Looking back at my first big tool buy for the shop

Sage Martin · 2026-03-19T02:55:10.048331+00:00

I remember dropping about $2,500 on a used Chief E-Z Liner frame rack back in 2010. It felt like a huge risk at the time, but it let us take on way more complex jobs than just panel swaps. That machine paid for itself in under a year with the extra work we could do. Anyone else have an old piece of equipment that turned out to be a total game changer?

lisaf386mo ago

Cheap tools just cost you more time (and maybe a finger).

5

harper_cooper217mo ago

Remember that old, cheap drill press?

3

lane.cameron7mo ago

Remember that old, cheap drill press? Yeah, ours was basically a wobbly death trap from a yard sale. You'd try to drill a hole and the whole thing would walk across the bench. We finally got a real one, and it was like going from a toy to an actual tool. Suddenly, holes were straight and parts didn't fly across the room.

1