Hey Electric Comet!!!!
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On sale not for delivery in the next 60-90 days-ish.
- posted
8 years ago
The Bait
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- posted
8 years ago
Typical peckerwood marketing of a solution looking for a problem.
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8 years ago
Double sided specials, why not four sided so any dummy can use them, guaranteed! LOL, only one side can be used at a time.
Went back and checked the video, no centerline marking, what's up with that?
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- posted
8 years ago
I found it comical that they are not going to stock these things, rather they will custom build sets for those that think that they need them.
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8 years ago
OTOH, it could be customer support to the Nth degree. Not so much with this particular set of cauls, but this is not the first time they've offered up single production run items. Some, but not all, were of interest to me and perhaps the genesis of these items comes from a number of customers asking "Hey, why don't you make this?"
Could be that Woodpecker figures, "Why not? Let's do a limited run, advertise it in advance and perhaps expand the run beyond our initial projection if warranted." Then, if demand goes nuts, they can incorporate it into their regular product line - or not.
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- posted
8 years ago
Yes! But most of their one of's are way over built IMHO. But for those that like to collect such tools, much like those that collect Bridge City tools, they end up with a very unique and precise set of tools.
IMHO the only one I would consider is the guides for the track saw stacks. They seem to be better thought out than Festool's parallel guides and appear to also be easier to adjust along the length of the track.
They have offered a few tools again, the long rules, and OddJob, IIRC.
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- posted
8 years ago
Looking at their shop and their sales gimmick, I figured they have a great business manager. What a sweet con job mixed with the occasional good idea's. While they often have an interesting twist to their tools, they are way overpriced, and their profit margins have to be high. The high profit margins help the next fully funded production run.
You have to admire the business plan since it seems to have been pulled off successfully, part of it based on customers anxious not to "miss" the next tool coming out.
They have a small job shop, and the beauty of it is that they set up probably all the machines for the various parts of the same tool, they know how many they are going to produce up front + or - a bit, make enough extra for warranty concerns, and let er rip.
As long as they keep the quality up they will have it nailed.
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- posted
8 years ago
I am not sure it is a good business model. They seem to depend a lot on one time tools and the relative few that will buy anything over and over. I would prefer and did and do prefer customers that return because you offer a good value.
they can't help but produce excellent quality as their equipment seems to be state of the art. Hopefully they sell a lot more than one time tools to validate the purchase of that equipment. One time tools are not an excuse for for high production equipment IMHO.
Bridge City tools took this path many years ago when they just about went out of business. Today they still offer the exotic tools but have dropped many tools that every day wood workers would want. so that caliber of customer is pretty much gone.
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- posted
8 years ago
I have a Woodpeckers router lift (PRL). The thing is a God send for what I do. It's pricey, but not too bad compared with the competition. I see Woodpeckers as having a nice CNC shop and a stockpile of aluminum. They need to keep those machines running and will take any old design and 'jewel' it up or make something simple, like their router corner templates, stuff them into a padded case, and charge a fortune.
You are right, this may work for a while, but innovation in these styles of wood working accessories is rare.
-BR
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- posted
8 years ago
Yes! They absolutely need to keep that machinery running.
And no doubt they manufacture high quality tools. But I bet they are trying to develop a cult following for the one time tools. Some people want to collect every one of the "special" tools whether they use them or not. It is a shame that some of the one time tools are just that, one time tools and or that yu have to order a set much larger than you need, thinking the corner wound over router templates.
I love their Story Stick Pro's I have the 48 and 24 inch models. And it would be nice if they would offer a coupler to enable you to fasten them end to end like the Festool tracks have. I have inquired on several occasions but those requests have had no response.
That said, perhaps they have a business that keeps them busy other than what we see on the web site. Maybe they have commercial customers for their main source of income. Making these one time tools might be a way to help pay for those machines during idle times.
And going a bit further they seem to have a close business relationship with Incra. Perhaps they do work for them too. I do know they offered the Story Stick Pro and t-squares through Woodcraft under another brand name and color.
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- posted
8 years ago
And here is an interesting note. Different web sites offering a lot of what WoodPeckers sells but the same phone number.
This site offers free shipping with orders over $40.
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Phone 877-777-4717
This site offers Free shipping on all orders.
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Same phone, 877-777-4717
Buyer beware on which site you identify to have seen when calling an order.
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8 years ago
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Same phone, 877-777-4717
Michael Kavanagh, the president of all 3:
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8 years ago
All of which are distribution point for Woodpecker Products and are NOT the manufacturer. . . just to be clear
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8 years ago
Innovative, or obsessive?
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8 years ago
Obsessive, essentially his clamps are mounted upside down, I think. If he would learn to apply regular clamps he would be good to go.
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8 years ago
Manifestation of a lack of experience that makes going around the block to get next door sound like a good plan?
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- posted
8 years ago
I've never done a panel glue-up. And I've seen various solutions to the pro blem he mentions. But my first reaction to his "invention" is this: assumin g for a second that the bars of his clamps do a good job as "cauls", couldn 't he simply have alternated the clamps up and down, having the bars from B OTH directions contact the panel? The only difference would be that the upp er and lower "cauls" would be offset horizontally by the thickness of a cla mp face.
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- posted
8 years ago
Yes he could have inverted and placed clamps on both sides. His mistake and the problem he is trying to solve is overcome by simple tightening top and bottom bar clamps evenly. Both top and bottom clamps alternatively vs. one side and then the other.
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- posted
8 years ago
That's their "One Time Tool" marketing shtick. I have a number of them. Some are very useful. They're all expensive, though.
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- posted
8 years ago
The corner templates were sold individually, as well. I recently ordered the ones I was missing in one of the last "second run tools". ;-)
As I said earlier, I have a number of the tools but the ones I use constantly are the "Paolini Pocket Rules".
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Woodcraft carries Woodpeckers tools, as well. Well, at least the local store does. Highland carries quite a few of them, as well.