Houston WW Show

Well, I went. I was not expecting much as the web site did not indicate that many vendors were coming, Leigh Jigs, Dubby/In Line Industries, and Laguna were not going to be there.

Well, I was surprised, my wife and I had a great time for about 4 hours.

While TWC? was not there with all their accessories and supplies, PeachTree filled in nicely with a few booths that were double the size of the old TWC booths.

The usual were there, and there were lot's of demonstrations going on. the turn out on the first day seemed quite impressive as there was quite a crowd and every one seemed to be buying.

Festool was doing well as we saw several people walking out of the show with Festool products. Two vendors were selling Festool products. The Domino's were on being demoed at both locations.

MicroJig has come out with a new splitter that looks to be far superior to the original designs. The originals were all plastic, the new Pro versions are stainless steel covered in a clear plastic. The retainer pins are twice as big in diameter and about 1/3 longer. 4 splitters per kit, plus 4 pull away splitters. I bought the double Grripper #230 kit including a DVD and they sold me the Pro Splitter kit for $15 plus threw in 4 extra splitters. The DVD really opened my eyes as to what kind of cuts are possible using the Gripper. I was unaware that it is possible to cut a straight edge on a S2S board with the GRRiper, or cut very thin veneers in narrow strips, and or cut flukes down the length of a dowel on the TS.

Makita is getting ready to come out with a new generation LITE Weight 18 volt Lithium Ion battery. The drill with that battery felt like there was no battery in the drill, almost top heavy, certainly much lighter weight than any 9.6 I have ever used. Now 18 volts is starting to make since. The battery is about 1" tall and about the same width and length as the typical Li-Ion 18 bolt battery. About the size of a pack of cigarettes and probably not much heavier.

Steel City was well represented by The Cutting Edge

Delta has badged the Osborne Miter gauge with the Delta name and in the last

2 years the Osborne/Delta miter gauge still has lots of slop then set to the 45 degree miter setting with the away from the blade end of the fence pointing forward. The end of the miter fence can very easily be wiggled 2 to 3 degrees on the Delta/Osborne miter gauge, I find this to be the case on all the latest versions of the Osborne miter gauges. 2 to 3 years ago when I was upgrading my miter gauge I had the slop problem with the Osborne and all the units at the supplier had the problem. Osborne personally denied that the condition existed. If you are considering one, check it out before buying. I pointed the problem out to the Delta rep at the show and I got the "I have heard this before" answer of, The miter gauge sees a lot of abuse being loaded on and off of the truck going to the shows. Apparently Delta is looking the other way also with this inherent design flaw.

Minimax had a much more impressive demonstration of their products than they did last year. Last year they had a bunch of guys/salesmen swarming around the band saws and tipping the saws over by yanking on the blade guides. This year more clean cut and easily identified rep's were treating the saws with a lot more respect. Oh, no broken down machines at this years show either. ;~)

Anyway I really enjoyed the show and learned a helpful tip for setting up my

3 year old Kreg Miter gauge from the Kreg guys.
Reply to
Leon
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Yup.

No, not yet....;~)

The Domino and the accessories, $720, 1100 Tennon Assortment $200, Vac, about $300 IIRC. Or IIRC $1139 as a set.

No deals at the show on Festool. IIRC the dealers are not allowed to deviate from Festools suggested list. If you buy after May 31 the Domino goes up to regular price at $40 more.

Reply to
Leon

It's the new American corporate model ... cut deep into quality, spend some of the savings on advertising since even the above average dufus is clueless these days, and any extra not spent on buying politicians can be tucked into upper management's compensation.

Thanks for the report!

Inquiring minds want to know: You obviously did not make a deal on a Domino? ;)

Reply to
Swingman

Leon,

Don't look for TWC any more. The owner died and the business was closed down a little over a year ago.

I miss them too.

Reply to
Charley

Actually I think PeachTree had a better better representation. I never was really impressed with the TWC booth in Houston. Peachtree had 3 or 4 demonstrations going on all the time.

Peachtree had MicroJig, Bessy, Freud, and MicroMesh demonstrations going on all the time.

I don't recall TWC having any demonstrations, maybe they did. And yeah, I was aware of the very unfortunate TWC situation.

Reply to
Leon

Could have something to do with the fact that there are approximately

10 people left with Delta who were with them in 2000. (in the U.S. I haven't kept up with Canada). 650 more or less to 10. Gives new meaning to the old corporate slogan that people are our most important commodity. Pentair was saying that right up to the time they set that up to happen.

