OTHER shop equipment

[handcannon]

The subject comes up all the time about lathes on here but I wanted to talk a little bit about other equipment that you find really useful in your shop.

I just moved into another house which also has another older house on the property. I plan on converting most of that other house into my new workshop. The rest of it is gonna be my Shrine to Turkey Hunting/man cave. Now that I have more room to play I can get bigger and better equipment to fill it up. Can you guys give me some recommendations on equipment such as dust collection systems, upright/freestanding band saws (other than benchtop models)......stuff like that. Any pros and cons on stuff you have or had that works or didnt work. Once I start setting up shop, I want to do it right the first time.

Pictures are more than welcome too.

Thanks a bunch guys.
Travis

[pappy]

Travis, first congrats on the move....second, let your heart be your guide when buying tools. I use just about everything in my shop, I guess the most important, next to the lathes, is the band saw and belt sander. My drill press 18" of mean machine, id a must too, and I use a sliding mill vise alot, especially for the long boxes and drilling the holes in the pot calls. Dust collectors are great, I don't have one, I use a fan, and shovel......someplace to store the wood is good, I have a four teer shelf that sits in the floor and holds nearly every piece of wood I got, it is 12' long 6' wide at the bottom and 4' wide at the top, a must to keep the place clean. Go with a floor style drill press at least 16" and a 6'X48" belt sander. The bandsaw I have is 14" but I got a 6" riser kit for it as I cut a lot of logs 10 - 12 inches in diameter, get several types of bandsaw blades, you'll need them, someplace to store your finishes would be nice. I hope this helps my man, good luck on spending less then the bank has...

[handcannon]

Thanks Pappy. I have a 4x40" belt sander but wouldnt mind going bigger. I would like to get a bigger drill press to. The benchtop model I have is OK but I've found myself a few times needing to drill something that is taller than would fit beneath it. I'd like a dust collector just to try to keep dust out of the rest of the house. Being able to cut logs that diameter would be sweet! That's the biggest thing for me is wanting a good band saw that I can cut out call blanks and cut true with. Way to limited with a small 9" benchtop model. For the finishes, One of the bedrooms is going to be the finishing room. I'll be able to keep it clean for doing all my finishing and detailing. When I get started on putting it all together I will take a bunch of pictures and post them on my progress. I'm more excited about this than I am moving into a new home!

[smurf]

Congrats on the move.   I just bought a new grizzly band saw and i think it went on sale after i got mine.  i am happy with mine.  And of course pappy is right.  just trust your instincts and pocket book.   

[C_W]

At our age, dust collection and management has to be the #1 concern. Those older guys might not care, but I for one want to be able to hunt  35+ years from now. I have a small commercial style cyclone dust collector that drops onto two 55 gallon barrels, and I also have a Powermatic air cleaner attached to the ceiling to keep the fine dust under control.  I also have a sanding table that is really just pegboard topped box that the dust collector hooks up to. Anything you can do to keep the dust out your lungs is going to pay off in the long run.

CW

[.308]

I would buy a dust collector next.  For stationary placement on multiple tools, I think a 2hp or larger is recommended.  The bag or canister determines how small of a dust particle is filtered and you want to get the smallest possible fltered - down to micron if possible.  A cyclone is the prefered setop I believe, if you have the space.  I purchased a Jet 1.5HP 3 months ago and wished I would have purchased a 2HP.  Be prepared to spend $200-$300 on duct, flex hose, fittings, etc.  Any serious woodworker I asked said you owe it to your health to get a dust collection system.  As a bonus it helps keep your work area cleaner because a bunch of stuff is sucked up at the lathe/saw/etc as soon as it is created. 

I also purchased a bandsaw and really like it.  I find myself cutting almost everything on it.  A 14" with a riser kit will rip logs but it is a bit of a strain in my opinion.  I have ripped osage and cherry logs up to 10" in diameter. 

Good Luck and congrats on what sounds like a sweet set-up.


Chris

[Bonjour]

They are right on about the dust collection. I have a cyclone type for the big stuff and a Jet air scrubber that will catch up to one micron. I highly recommend the Jet air scrubber, it will clear a 20 X 20 room in 5 minutes and anything from 5 microns and smaller can get into the lungs. I don't turn without them on. I myself could get by with just a bandsaw, drill press, and a belt sander for my other tools, but there are many others that would really make jobs a lot easier, such as multiple chucks with different jaws. Congrats on the new place and good luck with the new shop. We will need pics once it gets going.
     Ryan

[lightsoutcalls]

I agree with buying the best dust collection system you can.  That said, mine is a grizzly 1.5 hp and I could use it alot more, and a lot more efficiently than I do.  My bandsaw is crucial in my shop.  I have the Grizzly 14" ultimate bandsaw.  It has only a 6" throat opening, so I am limited in the size I can resaw.  The guys at Grand River Hardwoods where I buy my osage have an 18" Grizzly and swear by it.  A good rip fence on the bandsaw is a must.  My floor standing drill press is a Grizzly, but I can't say it is the best thing going... a little wobble here and there...  I would suggest getting an Incra drill press table.  This is a melamine covered table that mounts on the little metal table of the drillpress.  Mine has 2 aluminum "T" tracks so you can set up a fence or hold down jigs on the table.  It is great for drilling in lines (hollowing box calls or scratch calls) or for setups where you are going to be drilling multiple pieces in succession.  I have a Grizzly joiner that helps get a square or true edge on boards and a Dewalt 3 blade planer.  It works well, but I would love to upgrade some day.  Last night I picked up a new 12" Dewalt power miter saw.  It is much quieter than my Ridgid miter saw.  
I have a 6"x48" Grizzly belt sander with a 10" disc sander.  After 7 years I'm getting some "play" in the adjustments... may have to replace it before long.  

Congrats on the new shop!

[misfire]

My most used tools are my table saw ( Grizzly 10" Hybrid), 16" floor drill press, bench top drill press, belt sander, 12" compound mitre saw and my dust collector. My next big purchase WILL be one of the micro dust systems. I have been fighting a severe sinus infection/pneumonia for two months now. I feel that 99% of the problem is dust in my shop

[handcannon]

Guys, I really do appreciate it. I'm super pumped about actually having a little elbow room to work in while turning out calls. After reading a couple of your post I did not know that they made some bandsaws with riser kits. It would surley be sweet to be able to cut some decent size logs to make some call blanks. Just gotta find out which ones have them so I can check them out. I'm definatly planning on getting the dust collector to plug into my equipment. Pretty much everything I have now have dust ports on it so I'm good there. Once again guys, thanks alot. Once I'm done I'll post up some pics.

[misfire]

The Grizzly 14" Ultimate Bandsaw has a rizer you can purchase that will add 6" to the cut. I need to get it, just havent done that yet