re: Prioritizing power tools for a home woodworking shop

Spend the cash on the table saw. Keep your eye out on fb and the woodworking forums for the rest. I have both a delta contractor saw and a unisaw - 70’s model. I bolted them together and put them on a common mobile base. One for dados and one for cutting.

I had a router in the wing and used it like that for years, then I built a router table with an expensive lift and I hardly use it.

I have a 12” jointer and a 16” planar. Both from the 70’s and probably 5000lbs between them. They are nice, but overkill. I did a lot of work with a bench top planer and no jointer.

Buy the best tools in each category. You will always love using them. If you can’t afford the best, save.

I bought the festool miter saw, and I would not recommend it. Too much money for not much benefit over the competition. Their sanders, and the domino, priceless. I would buy them again immediately.