Which is most useful

[PabloPicasso]

I'd like to get a bench press drill, a table saw, and a band saw for various boat/non-boat projects.

On a limited budget which would you get first, and why?

 

[geem]

Band saw last. Others depends on what jobs you need to do but can't imagine not having a pillar drill

 

[Boathook]

Pillar drill.
A friend has the lidl one and I'm impressed with it. I've got a wickes one that has done a lot of work over the years.

 

[Praxinoscope]

Depends very much on what projects you are likely to be doing, if a lot of woodwork then a table or band saw would be my first choice, unless going for the upper end of the market both will have a maximum m cut depth of about 100-120mm, thé table saw can accommodate sheet materials where a band saw would normally have a width restriction.
The Pillar drill is very useful, but you could get away with a hand held drill for the majority of work.

 

[Wansworth]

Depends very much on what projects you are likely to be doing, if a lot of woodwork then a table or band saw would be my first choice, unless going for the upper end of the market both will have a maximum m cut depth of about 100-120mm, thé table saw can accommodate sheet materials where a band saw would normally have a width restriction.
The Pillar drill is very useful, but you could get away with a hand held drill for the majority of work.

Used to be pillars for ordinary electric drills probably the battery pack gets in the way?

 

[Uricanejack]

A good heavy table saw. Used it for a sorts of jobs. Hardly ever use chop saw. never needed a band saw cause table saw would do almost everything. I have a drill press, its still in the original box. I find a regular hand held drill does what I need.

 

[Stemar]

Table saw. I wouldn't be without mine. You won't get fantastic accuracy with a budget job as supplied, but there are plenty of Youtube vids on how to make a crosscut sled that will give you the accuracy you want for smaller cuts, and the bigger ones, just cut a couple of mm oversize and plane down.

While you're saving up for the pillar drill (+1 for the Lidl one, BTW), you could get one of these

which will help you drill more accurately square holes than you will by hand and, unlike the pillar drill, you can take it to the boat!

 

[Refueler]

As a modeller with full workshop .... I can list as follows in order of use and importance to me, considering as a bench item .... starting with best of all :

1. Pillar Drill - I have a Clarkes version that clamps a standard mains powered drill into the stand.
2. Table saw - table tilts, blade depth settable ... has mm scale both sides for setting cutting width fence
3. Battery drill (converted to LiPo battery)
4. Dremel style mini drill with multi-tool bits
5. Hand held Jigsaw
6. Hand held circular saw

One of the worst items I have - is the table jigsaw .... the blade just refuses to cut straight and vertical ...
I wish I had spent a little more and bought a Bandsaw. Where would I put the Bandsaw in the above list - if I had one ? Probably equal #2 .....

I also have Laser cutter and 3D printers .... but they are specialist and perform mainly for my model builds.

 

[StefanSG]

Having watched a (very good & simple) Youtube HowTo when I first bought my hand held circular saw, which was from a professional builder in the US, I would never go near a bandsaw, as about 2 videos later he chopped all his fingers off one hand with a bandsaw. (PerkinsBuilderBrothers)
Edit: it was actually a jointer - which is more like a tablesaw or planer than a bandsaw.

 

[wrr]

If you are going to drill stainless steel to a significant extent, a proper pillar drill is needed for low speed, high pressure drilling.

 

[LadyInBed]

After a pillar drill one of the most useful and versatile tools I use is a 3-in-1 Multi-Tool

 

[ProDave]

It really does depend what you do.

Pillar drill essential.

As to saws, I find a (not mentioned) chop saw essential. My table saw gets used once in a blue moon and I have never found a time when I really wished I had a band saw.

 

[vyv_cox]

Not quite on topic but on the boat I have a DeWalt right angle drill instead of a conventional pistol type. It has been incredibly useful, getting into spaces I could otherwise not reach. It can be used for any other hole drilling of course.

On topic, I use my pillar drill almost every day. I have a table saw, still not reassembled since our move 2 years ago. Would love a bandsaw but no space for it.

 

[Stemar]

After a pillar drill one of the most useful and versatile tools I use is a 3-in-1 Multi-Tool

Yes, but do get a good one. I bought a Draper and took it back the same day, telling the salesman it should have been in the children's toys department. My Bosch is WAY better, still going strong in spite of some serious abuse over the years.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Rather than a table saw I would go for a track saw it will do virtually all the jobs a table saw will do and more including cutting down large panels, I rarely use my table saw nowadays. A polar drill can be useful and no workshop should be without one but in terms of priority it's a toss up likewise a bandsaw but that very much depends on what you need to do.
First give us an idea of what you want to do first and what sector of the market you are in ie how many beer tokens are you going to spend.

 

[jwfrary]

Bandsaws are only really worth having if they are big enough to get a decent gauge of material though them.

Track saws are excellent bits of kit much more versatile than your standard table saw

 

[pandos]

I have a table saw, cheap from some french chain, it does great work. A good one would be my first purchase.

I have a pillar drill which is rusting away in the yard...I never use it...when I last tried, I discovered it would not take my battery drill...

I never had a band saw but I have two jigsaws and a skill saw.

I am a time served carpenter Joiner and a trained wood machinest, although I gave this up a few years ago.

As you see from the other replies it's seems to be a very personal choice.

I suspect those from an engineering background like pillar drills and vernier calipers.....whilst those from a carpentery/building background like bed saws and hammers....

 

[jwfrary]

I have a table saw, cheap from some french chain, it does great work. A good one would be my first purchase.

I have a pillar drill which is rusting away in the yard...I never use it...when I last tried, I discovered it would not take my battery drill...

I never had a band saw but I have two jigsaws and a skill saw.

I am a time served carpenter Joiner and a trained wood machinest, although I gave this up a few years ago.

As you see from the other replies it's seems to be a very personal choice.

I suspect those from an engineering background like pillar drills and vernier calipers.....whilst those from a carpentery/building background like bed saws and hammers....

As an engineer, would say I can achieve the same result with careful use of a normal drill. If I want something done to a decent accuracy I stick it in the lathe or the mill!

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Pillar drill really come into their own when working with metal for wood working you can usually get away with lining a hand drill up with a guide (square) or make or by a jig / guide so it would in terms of starting out be a low priority for me although I use one periodically but that is because I have one. A table saw especially a cheap one has now been superseded by a track saw even a cheap one out performs quite pricey mid range table saws. Bandsaws are quite specialised and for anything of any real use are expensive and can at the lower end be replaced by a jigsaw and a block and sandpaper.
Most power tools in fact all power tools can be replaced with hand tools and certainly cheap power tools will often require their cuts refinishing either with a plane or sanding.

 

[Refueler]

Not quite on topic but on the boat I have a DeWalt right angle drill instead of a conventional pistol type. It has been incredibly useful, getting into spaces I could otherwise not reach. It can be used for any other hole drilling of course.

On topic, I use my pillar drill almost every day. I have a table saw, still not reassembled since our move 2 years ago. Would love a bandsaw but no space for it.

I have a 90 deg adaptor for a conventional power drill that clamps on .... bought it with idea of jobs to do .... few years ago ... still in packaging.
I also have a pump attachment that clamps onto a power drill ............. that's still in packaging !

Have to say though .... in terms of power tools - my battery hand drills have been good for on board. Having swapped out the crap NiCd packs for decent LiPo - I can fast charge on board from the 12v etc.