Incidentally, what tools are most frequently used by members (saws, sanders) for working on their boats, at their boats? I can see that I will be missing my table saw (100 pounds of steel 3000 miles from here) for most portions involving woodworking, and wondered how others equipped themselves when faced with a lack of space for tools.
Most excellent question, Bryan. You'll probably get as many answers as one would get to "what boat should I buy."
Here's my take:
** Don't sweat missing the table saw. They are good for a lot of things, but not for others, and you can make up the difference other ways. That said, Fred Bingham's book
Boat Joinery and Cabinetmaking Simplified has 'plans' for making a small table saw out of a regular circular saw.
** An angle grinder with sanding pad is indispensable. It's useful for a TON of things. Mine is a DeWalt.
** A good quality jig saw will get more use than your table saw more than likely. I would not skimp here. I really like my Bosch.
** I have battery powered tools for working on the boat at anchor, and my experience with them is that the batts just don't last long enough to be very useful. The exception is the drill. Saws and sanders suck the juice so quick, maybe a cut or two and then you get to wait a couple of hours for a recharge. So, for 'serious' work, go corded.
** A circular saw has some uses, but you CAN do without. Jig saw may not be BEST for all cuts, but it CAN do them.
** Some folks seem to swear by a reciprocating saw (like a sawz-all); I've used one, but not very often. Seems more the tool for 'demolition' type work.
** Drill, of course. Even if you have 110 V AC readily available, a good cordless drill is VERY handy.
** A bench planer is handy. I also have a power hand plane and use it a lot. Hand planes and rasps are needed. The bench planer is 12"; when I need something wider planed, I know guys in town that have big planing equipment.
** A router is a must-have, imo, if you are doing a lot of woodwork, especially finish type work. A plunge router helps. My router is a Sears Craftsman branded Porter-Cable.
** As for sanders, Random Orbit for 'finish' type sanding. I also recently got a belt sander, one that can easily be clamped down and used as a small 'bench unit,' it 'paid for itself' the first day I used it. Keep lots of small blocks for hand sanding, too, the usual stuff if you are accustomed to woodworking.
My RO sander is a DeWalt and the belt sander is a Bosch.
** Some of the guys on the dock were quite impressed the other day when I pulled out my drill press...for some jobs, it's just DARN handy, and quite a bit more accurate than hand drilling (at least for me). This is the only true "bench" tool I have (the bench planer is a 12" "portable" model), and it's a bear to move around, but worth it when I need it. It's a Ryobi.
** Make friends with a welder or have welding gear available. There's a guy I take my stuff to, and he does EXCELLENT welds on both aluminum and stainless. He's an ex-CeeBee who now does boat restoration and customization.
** Without proper work benches, you will need improvised ways to hold work. A few months ago, after fighting this battle (and mostly losing), I splurged on the pricey but WORTH THE MONEY
Rockwell Jawhorse. Along with a regular, cheapie, plastic saw horse, or even alone, this things makes an excellent work platform. It folds up for transport and storage.
** There's a few odds n ends that I have found useful over the years...such as a flexible shaft for the drill to drill holes where the drill won't fit. I also think a Dremel type tool is handy.
NONE of this is routinely kept on the boat, but we are four living aboard a 30 footer. If I were alone, the v-berth would be a shop. It could all fit in the back on an SUV or a tough box in a pickup. I COULD store it all in the boat if I HAD to, but, well, toys and stuff takes precedence, I guess.
Hope that helps...
Edit: Or, "Me Too" to Tim's Post.
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