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Okay, so all the big cabinet/furniture making tools are gone now, and I'm amassing smaller tools for my new "luthier-only" shop. I only kept the 14" bandsaw and the dust collector...now, I want to get another drill press and small table saw (I debated even buying another table saw, but it just is too hard to get around the idea of not having one)...any wisdom from you guys who've downsized or have always used smaller tools? I'm on the horns of an enema whether to get a floor drill press, or a table-top one...I cut my rosettes with the Greven cutter and want to have the chuck, power, bearings, and column clearance to still use it with the new press...I suppose on some models the only difference between table-top and floor is the length of the column...as for small table saws, if I have a decent fence I think I'll be okay for what I want to use it for...also, I need a bit larger belt/disc sander than the 4" I had...open to ideas??!!

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

[QUOTE=L. Presnall]I'm on the horns of an enema whether to get a floor drill press,  [/QUOTE]

That's gotta hurt

Greg
Fo't Wuth

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GregH
Fot Wuth

The problem I find is that small saws have two flaws, under powered and poor fence systems.

You can fix the fence system but the power issue is still there.

Now if you mean small like going from a cabinet makers model to a contractors model well there are some good contractors models out there. In fact I use a Ridgid Contractors table saw but I cant call it small. It is cast iron table with 24" cast iron extensions on each side and the fence rail extends 24" past the extension on the right side.

Yeah, that must be an awkward position to be in.  Do you have to bend over for that?  

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Waddy

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Sound Clips of most of my guitars

To cover the bases I've found it necessary to have three table saws. A small contractors saw was all that I had for quite a while.

However, in order to improve my accuracy in marquetry and custom inlays I've recently acquired a Proxxon table saw as well as an even smaller Micro Mark table saw (really a model makers saw..Micro Mark also sells its own version of the Proxxon).

The Proxxon is quite powerful for such a small machine but still way too aggressive to cross grain cut thin strips of veneer without shattering them. It is perfect however for things like making bridges, stripping out wood bindings and cutting brace stock.   

Drill press....

If I were starting from scratch as you are, I think I would buy one of those bench top mill/drill units. The bearings and quill are much heavier than most drill presses. It would do everything a small drill press does plus it would be great for slotting bridges and headstocks. It would also be handy for jig making.

Table saw....

You really can get by without one.

Sander....

I have a combo unit. 6 x48 belt sander and 9" disk. I don't use the belt sander at all. I'm contemplating getting rid of it and replacing it with a larger disk sander.

Less is more sometimes.

Mark

[QUOTE=Blanchard] Table saw.... You really can get by without one. Sander....I have a combo unit. 6 x48 belt sander and 9" disk. I don't use the belt sander at all. I'm contemplating getting rid of it and replacing it with a larger disk sander.Less is more sometimes.Mark
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I have heard you can get by without a table saw Mark, but I really think of mine as the center of my shop. One of the most used tools there.
I also have a 12" disc sander which is very handy and I wish it were bigger, like maybe 16" or so. it's especially handy for sneeking up on mitered corners or the ends of a brace where it need to insect another brace.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

I'm setting up a small shop (second shop) in Tasmania, and I'm facing some of the same issues.   So far I'm thinking Jet 14" deluxe model band saw with riser block; a good floor standing drill press; a sanding unit available in Australia with a belt sander, a disc sander and an oscillating spindle sander; a Jet 2 Hp Dust collector; and a contractor's table saw. Having spent a number of years as a carpenter/cabinet maker, I'm having trouble giving up a table saw...besides which it's great for fret slotting.

For table saws, you might see if you can find an older 8" or so table saw on the used market. These were common in Canada in the 50s and 60s ,made by Beaver and General. In the US, I'd imagine Rockwell was producing similar products. This is a saw with the motor hanging off the back and decent bearings, not the skilsaw under a table-type you see in the cheaper small saws nowadays. I've got one of these, and with the side extensions removed, the main saw table is about 14x18-perfect for small jobs like ripping bindings, cutting sides, bridges, doing fret slots, cutting half-lap joints,etc. (BTW, one of these is the only tablesaw in Sergei de Jonge's shop.) I do have a 10" contractors saw, but use it less and less- cutting up plywood panels and heavy ripping go there.
BTW, in my experience, issues like tearout depend on the blade, table insert and rpm rather than the choice of saw motor and table.

For sanders, it varies all over the place, depending on how you do certain tasks. You can use a belt sander (6x48 is probably best- these often come with a 9 or 12 disk combo) for jobs like setting neck angles on neck blanks (with a jig), shaping the underside of bridges (with a platen under the belt), shaping ss bridge wings and thicknessing headstocks and shaping volutes(jig under the end). Sanders are real dust machines- mine live in the garage.

Cheers
John

[QUOTE=John How] [QUOTE=Blanchard] Table saw.... You really can get by without one. Mark

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I have heard you can get by without a table saw Mark, but I really think of mine as the center of my shop. One of the most used tools there.


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I was talking to Tom Ribbecke one day and he said, "you can always tell if a guitar maker was a woodworker first.... the table saw is in the middle of the shop".  It's true. Shops I have visited where the builder came to woodworking as a guitar maker have a small table saw over in the corner somewhere.

M

Could be though I built my first guitar before I got my table saw. I bought one shortly after though but not necessarily for guitar making.
And my table saw is right in the middle!!

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Rick, you and I have many tools in common already...the 14"b/s and riser could be the center of my shop now, but coming from the furniture end of things and getting rid of the 3HP cabinet saw and 24" sander have left me feeling naked...(maybe if I dressed I'd not be on the horns of an enema )...I do love the Performax 10-20 I just got tho...I may be better off with no table saw than a tiny table top one...I may just get back building without one for a while and see if I can stand it!

Mark, do you have a brand on that drill/mill tool?

Thanks guys!

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

Well keep in mind that I'm pretty spoiled now...10" 3hp Powermatic table saw, Powermatic and Delta 14" band saws, 20 hp Baker resaw, Ekstrom Carlson pin router, more buffers than we know what to do with...literally, 10" import contractor's saw just for fret slots, a 7 1/2 hp compressor, etc., etc.

So for me, it's interesting to set up a remote shop now that I'll only use a few weeks a year...at least for a while. My main criteria is not to buy crap.   I don't want to buy these particular tools ever again.

My goal is to have a shop here and one over there for small work and prepping local timbers for use there and for the classes I teach.

Tasmania?

Hey Rick, Waikanae New Zealand!