Thursday, on the way to the new San Carlos WoodCraft store, we passed a warehouse looking building in an industrial area with a sign that said TOOLAND. We'd have to check it out on the way back.
The trip to the new WoodCraft store was primarily to have a look at the Jet 1014VS "midi lathe" and some tire kicking. The 1014VS has gotten some great reviews and, with the bed extension, has a 36" center to center capacity. The price of the lathe was $350, same as in the reviews and various catalogs, including the Penn State catalog I'd brought with me.
How much is the bed extension?
$176
What! Penn State has it for $46. See, right here in their catalog.
Hmmm - let me check that price again. What's the part number?
While he checked the price I picked up four of the $5 1/2" shank router bits on sale, the Tite-Mark mortising wheels I'd been meaning to get for over a year, a tube of 20 small spring clamps and a small $5.50 rosewood pen box with slot hinges (I have slot hinges and the slot cutters but wasn't sure how to use them. A real world example is worth pages and pages of instructions).
The bed extension for the Jet is $55 not $176. We don't have any in stock but we're putting in an order today.
Thanks to Christmas and some unexpected dental bills, the Jet lathe would have to wait. My buddy had the cash on him and offered to front me the money and have me pay him back whenever I could. The offer was greatly appreciated but I chose to wait.
On the way home we stopped in at TOOLAND just down the street.
It was heaven, without the pearly gates. A warehouse full of cabinet saws, drill presses, BIG bandsaws, drum sanders, planers big enough to run doors through, joiners you could land a plane on, a few WoodMasters, some W&Hs, shapers, power feeders, and racks three levels high of circular saws - up to18 inches, electric drills that could break your arm, little compressors and some that would need half the shop, rows and rows of hand tools AND a whole other section of metal working machines.
I love the smell of cosmoline in the morning! This place was heaven. AND they had the Jet 1014VS for $329 and the bed extension for $50.
"I still have the cash if you want to get it." my buddy said again. "It'll fit in the car, no problem."
Passed again, but this time because I'd have a good excuse to return to Tool Heaven sometime in the near future, after I've researched chucks, spur centers and turning tools. In for a penny, in for a pound.
Thursday was a good day.
charlie b
For SF Bay Area residents looking for Tool Heaven, it's a 1369 Industrial Road, San Carlos, on the same street as the new WoodCraft and back towards Whipple a couple of blocks. If you buy "my" lathe I'll hunt you down and ...