Reply To: Which Power Tool

I have been doing this for many years. More than some of you have been alive. Used to have a very well equipped power tool shop. Have chosen for lots of reasons to work almost completely with hand tools.  The easy answer is the bandsaw. It is also the right answer IMO. Second would be a thickness planer. The bandsaw is an incredibly versatile tool. But my reason is that the band saw if tuned properly, is a very accurate ripping machine., and it is so very much safer to use than a table saw. I rip by hand unless I have a lot of ripping to do. Then I let my bandsaw help. After eight feet or so, it gets to be a lot like work.