Guys, Guys... Thanks a lot! And not only for the puns, which my Dad
who is 97 is still outputting regularly :-)

OK, couple of things:

Yes, the King is rich. One of the things he has done is to start this
University totally from scratch, with a $10 Billion endowment.. so a
lot has gone into building a large town, every building,
desalinization plant so we have water. Etc. Etc. Your oil dollars at
work. It is the first school in this country where men and women can
study in the same class. For that there is a Fatwa on our heads for
"Mingling of the Sexes" Don't get me started. It's a real attempt to
move beyond the past.

I'm not at that level. My wife has a job here as Librarian at the
KAUST School for kids K-12, children of Professors, staff, Grad
students. I'm a 'retired' Engineer, Photographer, I've built stuff
like barns and powerboats. There is some budget for Community Groups
like Art, Photography, Cycling, um.. Gardening, whatever. I am trying
to get some TOOLS together for the Art/Ceramics/Metalworking/
Woodworking group.

And, Thanks very much for some very good suggestions and perspectives.
That was what I was hoping for here.

OK: MSC looks good, but their prices are way higher for the same stuff
than Grizzly. Why? And I have bought stuff from Enco in the past,
metalworking stuff. Their prices are competitive.. I'll look at what
they have in Woodworking...

A few follow-ups:

(Mike in Ohio) - Thanks for the list; you reminded me of these which I
had forgotten:

sander (the wider, larger type)
belt sander
palm sander
Radial Arm Saw
shaper
paint booth
good lighting
mortiser

I am talking them into 'Furniture' as an important capability, which
brings in much of this stuff...

AND: "Given your location you may want to look at some of the European
manufacturers. "

Good Point: Does anyone have a link to a good supplier in Europe or
Great Britain?? Those areas are often suppliers into the Middle East.

I'm also trying to look into 'local' suppliers in the Jeddah area, but
I need someone who speaks both Woodwork and Arabic :-)

The expensive part will be growing the trees...
Yes, It's a little weird doing woodworking in the Desert. But the
'good' news is that there are several suppliers of hardwood here, from
Malaysia, Philippines, Borneo, Australia.
More than most large USA cities. Go figure. In Vermont where I'm from
the small local saw mill has very little good Maple. It's all going
right into a contract container to go to ... Japan. I'm not too
happy with Wood-Fired Politics. (But please, let's stay with Wood and
Puns, and skip the Lib-Redneck-Whatever discussion! !) If you're
curious about this place, have a look he
http://internationalschoolphotos.com...album/main.php

The Borgs. Good point. I will look into that. They are big and can
ship, I expect. Anyway this stuff will get shipped to Texas, where it
will go in a container with other stuff headed to the University.
Probably some drill bits too, Large Size, for holes over a mile deep.
Sigh..

This is all more than a little strange, but I feel there is a basic
sanity to using tools and making things yourself. And many of the
Engineering people here actually come from a Making Things at Home
background and want to do this stuff.

Thanks to all for your help, and I'll follow up on the ideas today...

Regards, Terry King ..On the Red Sea at KAUST.edu.sa