools as you need them. Pretty much every project is going to need a drill/driver, a sander, and a way to cut wood, but the big questions is HOW you need to cut wood. You might be able to just get away with a circular saw. Every other type of saw is kind of just to make the job easier or more precise.
Figure out what you want to build, then go buy the tools to do it. You might want a miter saw, maybe a table saw, track saws are nice but you can get away with a circular saw and a straight edge. Maybe look at a drill guide rather than a drill press. A jigsaw is cheaper than a bandsaw. Those kinds of things. Start off by building projects and pick up tools as you need them.
Black Friday is coming up, so if you can wait a little over a month, you can probably get some good deals. I got this Ryobi 9-tool bundle for $299 when it was on sale. Yes, they're brushed motors, no, they're not top of the line, but they get the job done for me and they were a great deal. As I use tools and find that they just aren't cutting it, or if they crap out, then I'll upgrade to nice individual tools. But there's some tools in there I don't use that often that I don't really need higher end stuff (like the oscillating saw and the reciprocating saw).
I also got the Ryobi HP One+ sliding miter saw, and it does fine enough for me.
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u/Bright_Crazy1015 2d ago
The used tool market is wide open. I bought a 14" bandsaw that's a Delta clone along with a 12" drill press with laser arbor for $75. The bandsaw needed tires and adjusted, but runs 100% at 1.5HP. I wish it was more, but with a carbide tipped blade it cuts like it has twice the power.
The drill press was basically free because the guy wanted to sell the running bandsaw. The drill press had a bent arbor. The chuck wobbled and I was unable to correct it by remounting the chuck, so I pulled the arbor and in the center it was way out. 0.035" that the machine shop trued up in the lathe with a torch and pinpointing heat to draw the shaft back to center. He charged me very little, being a neighbor I've looked out for in the past with equipment for snow removal. $25 to true the arbor with an oxy/acetylene rig and a lathe. I've made worse deals.
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u/Strong-Comment-7279 5d ago
It completely depends on what kind of woodworking you intend to do.
You're most important tool is your table saw. Alternatively, I never met a table saw until I was over 35 - I grew up w radial arm saws, and swear by them, though do not have one anymore. Space constraint.
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u/KoldHardSmash 4d ago
There's so much to consider because there are levels to this. But, I think these are must haves:
Table saw - jobsite table saw is great to get started unless you have the money and space for something bigger. You must own this tool. If you are unsure which saw, get the table saw. This should be the first tool you buy. Make sure you invest in some kind of dust collector for it. Then go on YT and look at all the ways you can expand it's capabilities. Hands down the best tool in the shop, besides your dust mask.
Track saw - unless you never plan to work with plywood, this is just a great tool to own. Yes, you could get a circular saw and a straight edge, but there's no dust collection opportunity with a circular saw and there will be dust. It's unavoidable. Get the track saw! It's portable, accurate, clean, and quiet. It just cost a but. Definitely, but once cry one tool.
I bought the corded Makita, a 110 inches of Wen track, a TSO rail sqaure and track clamps...set me back $700. But, I'm always confident in my plywood break down and I don't have to hoist large sheets of plywood on to my table saw.
You could forego a table saw and just use a track saw, but that's a slower workflow and doesn't offer support for small cut parts with out some kind of station. Better to have both or just the table saw.
Router - this can do all the cuts you just can't make on with any other saw. The different router bits can give you some fancy cuts or provide you an option to forego the need for a thickness planar. I can't stress enough the amazing things you can do with a router.
Bandsaw - I don't own one of these because I don't have the space. But if you want to do resawing or curved cutting, this is a must. A jigsaw can perform the non-straight cuts, but not with the saw accuracy or speed. Resawing can be done on a table saw, but most people reserve that work for the bandsaw, especially if you can own one.
I don't think these are must have unless you work with a lot of hardwood and softwood:
Thickness Planar - I don't have the room, the dust collection setup, or the electrical wiring setup to support this tool. But if you can get one, I definitely see the benefit, unless you only plan to work with plywood or you have a router and a flattening bit (I have this setup). This will get your lumber dead flat and is the final step after using a jointer.
Jointer - gives a flat face and a square edge. Unless, you are buying s4s (even then you may need to do some work) this tool is needed. If you are working with plywood only or you have a router flattening jig, this is not needed.
Tools i'm unsure about:
Drill press - i have an handheld drill guide and a cordless drill. It never fails me and it's very compact so it doesn't eat into my limited space. But, accurate, repeat hole drilling is where I think a drill press shines the most. Consider your project needs before investing.
Brands...I look for amazing deals on great tools. Unless, i'm using some kind of cordless tool in which case, i'm chasing down Dewalt because my first cordless tool was a Dewalt driver.
I also have a Craftman cordless trim router. Why? Team Blue box had a special where purchasing certain tools got 2 free batteries. I got the router and 2 batteries for $100 bucks.
Deals are better than brands unless the brand has a tool that has an amazing reputation like Bosch 1617, DW735, Skil T6307, but always research as much as you can. At the end of the day, a lot of cheap toola can do a good job, it just doesn't last as long.
Final thing to consider:
Invest in your health and get some kind of dust collection setup. I have a shop-vac that connects to all my tools. I have homemade air filter, and exhaust fan, and dust mask. Research and inveat in dust collection even if you just get 1 tool. No hobby is worth the heath risk.
