Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Pub Talk). This thread is read-only.
Today my friend Ike (the cabinetmaker) and I where install a front door that he had made for a costumer of mine and I pulled out my bargain table RYOBI 18v caulking gun. He asks why I bought it. Why not, for $15.00, I could not pass it up and the Milwaukee is $190.00. Then we got to talking about the price of tools and if we get our money’s worth. I ask him if his Festool tools are overpriced. He said that they are great tools but feels that most of their tools are overpriced. He pointed out the Domino XL joiner fantastic tool but not $1275.00 fantastic and you have to use their cutters $50 /$60 a pop and the tenon’s are $50/$95 a pack and some packs have 18 others have 100 depends on the size. Track saw not bad sorry he bought the Miter saw likes his DeWalt and Bosch more and the routers, good but other brands are just as good, and he really likes their sanders and vac’s.
Then he was talking about his father using a homemade table saw and hand drills in the shop for years and did beautiful work. It is not always the tools that make the job; it has a lot to do with the person using the tools.
That started a lively conversation.
I feel that tools like snap on or festool are like status symbols, there are ones that are just as good for far cheaper. I feel that for some tools you also pay for the brand name as well.
Powertools are just an extensions of our hands. I just like my extensions to be top of the line haha. Personally for me, where i do more jobsite out in the field jobs for customers….I would never….ever buy a festool. It is a fantastic tool for precise woodworking and thats it. It is not a jobsite worthy tool in my opinion.
Interesting topic Regopit. My girlfriend Samantha, bought me the T55 Plunge Saw from Festool with the track. I watched the review Eric and Dan did of the Festool Carvex jigsaw and bought it last week. The tools are wickedly expensive and I don’t make a living using them. Samantha bought me the saw unbeknownst to me after she listened to me watch a review and when we were in Woodcraft a couple of months ago. I bought the jig saw because I HATED my Bosch’ blade change on my jig saw and the quality is absolutely amazing. I am a total Milwaukee guy and this is an amazing set of tools I now have. As far as my Bosch jig saw…I sold it on CL after I bought the Carvex. The things I can do with these two saws are absolutely amazing and I have a tiny workshop with very limited room. I can now cut sheet goods right in my workshop instead of having the hardware store cut it down to rough size for me. The Carvex was $70 more than the Bosch I wanted but the additional pieces you can put on the machine are impressive. Now on to the additional kit. $200 buys you a Systainer and several different bases plus a circle cutter. $200 bucks! The clamps for the track on my Festool T55…$40! A bag to hold the tracks…a HUNDRED BUCKS!!!!! Anyways I totally agree with you and when I buy my cordless RYOBI brad nailer there will be a reason for it. Quality tool, passed Eric and Dan’s test and it is really inexpensive. My Festools will last a life time though!
ChaseRogers wrote:
Powertools are just an extensions of our hands. I just like my extensions to be top of the line haha. Personally for me, where i do more jobsite out in the field jobs for customers….I would never….ever buy a festool. It is a fantastic tool for precise woodworking and thats it. It is not a jobsite worthy tool in my opinion.
Hey Chase, A Concord Carpenter did a really interesting review of the Festool T18+3 Drill driver. The tool far exceeds most things that are going to be thrown at it I it’s lifetime. I will say the price for the kit is over six hundred bucks though! Anyways the tool, like all Festool tools, are designed for extreme use and are designed to last many many years.mmthe video he does on his website is amazing as to the abuse that thing puts up with, keep in mind it’s over Six Hundred freakin’ bucks!!!! As far as my tools. They’ll be shop tools. When I’m at the barn I’ll bring my Milwaukee’s. Plus I don’t want my good stuff getting stolen!
