Ordered a hand plane

[tablesawtom]

A little history first.

I stopped in at the Woodcraft store in Bloomington Min. ( Minneapolis area ) when going on Vacation. While on vacation I decided to buy the Wood River #1 they had at the store. Flew back to Minneapolis at the end and stopped back in the Bloomington store to buy it but it was sold. Being a veteran Woodcraft stores give me a 10% discount. I have never tried for a discount from the catalog, I just get tired of jumping through hoops. 

Anyway I checked their catalog price and without the discount and the added shipping cost the total was about, and I say about, $40 higher than getting it in the store. So I decided to wait. In early Nov. I got a deal from Woodcraft for it at about $149 shipped, so I ordered it and paid for it from PayPal. The money was, at that time, withdrawn from my account at that time. Stupid me, if I would have used a credit card, no money would have been charged until shipped.  If something would have happened I could have been out my money. Things happen. Anyway Woodcraft is a very reliable company.

Along about  Feb-March I got a song and dance email that they hadn't forgot and then in the 3 of April I got a n email saying that it was on Back order as of April 3rd. I was going to call them about that email. I mean back ordered April 3 when I paid for it back in Nov. of the preceding year, give me a brake. Last Monday I got an email saying it had shipped. Then an email from UPS with the tracking Number. Then an email saying it would be delivered Friday between  11:00 and 2:00. Well at 5:00 still no package. I went to see if it had been delivered and had an email saying by 7PM. 

This morning I got another UPS email saying it had been rescheduled for Monday between 11:00 and 2:00. I am not going to hold my breath. 

I know thing have been in a disarray with covid and all, but 6 months? It is lucky I am a patient person and basically forgot about it off and on. Even that gets easier after a while. Age doesn't help the memory either. 

Moral of the story, I didn't need the #1, I just wanted it. Need and want are two different things, I should have bought the thing when I was in the store the first time and saved myself a lot of hassles. So Basically between Sept of 2022 and now I have been trying to get the #1. And still don't have it. I only hope that there is nothing wrong with it. With my luck it will be damaged and I will have to send it back.

Moral of the story: With the way things are in America and the world today, when you see it just buy it.

I hope you enjoyed the read.

Tom

[AHill]

Hopefully it'll come intact. They are made in China, so that's likely part of the reason for the backorder. To add insult to injury, their website now shows it in stock and on sale for $25 off list price.

[tablesawtom]

Hopefully it'll come intact.  They are made in China, so that's likely part of the reason for the backorder.  To add insult to injury, their website now shows it in stock and on sale for $25 off list price.

I got it for $152 plus tax shipped to my door, so I didn't do to badly. Originally, when it first came out, it was around $109, if I remember correctly. It has steady gone up from there. I guess it is what it is.

Tom

[tablesawtom]

I finally got it safe and sound yesterday. It is a neat little bugger.

Tom

[Arlin Eastman]

Glad you got it Tom

I really enjoy using my #1 and #402 for small jobs.  They are easy to handle and to move around.

[stav]

I couldn't imagine using a #1. I have a #2 and find it small to the point of being a little uncomfortable. 

Not saying I wouldn't want one though.

[Bill_Houghton]

...small to the point of being a little uncomfortable...

I've never seen or held a No. 1, and only briefly owned a No. 2, but I do own a Stanley No. 10-1/2 on which the tote is too close to the adjuster for my hands.  I grip the plane as if I were holding a book, with fingers and thumb running along the sides of the tote and frog; works fine.

If I had young grandkids and oodles of money, I'd think about a No. 1, but, in that circumstance (including the oodles of money), I think I'd pop for a Patrick Leach No. 601 instead: Read all about it

I am not affiliated in any way with Patrick Leach; haven't even been a customer.

[Admiral]

If I had young grandkids and oodles of money, I'd think about a No. 1, but, in that circumstance (including the oodles of money), I think I'd pop for a Patrick Leach No. 601 instead: Read all about it

I am not affiliated in any way with Patrick Leach; haven't even been a customer.

I could be wrong, but I think they went out of production some time ago, but who knows?

[handi]

As you folks may know, my current full time job is working is as new product development at MicroJig. 
We have things made here in the US, and some made in Taiwan. 

The “supply chain” issues of not having raw materials, lack of shipping containers and the containers costing $20k for one trip are long over. I can get most things from the US in very reasonable times, and from Taiwan it is about 3 months including shipping, so about on par with pre-Covid.

There are two major issues I see right now, and they are not just US:

First is lack of labor. Yes, even in Taiwan and China, it is getting harder and harder to hire the people you need. Loads of reasons.

Second is poor inventory management. When things were scarce, everyone placed orders for whatever they could get right away, and long term orders for anything else. At one point, router bits went from a 3 month lead time to 14 months. 
Then, the supply situation returned to ‘normal’ just as fast as it went awry.

At the same time, most folks went back to work in the office. These two things resulted in both manufacturers and retailers suddenly sitting on large inventories that they had to sell through. 

There were a lot of line items in catalogs that were sold through, but not properly re-ordered, so there are still many items that SHOULD be readily available, but are not for no obvious reason.