Basic tool shop Inventory -What does a shop cost?

I need to do an inventory just to know what is out there.

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

Me too Thom, but scared the missus might see it! <g>

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

I know my costs are way higher than that!

-- Coffee is best with a fine layer of sawdust on top. -- http://www.north40custom.com

I’m terrified to look, but I did. I’m probably in for close to 5X that…oops, forgot about Festool…6X that…ooops, forgot about the Nova and turning stuff….7X that….oh, I’m not playing anymore.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

So what happens when you have 5 routers, two table saws, two jointers, three planers, two drill presses, two 10” deep drawers filled with router bits. And, many multiple sets of wrenches, screwdrivers, chisles.

Yah I think I’m in that range. LOL

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

That’s what I’m talking about, Karson. I spent 5K on the shop in one week last March. If I’m out of that range, you’re WAY out! At least your shop produces something though. Mine is my fortress of solitude.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

I started customizing list for my wood stuff and I am at $13,000.00 after about 10 minutes!
I have about a good 1-/12 hours to go.
Figure I might as well list it out for insurance purposes.
I wouldn’t be a bad idea to get serial nos too in case of a theft.

EEEEK!

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

They forgot to add 40 cans of finish at 10 bucks a pop.

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne

My shop is very budget oriented, yet I’m at least double what’s listed there. Also, I might question what’s listed as “requirements” since I’m not sure a dovetail jig is a requirement; useful, probably; required, I don’t think so. My mortising machine gets a lot more work than my dovetail jig, though I didn’t see that on the list. Methinks, minimum is more defined by what you do.

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

Agreed Russel. Panel bits are not a requirement in my opinion.

I think limiting to the 5k shop is an interesting exercise, but not realistic.

I would never advise someone who is setting up a shop to buy it all at once. Better to have it evolve with needs and knowledge. Don’t you think?

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne

Hi Russell:

I can’t comment on the original list as it was the “authors choice” but I was hoping that each of us could develop our own lists and perhaps collaborate on a sample list here for newbies.

That’s why I included a link to the spreadsheet so knock yourself out and let us know your “personal total”

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

I’m in no position to recommend, still just starting, but I know I have a hard time justifying buying a tool until I have a use for it. My inventory has evolved over that last few years and I’m pleased to say that there are only a couple tools that I’m sorry I bought.

Also, not buying until I need makes things a lot easier with the Mrs.

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

Hey Bob #2 (my that just sounds formal),

My first real woodworking was building kitchen cabinets. For this project, I had:

1. Table saw
2. Jig saw
3. Fixed based router with 1/4” straight cut bit and 3/8” roundover bit
4. 18 gauge brad nailer
5. Random Orbit Sander
6. Biscuit Joiner
7. 3 36” bar clamps
8. 10” miter saw
9. 18v cordless drill

That came out to around $700 (yeah I bought cheap). Still that collection serve me well while I was learning to do things. Since then I’ve upgraded my table saw and added a drill press, mortising machine, planer, jointer, drum sander, a few more routers and drills and nail guns. Then of course maintaining an collection of sandpaper, stains, finishes and all sort of little stuff.

Looking at things, it rather amazing how much my shop has evolved.

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

Ya…but how much is a serious skiing hobby. Heck I’ve seen some gardeners get out there to. And those hunters with their RV’s and trips to Alaska. I can pay for my woodworking with just what I use to pay for cigarettes. I guess $5,000.00 just dosn’t amount to that much any more.

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

I have about $40,000 in tools. It is not just what you see in the shop, but what is in my truck too. That does not include the truck or the shop structure or any heavy equipment. I don’t have any heavy equipment, but that total includes ladders, hammer drills, and things that would not be considered woodworking.

My numbers come from tracking my purchases as a business. It is amazing how fast it adds up. I did an inventory of the tools in my tool belt alone, and I wear over $700 in tool belt and hand tools. (My tool belt taps 20# on a weight scale.)

A good leather tool belt that has lasted many years and is still going strong costs $130. When you break it down it comes to about $10 a year so far. This goes to the blog about cheap versus expensive.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

It’s an interesting list, but there is no way you can make a generic list which “represents” what a shop needs. The reason LJ’s is good is that you can see how different everyone’s shop is. And the tools in each are as individual as a fingerprint.

Is the shop professional, hobby, part-time, hand tool-oriented, weekend warier, carver, cabinet maker, turner, box maker, mechanic, model maker, guitar maker, boatbuilder, etc. ?

The list also seemed like a strange order. Not by alphabet, not by price, not by size, for example:
71: tablesaw, Delta 36-444k contractor type: $600
72: compass, $12

It also seems that most people who develop woodworking as a hobby probably acquire their tools over time as they get more serious about it. Maybe they start out using their fathers old table saw, etc. They probably don’t go to the store one day and buy ten grand worth of tools. (Even though we all wish we could!)

This is an interesting topic, however. I often wonder what I have spent on my shop. I really don’t know. I don’t acquire tools, though, they acquire me. In other words, most of the tools in my shop were good deals I came across, I was not looking for them.

There sure has been a lot of talk about money spent on tools lately, and a lot of differing opinions. It seems woodworking has recently become more commercialized than ever in history. It is good because there are a lot of good products which come out of it and it generates interest in the artform. I like a lot of the new innovations hitting the stores today. But the bad thing about the commercialization is that I think it tends to take woodworking away from its roots of tradition and hand tools. It is kind of like photography students starting out on digital cameras and not understanding what ISO means because they have never been in a darkroom.

-- Dust collectors suck.

Truth be know this is a Blood sport and for amateurs it represents a sizable investment coompared to most other weekend hobbies.
By Blood sport I mean it requires training and dedication and self disicpline to crack out a reasonalbe piece of eye catching product.
And there is the constant threat of personal harm if disciplines are not followed.
At it’s peak, it also requires a certian amount of artistic training to leave the prototypes and turn fresh ground.

The most stunning works I have seen required a large doses of both the above and sufficient tools and time to effect the product.

In today’s micro measured world accuracy is measured by the accuracy of our tools and the more accurate they are the better the result.
So for me, the basic tool inventory is sufficient to allow me the pleasure or attempting the prototype with minimum frustration and reasonalbe input costs.

Reasonalbe will vary according to household disposable income.
From my experience it is not a wise choice for a hobby for folks with family commitments and junior positiion carreers.
Yes my friends, these are the 5 dollar slots!

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

It’s funny, but I just did a tool inventory last week for insurance purposes and not counting the items that didn’t have serial numbers, I had over 8K in just portable tools. Drills, 3/8 and 1/2 inch, leigh jigs, routers, sawzalls, hammer drills, kreg pocket jig, dust collection, skill saws, nailers, compressors, etc. It adds up. Your investment is your craft. Buy the best you can afford. Going skimpy is not always the best value. I teach a class for ladies at work and I always give them options. How much are they going to use it and do they feel comfortable using it. This goes for everyone. Everyone has a wish list. I just wish I had more tools. Heh heh heh.

-- Eddie -