ChrisK wrote:
Interesting topic Regopit. My girlfriend Samantha, bought me the T55 Plunge Saw from Festool with the track. I watched the review Eric and Dan did of the Festool Carvex jigsaw and bought it last week. The tools are wickedly expensive and I don’t make a living using them. Samantha bought me the saw unbeknownst to me after she listened to me watch a review and when we were in Woodcraft a couple of months ago. I bought the jig saw because I HATED my Bosch’ blade change on my jig saw and the quality is absolutely amazing. I am a total Milwaukee guy and this is an amazing set of tools I now have. As far as my Bosch jig saw…I sold it on CL after I bought the Carvex. The things I can do with these two saws are absolutely amazing and I have a tiny workshop with very limited room. I can now cut sheet goods right in my workshop instead of having the hardware store cut it down to rough size for me. The Carvex was $70 more than the Bosch I wanted but the additional pieces you can put on the machine are impressive. Now on to the additional kit. $200 buys you a Systainer and several different bases plus a circle cutter. $200 bucks! The clamps for the track on my Festool T55…$40! A bag to hold the tracks…a HUNDRED BUCKS!!!!! Anyways I totally agree with you and when I buy my cordless RYOBI brad nailer there will be a reason for it. Quality tool, passed Eric and Dan’s test and it is really inexpensive. My Festools will last a life time though!
I totally agree, buying these tools are a must for a super quality finish in furniture making and woodworking. I just dont understand where there prices come from, like you said, for a bag 100$!!!!!!! But for a woodworker like you that willl be using them all the time in there shop, it is worth it. I dont think i have heard, what id festools warranty, and also i wish Milwaukee would give the cordless nailer a shot!
Yeah me too Chase. But I’ll give the Ryobi a shot. I totally agree with those prices. For the tools, having seen the quality firsthand, I get it. For the accessories, ARE YOU FREAKIN’ kid din’ me?!?!?!?!?! The warranty it pretty solid, at least what I’ve seen on paper but I know Milwaukee’s warranty is awesome. I hope I don’t ever have a problem with my tools. I will buy the vac at some point and a finish sander but that will probably be it. My Milwaukee and PC routers are phenomenal and cannot see spending the extra cash.
For me it depends on use and quality. For me any money spent on things like electric grease guns, caulking guns, pipe cutters is foolish. My manual tools work just fine for the amount I use them. If I were more into woodworking, I would want top notch tools; Festool isn’t worth the investment for me. When I was logging I tore through 5 pairs of Carhartt pants in my first half season so, after asking around, I sprung almost $400 on two pair of Filson tin pants. They were worth every penny, I made it through 5 seasons with them and they were just broken in, plus I resold them for $200. For most folks that would be an insane amount of money for work pants, for me it actually saved me money. Sometimes you get what you pay for, sometimes you pay for a name, hopefully when you balance out price, usage, and quality you get what you need. Of course if money isn’t an object then you can buy for status whether it’s quality or not.
Then there is the fact that no matter the quality of your gear, it doesn’t make you better or worse than the next guy, what matters is if you have the skills.
Amen to that Red. Couldn’t agree more. That’s why I’ll continue on with my Milwaukee tools and spring for the Ryobi nailer. Sounds like a great tool, will fit the jobs I want for it and it won’t cost me my other arm. Plus it’s lime green.
ChrisK, and Red, totally agree!
One thing everyone can relate to, is the quality of cars. When Hyundai was first coming into the market, they were a loss-leader (cheap prices to gain market share).
The little known fact, was Hyundai was manufacturing HEAVY DUTY Freight Ships to carry 90% of Chinese made products to America….what an interconnected world!
If a company can manufacture Million Dollar Freighter Ships, and be the leader in that industry, they can probably engineer a good car. Hence, Hyundai won JD Power and Associates awards like clockwork…then they became more popular when they started making noise.
How does this relate to tools?.. TTI
TTI, like may of you know, is the OEM for Milwaukee Tools, and Ryobi (I believe they make for RIGID also???) In any case, that’s at the entry-level, and high-end of the market. While I understand that Milwaukee, and Ryboi create/design their respective tools, the designs go to TTI to put together with the SPECed out materials….
Food for thought.
