The first €500
A saw of some kind, extraction, a mask, and one good blade. That is a working shop. The temptation is to spend it all on the saw; the shop that spends €230 on a saw, €139 on a chip collector, €55 on a blade and €17 on masks does more work and does it more safely than the one that spends €440 on a saw alone.
The next €500
A planer. It is the machine that changes what you can afford to build, because it turns rough-sawn timber at a fraction of the price into stock you can use.
The next €1,000
Whichever of these you keep wishing for: a band saw for curves and resawing, a router table for joinery, a better extractor for the fraction you cannot see.
The two things always worth more than the machine
Blades and bits. A €40 blade improves a €230 saw more than €200 of extra saw would. Extraction and a mask. Everything else is reversible.
This does not replace your machine’s manual. Guards, riving knives and safe working procedures differ between machines, and the manufacturer’s instructions for yours take precedence over anything written here.
Prices quoted in this text were read on 2026-08-12. The live price is at the top of the page.
What comes up most often
Should I buy used?
For cast-iron machinery, often yes — a heavy old machine outlives several light new ones. For anything with electronics or a proprietary consumable, check parts availability first.
Last reviewed 2026-08-12
