Christmas present

Hey woodworkers, My husband is interested in furniture making and I think he used to lurk this group. I found it was one of the ones he subscribed to anyway.

Understand forthright that I don't know anything about the wood working biz. I want to get him a really versatile piece of equipment for Christmas. He has some kind of lathe, but I don't know what exactly it is. I know he talks about saws a lot.

Can you guys give me a good idea what I should spend about 5-600 dollars on? I want him to have something nice and of quality, so it doesn't have to be a big table saw or something. I'm wanting to get him a quality gift he will appreciate. It could even be hand tools or something.

Please let me know brand name, cost, etcetera.

Thanks!

Wanda

Reply to
Wanda Pangborn
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Wanda, it a hard thing to do - for others to pick out tools without knowing what he now has. Take him to a woodworking store and see what he gravitates towards. I have no doubt he'll talk about SOMETHING he saw. For weeks! ;-)

FWIW,

Greg G.

Reply to
Greg G

For right around $600 you could get him a Sliding Compound Miter Saw. Many recommend Makita. Google to see what tool I'm talking about. Top brands include DeWALT, Bosch, Porter Cable. Some have lasers to assist in positioning the board accurately. I haven't used a laser and some consider it a pricey gimmick. Having said that, I'm considering buying a laser equipped SCMS myself, but not til I see one in action.

It will take a lot of wrapping paper and lots of room under the Christmas tree for this tool!

Dave

Reply to
David

hopefully your hubby isn't Kenneth.

not enough information to really give you good advice about what to get him. for instance, we don't know what tools he has now or what kind of work he is doing and what work he wants to do. I'd say get him a gift certificate to a good tool store, a local brick and mortar establishment in your hometown if possible, where he can walk in and look stuff over in person and talk to real live people about what he needs.

Reply to
bridgerfafc

A gift certificate to Lee Valley

Reply to
Duke of Burl

Seeing as he may be interested in wood turning since he owns a lathe, a bandsaw would be a good fit whether he's a turner or wants to get more into building furniture.

Grizzly has a selection that will fit your budget

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and still be of good quality.

Jet has some rebates going on (see their home page but this shows a selection of bandsaws. You can always do a web search using the model number to find out the price, shipping, availability - such as

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and plenty of others.

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is another good name:

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14" enclosed base with a 1hp (or greater) is within your budget. If you shop wisely, you can find rebates, and specials such as free shipping this time of the year. But don't hold off to the last minute. Obviously there's a gazillion potential gift suggestions but a bandsaw is one of the most versatile tools around.

Bob S.

Reply to
BobS

Do you have a sister?

Let me tell you the story of an exchange I had with my son a few years ago. It may give you the flavor of a tool enthusiast's mindset.

One night (actually, early in the morning) I was channel surfing on the TV and saw an ad for a hammer that had a magazine and would self feed nails. As a tool aficionado I was immediately consumed with nausea, but after a few seconds I recovered. Watching for a few minutes more I saw that someone that didn't know much about tools would think that might be a good idea, and, "quelle horror" might make a good gift, as well.

As soon as the time was decent I called my son and told him about the ad I had seen and cautioned him that it was not something I wanted, if anyone had thoughts of gifts on their mind. He told me not to worry, he knew I was too finicky about tools for him to risk buying something without checking with me first. Love that kid.

My point is, you hubby also may be finicky, and as well intentioned as you may be, it's far better for him to love something you bought and use it than it is to use something you bought because he loves you.

So, what about the sister?

Reply to
LRod

Just about anything from

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would make most any woodworker happy.

-John in NH

Reply to
John Girouard

Fri, Nov 11, 2005, 12:18pm snipped-for-privacy@attservicearea.com (Wanda=A0Pangborn) asketh: Can you guys give me a good idea what I should spend about 5-600 dollars on?

You don't buy him a damn thing. You get him a gift certficate, so he can pick out what he actually wants. Simple.

JOAT If it ain't broke, don't lend it.

- Red Green

Reply to
J T

You don't buy him a damn thing. You get him a gift certficate, so he can pick out what he actually wants. Simple.

Yeah, but you've got to make the presentation of the gift certificate exciting. I've got a foot long piece of railroad track I occasionally use as an anvil of sorts. More than once when I've been giving a gift certificate or cheque or something else equally small and light, I've taped whatever it is to the railroad track, wrapped it up and dragged it under the Christmas tree. Whenever someone has come around to surreptitiously examine the gifts, this present that's too heavy to pick up has always garnered the wildest guesses.

No anvil? A piece of rock or concrete brick will do in a pinch. And Wanda, if you've got someone who is looking for some big iron for his workshop, something like this will fire his imagination even more.

Reply to
Upscale

I once wrapped a gift certificate in a dishwasher box.

It took a while to wrap, but it was worth it!

Barry

Reply to
Ba r r y

Sat, Nov 12, 2005, 2:00am snipped-for-privacy@rogers.com (Upscale) who can only come up with: Yeah, but you've got to make the presentation of the gift certificate exciting. I've got a foot long piece of railroad track

Uh, you're forgetting something. This is a female gift giver. I know I'd be pretty damn disappointed if the most exciting idea she could come up with is taping a gift card to a chunk of railroad track. On the other hand, I just be a lot younger than you. LMAO

JOAT If it ain't broke, don't lend it.

- Red Green

Reply to
J T

Sat, Nov 12, 2005, 9:34am (EST+5) snipped-for-privacy@middle.earth did spew: A batch of the usual sad, dull, boring, dorky troll crap.

You could at least "try" to be amusing, instead of a total dork.

JOAT If it ain't broke, don't lend it.