DJ Slater wrote:
ChrisK, and Red, totally agree!
One thing everyone can relate to, is the quality of cars. When Hyundai was first coming into the market, they were a loss-leader (cheap prices to gain market share).
The little known fact, was Hyundai was manufacturing HEAVY DUTY Freight Ships to carry 90% of Chinese made products to America….what an interconnected world!
If a company can manufacture Million Dollar Freighter Ships, and be the leader in that industry, they can probably engineer a good car. Hence, Hyundai won JD Power and Associates awards like clockwork…then they became more popular when they started making noise.
How does this relate to tools?.. TTI
TTI, like may of you know, is the OEM for Milwaukee Tools, and Ryobi (I believe they make for RIGID also???) In any case, that’s at the entry-level, and high-end of the market. While I understand that Milwaukee, and Ryboi create/design their respective tools, the designs go to TTI to put together with the SPECed out materials….
Food for thought.
I like that with TTI, all three brands are different, they arnt just rebranded with a sticker slapped on like stanley b&d does with some of there lines.Also hyundai manufactures alot of semi trailers.
ChrisK wrote:
Yeah me too Chase. But I’ll give the Ryobi a shot. I totally agree with those prices. For the tools, having seen the quality firsthand, I get it. For the accessories, ARE YOU FREAKIN’ kid din’ me?!?!?!?!?! The warranty it pretty solid, at least what I’ve seen on paper but I know Milwaukee’s warranty is awesome. I hope I don’t ever have a problem with my tools. I will buy the vac at some point and a finish sander but that will probably be it. My Milwaukee and PC routers are phenomenal and cannot see spending the extra cash.
Then again for the quality you are paying for, warranty should not be a worry. Also the Ryobi nailer, are you talking about the airstrike?
That’s the one Chase. Eric and Dan did a really good review on the tool and it’s clearly a decent machine. I’ve got an air compressor but it scares the bejezus out of my dog and I figure I might want to look at it. Plus there a couple of other Ryobi tools I wouldn’t mind having around to take to the farm.
ChrisK wrote:
That’s the one Chase. Eric and Dan did a really good review on the tool and it’s clearly a decent machine. I’ve got an air compressor but it scares the bejezus out of my dog and I figure I might want to look at it. Plus there a couple of other Ryobi tools I wouldn’t mind having around to take to the farm.
Yeah i have heard great things about the airstrike, there are a alot of cool tools in the one+ line.
I think so but I also think some are worth their price but at some point the higher the price with some brands there is a point of diminishing returns.
My opinion for the festool tools is that they probably are over priced but then again I’ve never seen one or used one in person
But then again they are a “system” and to some people that really matters and is worth the extra price
I also realize that many expensive tools are not worth their sum in parts but you have to factor in all the research and development costs that went into designing that particular tool
RedSionnach wrote:
For me it depends on use and quality. For me any money spent on things like electric grease guns, caulking guns, pipe cutters is foolish. My manual tools work just fine for the amount I use them.
I get what you are saying. I would chuckle every time I would see a 18v caulking gun. Then we had a job replacing 50 windows 82″ x 42″ That $15.00 RYOBI Came in real handy. If I had to pay $190 for the Milwaukee my helper would have had sore hands by the end of the day.
Tools are one of those things you can never have to many of. My wife ask me do you really need all of those nail guns when I was taken pictures for my insurance, and I ask her to define need.
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Javier wrote:
I think so but I also think some are worth their price but at some point the higher the price with some brands there is a point of diminishing returns.
