jbg230
Member
I'm new at pen turning, but after about a dozen pens I realized that in order to save some money on blanks, be able to turn some tree limbs into blanks, and be able to do more advanced techniques with segmenting, it pays to have a bandsaw. I use the pens I've made as a networking tool for my day job business, so I haven't really made any direct income from this costly hobby.
So therefore I set limits on the cost of tools.
One way to save is by buying at the bi-annual Grizzly scratch and dent tent sale. Grizzly only has two stores. I'm about 2 1/2 hours away the Springfield, MO store. I read some posts on some other forums about the tent sale experience and learned that in order to get a deal on a machine you're looking for, you have to get there extremely early. They have an enormous showroom which I hadn't seen, so I chalked it up to an adventure. But I figured if I was going to make the trip, I was going to make it worthwhile. I left my house about 9:30 pm and got to their parking lot at midnight. There were already a few people "camping out" at the entrance gait to the sales tents. Grizzly had 5 huge tents of all kinds of shop items and machines. Dewalt and Forrest Mfg. also had a separate tent offering promotions on their products.
I set up my SUV so I could sleep in the back and I set my alarm. At about 3:30 am I noticed a few more people setting up their folding chairs in line. At 4:00 am I got out my beach chair and sleeping bag, set up in the "line", started to read a book and fell asleep. At 6 am there were many more people lining up. I couldn't see the end of the line. Great people though- talking about bass fishing, drag racing, turning bowls, making parts on metal lathes, what upgrades they were after, and stories about how they were justifying it to their wives.
At 7 am the Grizzly staff took down the poly tent walls so you could sort of get an idea as to how many machines were lined up in a particular tent. (It gave you an idea as to how much "competition" you'd have) The staff gave out maps of how the tents were set up, explaining what was in each tent. They also gave out some coupons and a free metal ruler.
At 7:57 am, they opened the gates. Since it wasn't single file, more like a mass stampede, I was out in front. I think I was the first one in the bandsaw tent. I could feel the other band saw buyers on my heels though. The machines all are labeled with the condition of the machine and what if anything is wrong with it. Some machines are missing parts or the motor vibrates or the unit is scratched or dented. These are sold As Is. Others are brand new with full warranty-maybe a return or had a water stain or something extremely minor.
I was interested in a 14" bandsaw. I don't have room for a bench top model and for this particular shop item, didn't want to buy at Harbor Freight. Grizzly machines are made in Taiwan and it looks like that some items (entry level lathes) are the same thing that is sold at H.F. Bandsaws are not one of them. They have the largest selection of bandsaws in the world! I opted against their $16,000 horizontal model.
Once you find one you like, you tear off the bottom portion of the tag in the machine. It is now considered "spoken for". You have 2 hours to purchase it. If you decide you don't want it, the staff will tape your ticket back up on the machine and it'll be up for grabs again. You can and probably should bargain with them, but since all the bandsaws were "sold" in a matter of minutes, I don't think they would have budged. The truth is, I was so excited and sleep deprived at the same time, I forgot that I could have offered a lower price. I picked the 14" Deluxe G0555LX model with cast iron wheels, fence, miter gauge, and heavy duty stand. http://www.grizzly.com/products/14-Deluxe-Bandsaw/G0555LX?utm_campaign=zPage It's a beautiful machine. I saved $200. There's nothing wrong with it and it purs like a kitten. If need be, I can buy a higher resaw fence and a riser block to allow for a 12" high cutting capacity. I walked around the other tents and wondered if I would do this again next year for a planer or a jointer. They also had tons of odds and ends at fair prices. I went into the showroom and bought a drill press vise and a lathe dust collector hood. The store can keep you dreaming for hours if you're not careful. The line to check out was even fun, since I talked to some others in line about the bargains they got. Lots of people walked away with loads of Dewalt products. Many people come in groups and each person goes after a particular machine. They haul off major machinery on their trailers.
All in all, I did what I set out to do. There are beautiful rolling hills in the Ozarks, so I made it even more worthwhile by going on a hike. I got a great shop tool at a discounted price and had a great time in the process. I slept in on Sunday and I'm ready to explore what a bandsaw can do for me.
