Question about Woodcraft kits

[samuel07]

Hello All
I am new to the world of pen turning (turned my first three pens this weekend) and I have a question about the quality of kits from Woodcraft.
I got started in pen turning for the fun and also the purpose of raising money for our next adoption so I wanted to know if the kits that I can purchase from Woodcraft are quality enough to command a decent price ($30 to $40 depending on the wood and finish) or should I think about purchasing kits elsewhere. Any Recommendations for specific Woodcraft kits? All I have right now is tools for 7mm.

The reason I'm asking is that the Woodcraft store is right around the corner from my house and it is so easy just to pop in and get what I need.

Thanks

 

[ed4copies]

Wayne,

Welcome to IAP!!!

The only problem with Woodcraft is their pricing and that is mainly true if you plan on buying a lot of kits.

Making pens to sell merely demands that you KNOW what you are selling and you tell the customer the truth. Titanium nitrate is permanent, all other gold is not, but then people buy a lot of 14kt gold jewelry, seemingly without worrying about it being less than lifetime.

Do a couple searches on this site about platings, you will learn a lot more than I knew when I started. Then, decide how much money you are going to invest before starting to sell-this will determine if you should order on-line (adding freight) or just get started, then order in larger quantities later.

Woodcrafts are privately owned, you may be able to work a deal with the management to allow you a discount if you buy from them-come armed with some "on-line" prices and be very courteous. The owner will realize that a reduced margin while getting your business is better than watching you order everything from the internet (remember internet is sales tax free, although purchasing from Woodcraft CAN be sales tax free also, if you do the appropriate paperwork).

GOOD LUCK and have fun.

 

[herper62]

Woodcraft is pricey compared to internet dealers, but around the corner is darned convienent. I have had 1 kit problem and lots of good help with the local Woodcraft store, so a do mainly internet but buy tools and things I want asap in their store
Herper

 

[Mike_in_CA]

HI;
You'll have to weigh the "not seeing in person" shipping fees & no tax, against the convience of the store, retail prices & tax, plus easily returnable items. I always check out the books!
I do both, but more from one internet supplier I'm very pleased with.

Shop around on the internet for sellers. They'll often have good pics of products and explanations of the type of platings.
After my initial start, (and before I knew about all this help available in Forums), I've bought almost everything on the internet. I still do alot of busines at my local WC (some flat work), to keep face recognition, and to keep that local specialty store in business.

Good Luck, Mike

 

[samuel07]

I'm sure I'll end up doing a good bit of purchasing online. But is there certain kits I should stay away from at WC (quality wise) I can only assume that a $8 to $10 kit at WC will still make a nice pen.

Any suggestions for a good set of turning tools? I bought a starter 5pc micro set for $40 and I am not to thrilled with them.

 

[ctEaglesc]

You might want to "try" woodcraft especially if they have a good pen turning clientel.Just starting out you will get some hands on advice and Critques of your work if you tell them you want a honset "opinion" This may not necessarily come from the employess but other penturners you will run into.
Maybe you'd like to try a Baron posted here often.Woodcraft sells it as the navigator at a higher price with a their plating but it will give you an immediate answer without having to wait.
Ultimately you will probably wind up buying on the net.The selection is much wider and the cost is less.
Most if not all the suppliers have a 2 day turn around and their shipping is reasonable especially if they give you the option of USPS.
Anything you will need that you may purchase at WC is also available from different suppliers many who advertise here and support this and other PT sites.
Just holler out when you want to know who has which WC kit, micro mesh, CA glue and blanks you'll get an answer here.(many times whether you want it or not [])

 

[wdcav1952]

Welcome to the fraternity. (Angela, et al, that is not a sexist term, it's well, well, OK, maybe it is, but I don't mean it, really!)

For turning tools, I bought a cheap set from Harbor Freight to learn on. I am on my second set of HF turning tools, and still haven't bought any expensive tools. They sharpen up well, just need it more often.

FWIW,

 

[GBusardo]

Hi, Welcome aboard!! I am thinking that the micro tools would be a lot harder to control taht even the midi pen turners sets. I don't know this from experience, jsut a thought. I woudl think ANY set would do the job for you, if the chisels are sharp enough. I can't help you with Woodcraft pen kits. I am not lucky enough to have a local store [V] Went to one while visting a friend in Michigan and bought some purple heart and lacewood. Hey WoodCraft, how bout a store in mid Jersey!!!
Good Luck and Have fun!!
Gary

 

[bca1313]

When I first started out I bought all my kits from WC and Rockler because I did nto know any better. After finding this site I buy all my kits online or through group buys...they reduce the price because of the volume. You will have to wiegh the value of being able to walk in and talk to someone at the store. You can also check around and see if any of the people on here are local to you.

I still buy a lot of stuff from my local WC, but not much for pens. Good luck.

Ben

 

[tnilmerl]

I'm in the same boat, Woodcraft is just around the corner, so most, but not all, of my kits are thru Woodcraft. I routinely get between $50-$150 range for my pens. Most I price around $75. Woodcraft generally lags behind in adoption and retailing of the newer styles and finishes. You'll see the newer styles elsewhere first. Years ago, Woodcraft has several tiered finish levels on their kits and priced them accordingly. The 'Woodcraft Gold' was quite pricey and never sold exceptionally well. These were eventually pulled from the market. With a limited range of products, Woodcraft lost a lot of market, so they [finally] started distributing the newer finishes and styles, such as the pearl, satin gold, nickel, etc. Lately, they've re-introduced these tiered quality kits. The better finishes (Titanium Gold) are quite pricey by my standards. Cannot speak for the durability/price ratio. Time will tell. For the time being, I am selling well enough on the ordianry finish that I will forego the additional expense for awhile. So far, all their kits are <$20 but quite a few are over the $10 mark and prices are creeping up. Sooner or later I will jump the the harder finishes and I'll eat the price increase.

I do, however, enjoy their discount pricing model. Bulk 10-packs get an automatic %20 discount. 20 kits get %25 and so on. Really large orders have to come out of corporate so I don't know how the pricing works on those. I also like the fact that whenever I have a problem, Woodcraft (corporate, not the local store) will ship me an entire replacement. I have NEVER had a problem getting a replacement. Local store is reluctant to give me a replacement, since they then have to ship the dud back and eat the shipping, etc. so its usually faster just to call corporate.

Another upside/downside is that the local store doesn't stock high quantities, so I always have to special order when I get a large order. I then have to wait upwards of two weeks before the goods arrive, depending on where they are in their ordering cycle. But I don't have to pay for shipping that way (more money in my pocket). If I was in a real rush, I could order from the website. So I usually order the pen kits and buy some tubes to get going while waiting for the pen kits to arrive.

 

[woodbutcher]

Craft Supply.
Jim

 

[Rojo22]

samuel07

Lots of good advice here, and I started just like you buying stuff from Woodcraft and Rockler with the quantity discount for 30+ kits at a time. What you may want to do is start a collection there for yourself as a display case for potential clients to peruse. I have found several kits I like to turn, but clients dont find any appeal for, and ones I hate turning, but the clients love. Experiment with different kits and materials, making a few for display, and let your clients tell you what they want, visualization and holding a completed pen will do a bunch to sell pens for you.

Good luck with the sales, and just for reference sake, I sell the Woodcraft cigar gold kits for $45 in most woods and plastics for customers. Most of the "higher" end kits you will probably have to get from off of the internet, and Craft Supplies is a good place to go for the high end stuff.