Top Tips for Buying Woodworking Machinery

Alex Dalton, managing director of Daltons Wadkin, takes a closer look at some of the top things to consider when making a woodworking machinery purchase.

Whether hobbyist or industrial, woodworking machinery offers time and labour saving advantages over manual techniques, and guarantees a level of accuracy. Buying woodworking machinery for your own personal use, or for use in a commercial workshop, can be a significant investment. With woodworking machinery there is a huge variety, consisting of both portable hand-held power tools, and stationary machines. This wide range of machinery is easily and readily available in the market, so, it is not unusual for customers to find it difficult to source the right machine for their woodworking needs. Here are some important things to consider when trying to find the perfect piece of woodworking machinery.

Safety

Before we get stuck into the attributes of new versus used equipment, we must mention safety. According to the Health and Safety Executive, the woodworking industry has one of the highest accident rates in manufacturing, not to mention accidents from hobbyist use. Before buying or operating any equipment, you should ensure it has been checked by a competent person with all the necessary guards, extraction and safety features in place, and that it is functioning correctly. You also need to make sure you are suitably trained in the safe setting and use of the equipment.

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) details the responsibilities of people and companies who own, operate, or have control over work equipment. Increasingly we are asked to carry out PUWER assessments and all too often come across illegal machinery. We also provide in-house and site-based certificated operator training for all woodworking machinery to ensure every area is covered.

New or used