Frank

Reply to
Frank Boettcher

I am surprised that Delta even bought the Osborn gauge. Its flaw is immediately apparent the first time you extend it out to the 45 degree setting.

As far as the slogan, People are our most important commodity, HUH? That sounds like how they are thinking now. Personally I would not want to ever be considered a commodity.

I have always heard, People are our most valuable "asset".

Either way, Delta seems to have a turbulent future.

Reply to
Leon

You're right. Senior moment. But you get the point. How can a very successful company that relied almost solely on the experience of its work force lose 99% of them, and succeed. Answer, cannot happen.

Reply to
Frank Boettcher

Well, I suspect that Delta will succeed. Probably it will not prosper. I agree though, with out good people and experience the journey is either going to be tough or we are going to see the latest in Toaster Ovens and Coffee makers with the Delta badge on them in the not too distant future. Do you remember when Black and Decker was considered a good brand?

Reply to
Leon

On Mar 31, 4:10 pm, "Leon" wrote: .

I agree with the turbulence, but also think Delta will do OK. It has transformed itself from being a tool company to a manufactuing company. I don't think it will be long before they start selling just plain crap, and milk the brand out as far as it can go selling their ironware. I have already seen different things that give me pause at seeing the Delta brand.

It will start up with that junk line of homeowner tools that they kill killed Rockwell with in the late 70s. All those green plastic tools that weren't even decent anchors. Plain shit.

Delta has already stuck their toe in the water on that front, having that line of tools out for a couple of years that sold three or four

14.4 hand tools in a blow mold case for a low price. Junk batteries, plastic transmissions, bad fit... you name it. But they trotted it out nonetheless, and stuck a 2 year warranty on it.

And yes, do remember when B&D was a good brand. In fact, I was doing installation inspections for a company that was building a large building here, and the workman were all union. Every single tool, no exceptions, had to be permanently badged or stamped "Made in America".

Consequently, NO Makita, DeWalt, Hitachi, Delta, Jet, Powermatic, Festool, Metabo, Ridgid (HD), Panasonic or any other tools I usually see. None, simply not allowed.

The only tools on the job were OLD Deltas, and some Rockwells for the bigger tools.

But ALL the handtools were the Black and Decker "American Industrial Line" that had the B&D badge encircled with a small wreath, or some Milwaukees. That was it! And one of the sheetrock guys told me (not kidding) that if the badge came off the screwgun he was using and it couldn't be found, they got rid of the tool. If it wasn't certifiable in sight, it was gone.

But the B&D tools they used were a step back in time. Nice heft, well made, plenty of power, fit and finish were great. I still see them on occasion on EBAY, or in a pawn shop, but less and less. I don't even know if B&D makes that line anymore.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

It's a dreary day here ... probably has something to do with the case of "grandfather's cynicism". Turns out Galsworthy's good reading for a dreary day ... you realize that nothing has really changed in the last hundred years. :)

Reply to
Swingman

Since B&D, Dewalt, and Porter Cable (among others, including Delta last I heard) are all the same company B&D doesn't need a premium line with the B&D logo anymore.

And if union types can afford to throw away a good tool because the label fell off then perhaps it's time for the laws which give the unions their power need to be reviewed.

Reply to
J. Clarke

Unless you are responding to another post, I personally never said they were thrown away. I missed the post that did. If you are responding to me, then the (union) contractor could take any of those tools back to his shop for any kind of job prep work, shop projects or save them for parts as he saw fit.

I did get a chuckle out of thinking that one could call for a lightening bolt of social change reviewing the current legal powers and status of unions to be be hurled over a drill probably on its way back to the company shop.

Love to see the AG looking into that one.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41
[snipped for brevity]

I think he's busy.

Reply to
Robatoy

Yeah, no kidding!

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

It's a nice sunny day here and I STILL think corporate North America has shit the bed in a big way. Greed with screw you every time. I probably would have done a little better in my life if I has applied a little greed, but I feel good about what I have become. Greed is one of eight Deadly Sins for a reason. Yes, eight. Staining cherry has been added.

r
Reply to
Robatoy

If she makes it, my mother will be 102 in mid April.

She has never failed to remind me that nobody has yet seen a U-Haul follow a hearse to the cemetery.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

Washington D.C. was looking for a city slogan.

The AG came up with "Washington D.C. - We're Listening. No, really, we ARE listening - your phone is tapped"

(actually that's from an NPR show called Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me) charlie b

Reply to
charlieb

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