My opinion for the festool tools is that they probably are over priced but then again I’ve never seen one or used one in person
But then again they are a “system” and to some people that really matters and is worth the extra price
I also realize that many expensive tools are not worth their sum in parts but you have to factor in all the research and development costs that went into designing that particular tool
I think in order to pass judgement on the tool brand you should really take the time to get the feel for one. Once you try the tool my girlfriend bought for me, for instance, you realize that “hey, this brushless saw that makes absolutely perfect finish cuts in an absolute perfectly straight line while allowing me to finally cut sheet goods In a Tightly confined work space to make furniture or whatever” is worth it. Then to add to that by spending $350 on jig saw that is for all intents and purposes, one of the finest made brushless jig saws with tons of expansion possibilities and make top quality cuts might be worth it too. Spending 1200 on a souped up biscuit cutter….well maybe I’d have a hard time doing that but my friend Tom only uses Festool in his cabinet shop and buys his tools once. Period. In his opinion, there is no more durable or finely made machine on the planet. I am tending to agree with him with my limited line exposure to Festool. But I do know the other lines quite well and the T55 with track is not much more expensive than the Dewalt or the Makita. I guess you have to make the choice on an individual level. I’ll keep my Festools, enjoy them immensely and use my M18 Impact driver (the finest one out there in my opinion – thank you Milwaukee) to drive my lags, shoot screws and look pretty while it’s doing it! It’ll be funny at some point this summer, I’ll have to take a picture of my Festool tools, my Milwaukee’s and hopefully my Ryobi nailer too.
I have some perspective to add. I look at old catalogs all the time. Mostly Plomb/Proto, but occasionally others. The other day I was looking at a Craftsman catalog from the late 50’s and was shocked at the prices of tools. As hard as this may be to believe, many items can be purchased today for the same price as it was in 1959. I’m speaking mostly of hand tools and believe they are more affordable now than they’ve ever been.
As far as the brands that are more than all the others such as Snap-On, there is sometimes justification for the prices, and sometimes not. DJ is on the right track. Every full line tool manufacturer rebrands items made by someone else. Snap-On is no exception. There is a company called Kastar. One of the products they are known for is their thread chaser set. Kastar sets are sold under several brand name including Craftsman and Snap-On. The Set with the Craftsman sticker on the box is like $60. The exact same set, from the exact same line, in the exact same factory, with a Snap-On sticker on the front is $130 off the truck. If you’re buying a tool off a tool truck you are getting fucked.
The Proto impact I reviewed is $289 online. The exact same gun with a Mac logo on it is $450 on the truck.
Cornwell pliers are Channellocks. even use the same model numbers.
I’m not sure if Matco makes any of their own shit anymore.
A company called Stride/Imperial makes 90% of the retaining ring pliers made in America, but you’ll find wildly varying prices for the exact same pliers.
Thinking about a Kobalt ratchet? Go buy a Titan or possibly Tekton branded ratchet for half the money. All are made by a company in Taiwan called Rotar who also makes Toptul.
Ever heard of Western Forge? They are owned by Ideal (SK’s parent company) and make tools for damn near everyone. They make about every Craftsman tool that’s still worth having. Their about the only company left still making adjustable wrenches in America. Walk around Sears one day, find the dozen or so items still made in America, and look for a WF stamp on it somewhere. Now you’ll know what it means. WF doesn’t sell their own brand, but a lot of different companies sell their shit for varying prices.
I can go on all day boys. When it comes to hand tools, it pays to do your homework.
The Festool track saw is the best by far the way the plunge works and the way it glides on the track is second to none.
Starting tomorrow the Wood Workers show rolls into town for 3 days and all of the tool reps will be here so I should have a good time of it Friday afternoon. I’m leaving the credit cards and cash at home. Well that’s what I’m tell the wife
Hahahahaha good luck with that Regopit! Hopefully the storm is gone!
Conductor562 wrote:
I have some perspective to add. I look at old catalogs all the time. Mostly Plomb/Proto, but occasionally others. The other day I was looking at a Craftsman catalog from the late 50’s and was shocked at the prices of tools. As hard as this may be to believe, many items can be purchased today for the same price as it was in 1959. I’m speaking mostly of hand tools and believe they are more affordable now than they’ve ever been.
