Peripheral equipment?

[jamescwatts]

Hi all,

I'm curious what other equipment you all use frequently with the CW? I'm the proud owner of my first real garage, soon to be workshop. Hence I'm making a shopping list. I'm thinking router & table, compound miter saw, maybe a belt sander and planer, plus assorted hand tools. What do you find most important to accompany/compliment the CW?

Thanks,
-Jim

[Digitalwoodshop]

Dust Collector is a Must first of all.... And be careful of the thin bag units.... Change to a Cartridge Filter as soon as you can. The CW makes a lot of fine dust and for YOU to Breath it... Well that is just WRONG..... Thickness Sander is a plus and many used show up for sale.

AL

[gregsolano]

The two things I use most with my CW is my Drill press which I use sanding wheels in to finish my products and my band saw which I use to cut out some projects rather than let the machine do it. Next is my table saw and chop saw followed by my router and router table. Those items and a dremel tool will handle 98% of my projects.

[fwharris]

Along with what Al and Greg said you might want a scroll saw. It is handy also for cutting out projects.

[lilskip]

All of the above are a great have but before getting a planer I would get a Joiner first because you can straight line boards and flatten them depending on how wide it is. Also another top of the list tool is a good Air compressor with a belt driven pump and at least gal. this will be extremely useful because you will use it for everything including nail guns and other Air tools.

[jamescwatts]

Thanks for all the great input! I'm on build.com right now looking at drill presses.

[unitedcases]

I have all the normal stuff but with the CW the best thing I have is a jigsaw with a scroll type blade. A project that will take the machine an hour to cut out can be done in 5 minutes with my trusty jigsaw with scroll blade.

[Alan Malmstrom]

A Power carving cup rasp and adapter by is nice to have.(SaburrTooth is better than others because their more coarse) It fits right on any drill (high speed is better) and carves smooth and rapidly. One medium is all you'll ever need. http://www.chainsawsculptors.com/saburr/power_rasp/index.htm

I also use the new dremel detail abrasive brush's that have the little plastic looking legs, and they work great for tight detail deburring and sanding. http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=dremel+detail+abrasive+brush&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7ADFA_en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=15759282237974597125&sa=X&ei=QW7VTY-bOoeWtwfF9sWQDA&ved=0CGIQ8gIwBA#

Of coarce the sanding mop is available through this carvewright website and is a must have.

[lawrence]

As others have stated, you need to have straight stock to begin with. To do this properly (and safely) requires 3 power tools (or their handtool replacements)

1. Jointer - you plane the face of the board- then you turn the face onto the fence and make one edge 90 degrees to the face
2. Planer - you then take the board and -jointed face down- plane the top of the board flat and coplanar with the bottom. This also allows you to take the board down to the desired thickness.
3. Tablesaw - you then take the board to the tablesaw and make the second edge coplanar with the first one. This also allows you to take the board down to the desired width.

The reason you need the jointer is that the planer will not flatten a curved board but will only make one face coplanar with another-- a bananna shaped board will come out of a planer a coplanar bananna shaped board

The reason you need a planer is that the jointer only flattens faces - it will not make 2 faces coplanar. If you run a board over a jointer and then just flip it and run it over the jointer again you will end up with 2 flat faces, but they will likely not be coplanar. (board shaped like a wedge--even slightly) The same is true on why you need a tablesaw to make the second edge coplanar with the first one (that you used your jointer on to make flat and at a 90 degree angle to the face)

You then square the ends on a tablesaw/mitersaw/etc

There are ways to use hand tools to replicate these functions-- the most common one I will do is use a plane to flatten one face of a board that is too wide to fit onto my 6in jointer. This allows the board to pass through the planer safely without flexing or rocking.

Lawrence

[JDPratt]

My take on it is to think of building a shop that doesn't have the carvewright in the plan. When you have the basics for a shop to build all of your honey-do, and other projects you will have all the tools necessary to make the CW work for you. If $$ is a concern (as it usually is) after you have your shop planned, eliminate those tools that you think you can do without or put them on your wish list. Another option is to start with smaller versions of those tools and then upgrade later. A tablesaw is the cornerstone of any shop (IMO) but you don't have to start with a Felder slider. If the CW is going to be the main tool in your woodworking quests, benchtop power tools may be enough for you. There are a number of bench top tablesaws, bandsaws, jointers, etc that can meet your needs. If you plan to delve into more ambitious woodworking endeavors, you may want to think a little bigger. Three adages will always hold true: 1. Buy the best you can afford, 2. Your shop will never be big enough, and 3. You can never have enough clamps.

[unitedcases]

Definitely a good point, you get what you pay for. I found and stocked a big tool box in my workshop with nothing but CW stuff. I keep all my tools for working on the machine and all my parts in it. Also down in the bottom of it, (its huge!), I keep all my hazmat items. So instead of having stuff scattered everywhere, when the machine breaks, I just roll the big tool box over to it, sit down, and have at it.

[lilskip]

Definitely can't have enough clamps.

[Deolman]

Quality is the number one goal in tools. If you buy cheap tools, they will break and you will replace them - often! I have some tools in my shop that are over 50 years old and are still working very well. I would hate to be without them! It's better to get the best there is because you will never have to regret not getting a better one in place of it. Yes it may take longer to achieve this goal but you will only need to do it once.

[jamescwatts]

Thanks again guys. Excellent input.