Do I really need a bandsaw?

[stevan]

I have been notified that I have until November 30, 2019 to "spend" about $250 worth of credit card points and can't really come up with a good tool to buy.  I can get Amazon cards or Lowes cards.

 I have very limited space in my 1/2 garage shop (and I do park my car in the winter) so everything has to be portable enough to put up on a shelf somewhere. I have no band saw, no jointer and no planer.  I also do not have an Apple Watch which is also on the list.

Does anyone want to comment on why I should have a bandsaw or jointer or planer (or Apple Watch)?  To date, I have never really needed any of these but I have this $250 burning a hole in my pocket!

As always, thanks in advance!

Steve

[meflick]

What kind of work do you enjoy doing? What kind of projects would you like to do? Have you ever wanted to create bandsaw boxes? Given your space limitations, you would need a small bandsaw so they would be smaller boxes.

If I had money I have to spend or lose, I would definitely be adding something to the shop most likely. An Apple Watch - thst depends on a lot of things that And how important they are to you. Assuming you have an Apple Phone, how much do you use your phone? What would you want the watch for? I have one. I have had one since the first one. I got it mainly because first and foremost, I am a tech junkie. I confess. I like mine. With it, I can see who is calling or texting before I go hunt down my phone (or chose not to ). I don’t keep my phone in my hand or pocket so I like that I can look at it and I can answer from it if need be. I can also reply from it to texts.  My family is happier because I now know when they are calling. I also use it for the health tracking info. However, if that is primary desire, a Fitbit can do a lot of that now and is cheaper. If I was told I could only have my small bandsaw or my watch - it would be a close call, but the band saw might win. Hubby has a planer and a jointer and does most of the work with those. I do use the planer some, but would pick the bandsaw over it probably, I leave the jointer work to hubby so cannot comment on it. I will leave the planer and jointer pros and cons to the real experts on here.

good luck in your decision. Always good to have to buy something.

[Dave Monk]

14 minutes ago, stevan said:

I have been notified that I have until November 30, 2019 to "spend" about $250 worth of credit card points and can't really come up with a good tool to buy.  I can get Amazon cards or Lowes cards.

 I have very limited space in my 1/2 garage shop (and I do park my car in the winter) so everything has to be portable enough to put up on a shelf somewhere. I have no band saw, no jointer and no planer.  I also do not have an Apple Watch which is also on the list.

Does anyone want to comment on why I should have a bandsaw or jointer or planer (or Apple Watch)?  To date, I have never really needed any of these but I have this $250 burning a hole in my pocket!

As always, thanks in advance!

Steve

Do you have a surface planer  or belt spindle sander? I use those tools a lot.

[Rolf]

As the others have said it really depends on what kind of projects you do. 

My band saw gets constant use, I use a lot of thin material so re-sawing has saved me a small fortune. 

[JimErn]

I agree with Dave on the belt spindle sander, I have one by WEN and love it.  I would also suggest a planer, I bought a 6" planer and love it.

I do not have a band saw, occasionally I wish I did, but that is a rare project that I can not do what I need to do using other tools I have.

A bench top drill press is also handy to have and if you do not bolt it down to a bench, it can be put away when not needed

[Phantom Scroller]

I have both and run my logs through the band saw then run through the thickness planer and it's great to buy wood from a saw mill so cheap any size and cut it up yourself, so if you can afford them get them and you'll wonder how you got along without them. Roly

[kywoodmaster]

I vote for a planer.

I see that you are in Lexington. You are close enough to some really great hardwood mills ( Morehead, Frankfort, Somerset ect,) that you could buy rough stock and finish it yourself.

There is a really nice little mill at Frankfort (Bagdad Lumber) that has a really nice selection of woods in stock. Morehead has several nice mills. All of these have their own drying facilities.

[oldhudson]

It really depends on the kind of work you do and want to do. That said I'll add my 2 cents, I have all those tools.

If you don't have a router and table, I'd put that ahead of the band saw, jointer (you can use a router to joint), or planer (you can certainly plane stock old school). I use a router only 2nd to the table saw. Routers are great when, among other things, for making frames.

Between the planer, band saw and jointer I've listed them in the order they get the most use in my shop.  But that's my and the work I do.

[OCtoolguy]

When I was into woodcarving a few years back, I bought a used Delta 14" just for making roughouts. Now, I use it for quick cuts and many times saves me having to set up my table saw. I could do without it but having one is nice.

 

[stevan]

These have all been great ideas, suggestions and comments.  I appreciate everyone taking the time to answer.  This is a great place to be a member!

[rjweb]

I think a band saw is one of the best tools for the shop, you can do a lot of different cuts with a band saw, RJ

[Roberta Moreton]

I vote for the Ridged belt and spindle sander.  I love mine. 

[OCtoolguy]

19 hours ago, Roberta Moreton said:

I vote for the Ridged belt and spindle sander.  I love mine. 

AMEN!