Here's what I got...

[Dudley]

I went shopping today and think I did fairly well. I bought

1. The HF 32208 Bandsaw... I just really wanted a bandsaw. I know it's not the most precise saw in the world but for the price I hot it for I'll be happy if it lasts me a few years (and if it ends up like my table or radial-arm saw, I don't have a whole lot invested in a new storage bench) I bought the extended warranty just to be safe.

2. I bought the HF tool set too.... I know the Pinnacle set is a better quality, but I wanted to make a small step up from my carbon steel and I couldn't beat the price. I'm still learning how to sharpen (even with my Wolverine set-up) and make mistake more often than I should, so I did my best to avoid an expensive pile of metal shavings!! 😛

3. I also bought th Supernova2. I liked the selection of jaws, the feel of the chuck, and the idea that I can use it inboard or outboard (if I ever use the outboard) The lefty-tighty thing really didn't bother me when I played around with it. I did buy this at Woodcraft. I had a few people offer me websites that had them a lot cheaper, but the guy at Woodcraft took his TIME to show me the chucks and offer his opinions on how they work. I believe service is woth something.

4. I also bought the bottle stopper kit... it has 4 metal stoppers and a mandrel.

5. Got a quart of wood sealer

6. Bought a decent 60 grit wheel for my 6" grinder (a lot cheaper than the 8" slow grinder) I'm going to get one of those slow speed grinders later and convert my 6" into a buffing machine, but I decided to watch the money--- a little.

7. I ordered the Pro pen mandrel--it's out of stock. The guy at Woodcraft was going to let me take home one of their in-house mandrels to use until my new one came in. Again--service with a smile means a lot to me.

8. I also ordered the pen mill kit (also out of stock)

9. I also picked up a drill chuck for the bottle stopper mandrel.

Total came to just under $700. I think I did very well. I could have saved some money by looking at one place and ordering online, but I like the service these people give. I'm not sure if it's just the guy's in Pittsburgh (Home of the Superbowl Champs--had to throw in a cheap plug) or everywhere, but they have helped me a lot... even gave me a few hands on pointers on sharpening and types of gouges on my last visit.

Now, I'm going ot order some pen kits online (I may respect the personal touch, but I also value specialized places like some of the pen sites) and a sanding kit.

Thanks for all of the advice, I really had fun with this trip. As a side note, I found out yesterday that I have a great chance at getting a new job that I have been after for a while. If I get this job, we're going to have to move--not very far, but it's going to be required. I'll still be able to attend my local clubs meetings and only be about 45 min from both Dawn (the LOML) and my parents, but I have to get the house in salable (sp?) condition. With the possibility of this added expense it was hard for me to go on my shopping expidition, but Dawn encouraged it and I lowered my limit. I guess that's why they call marriage an partnership! 😀 I am one lucky man to have a partner like her! :cool2:

 

[jcooper]

brad, what kind of turning do you do, and what kind of lathe do you have?

 

[Dudley]

I just started turning on Christmas Eve 2005. Most of my turning so far has been practice. I have made two bowls and a little club for a gag gift for my Dad (my little cousins call him Cave Man)

I got a great deal on a used Delta 45-561. It's about 15 years old with a variable speed reeves drive system. It has a 12" swing and outboard capabilities. Here's a picture:

 

[Dudley]

I almost forgot. A lumberyard near me sells exotic lumber. I also got a piece of Zebra wood (9 3/4 x 17 1/2 x 7/8 or 1 BF) and Padauk (7 1/4 x 10 1/2 x 1 7/8 or .97 BF) for a total of $16.94 ($15.83 plus $1.11 tax). Is that a good price for this wood?

 

[Mark Mandell]

Okay, Brad,

That lathe and surrounding area are way too clean! Get off the Internet and get to work!!

😀

 

[Leslie S]

Dudley, I know you are near my area. What lumber yard sells exotics? Also, congratulations on good service at Woodcraft. Every time I have been in there they 1. Act like I don't exist. 2. Seem to know less than I do about the products. 3. Speak in grunts. I have decided never to go back even if I pay more elsewhere. It's a shame really, they are so convenient. And congrats on the shopping and the new job.

 

[Gary]

Every time I have been in there they 1. Act like I don't exist. 2. Seem to know less than I do about the products. 3. Speak in grunts.

Sorry to hear about your experience at Woodcraft. I have always had friendly knowledgeable service at the Woodcraft near where I live; It's my favorite place to shop!

Gary

 

[Walt]

WOW! I wish I had a Woodcraft. We have a Home Depot with the same service as your store. I also have a Rocklers about 50 miles away.

