Replies

1. 
   mapleman | Nov 23, 2007 06:43pm | #1

    St. James Bay Tool Company

   Lee

1. 
   dougmeyer | Nov 24, 2007 02:11am | #2

   I would love to build one of those infill types but they A) look like a lot of work, and B) do not seam to be very cost oriented.

   Doug

1. 
   philip | Nov 24, 2007 11:22am | #3

   Doug, what do you mean by the words "cost orientated"?How much do you think they should cost?
   None of these things assemble themselves, so some work is involved, even if all parts fit together without "adjustments".....Philip Marcou

1. 
   dougmeyer | Nov 25, 2007 06:40am | #5

   Well lets say they are past my budget, the ones I have heard about are pushing (if not past) 4 digits and while that my be a steal for an infill, this is a huge amount of money (at least for me) and not something I would spend for a kit that I may mess up in building. It may be one thing to spend the better part of a grand on a tool that one knows will be a joy to work with, it is another to spend that much on a tool that if you get everything to work out for you will be a joy but other wise will just be a very expensive paper weight.

   Doug

1. 
   mapleman | Nov 25, 2007 07:51am | #6

   View Image

   Machined Casting kit w/ adjuster (no wood) $256.50

   St James Bay Tool Co

    

   View Image

   Machined Casting w/ adjuster (no wood) $255.75

   St James Bay Tool Co

    

   View Image

   Machined Casting w/ adjuster (not pictured) (no wood)

   $255.50

   St James Bay Tool Co

    

    

   Doug, I'ver never seen a $1000 build it yourself plane kit. Please post a link.

   Lee

    

2. 
   Shepdog | Nov 25, 2007 06:57pm | #7

   Unfortunately St. James tool co. is out of business. Any others you might suggest?         Thanks David

1. 
   Ronaway | Nov 25, 2007 08:38pm | #8

   Shepdog,I have it in my business plan to offer some infill planes in kit form. I am hoping to introduce them sometime in the first quarter of this year, at this time I can't give a definite date or exactly what I will be offering. My first idea is to offer a completed body. This seems to be the stumbling block for most people where completion is concerned, other than that the builder would need to add the wooden bits and do the fine tuning.Ron Bresehttp://www.breseplane.comIf you're too open minded your brains will fall out.

2. 
   mwenz | Nov 25, 2007 11:09pm | #9

   I've made purchases in the near past from St. James Bay--when did you hear they went out of business?

   Granted they are even slower than I am to get to responding to emails, but I've always gotten an answer. Have you tried calling them?

   Take care, Mike

3. 
   mapleman | Nov 25, 2007 11:57pm | #10

   Shepdog,

   I was unaware St James was out of business - I just received a catalog from them about a month ago. And those pics were from their website which I accessed last night. What makes you think they are out of business?

   If that avenue does not work, then I would contact Ron Brese - I have one of his smoothers and I can say without a doubt it is one of the nicest tools I own. Worth the wait if you want to try a kit version of his plane, in my opinion.

   Good luck,

    Lee

   Edited 11/25/2007 4:01 pm by mapleman

1. 
   dougmeyer | Nov 26, 2007 05:38am | #11

   Well I do not have a link but that was the numbers that some of the mags were talking about a year or two back. (I dont recall what mag) then again the artical I saw (review, what ever it was) had kits that had a kit that had the wood. And while I think IIRC that the one they built was cheeper the were talking about others that were a LOT more. If I find it I will let  you know what mag it was. I know another mag did an artical on two of them but I dont recall the prices listed in that one.

   Doug

1. 
   mapleman | Nov 26, 2007 05:49am | #12

   Hey Doug,

   I don't remember the prices, but I do remember the article in FWW. Just a short time after it was published is when Shephard Tools went out of business. Even the St James Bay planes are only  $450-$475 finished depending on the wood - so they don't seem like a bad deal if one wants to try their hand at the construction.

   Lee

4. 
   derekcohen | Nov 26, 2007 08:55am | #13

   David

   Bob at SJB tends to answer his email about once every 7 - 14 days. He is s-l-o-w, but he does get back to one. Still in business as far as I know. I have one of his kits, a block plane.

   Regards from Perth

   Derek

5. 
   jquinn | Dec 01, 2007 04:44am | #14

   the owner of St.JTC responded to an e-mail I sent him right after I saw this spurious e-mail (about him being out of business).  he is definitely still in business (as of 11/30/07).

   people shouldn't post statememts about the status of a company if they don't have the facts.

1. 
   MattInPA | Dec 02, 2007 12:13am | #15

   if you want facts you better go someplace else. we only have 'facts' here.

2. 
   lare | Nov 24, 2007 03:25pm | #4

   Try taking a look at Knight Tool Works or Hock Tools. Hock will sell just blade assemblies if that's what you're after.