Hi Folks,
The Feb. 18-20 Woodworking Show in Chantilly will be my first ever. A number of people have said that these shows are less likely to yield much of a discount on big power tools, but more likely to offer bargains on other items. I know this is a heck of a broad question, but I’ll throw it out there: What kinds of things can I expect to find the best values on? To give a little more help, here’s the list of vendors coming to the show:
- 3m
- Apollo Sprayer
- The Auggie Company
- Bad Dog Tools
- Bosch
- Colonial Saw
- Craft Supplies USA/Treeline
- DeWalt
- Fein
- Fisch Precision Tools
- Freud
- General Int’l.
- Incra
- IN-Line
- JET
- JoinTech
- Jubilee Products
- Laguna
- Lee Valley
- Leigh
- Lie-Nielsen
- Manny’s Woodworker’s Place (Reps Gladstone tools)
- Milescaft
- Mini Max
- Just Clamps
- Might-T-Track
- R.B. Industries/Hawk
- Sharp Tools
- Skarie, Inc.
- Sommerfeld’s Tools for Wood
- Tool Time Liquidators
- Trend Routing
- Turbinaire
- Wilton
- Woodcraft
- Woodworker’s Choice
Also, since it’s a 3-day show, am I likely to find better bargains tomorrow morning or Sunday afternoon?
Thanks for your advice,
Mitch
“I’m always humbled by how much I DON’T know…”
Replies
MVAC,
I look at the big stuff but buy the little stuff....stuff I might have to order on line and pay shipping...and...I try to stay away from LN...
I saved money on bandsaw blades, a router wrench from CMT, plastic adapters and sometimes some small power tools. The prices for these items will not vary from Friday to Sunday..
It's also a great place to conduct comparasions: Incra, Jessem, Osborn, etc. miter guages
My recommendation is to bring the Amazon.com and any other catalog with you. This way you can compare pricing. I've also called my DW to have her look on the web to compare deals.
As for which day to buy. Any day...there usually isn't any haggling on small stuff. The big stuff is usually a good deal for what they brought to the site. Therefore you may want to buy while it is there rather than run the risk of them not having one in stock on Sunday evening.
The problem I have is priorities change once I see something in action. I went looking for planners and came home with some other neat tools, because of the demos.
Peace,
Martin
"Habitat for Humanity is a perpetual motion miracle:
everyone who receives, gives - and everyone who gives, receives.
If you want to live complacent and uninspired, stay away from Habitat;
come close to Habitat and it will change you,
and make you part of something that changes the world."
(Randall Wallace, screenwriter, Braveheart)
I'll be looking for some small hand tools such as a low angle block planer. Steve
If you're looking for larger power tools, offer to buy the demo unit. That way, they don't need to move it at the end of the show. I was looking for a mobile base with extension for my table saw/extension table/7' rails. The Shop Fox was the one that would work best because of the way my garage is set up. The HTC is great, but I need to go straight in to the wall, not lengthwise(like parallel parking it). I asked for a price and he told me that the display unit was the only one he had. I asked if he could sell it and he gave me a smokin' deal. The best way to get good deals is through awareness of what that item sells relsewhere. If you have a list of what you want, go to the other sites and print out the page or list. Then, you can compile your own list with model #, who sells it and at what price. If you're well prepared, you can get some good prices. Be careful, you'll probably see things you didn't know you wanted.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Thanks to everyone. Not surprisingly, it seems to come down to information and preparation.
What's the chance I could get a demo DeWalt DW735 (Retail $500) for $400 or less? At the end of the day, that's the one thing I really want.Mitch
"I'm always humbled by how much I DON'T know..."
Mitch,
I wanted the same thing, the rep told me that the DW735 was too new and therefore he couldn't give me a deal. Toolking.com has reconditioned DW735 for $399.00.
Peace,
Martin
"Habitat for Humanity is a perpetual motion miracle:everyone who receives, gives - and everyone who gives, receives.If you want to live complacent and uninspired, stay away from Habitat; come close to Habitat and it will change you,and make you part of something that changes the world."(Randall Wallace, screenwriter, Braveheart)<!----><!---->
Darn, I hate it when that happens! Were you at Chantilly or another show?Mitch
"I'm always humbled by how much I DON'T know..."
I went to the Ontario (California) Woodworks show.
Martin
"Habitat for Humanity is a perpetual motion miracle:everyone who receives, gives - and everyone who gives, receives.If you want to live complacent and uninspired, stay away from Habitat; come close to Habitat and it will change you,and make you part of something that changes the world."(Randall Wallace, screenwriter, Braveheart)<!----><!---->
Martin,
I got th ame response you did. They had th new machines on sale at 469.99 - a whopping $30 savings. And since Woodcraft was co-sponsoring the booth w/ DeWalt, they wanted demo back. I have to admit, I wasn't all that impressed - pricing on even small items wasn't much of a bargain, although I did pick ip a woodline 1/2" shank, 1/2" width, 1 1/4" length all-carbide spiral upcut bit for $35. I hadn't been able to find anything by a reputable manufacturer, even at the show, for less than $50.
Thanks for the heads up. It saved me from wasting time trying to negotiate.
Regards,Mitch
"I'm always humbled by how much I DON'T know..."
mvac,
I was just looking at the show website and noticed on the show layout diagram page that a number of the exhibitors booths have slashes through them. I'm wondering if they've bailed on the show. I could be wrong, but there are at least 15 exhibitors with slashes through their names. It would be a shame to go out there and not not have a full show.
Maybe someone else can clear this up.
Aaron,
"I'm wondering if they've bailed on the show. I could be wrong, but there are at least 15 exhibitors with slashes through their names."
Funny you should say that. Lee valley was absent; didn't see Laguna either. It did look like a skimpy show - Fact is, Chantilly's just not one of the "must-attend" shows, either for the big names in Woodworking, or for the customer.
Still, it was good to have the experience.
Regards,
MitchMitch
"I'm always humbled by how much I DON'T know..."
You can sometimes get deals on equipment on the afternoon of the last day; some vendors would rather sell it cheap than hold on to it and have to ship it.
I usually end up buying a bunch of smaller stuff from The Woodworker's Choice (TWC). 'got an 8-ft. length of T-track there; it would have been real expensive to ship mail order.
I got my mobile base on the first night and they let me take it. That would obviously not apply to a machine, but someone could buy it on the first night and take it at the end. The passes are good for the whole show, anyway.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
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