Replies

1. 
   Peter10008 | Apr 24, 2003 10:38pm | #1

   I stopped by the store about a month ago, it was my first time as well. I was surprised by the small showroom as well. I was hoping I would be able to feel and touch the tools in the catalog.

   The salesman behind the counter was on the phone the entire 15 minutes I was there. So much for customer service. I guess I will stick to ordering from the catalog.

2. 
   BG | Apr 24, 2003 10:43pm | #2

   Simon,

   Where are they located in NYC please?

   I've been using the scary sharp system and recently had an experience with someone who actually knew how to sharpen a plane .....unbelievable difference.  It has made me re-think my position.  I have two grinders.  First, I'm gonna have my stuff sharpened by him...second, honing...he used pastes and fast turning wheels. I'm thinking maybe I could hone effectively with buffing wheels and paste?  What would you suggest? 

1. 
   SIMON | Apr 24, 2003 11:07pm | #3

   They're at 161 Sixth Avenue, across from Spring Street. You go in the building (the Butterick Building, oddly enough), to the back of the lobby on your right. There's a little newsstand there and a fire door with "GarrettWade" on it. You go up the stairs one level, and that's the place.

   There's just one guy at the counter, and he's frequently busy with what looks like catalog business. This isn't your typical storefront. (I'd be thrilled if Lee Valley put this kind of tiny store on their Ogdensburg warehouse to spare me the trip across the border to their full-service stores, but we can't all get the minimal service we want sometimes.)

   On the honing, I've concluded that my own techniques were terrible, especially for turning tools, so I bought the Leonard Lee "Complete Guide to Sharpening". This seemed like a good idea. I haven't tried out the wheel yet - can't find my @#X! honing compound. Soon!

1. 
   BG | Apr 25, 2003 01:04am | #4

   Simon,

   Thanks, I get stuck in Manhattan with nothing to do a few times a year, I'll run over there and have a looksee.  With a name like that I just assumed it was in Atlanta or someplace in the south.

   I may need to buy a book too.  However, this guy who sharpened my blade had at least $1,000 worth of equipment and while I know all that is not necessary, having my blades(4) professionaly sharpened maybe once a year at $6 bucks a pop...just makes more sense for me.  Turning tools is a whole nother story ..

1. 
   corners | Apr 25, 2003 06:15am | #5

   Did you ever notice that the catalog numbers used by Garrett Wade and Lee Valley are the same? Are these businesses connected?

1. 
   pzimmer | Apr 25, 2003 10:16pm | #10

   I noticed the same thing and asked when I worked at the Lee Valley store in Halifax N.S. one Christmas season... (even with the employee discount spending a few months there was like having my nose pressed to the window peering into woodworker's heaven... )

   Anyway, when Leonard Lee was first setting up catalog sales in Ottawa in the 70s he got various types of support from Garret Wade, including use of the GW cataloging system. {Don't both reinventing the wheel}.

   While the system has some small-scale logics, from the back room perspective it is somewhat less than user-friendly... similar items are located many warehouse rows apart. {the wheel is somewhat out of true, and lumpy, ... however it rolls... and think how much it would cost to change it. It's like the QWERTY keyboard in that.}

2. 
   timberrattler | Apr 25, 2003 08:29pm | #6

   Don't bother with Garrett Wades showroom. The jackass behind the counter pissed me off so much I can't even look at the catolog yet.(It's been two months) Pompous doesn't even come close to describing this guy. Anyway enjoy the catolog with a cup of Joe on a Sat morning and forget the showroom theres nothing there to see anyway. If you must go take the E train to Spring street and just walk around the corner

1. 
   BG | Apr 25, 2003 09:02pm | #7

   Circle,

   I need to find a place on the island....not to far from a diner (yum) ..buy something expensive like a badger brush and fondle it through an order sausage and eggs with home fries...lol

1. 
   timberrattler | Apr 25, 2003 09:12pm | #8

   BG,

   Read that post ten times and just don't get it. Help.

1. 
   BG | Apr 25, 2003 10:33pm | #11

   Circle,

   I was trying to be funny and tying it into the earlier post of having nothing to do in Manhattan.  An alternative was to find a place on Long Island to buy a Badger Brush and eat hearty at one of LI's famous Diners..sure wasen't worth our reading it ten times...sorry

2. 
   timberrattler | Apr 25, 2003 10:59pm | #13

   BG

   I must be a little slow today because I didn't get that one either. Have a great weekend.

2. 
   SIMON | Apr 25, 2003 10:07pm | #9

   I dunno what happened for you, but the guy was just fine with me, and has been in the past. Didn't seem to mind my downright basic questions at all, and his answers were a heck of a lot better than what I get at Woodworkers Warehouse or even Woodcraft. It might not be a Lee Valley store experience, but not much is.

1. 
   timberrattler | Apr 25, 2003 10:54pm | #12

   It's kind of hard to explain. I went in there to buy a spar varnish blend(forget the make) and to browse, simple enough. I asked the guy behind the counter a question on the spar tung oil finish and he uleashes a barrage of info that did noyhing but confuse me. Started looking at LN planes. Told me unsolicited the 5.5 was by far the dumbest plane LN ever made, meanwhile it's the only one I own.(O.K.that's kind of funny) The final straw came when I was looking at the LN dovetail saw. First he told me the Independance was a better saw. Who cares unless you already own one. And that the LN was poorly designed because it was setup as a rip saw when dovetailing was a crosscut operation and he proceeded to demonstrate how you cut across the grain when cutting tails. So I said "what about the pins" and he looked at me and said "same thing".  I am not an argumentative person, I'm also not a very good woodworker, yet. but this guy was more than I could take. I've always loved the GW catolog, and I know I don't have the will power nor desire to boycott it. I just don't see myself going to the showroom again. There's not much to see.

3. 
   alias | Apr 26, 2003 04:11am | #14

   that guy behind the counter is that the the heavy set asian guy, or the refugee from the east village. i'm from around that neighbor hood . and use to frequent the place, now i do it all by mail....

1. 
   timberrattler | May 01, 2003 04:05pm | #15

   East Village Cat . I'm just glad they didn't have any 2x4's lying around.

1. 
   alias | May 01, 2003 11:14pm | #16

   poofta......