Thread: What's your favorite power tool?

I've got about $200+/- I want to throw at a new power tool, and am on the fence about what to get. Up until now I've been doing everything by hand except drilling pin holes. I am leaning towards a stationary belt/disc grinder set up since sanding scales is pretty much my absolutely least favorite thing to do. But then again, a little scroll or band saw seems like it would be a nice addition. The other thing I need to think about is the tool's ability to be used for other woodworking ventures. My wife and I will be moving in to a new house soon, and I am sure there will be lots of fun projects for me to tackle. So what is your favorite most time saving power tool? Have I overlooked something? Ooooh, maybe a buffer!?

Not for razor restoring since I don't do that, but for general handiness a Dremel belt sander has been worth it's weight in gold for me over the past 20 years. The kind with the vertical belt with an auxiliary disc on the side. Cost me about a hundred bucks at the time IIRC and well worth every penny.

It depends on what you want to be doing. Since it sounds like you are making scales, I would recommend a belt sander. Rough cutting with a coping saw is annoying, but not that time consuming. A beltsander makes the final shaping go very quickly. I bought my beltsander before my scroll saw; the scroll saw was actually a gift, and had it not been, I still might not have one. A buffer is a nice thing to have as well, but it has a totally different purpose. Scales or cleaning - go in whichever route you see yourself working more.

4x36 belt with a 6 inch disc sander is my number one most used tool in my shop... Second is a buffer

+1 on the belt sander.

My belt grinder put aside I would say my belt sander is my most valuable and used tool in the shop.

Awesome, thanks for all the input! I was kind of leaning towards the belt sander, but I'm sure you all know how easy it is to say, "oh wow, that would be cool too!" I would love a belt grinder, Lynn's was frickin' awesome, and will probably end up fabricating one in the future, but right now the scales are what I've been focusing on. I think when we get settled in to the house I'm going to get a buffer and a brass-tumbler for blade cleaning because I hate hand sanding blades even more than I hate sanding scales. But since the scales are all my work, they need to look better; I'm not too concerned about the blade being absolutely perfect (too much work, not enough payout for me).

>>>>Whoa there.. the most important tool is a...Shop Vacuum!! Yup it makes getting rid of dust from machines while running them easy with a modified floor tool clamped to the machine or table. Removing all the tiddly bits from the floor..so they are not tracked into SO's territory will make a lot happier hobby for you!
A nylon stocking skinned over the input end is great for collecting the little parts you dropped onto the floor. They are easier to find in the sock than on the floor.

Auto parts stores are your friend for high grit abrasives.

A good quality somewhat flexible rubber sanding block made/sold by 3M is next. Curved on top and flat on the bottom will do for scales and derusting blades. The good blocks are all you will need for contouring scales!

I use a 1"x 30" belt sander ( very cheap and will do all you need to to start with) with or without a disk on the machine and later a 4"x36" ( cheap) and the two give me all the contouring ability I need. The 1" wide belt conforms most easily to complex negative curves shapes like the top of a scale and the little disk makes flat shaping easier. The backing plate for the 1" is put way back so the belt can conform to the outside curve of the scales.

A cheap drill press is worth its weight in gold!

Next is a plug in operated variable speed Dremel or flexible shaft machine. Cheap is ok and HF can do a really nice job of saving you money on the tools and accessories.

Just what I have found to be minimums over 60+ years in the shop!!

You will be under $200 for all with shopping the classified ads/craig's list and HF.

Just to throw a wrench in here.....

have you thought about a drill press? I'm asking because at Lee Valley tools you can purchase 1/2" to 2 1/2" sanding mandrels and replacement sanding tubes....or you could make the replacement tubes yourself with the tutorials from the Wiki. This way you get a drill press (the Ryobi 12" from HomeDepot is pretty nice) and a "sander".

For non razor related repair....table saw.

My belt grinder is my favorite tool - I use it for all kinds of metal projects, and wood as well - however, it is way outside your price range. You mentioned you were going to get one later, so I'd suggest not getting something now that will be obsolete when you get yours. Drill presses are handy for a lot of uses, and a good dremel type machine is a good starter tool for other projects, as well. A 6inch variable speed grinder can be used for buffing, and will run around $80 at Home Depot. Good luck!