Quote:
Originally Posted by Mk.32
The amount of harbor freight I see on that list somewhat worries me... Personally I would avoid HF for any tool that need to be powered, but there are people that have gotten good deals with Hf.
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I gotta agree here. We purchased quite a lot of machines and tools this offseason but we made sure not to skimp on the power tools and machines. You don't want to risk quality, robustness, and most importantly safety just because something is cheaper.
If you are on a low budget and are allowed to purchase items online, check out ebay and craigslist. We found some great deals on Craftsman tools on craigslist and plenty of older drillpresses and bandsaws on there as well. Occasionally, you'll find a solid and well priced lathe or mill, but you have to jump on those pretty quick. Tool chests can also be found from Snap-on and Crafstman for around $300-500 on CL.
Don't think you need to purchase everything in one season for your build space. Make a few compromises now for what you'll have in-house so that you may purchase more high quality items and substitute things like mills/lathes by contacting local machine shops. You can always purchase more items as you go along and raise more money.