thinking about getting box building tools

[MadAudio 10+ year member]

that router you have shown was likie 80 bucks on some tool site so i dont think itll be good for me. and yes my dad has a compressor so i could use a good nail gun. ive seen some routers for sale around my house for like $30-$40 so i think i might get one of em. oh and t squares are very usefull, i might have to pick that thing up.

its 59.99 on the skilshop website iirc free shipping also.

you might want to check out pawn shops in your area they tend to have good tools cheap i was just at one near me and they had a couple of porter cable routers for $50 to bad the ones they had are fixed base or i would have gone home with a $150+ router for $50 //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif .

the plunge base for it costs $60 ouch.

i ment to ask you is this something your gonna be doing for yourself or for extra cash etc? if your gonna be making boxes often your better off getting decent tools to start with saves money in the long run.

just trying to help.

 

[wilzyx 5,000+ posts]

its 59.99 on the skilshop website iirc free shipping also.you might want to check out pawn shops in your area they tend to have good tools cheap i was just at one near me and they had a couple of porter cable routers for $50 to bad the ones they had are fixed base or i would have gone home with a $150+ router for $50 //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif .

the plunge base for it costs $60 ouch.

i ment to ask you is this something your gonna be doing for yourself or for extra cash etc? if your gonna be making boxes often your better off getting decent tools to start with saves money in the long run.

just trying to help.

just for myself, and maybe if a friend needs a box i can make him one, but im not starting my own box building business any time soon.

 

[wilzyx 5,000+ posts]

would a radial arm saw be able to replace a table saw and function just as well?

bump, can i get an answer to this please?

 

[wilzyx 5,000+ posts]

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?cat=Bench+Power+Tools&pid=00921802000&vertical=TOOL&subcat=Table+Saws&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

if i cant find a good used one i might just buy this one. ill just use a circular saw to initially cut the 4x8 into smaller pieces, then use that saw to finish up the cuts.

 

[azbass 5,000+ posts]

tools psh. are you need is a trusty hammer and hand saw.

 

[saywhat? 5,000+ posts]

dont buy ANY craftsman table saw. your better off biting the wood.

 

[Rawb]

no it wouldnt... you wont be able to cut that deep with one.... they are good for finishing trim.. etc.... get a table saw and you will love life.... also save wood... money etc... i live in sac also i see them on craigs list all the time... my uncle got an industrial one with a 6ft table for $150 about a year ago off there... its awesome... i spent $200 and got a decent one from home depot and wouldnt trade my table saw for any tool in my garage full of tools except for my compressor... you will find yourself doing ltos more then speaker boxes and car audio stuff if your a handy man type...

 

[prochobo 10+ year member]

Table saw is a must. It beats the hell out of having Home Depot cut your shit and **** it up.

 

[wilzyx 5,000+ posts]

no it wouldnt... you wont be able to cut that deep with one.... they are good for finishing trim.. etc.... get a table saw and you will love life.... also save wood... money etc... i live in sac also i see them on craigs list all the time... my uncle got an industrial one with a 6ft table for $150 about a year ago off there... its awesome... i spent $200 and got a decent one from home depot and wouldnt trade my table saw for any tool in my garage full of tools except for my compressor... you will find yourself doing ltos more then speaker boxes and car audio stuff if your a handy man type...

ya i have been searching on craigslist but i havent been able to find a complete one, only ones missing fences and stuff like that.

 

[Rawb]

yeah just either hang in there and pounce on one when it pops up or bite the bullet and pick a new one up... i would personally spend the money on a decent table saw of all tools if i were to have to go cheap it would be on the router and clamps...i got my table saw a while back and after tax it was 199.xx over at the home depot off power inn and folsom. just a cheap royobi but it sure does the job and does a nice job doing the job...

 

[wilzyx 5,000+ posts]

yeah just either hang in there and pounce on one when it pops up or bite the bullet and pick a new one up... i would personally spend the money on a decent table saw of all tools if i were to have to go cheap it would be on the router and clamps...i got my table saw a while back and after tax it was 199.xx over at the home depot off power inn and folsom. just a cheap royobi but it sure does the job and does a nice job doing the job...

they have a 10" ryobi for like 99.99 at the home depot by me, i might pick that one up.

