On Thu, 5 Oct 2006 19:42:31 +0000 (UTC), Andrew Barss
wrote:

Most non-industrial woodworking machines made today, including
classical American companies like Delta, are made, or at least the heavier
metal parts are made, overseas. Taiwan is still the major
ocation, although mainland China and India are getting into the game.
(For an example of the latter, I bought one of the last pairs of cast-iron
legs for the Nova 3000 lathe to be imported into the US; they were
cast in India).

Individual companies specify what they want, and the factories give them
what they ask for. This includes design of the machines, but also
things like uniformity of the cast iron, tolerances in size, etc.

It's not a bad thing, necessarily; you pay a lot less than if
it were made in the US totally, is the argument.

I don't know about that- we've all been getting a line of bs about the
"service industry" and "information economy" for a while now. Sure,
it might be cheaper for now- but if we keep sending everything away to
be made by cheap foreign labor for too long, there isn't going to be
enough equipment and know-how left in the US to make things we need
should it become necessary. Sure, there may still be plenty of
engineers- but they're not going to be out on a shop floor running
parts, and it takes time to train new operators. Especially if the
labor pool is made up of cooks, salesmen and office assistants. It's
getting bad enough that a lot of people can't even read a measuring
tape or rule- much less a caliper or a mic.

It's going to pinch us in the long run. No doubt we can rebuild the
factories, but that does take time. It's worthwhile to pay the extra
to preserve US manufacturing capability- and it's still true that you
get what you pay for. Every factory I've been in here has tolerances
and standards far tighter than the stuff I see on the shelves at the
WalMart.

Sure would be nice to see another *real* American tool company-
they're still around in the industrial market, but I'd love to have
the choice for my tools at home.