The woodworking shop past, present , future!

 When I was attending the Furniture Institute of Massachusetts under Master Phil Lowe, the shop was divided into two key areas: a roughing mill room and a finish mill room. If you had to choose just one, Phil always said the finish mill room was all you really needed. Twenty years later, that lesson rings truer than ever.

There was a time when I dreamed of owning the titans of the woodworking world—16” jointers, 18–20” planers, 12–18” cabinet saws, the legendary Powermatic 66, step mortisers, tilting-head shapers, 36” bandsaws, variable-speed scroll saws, and the iconic 16” DeWalt radial arm saw. The list went on. The desire was real. And so was the belief that owning them all was necessary.

But that desire—and the need—has faded. At least for me.

Of course, it all depends on the kind of work you’re doing and the space you’re working out of. But for where I am today, while the appreciation for those machines remains, they no longer feel essential.

Now, my 36” bandsaw has been replaced with a more practical 14–18” version. My jointer is 8”. The planer is either a 13” lunchbox or a free-standing Powermatic. The step mortiser has been replaced by the Festool Domino XL and a plunge router. The scroll saw? A Carvex jigsaw suits just fine. While I still have an industrial shaper, I often opt for a basic router table—just an MDF top with a wooden fence. Even the table saw has been reduced to a DeWalt contractor model, paired with a track saw for versatility.

Add some well-tuned hand tools, and suddenly a basement shop or oversized one-car garage doesn’t feel so limiting.

In terms of tool-buying priorities, I still believe essential hand tools come first. After that, I recommend starting with a bandsaw with a reliable fence, followed closely by the jointer and planer—ideally purchased together, investing in the best you can afford. Next would be a contractor saw, plunge router, jigsaw, Domino, and finally, a track saw.

Of course, this order isn’t set in stone. Your needs, space, and the type of work you do will guide your choices. There’s no single right answer—just the realization that the old “go big or go home” mentality doesn’t always hold true.