Brad I agree with Mark, get to work!

Walt

 

[Dudley]

Leslie,
West Elizabeth Lumber sells exotics. The have all sorts of wood. Bloodwood, cocabola, willow, ebony, zebra, padauk, puple heart, holly, and a whole bunch more. They sell it by the board foot and have cut offs on discount. Their address is 1 Chicago Avenue, Elizabeth, Pa 15037-1766. I live in New Stanton (Youngwood actually, but a lot of people never heard of Youngwood), they're about 45 mins. but worth the trip.

That picture was taken the day I got the lathe. But I do have to admit, I always vacuum it off when I'm done and sweep the floor.

 

[Mike S]

Good Luck

Hope you enjoy your new tools, I have a 12" old delta myself and have turned some 10" bowls and a 6"x9" vase with old carbon tools. Just purchase new tools, hope to receive them today or Monday.I'm hoping to gae into some segment turning and same boxes.

 

[Jeff Jilg]

Brad - sounds like a very productive shopping trip. You have the most important piece of equipment in that photo - your faceshield! Now we need to see a pile of shavin's about 2' high!

You might consider ordering the riser block for the HF bandsaw. It makes all the difference in the world. Good luck with the new job. And yes you are lucky to have a great partner like that!

 

[dkulze]

Ya got a great old lathe there, Brad. That's from before the newest turning craze so it's good, solid metal. You'll be happy with it for quite a while.

Early on I spent a fair amount of change on exotics. As it turns out ("turns out"...heh, heh), here it is 5 years later and I still have almost all of it on my shelves collecting dust. I found out pretty quickly that I enjoyed turning green wood and found wood much more than wood that I paid for. More of a sense of adventure and less of a sense of money curling away with the shavings. And there's nothing quite like scoring a burl or really cool piece of figured walnut at the local dump heap. As to the exotics I still have, I figure I'll get around to it eventually.

Sounds like you did good on your choices. With the Nova, there's one additional fun benefit. You can pick up a big-arse allen key at the hardware store to use when you really need to crank that sucker down and want to save your wrists.

Have lots of fun,
Dietrich

 

[pencheff]

Early on I spent a fair amount of change on exotics. As it turns out ("turns out"...heh, heh), here it is 5 years later and I still have almost all of it on my shelves collecting dust

Didn't you know it's dangerous, not to mention illegal to leave odd lots of exotic lumber sit in one place for more than 4 years? Dietrich you need to package that stuff up right away and mail it to me for quick disposal. :cool2:

I'm only thinking of your safety.

 

[Leslie S]

Yeah I was disappointed in Woodcraft too. Any way I'm looking forward to exploring the lumberyard in Elizabeth, sounds perfect for a rainy Sunday afternoon. Thanks for the info and sounds like to you are all set and ready to go. Don't forget to post your results. I but the bullet and posted my first picture of a chestnut bowl about two weeeks ago.

 

[Jeff Jilg]

Dietrich - I believe Greg is correct. Exotic wood has a natural half-life of about 4 years and at that point it degrades into toxic waste. Unfortuately for Greg he lives in PA which does not allow toxic waste. Here in Texas we not only allow it, we encourage it (Tom DeLay, etc).

You should ship that directly to me post haste.

Signed,
A concerned but certified exotic wood disposal expert

 

[Dudley]

Leslie,
Unfortunatly West Elizabeth Lumber is only open Monday-Friday until 5pm.

I bought the exotics for pen blanks and bottle stoppers. Tried turning a bottle stopper tonight and didn't notice the check in the wood.... it broke 🙁

Thanks for the kind words about my lathe. It's the nicest tool I've ever owned. I take baby like care of it 😛

I too like turning green wood. The Paduak (sp.) is really hard to turn. It seemed like I had more dust than shvings. Then I roughed out (my first rough out) a green piece of hickory.... yeah that's much nicer!

Love the supernova2. Like the bandsaw too. I started putting it together at 9pm last night and finished a 3am. The directions have a lot to be desired and you have to cut slow, but ripping a log with an electric chainsaw and cutting it into a circle made the night a lot more productive!

 

[Mr. Don]

exotics shelflife

The shelf life of exotics is much less than 4 years!!!!(due to the humidity of the Pacific Northwest). Anyone who would vacuum a lathe and the floor, let alone be public about it should be watched closely or commited to a padded cell!!!! The above turners who manufactured B.S. can wait for it to dry and get hard.....it might be a new material for turning!!!! HAR HAR!!!!