As far as the brands that are more than all the others such as Snap-On, there is sometimes justification for the prices, and sometimes not. DJ is on the right track. Every full line tool manufacturer rebrands items made by someone else. Snap-On is no exception. There is a company called Kastar. One of the products they are known for is their thread chaser set. Kastar sets are sold under several brand name including Craftsman and Snap-On. The Set with the Craftsman sticker on the box is like $60. The exact same set, from the exact same line, in the exact same factory, with a Snap-On sticker on the front is $130 off the truck. If you’re buying a tool off a tool truck you are getting fucked.
The Proto impact I reviewed is $289 online. The exact same gun with a Mac logo on it is $450 on the truck.
Cornwell pliers are Channellocks. even use the same model numbers.
I’m not sure if Matco makes any of their own shit anymore.
A company called Stride/Imperial makes 90% of the retaining ring pliers made in America, but you’ll find wildly varying prices for the exact same pliers.
Thinking about a Kobalt ratchet? Go buy a Titan or possibly Tekton branded ratchet for half the money. All are made by a company in Taiwan called Rotar who also makes Toptul.
Ever heard of Western Forge? They are owned by Ideal (SK’s parent company) and make tools for damn near everyone. They make about every Craftsman tool that’s still worth having. Their about the only company left still making adjustable wrenches in America. Walk around Sears one day, find the dozen or so items still made in America, and look for a WF stamp on it somewhere. Now you’ll know what it means. WF doesn’t sell their own brand, but a lot of different companies sell their shit for varying prices.
I can go on all day boys. When it comes to hand tools, it pays to do your homework.
The only time i buy a hand tool that is new is when i need it now, emergency situation now!!! Otherwise lets say i know i have a prject coming up and its time to buy snap rings, i will go online, and i prefer to buy usa made hand tools…..Sk williams anyways i will usually try an win an ebay auction on one and it will last a lifetime. Here is where i do buy junk tools: beater tools, stuff for the truck, i can beat on it, for emergency purposes. The Kobalt set i have for the truck is not bad…..gets the job done……..I do most of my tool buying on line….i always strike the best deal or im waiting till i strike a deal…..Money is very very tight. Also with power tools. Im a big woodworker like to do projects etc. And i love my Milwaukee stuff. Suits me great(Way more than i need) But im a tool enthusiast so i have to have the best made.
I’m with you guys on those things too. I have a cheap set of ratchets and hand tools in my truck. They’re solid performers and I actually have beat the crap out of them (Husky and some Chinese no name deep socket set) and don’t mind if they get trashed as that’s what they’re for. My woodshop, that’s another story, all my favorites and some cheer ones being replaced by better quality,hopefully a new compressor this year, and if I play my cards right, I will have a garage for next year. Over sized and set up with a pellet stove in my new shop! Yee-freakin’ ha baby. I just sold my Craftsman bandsaw and Ryobi table saw that I couldn’t use. My Kregg tools are all set up in they’re own box, my Bosch lboxxes are organizing things for me and all in all the shop is taking on a new face after many years of….ehhh.
ChrisK wrote:
I’m with you guys on those things too. I have a cheap set of ratchets and hand tools in my truck. They’re solid performers and I actually have beat the crap out of them (Husky and some Chinese no name deep socket set) and don’t mind if they get trashed as that’s what they’re for. My woodshop, that’s another story, all my favorites and some cheer ones being replaced by better quality,hopefully a new compressor this year, and if I play my cards right, I will have a garage for next year. Over sized and set up with a pellet stove in my new shop! Yee-freakin’ ha baby. I just sold my Craftsman bandsaw and Ryobi table saw that I couldn’t use. My Kregg tools are all set up in they’re own box, my Bosch lboxxes are organizing things for me and all in all the shop is taking on a new face after many years of….ehhh.
Yeah in my truck box its all kobalt tools, except for my irwin quick grips……….everyone needs those…they are fantastic. But yeah i agree, i beat on them and i dont care, hell most of the time i break a hand tool, i shoot over to Lowes and they are pretty good about getting me a new one, so thats no problem, but yeah in my 6 drawer cabinet at home i have all my nice knipex insualted screwdrivers and pliers…my nice kobalt usa made wrenches…etc
ChrisK wrote:
Hahahahaha good luck with that Regopit! Hopefully the storm is gone!