I really thought this would be a one time adventure for me, but if anyone in the area wants to check out the tent sale next June, I might be persuaded.
So therefore I set limits on the cost of tools.
One way to save is by buying at the bi-annual Grizzly scratch and dent tent sale. Grizzly only has two stores. I'm about 2 1/2 hours away the Springfield, MO store. I read some posts on some other forums about the tent sale experience and learned that in order to get a deal on a machine you're looking for, you have to get there extremely early. They have an enormous showroom which I hadn't seen, so I chalked it up to an adventure. But I figured if I was going to make the trip, I was going to make it worthwhile. I left my house about 9:30 pm and got to their parking lot at midnight. There were already a few people "camping out" at the entrance gait to the sales tents. Grizzly had 5 huge tents of all kinds of shop items and machines. Dewalt and Forrest Mfg. also had a separate tent offering promotions on their products.
I set up my SUV so I could sleep in the back and I set my alarm. At about 3:30 am I noticed a few more people setting up their folding chairs in line. At 4:00 am I got out my beach chair and sleeping bag, set up in the "line", started to read a book and fell asleep. At 6 am there were many more people lining up. I couldn't see the end of the line. Great people though- talking about bass fishing, drag racing, turning bowls, making parts on metal lathes, what upgrades they were after, and stories about how they were justifying it to their wives.
At 7 am the Grizzly staff took down the poly tent walls so you could sort of get an idea as to how many machines were lined up in a particular tent. (It gave you an idea as to how much "competition" you'd have) The staff gave out maps of how the tents were set up, explaining what was in each tent. They also gave out some coupons and a free metal ruler.
At 7:57 am, they opened the gates. Since it wasn't single file, more like a mass stampede, I was out in front. I think I was the first one in the bandsaw tent. I could feel the other band saw buyers on my heels though. The machines all are labeled with the condition of the machine and what if anything is wrong with it. Some machines are missing parts or the motor vibrates or the unit is scratched or dented. These are sold As Is. Others are brand new with full warranty-maybe a return or had a water stain or something extremely minor.
I was interested in a 14" bandsaw. I don't have room for a bench top model and for this particular shop item, didn't want to buy at Harbor Freight. Grizzly machines are made in Taiwan and it looks like that some items (entry level lathes) are the same thing that is sold at H.F. Bandsaws are not one of them. They have the largest selection of bandsaws in the world! I opted against their $16,000 horizontal model.
Once you find one you like, you tear off the bottom portion of the tag in the machine. It is now considered "spoken for". You have 2 hours to purchase it. If you decide you don't want it, the staff will tape your ticket back up on the machine and it'll be up for grabs again. You can and probably should bargain with them, but since all the bandsaws were "sold" in a matter of minutes, I don't think they would have budged. The truth is, I was so excited and sleep deprived at the same time, I forgot that I could have offered a lower price. I picked the 14" Deluxe G0555LX model with cast iron wheels, fence, miter gauge, and heavy duty stand. http://www.grizzly.com/products/14-Deluxe-Bandsaw/G0555LX?utm_campaign=zPage It's a beautiful machine. I saved $200. There's nothing wrong with it and it purs like a kitten. If need be, I can buy a higher resaw fence and a riser block to allow for a 12" high cutting capacity. I walked around the other tents and wondered if I would do this again next year for a planer or a jointer. They also had tons of odds and ends at fair prices. I went into the showroom and bought a drill press vise and a lathe dust collector hood. The store can keep you dreaming for hours if you're not careful. The line to check out was even fun, since I talked to some others in line about the bargains they got. Lots of people walked away with loads of Dewalt products. Many people come in groups and each person goes after a particular machine. They haul off major machinery on their trailers.
All in all, I did what I set out to do. There are beautiful rolling hills in the Ozarks, so I made it even more worthwhile by going on a hike. I got a great shop tool at a discounted price and had a great time in the process. I slept in on Sunday and I'm ready to explore what a bandsaw can do for me.
I really thought this would be a one time adventure for me, but if anyone in the area wants to check out the tent sale next June, I might be persuaded.
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