- Red Green

Reply to
J T

Good point. There's LOTS of places my wife could tape a Lee Valley GF to!

Reply to
Ba r r y

Photos on ABPF? :-O

Reply to
jo4hn

I'll send subscription info...

ONLY KIDDING!!!!

Barry

Reply to
Ba r r y

Now wait a minute. YOU were the one that told her to get a gift certificate for tools instead of tools themselves. In MY fantasy, the gift certificate wouldn't have been for woodworking tools.

Reply to
Upscale

I've been wrapping Christmas presents 'creatively' for over 35 years now. Used to do it for a different family member each year.

It's been getting more and more difficult to find new ways each year. Noe I only do it every other year or so.

Some of the past methods that could be done by either gender....

remove all stickers off all sides of a Rubik's Cube. Paste on blank labels on all sides, write the location of the present using words spread around all the sides, then mix up the cube.

You used to be able to find a vendor that usually sets up a temp booth in a mall around Christmas, that provides a wrapping service. The one I found would insert your gift in an aluminum can and apply the label of your choice, for example a 'Campbells Soup can' label. That year it was an engagement ring

A doxen golf balls, each one placed in a zip-lock baggie then all of them pushed down into a 5-gallon pail of roofing tar. Make sure to leave the bucket of tar outside in the snow for a few days.

build a small wooden box to contain the present of choice. glue all the sides and top together. Then nail (using finishing nails so they aren't that obvious) all sides and the top and bottom. Then screw all sides, top and bottom together. Be nice enough to give the reciepent of the gift, a worn out screwdriver. That year was a pair of levi's

Build a form about 2' x 3' x 1'. pour half full with cement. Take card with money or a gift certifivate inside and put in in a plastic bag. put plastic bag between two pieces of masonite slightly bigger than the card. place sandwich in the cement. finish pouring the form full of cement. allow to cure. Now here's the hard part..... with the gift reciepent sitting on the couch, go get the gift, carrying it in your arms trying to pretend it doesn't way 80-100 lbs, walk over and from a height of about 2 ", drop it in his lap. That year it was a gift card for a sporting goods shop.

Get a large cardboard box. put gift certificate inside a card and again put that in a zip-lock bag. Go to local borg and stock up on cans of expanding insulation. This took me about 10 cans. spray several layers of foam in the bottom of the box, wait a bit for it to expand. Place card. continue to fill box up with foam. with luck, when/if it cures it will form into one solid block of foam. If you're feeling sorry for the reciepient, also give him/her a knife or drywall saw. That year it was a digital camera.

Put present in a box and again put gift in a zip-lock bag. Purchase several sheats of 2" rigid foam insulation. Cut insulation to create a box around the gift and glue and screw the sides together. Cut more pieces of rigid foam to form another box layer around the previous box, make sure to use construction adhesive to not only glue the sides together but also apply clue to the entire surface of the inner box sides. Repeat with as many layers as you want (make sure to keep it small enough to carry and fit in your car. Again, you may choose to give a drywall type of saw as a gift as well. I started this way to wrap the digital camera, but after three layers, I realized I didn't have enough time to let the construction glue to cure properly, so I ended up taking it all apart (what a gooey mess that was) and used the above spray foam method instead that year.

If the reciepent doesn't happen to have much in the way of tools..... Find a suitable length and diameter of pipe. That year the gift was a shirt so a 5" or so dia length of pipe worked. Thread ends of pipe. Cap pipe on both ends. Put pipe in a large vise, use a pipe wrench with a 3' piece of pipe as leverage and tighten end caps. Give hacksaw with blades as part of the gift.

Very similar to above, roll up a pair of pants. Wrap pants in several layers of aluminum foil. Find 2' length of 5" square tubing. insert pants. Weld plates of 1/4" steel on both ends. Give hacksaw as gift.

Gift was a selection of 3/8" drive and 1/2" drive sockets. Bought sets at local crapsman store. Removed sockets from their plastic holders and put each socket in a zip-lock bag. Keep original plastic socket holders aside. buy your typical heavy-duty tool box you can buy for hand tools at the local borg (same size as a typical fishing box). Buy a box of 3" deck screws. Turn toolbox upside down and drive a series of 3" screws in a random pattern through the bottom. Fill toolbox partway full of cement (you can guess what happens next) place the sockets throughout the cement. finish filling the toolbox with cement. It took two toolboxes to hold all the sockets. The screws are there to prevent the reciepient from turning the box upside down to get the cement out. Also give a cement chisel and small sledge as part of the gift. Oh.... remenmber the plastic socket holders?.... Put them in a bag and give them first, to show him what he should be looking for.

All true stories, and many other methods used over all the years.

Each year when the family gathered at Christmas to swap presents, they all looked forward to see what method I'd choose this year and who this years victim would be.

Anybody can wrap with simple paper and a ribbon.

Make it an adventure.....

Reply to
Timothy Drouillard

Sat, Nov 12, 2005, 7:48pm snipped-for-privacy@rogers.com (Upscale) now admits: In MY fantasy, the gift certificate wouldn't have been for woodworking tools.

Ah, I MUST be younger than you. LMAO

JOAT If it ain't broke, don't lend it.

- Red Green

Reply to
J T

Sat, Nov 12, 2005, 8:18pm snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net (Timothy=A0Drouillard) admits: I've been wrapping Christmas presents 'creatively' for over 35 years now. Used to do it for a different family member each year.

If you were in my family, and I got one of those, your Christmases from then on would be "adventures" in gift receiving.

JOAT If it ain't broke, don't lend it.

- Red Green

Reply to
J T

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