Well Chris you must have a crystal ball. After cleaning the drive ways, sidewalks, cars and what ever else of snow today I did not make it to the show but I will be their early Saturday.
regopit wrote:
Well Chris you must have a crystal ball. After cleaning the drive ways, sidewalks, cars and what ever else of snow today I did not make it to the show but I will be their early Saturday.
I have it made here….clear and 55
I hear ya Regopit. I spent over four hours doing mine and my elderly neighbors. My back is more crooked than Obamacare.
Good one Chris!
Thank you Sir, thank you 🙂
+1 For Chrisk!!!!! Lol dont even get me started on that mess…
Yeah but we LOVE that guy!!!
you are totally right Chris. My opinion is based on what I’ve heard and seen without having used it. I should have wrote that my opinion is useless until I try it out for myself.ChrisK wrote:
I think in order to pass judgement on the tool brand you should really take the time to get the feel for one.
IMO buy once, cry once!!! Since I make my living off of my tools I want the best I can afford, if it makes my job easier it makes my life easier and is well worth the cash.
I agree 100% YP. I try to buy tools my grand kids will be using.
YukonPlumber wrote:
IMO buy once, cry once!!! Since I make my living off of my tools I want the best I can afford, if it makes my job easier it makes my life easier and is well worth the cash.
Conductor562 wrote:
I agree 100% YP. I try to buy tools my grand kids will be using.
That’s the way I feel about my tools then there are the times I buy tools then 6 months later I’m asking why did I buy this.
regopit wrote:
That’s the way I feel about my tools then there are the times I buy tools then 6 months later I’m asking why did I buy this.
We’ve all been there. Everyone has a few purchases that have barely made it out of the package.
Hi Ya’ll:
It’s been a while. And, yes! I do agree good quality tools have to be both engineered well and built well to perform well and last long enough to justify their cost especially to the home DIYer. In that regard I think it will be a long time before the names Festool or Harbor Freight cross my threshold. Most Harbor freight tools are simply junk made from junk. Festool may be the Swiss watch of power tools but It’s rather difficult to justify their cost compared to either the competitive tools or to the price of the end product I could buy from Ethan Allen for far less than the price of one Festool.
In the Dec/Jan issue of WOOD Magazine, on page52, is a comparison of large (3 hp) routers. At MSRP you could buy three routers (the Makita RP2301FC for $320, the DeWalt DW625 for $300, and the Hitachi M12V2 for $230) for the price of the Festool OF2200EB for $850. Imagine – three tools simultaneously set up for three different tasks instead of all the eggs in one basket. Just sayin’. And with a bit of TLC my grandchildren can argue over three tools instead of one.
Welcome back HDSM! Glad to see you back.
I buy the best version I can of my tools also. But all of my stuff goes ” in my truck” because I work in people’s homes. Approx 700 homes each year
I have tools I hope to pass to my grandson as well and am already teaching him to respect them
( he is only 5). He tells his dad the difference between tools and toys
The only problem I find with having too many tools. ( I know, no such thing ) is that when you travel to jobs everything has to be in cases and portable so it is hard to have everything readily available. It is frustrating to know you own a tool perfectly suited to the job at hand and knowing you did not bring it along in an attempt to load the truck efficiently so I probably spend hundreds per year in extra gas hauling so many tools around
But this thread is about tools being too expensive. In my opinion I have never bought a tool that was too expensive. Good tools don’t cost money they make money. Although a good argument could be made against a 600 dollar titanium hammer when 90 percent of the nails I drive are from a Paslode!
The question usually comes down to ” Does the need justify the expense?”. Sometimes it does, other times it does not.
