Jointer or Bandsaw: Which Should You Buy First? | 8

Marc and Matt start with updates from around the woodworking world, including the winners of the Video Shop Tour Challenge, a clever Rockler gift-card promotion, and Marc’s new Makita 18V lithium-ion drill. They also dig into a survey from Cabinet Maker Magazine about small woodworking shops, including who runs them, how many hours they work, how they learned the trade, and the challenges of turning woodworking skills into a profitable business.

The listener questions begin with a common tool-buying dilemma: should a furniture maker buy a bandsaw or a jointer first? Both Marc and Matt choose the jointer. For someone building furniture and tables, the ability to flatten and square rough lumber opens up more material choices and can save money over time. They also explain how French cleats work and why spreading the load across several wall studs makes them such a useful way to hang cabinets and shop storage.

Another listener is planning a parquet floor and asks about patterns and construction methods. Marc and Matt suggest researching designs through the library, Amazon, and woodworking forums, while also considering how the floor’s pattern and materials will move. The discussion then shifts to accuracy in furniture making. Marc explains relative dimensioning, where parts are marked and cut to fit one another instead of relying on measurements alone, while Matt talks about marking knives and gauges.

J.T. asks how to work more efficiently in the shop. Marc and Matt recommend planning the work, using cut lists, grouping similar operations together, and setting clear goals for each shop session rather than constantly switching tasks.

They also discuss a glue used by David Marks that appeared not to foam. Marc explains that polyurethane glue normally does foam and suggests that the product may have been plastic resin glue instead. For outdoor projects, he also recommends Titebond III as a simpler waterproof option.

The show wraps with a comparison of sliding compound miter saws and radial arm saws. Marc and Matt favor the sliding compound miter saw for its smaller footprint, portability, and versatility in a modern shop. Finally, they tackle lining vise jaws with leather and point listeners toward the hand-tool discussions at WoodNet and Christopher Schwarz’s work for more information.

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