 

[Rawb]

yeah i was gonna get that one but look at the size... the next step up is the one i got like 169-179 or somethin....you get the fence and its quite bigger... i have a buddy who's dad passed away and might be selling his table saw at a decent price it was a nice one from sears craftsman but still nice... i just called him and he is gonna talk to his uncle to see if he wants it before he sells it but he's gonna get back to me... if he decides to sell it ill pm ya the info and you can give him a call if your still lookin for one...good luck on whatever path you take... you will be happy with a table saw no matter what ya do...

 

[wilzyx 5,000+ posts]

yeah i was gonna get that one but look at the size... the next step up is the one i got like 169-179 or somethin....you get the fence and its quite bigger... i have a buddy who's dad passed away and might be selling his table saw at a decent price it was a nice one from sears craftsman but still nice... i just called him and he is gonna talk to his uncle to see if he wants it before he sells it but he's gonna get back to me... if he decides to sell it ill pm ya the info and you can give him a call if your still lookin for one...good luck on whatever path you take... you will be happy with a table saw no matter what ya do...

ok cool, and hes local also right? in the sacramento area?

 

[joeldirt 10+ year member]

and also, is a jointer worth getting to make the sides perfect ?

As a piece of advise, don't spend the money on a jointer to get better cut lines... If you must achieve a perfect cut line over cut your piece and then clamp a straight edge to the exact dimension you need then flush trim it with your router.. This is allot easier if you own a router that you can mount in a router table... This makes allot of MDF dust so a dust collection system of some sort ( Shop vac ) would be recommended.

your table saw should provide you with the results you need... And should be able to cut your pieces to exact dimensions with out having to take the extra step, but If it doesn't you shouldn't have spent the money on the piece of equipment... However you can produce a better cut if you are a one man operation by building a table around the table saw that is flush with the table saw table top, to in-feed for cross cuts on longer pieces and out feed for longer pieces on a ripping cut

Good router bits to own are a flush trim bit, straight flute bits 1/4" , 1/2" , 3/4" , also a round over bit set is a good thing to have... Those are basic... A rabbet bit can also be handy... I always use half inch shank, and a 3 1/4 hp router as I use my router for a wide variety of things such as cabinet making raised panel doors and such... But you can get one for around 60 bucks that will fork fine from sears if you treat it gentle... It's cheap, but does the job better then any other cheap *** harbor freight deal... Trust me. Do not plan on relying on harbor freight tools... They are good for screwdrivers, and misc hand tools, nothing that requires precision, or that involves a motor... It's not worth it...

 

[joeldirt 10+ year member]

dont buy ANY craftsman table saw. your better off biting the wood.

I own a craftsman table saw... The 600 dollar model... I use it for dadoes now, and the powermatic is the primary table saw... But before the powermatic, I used the craftsman to build allot of stuff... Solid cast iron table top rip capacity of 25 inches and a 3/4 stand... aproximately 350 lbs. The thing is perfect for what he is doing and well worth the investment... The cheaper craftsman stuff is cheap... But is better qualituy cheap then any other cheap crap out there trust me... They offer a waranty too which is an added benefit over other tools...

But other good models that are also decently priced, are Delta, Grizley, Dewaldt, and Bosch.

I always keep a sharp blade, and change out from my cross cut tripple chip, to my Freud Diablo Rip blade for when I am ripping hardwood... The best blade to use for cutting MDF with the cleanest cuts, is a fine cross cutting blade like a tripple chip. Expect to pay about 60 bucks for a good 10" blade... You can spend as little as 10 bucks on a blade... It won't last long, and the investment on the more expensive blade will pay for its self over time... Trust me. I never let the motor bog down and I never stop the piece in the middle of a cut... Once the piece enters the wood it goes through smoothly... I always keep my fences calibrated, yet they rarely ever find their way out of adjustment.