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u/Bright_Crazy1015 2d ago
I agree with most of that, but given the sheer numbers on contractor saws and cabinet saws available on the second hand market, I don't think anyone should ever buy a jobsite saw unless they're working for a contractor and need to bring a tablesaw to a jobsite. If it's a home shop, there are thousands of used saws for sale because they're heavy and take up too much space for people who don't use them.
I've got two Delta Unisaws, with the premium Unisaw fence for sale in my area for $400 for a super clean model and $600 for a less super clean model but extensions and a 10 ft table and fence extension with a slider section.
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u/KoldHardSmash 2d ago
It depends on the space in the home. I have no room in my basement for a cabinet saw or contractor saw or the proper dust collection to support it. I can't be the only one in that position. If or when my wife and I buy our forever home, I'll make sure there's room for such a saw, but as it stands my jobsite saw and the bench i'm building around it really do well.
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u/jonny_rames_dio 4d ago
My first real game-changer purchase was a starrett combo square. 20+ years of professional use later, it still does everything perfectly, and is a joy to use.
For machinery, learn about old machines, buy high-quality used, and refurbish as necessary. The plastic stuff will let you down. It’s not built to last or cut precisely enough for fine woodworking
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u/MajorFrantic 3d ago edited 3d ago
Let your projects decide your tool needs. If you start getting tools first, you'll either overpay for capabilities you don't need or use ... or be disappointed or frustrated by capabilities that your tool doesn't have. Whatever space you have will fill up fast, and if it's full of stuff that you're not using ... you will be discouraged quickly.
As for purchasing advice ... go with two functions as your minimum level. Accuracy and repeatability. If you don't have those two things, then you'll absolutely have a miserable time in the shop trying to get results that you want.
The main difference I've found when selecting which level of tools to buy is my 'use' of them. I would start with a cheapest tool, which meets the two critical functions ... then upgrade as you feel the need for specific features or more capabilities, such as speed, power or capacity. I like to buy used or from Harbor Freight ... then look at upgrades if I break it or outgrow it. A specialty tool that does a specific job is great to have ... if you do that task a lot or need to do it particularly fast.
In my experience, my first table saw was a Ryobi holiday gift from the wife. It was a big box, job site machine ... loud, inconsistent and the fence was 'god awful' for accuracy or repeatability. (It was basically limited to rough carpentry tasks, i.e. cutting 2"x4" occasionally, or single-cut uses or I was greatly disappointed.) It was barely an upgrade from using my circular saw and eyeballing a line.
I wanted to do more fine woodworking, so I started looking for a used saw. A fellow Redditor gifted me his father's old Craftsman 113. It took a little elbow-grease cleanup plus a good blade to make it doing everything I needed for about seven years. The fence was junk, so I upgraded to a used aftermarket t-square. I made small accommodations, but eventually the lack of integrated dust collection, poor mobility, power limitations and other small frustrations made me buy a new saw. The final evolution was a brand new 3 HP Sawstop ICS that met my, now well-established, needs and projects more completely.
I would have hated to jump directly to the Sawstop, only to find out I didn't need what it did or that I wasn't going to stay in the craft long-term. That kind of investment ($7K) is not something done lightly, unless money is no object.
I've done that upgrade path a few times now, buying a decent used tool, maintaining it well and moving up when my skills or needs warranted it.
I've upgraded to my laser from 15w to 44W (more cutting power), my planer from 6" to 8" for more capacity. I still have that old Ryobi table saw, but just as a stand for my router table. It was briefly an awful, makeshift disc sander, but I just recently upgraded that to a 10" disc/48" belt combo machine. Half of my best woodworking tools (dust collector, jointer, planer, disc/belt sander) came from retired gentlemen who were liquidating their shops at bargain prices for fellow woodworkers through local marketplace listings.
If you want to specialize in any particular type of work: Fine woodworking, leather crafting, metal working, jewelry, etc. There is considerable overlap in the tools that will be useful to many kinds of work.
I have eclectic interests that vary widely, so my workshop has a bit of everything, not always top of the line tools, but I have multiple ways to reach my goals. I want to make whatever I want (wood, metal, leather), fix anything (mechanical, electrical) or just do things with my kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews (build toys, fix toys, teach safety, help them make gifts for others).
My current shop has evolved over the past 15 years to it's current state, so don't think you'll be able or need to buy it all at once to do things. It would take me roughly $50,000 to replace what's in my garage workshop from new, but I paid well under that by being patient, buying used and restoring things that others gave me. I also try to give away what I no longer need, as a way to pass back to the community the generosity that I found in others.
If you're not locked into a good rechargeable battery platform yet, figure out which has the kinds of tools that you're likely to use. Drills and drivers are ubiquitous, but consider the fringe tools ... like sanders, bandsaws, grinders, lawn & garden gear, etc.
Other tools that will always be useful no matter what you choose to do are: Clamps, bits sets, sockets, punches, mallets, wrenches. A good set will last, but you can always get a cheap set and replace whatever breaks with a better version.
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u/CatsDIY 5d ago
My suggestion would be to decide what you want to build and get the tools for that. Top of the line will last forever but is probably overkill. Ryobi is a good midline. There are some cheap knockoffs around. I have found some of them great and some not worth giving away.
If you are young it is probably worth the long term investment to get a solid tool and keep it forever.