Hi all
I am looking for some advicer for a friend of mine who is setting up a workshop in Jamaica, mainly for interior furniture, but to a relatively high standard. He is experienced in all the major shop tools, but the particular requirements of the Jamaican setup call for simple machine tools that are easy to service (no bells and whistles that can’t be fixed except by return to manufacturer).
What he’s been looking at is 8/12″ thicknesser, 8″ jointer, 10″+ table saw (unisaw maybe) mitre chop saw, 92″+ bandsaw, bench morticer (hollow chisel).
So what he needs to know is a reliable supplier of such items who could deliver to Miami (shipping further than this will be carried out by him) and recommendations of makes and models.
I should say that I am from the UK and so not up on the US brands of tooling, though I have long been a reader of Fine Woodworking (much better than any UK magazines).
Any help would be gratefully appreciated.
Oh, I suppose second hand tools would be rather more difficult (I’ve had some success on the UK eBay site for industrial tooling, but you have to go and check them out first which would be a bit of a problem given the location.
Thnaks in advance
Simon
Replies
Your friend might look to Highland Hardware, they're in Atlanta, GA.
I've purchased the odd item from them in the past and had good service. They carry Delta's line of equipment and have a physical location as well as dealing via telephone or internet.
Your friend might want to check to see if shipping and travel out of either Houston TX, New Orleans LA, Savannah GA or Mobile AL might be less expensive than Miami FL.
Website url: http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/index.asp
Contact info:
Highland Hardware
1045 North Highland Avenue NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30306
Highland Hardware CUSTOMER SERVICE: (404) 872-4466
24-Hour Toll-Free PRODUCT ORDER Line: (800) 241-6748
Best of luck.
Roanoke VA
Thanks for the help. They seem to be quite well set up so it might be worth a try; I'll pass it on.
On a similar subject, how do the main US tool brands compare to each other? We've just started to get things like Jet and Delta showing up here in the larger stores (trade and industrial level tools) along with the smaller power tool brands like DeWalt etc which we've had for a few years. Are they all made in Taiwan and rebranded (for instance one of the Jet site saws looks suspiciously like one made by Electra Beckum; hell, it IS the one made, or at least sold by, Electra Beckum) or are there any that a US buyer would recommend as made in the US?
Simon
Powermatic, Delta and General (General is Canadian) are all on pretty much the same level for the stuff made in North America, from what I've seen.
My shop's stationary equipment is pretty much old Delta/Rockwell, with the exception of my drill press, an old Boice-Crane. I've rehabbed most of it.
The rehabber I bought my lathe from is a Powermatic guy, swears it's the best built stuff around. He may be a tad biased, but he does make a good living fixing industrial grade equipment.
Our local turners club had a demo a few years ago involving a Oneway lathe, it was absolutely tremendous. If I ever get another lathe, it's going to be a Oneway. (Oneway is also Canadian made.) http://www.oneway.on.ca/
The hand tools I own are generally antiques, I like the way the older saws fit my hand. Only thing going now that comes close is Paragon (sp?)(British) and Lie-Nielson. I've purchased quite a few of them from vendors on E-bay.
I've got a DeWalt jig saw that does well for what I do with it. Router and sander are Porter Cable, as is an old 3/8 inch electric drill. I've had to put a new power cord on the drill, it's only repair in 37 years. (Egad, didn't realize how long I'd had that beast until I did the arithmetic.)
Hope this ramble is of some use.Leon Jester
Roanoke VA
Is there some way I could get in touch with the fellow you mentioned that rebuilds the Powermatic lathes? [email protected]
Is there some way I could get in touch with the fellow you mentioned that rebuilds the Powermatic lathes? [email protected]
++++++++++++++++++++
Bob is the fellow that re-builds stuff.
Vaughan, Robert M
4514 Kirkwood Dr
ROANOKE, VA 24018
540-774-1745
Leon Jester, Roanoke VA
Q: How do you know when a politician is lying?
A: His lips are moving.
Having spent a couple of years in the West Indies, I'm jealous of your friend and his moving to Jamaica.
On the tool front, American power tools are going to be a problem if Jamaica is 240volts, like most of the former Empire. So an immediate thing (or "ting" as dey say) will be to check the voltage and amperage on the island. He might be better off getting tools from the UK or at least the motors. Big up and irie mon.
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