I am just starting out woodworking, and I am looking for a good
woodworking store/outlet/mill within 30 miles of Dayton, Ohio, USA. I do
have a TS (Craftsman circa 1960's handed down from grandfather), a Jet
6" Jointer and a router table I built myself (with a Hitachi 12MV
router). I am looking for more tools (drill press, plainer, and band
saw), dust collection equipment, and finish equipment. Also looking for
GOOD plywood and hardwood stock. I mainly want to work in red/white oak
and cherry building furniture, cabinetry and interior finishes.

I have stopped at the Rockler store in Cincinnati on Kempler Ave. They
have a good supply of items (lots of hardware), but are lacking on a
selection of tools, plus it is about 60 miles from where I live.

I do frequent the local lumber store, Lowes and Home Depot, but they
are too diverse in their offerings and tend not to concentrate on the
woodworker.

I also order some supplies online (Rockler, Woodworker, Lee Valley) but
these are not places I would want to pick out materials and buy large
tools from (I like to have someone local to kick around in case of
problems), though I did buy the jointer online and am happy with it so far.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

TIA
Jerry

JAW asks:

Rockler has retail stores in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati.

Woodcraft has one right in Dayton.

Charlie Self
"If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave
it to. " Dorothy Parker

http://hometown.aol.com/charliediy/m.../business.html

"JAW" wrote in message
...
I am just starting out woodworking, and I am looking for a good
woodworking store/outlet/mill within 30 miles of Dayton, Ohio, USA. I do
have a TS (Craftsman circa 1960's handed down from grandfather), a Jet
6" Jointer and a router table I built myself (with a Hitachi 12MV
router). I am looking for more tools (drill press, plainer, and band
saw), dust collection equipment, and finish equipment. Also looking for
GOOD plywood and hardwood stock. I mainly want to work in red/white oak
and cherry building furniture, cabinetry and interior finishes.

I have stopped at the Rockler store in Cincinnati on Kempler Ave. They
have a good supply of items (lots of hardware), but are lacking on a
selection of tools, plus it is about 60 miles from where I live.

I do frequent the local lumber store, Lowes and Home Depot, but they
are too diverse in their offerings and tend not to concentrate on the
woodworker.

I also order some supplies online (Rockler, Woodworker, Lee Valley) but
these are not places I would want to pick out materials and buy large
tools from (I like to have someone local to kick around in case of
problems), though I did buy the jointer online and am happy with it so
far.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

TIA
Jerry

First, for the supplies. Go to www.woodfinder.com and type in your
information. That should get you started there. I typed in the ZIP for
Dayton and didn't get a whole lot, but it did turn up a Woodcraft store in
Dayton. You could do worse. Ask around town for the name of a local
lumberyard that sells rough stock. Oak should be pretty easy to find in
your neighborhood.

Now for equipment. I'll admit I haven't bought a damn thing new from
anyone. All my machines (and there are a lot of them) were either bought
used or passed down from family. IF I was in the market for a machine, I'd
be looking at buying a used machine, or finding a local "machinery dealer"
that sells woodworking equipment. I live in a small town, and even here, we
have a Delta dealer in town, and several larger machinery dealers within 50
miles, who sell nearly every line available for the hobbyist woodworker.
Check your yeller pages under "Machinery", and "Woodworking". Visit a local
pattern shop or mill shop and find out where they get their machines and
parts and tooling. Search eBay.

Drill presses aren't complicated, and you can probably find a decent one
locally in the classified ads. Keep in mind that these are common as dirt
in machine shops, and even auto repair places, who may be selling them. It
seems to be the most often found tool in any shop I've been in. Failing
that, any of the newer floor-standing models from major manufacturers should
be fine. I think. I'd be seriously looking for an older Walker-Turner or
Delta DP200 to refurbish before I ever bought a new drill press. But that's
just me.

Planer - You can't really go wrong with one of the newer portable planers
out there, and I know all the big box stores carry several of them. Look
for one with reversible disposable knives, a head lock (unless it's the new
DeWalt) and a simple blade changing system. Unless you're trying to plane
16" wide rough sawn timbers, you probably don't need anything bigger yet. I
have a Delta 22-260, and it has served me well. Next step up for me wouldbe
a Woodmaster (www.woodmaster.com).

Bandsaw - look for a used Delta 14" saw, these are everywhere, there are
all kinds of aftermarket parts for them, and Delta really hasn't changed the
design much since 1934, when they were introduced. If not, the new Grizzly
14" "Ultimate" bandsaw might be worth looking into, if only for the reviews
on this newsgroup.

HTH.

Jon E

JAW wrote in message ...
I am just starting out woodworking, and I am looking for a good
woodworking store/outlet/mill within 30 miles of Dayton, Ohio, USA.

I have bought most of my large tools from Amazon.com. Free shipping,
no tax. I've even bought lumber on e-bay.