Wood working, furniture building thread

[BCM1323654788]

Looking to get started building shelves, furniture, etc around my house as a hobby and to gain the skill of woodworking as I think I'd have a knack for it and enjoy it.

Would you buy woodworking tools with a cord or cordless if you had the choice?

Home Depot has a fairly large set of Rigid tools that are cordless on sale, however, there are corded counterparts that would probably work just as well (minus the occasional cord in the way) that would be a lot cheaper.

I'd be concerned with having to replace batteries or spend a lot of money on tools in general as my goal is to supply my house with furniture and give myself a way to build things out of wood in the future. Corded tools would be good for longer, whereas the cordless models might become outdated.

I guess some tools would just come in handy to be cordless, and some could be corded and not be as much of a hassle?

What do you guys think? Recommended brands and models? Are most tools going "cordless"? I don't see as many corded models listed to be in stock at my local Home Depot.

 

[gh1950]

For drilling, driving screws, cordless is o.k.

For serious woodworking, you are going to want plug in power tools. I haven't found a cordless electric saw yet that you could finish even a small project with. Good wood will just kill the batteries. You also want the stability of stand alone tools for the accuracy.

The HD house brand Ridgid will replace the batteries for free if you register the tool when you buy it. If you go that way, KEEP the receipt and the BOX.

OTOH there are people living in apartments in NY who are doing woodworking just with cordless tools.

Get on a couple of local auction lists, start reading garage sale ads, and you can find a lot of table top saws, drill presses, and so on at steep discount. Usually not top of the line but good enough to get started.

 

[inkandammo]

My Dad and I piddle with it and we use a mix. Cordless drills, but corded saws...

 

[HERMET]

If you pay attention to the miscellaneous section there are some nice woodworking tools that come through here occasionally. That being said get the best tools you can afford, they will pay for themselves in the long haul. Cheap tools don't last and after replacing them a few times you'll just be better off with quality tools.

 

[BCM1323654788]

Looked around the web a little bit, this table saw seems to be a good one that would last... not sure how sturdy or useful smaller ones would be (with the collapsable base & smaller width)?

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-13-Amp-10-in-Professional-Cast-Iron-Table-Saw-R4512/202500206

 

[BCM1323654788]

Wondering if this one might have a better fence than the rigid?

https://www.lowes.com/pd/DELTA-10-in-Carbide-tipped-13-Amp-Table-Saw/50081568

 

[jaf1]

I prefer the rack and pinion guide on the Dewalt.

 

[madcow]

I have used the Ridged saw with the cast iron table for a number of years and it has served me well, the cast iron definitely helps dampen down vibration, and keeps the saw stable when ripping sheet goods down to size . Fence is pretty accurate, but it all boils down to making sure you set it up right.

For hand held tools, I use battery for the drills, everything else corded. Mind you the tools that I use the most are the miter saw, circular saw and air nailer/compressor.

I am no professional but as far as brands, I stick to Ridgid, Makita, Dewalt & Bosch. I would look at refurbished tools by the manufacturer, they are usually half the price of brand new. If you find the same tool in a pawn shop, offer them half the price of a refurbished model, explain to them refurbished models have a manufacturers warranty while theirs don't. Easy enough to show them the ad by pulling it up on your phone, I got a barely used Bosch circular saw this way.

 

[BLIP]

Looking to get started building shelves, furniture, etc around my house as a hobby and to gain the skill of woodworking as I think I'd have a knack for it and enjoy it.

Would you buy woodworking tools with a cord or cordless if you had the choice?

Home Depot has a fairly large set of Rigid tools that are cordless on sale, however, there are corded counterparts that would probably work just as well (minus the occasional cord in the way) that would be a lot cheaper.

I'd be concerned with having to replace batteries or spend a lot of money on tools in general as my goal is to supply my house with furniture and give myself a way to build things out of wood in the future. Corded tools would be good for longer, whereas the cordless models might become outdated.

I guess some tools would just come in handy to be cordless, and some could be corded and not be as much of a hassle?

What do you guys think? Recommended brands and models? Are most tools going "cordless"? I don't see as many corded models listed to be in stock at my local Home Depot.

I've got some really good old books on historic furniture that are pretty much a staple when I'm redoing antiques

 

[mcdougmd]

If you pay attention to the miscellaneous section there are some nice woodworking tools that come through here occasionally. That being said get the best tools you can afford, they will pay for themselves in the long haul. Cheap tools don't last and after replacing them a few times you'll just be better off with quality tools.

Agree with above. Get the best you can afford. Cheap tools make work harder as they aren’t as accurate or robust. Will cause excessive work and not be as satisfying for the user. Having space to work to work is a huge plus.