Table saw

The table saw is usually at the centre of any workshop and can cut lots of different things. It can Crosscut, Bevel cut, Rip, Mitre. It cuts soft and hard woods as well as sheet material. In america dado bladed are available to cut Dados, Rebates etc...

Band saw

The band saw is also a very usefull machine. It can do many of the operations a table saw can do as well as cutting curves. Also you can Re-Saw wood and do many other things. The smaller the band saw the smaller the limit on what you can do.

Thicknesser

A thicknesser is used to plane wood down, either to reduce it's size or remove sawmarks. These come in many shapes and sizes and are mostly used in professional workshops.

 Jointer

Jointers are used to true and straighten up timber. They have a set of spinning knifes which plane the wood smooth and square.

 Oscillating spindle sander

Meet Big Bob. He is used to sand curved. The spindle sander bobs up and down while spinning. If you are going to work with alot of curves - this is the machine for you.

Mortiser

This machine is great for cutting your mortises. It consists of a square hollow shisel with a drill bit spinning inside. The drill bit does most of the work and the chisel squares it up. This makes really light and accurate work of mortises and is a great option if you are going to make mortise and tennon joints.

Pillar Drill/Drill Press

These are used by metal and woodworkers alike. They are used to drill holes and replace regular drills because they can easily drill accurate holes. I love these they are so quiet and gentle - makes a change from something loud and spinning.

Dust Collectors

One of the most improtant things in a workshop is a dust collector. Dust can kill. So it's best to be safe by wearing a mask atleast. If you can afford or have the room for a dust collector it's worth getting. Even a shop vac is better than nothing.