That’s a fact. I wish I could (1) justify the purchase of say the combo Kapex and stand and then (2) AFFORD said purchase. Invariably (1) no. (2) no. But then again I can always wish. But then again if wishes were horses, I’d be eating steak right now!
Hellyea they are overpriced when i buy from snap on or matco tools… I should carry rape whistle..haha… The lifetime warranty drives up price
For me festool, hilti and snap-on are overpriced but realy good tools just crazy expansive
I may take the plunge and get the Hilti sds..im jealous of Damnyankees steal he got!
We are going to see a report on the news from Florida saying that they keep finding holes drilled in concrete and masonry all over the state.
In my shop-in-progress (mostly still in the design phase) I do have space constraints ~ roughly one third of a three car garage. I do have expansion capabilities by parking one or both cars outside but, eventually, all that stuff has to go back in one third of the garage. That’s when the third factor, where the hell do I keep some new tool when I’m not using it?, kicks in. Its as though there is this committee in my mind trying to balance many factors for every purchase decision. It’s like; is it needed for this project?, vs. how often would I use the tool vs. potential return on investment of the tool’s cost, then there is the long term storage space issue, vs. how else might I do this job? By that time I’m headed for Office Depot to buy more erasers for project design changes.
I do envy those of you who have a Madison Square Garden size shop. But, as an older codger, I must admit that my projects list simply doesn’t justify a full blown cottage industry setup.
Highdesert Splintermaker wrote:
In my shop-in-progress (mostly still in the design phase) I do have space constraints ~ roughly one third of a three car garage. I do have expansion capabilities by parking one or both cars outside but, eventually, all that stuff has to go back in one third of the garage. That’s when the third factor, where the hell do I keep some new tool when I’m not using it?, kicks in. Its as though there is this committee in my mind trying to balance many factors for every purchase decision. It’s like; is it needed for this project?, vs. how often would I use the tool vs. potential return on investment of the tool’s cost, then there is the long term storage space issue, vs. how else might I do this job? By that time I’m headed for Office Depot to buy more erasers for project design changes.
I do envy those of you who have a Madison Square Garden size shop. But, as an older codger, I must admit that my projects list simply doesn’t justify a full blown cottage industry setup.
Check out guys wood shop. He has his shop in a two car garage.
I do believe, if you use your tools for a living, those tools should be failsafe, durable, and 100% dependable. On the other hand, there was once a day when the DIYer could actually save a few bucks by DIYing.
No more. Those days are gone. The appeal of new technology has literally eradicated from modern society both our patience and subsequently our ability to work with hand tools. In the process most of us have also lost touch with how woodworking craftsmanship was once a very rewarding and even enviable skill.
Today the cost of keeping all that shop tool technology current in the DIY workshop has left the guy who wants to do it himself for the purpose of saving money coming up way short. Short of enough funds left to buy the materials, not to mention quality hardware, just to make the toilet seat he would have made by hand in years gone by.
My grandfather and his brother built a two story four bedroom brick home with electricity, indoor plumbing, a full basement, a full width covered front porch, a small covered back porch, an outdoor sleeping porch off the back of the second floor, and a three car detached garage with nothing more than hand tools and sweat. That was less than a hundred years ago. [That home, although rewired and replumbed years later, remains to this day an occupied residence in Delphos, Ohio.]
I reckon, at this point, I’ve got to confess to being more like the rest of us than like my grandpa, bit I do still enjoy seeing a piece of wood change shape as I listen to a plane blade strip off curl after curl of wood as the edge of the work piece gets closer and closer to my pencil line. No shop full of sawdust, no earplugs, no cord, no batteries, just the ‘sshheeeeeeek’ sound of the blade revealing a whole new surface while releasing more aroma of the fresh cut wood. Nostalgic, therapeutic, somehow more wholesome, and certainly a whole lot less costly, in every imaginable way, than chasing todays technology.
Hi Regopit. I don’t see any pic of guys wood shop. I have seen some pretty well organized garage shops. Mine is taking shape slowly but surely.