I seem to be having a problem and I wonder if others have experienced the same problem. About three weeks ago I went into Home Depot looking for shaper cutters. The clerk on duty didn’ know what a shaper was. Three clerks later, no shaper cutters (they sell shapers). Two weeks ago my wife bought a drill press for me (great wife) that included a mortising attatchment. I went back to buy some mortising bits and a different clerk, different, not smarter, didn’t know what they were. guess what, again no bits. Yesterday I went out for a jointer. You guessed it, the kid didn’t know what a jointer was. Has anyone else experienced this kind of expertise or am I uniquely favored?
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The only place I have found shaper cutters is from the catalog sales. I have not found a store that carries any stock.
Lots of people here (Me included) hate home Deopt for the same reasons you outlined - Virtually no service.
But - What did you expect when you went there ?
The world's full of apathy, but I don't care
Like Boss....I think I've figured out your problem. You are confusing HD and Lowes for real tool stores.....much as others have confused them for real lumber yards......and/or real plumbing/electrical supply houses. Get this....some people actually think they know how to sell real cabinets there too!
Shaper bits, jointer knives and mortice bits aren't everyday run of the mill tools...used by everyday run of the mill DIY'er.....which is what the stores are geared toward. If ya can't find local...try catalog or online. Jeff "That's like hypnotizing chickens........."
Don,
Look at it the same way you deal with a purchase on-line.
Do you ever talk to anyone on-line?
As the others have pointed out, the big boxes are only a personal warehouse that you enter knowing exactly what you want, or have a pretty good idea what it is you want and will make up your mind by reading the labels.
The object is to enter hoping that the only person you need to interact with is the check-out clerk.
Don, You are not uniquely favoured, but your question tells me a lot regarding your knowledge of woodworking and woodworking processes. Shapers don't discriminate at all between timber, flesh, and bone. They'll chew them all up with equal relish, and a small slip or misjudgement can be deadly, even with the small ones from such places as Home Depot. Even these small ones can be a bit vicious, so do proceed with care. I've always reckoned that a shaper takes about five years of regular use to learn most of their tricks. Slainte, RJ.
I'm somewhat perplexed by your estimate of my woodworking knowledge from my question (rather comment) about purchasing shaper cutters. I have been a woodworker for approximately 45 years, have built three houses, remodeled another (for twelve years), and have built furniture and taught finishing. I currently have two shapers, one, a benchtop model for small jobs and the other a rather nice German-built floor model. While I don't purport to know everything about tools and their use I still have all of my fingers which has to say SOMETHING for me. The models that they sell are the bench type but my criticism was more directed at their merchandising policy (and the inadequacy of their training of staff). I do thank you for pointing out the fact that we all know but sometimes forget which is the terrible damage that a shaper cutter (any size), can inflict.
Well Don. Am I red faced. I can only offer an apology for mistaking your post for one that a novice might make. I've never seen anything that looks remotely like a shaper cutter in any of the Home Despot's I've visited, and there are lots of Home Despot's here in Houston. You confused me. It happens, and I'm sorry that I offended you. My warning was sincerely meant. Slainte, RJ.Link to RJFurniture site.
No offense taken although in retrospect my response did sound a bit miffed. I never saw shaper cutters at the HD but figured that with their claim about being everything to everyone they just might have them at a bit more reasonable price. So I asked! Anyway I did find the cutters I needed at a real woodworking store. Thanks for your comments.
Don
Don, I love these Home Despot and Blows rants.... The place stinks the tools are second rate the wood #### the employees suck and they suck..... If one of the few times I go to one I know what I want before I get there so I dont have to be miss informed. Once I went to blows and had to explain to the salesman about the product he was selling. but in all fairness he probably didnt work in that dept and was just filling in.....
Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"
did you know moen sells a different (lower quality) product to the home dildo then to your local plumbing supply? same shape and style but the guts are crap.just thought i'd throw that in since we are harping on the dildo
"did you know moen sells a different (lower quality) product to the home dildo then to your local plumbing supply? same shape and style but the guts are crap"
Do you know that or just repeating something you've heard? I've heard that said of other major brands where I know that isn't true.
Bob Walker, i.e. Home Depot/ Junk/ I don't go there , unless under protest. I've been to H.D. 4 times, hated every trip. You talk to any tradesman, plumber's especially and you will hear their stories, 10 out of 10 stories all start out with H.O. supplied..., from H.D., I researched H.D. welder's last year, called Miller's Headquarter's and the phone conversation was not real clear, actually cloudy, as to the type welder H.D. was selling. Take Care, be careful out there,,Jim J.
I know, Home Dildo(love that name)was advertising Stanley metal doors for a cheaper price then te local yard but when you check the specs the metal was a lighter gauge metal. My friend who is a Makita rep tells me that they have a "Home Dildo/Blowes" line and a regular line. I wouldnt be surprized about the Moen fuacets. I was recomended by a tile store to buy my sink from this plumbing store. I went there priced the sink then I went to blowes and checked . They had a sink with a very simular name same style/manufacturer(Kohler) but about 60 bucks cheaper. Where the name of the sink was say "Bennington" ( I cant remember the actual name) Blowes caled it "Benneton" from the same manufacturer. My good friend Mr p who is a high end electrician has a son who used to work at the Home dildo and he swears they sell seconds. That I dont know for sure.
But I do know if I buy some thing from them say a finish, I have tem open the can and check. I talked to people who work there and when they get there returns they just put them on the shelf. A gyu who I know that works there told me about a lady who bought a water based finish and it ruined her table why cuz someone bought it tried to thin it with mineral spirits then returned it and they put it back on the shelf..... So becareful Its a jungle out there... Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"
Ron,
One of the HDs near here had a similar problem with product being returned to the store.
Someone (or more?) was buying things like deck stains and sealers, using the product, then filling the cans with water and returing them to the store. They figured it was a contractor because of the volume of product that was tainted.
I suppose that could happen anywhere...but HD does seem to attract these types of things...or thugs.
Too bad.
Ron, Mongo, have had the same thing happen to me at Lowe's--went to buy a 3/8" drill, found a Makita I liked, got it home, & discovered someone had put their old makita in the box, returned it, and it was promptly returned to the shelves. In Lowe's defense, though, the individual clerks in the tool area have been more than willing to open the boxes to check on the contents, when I tell them the story, and have seemed interested in at least trying to be helpful. Even had one pull out their cell phone & call down the street when I depleted their supply of PVC T fittings.
And I must admit, I get the same kick out of checking out what other folks are buying ("gee, wonder what interesting project they're working on...] at Lowe's as I do in the grocery ["hey, that looks good, I'll follow them home for dinner"]
Wherever I buy a tool (and I used to buy some at Home Dildo until my supplier Western Tool Supply offered price matching) I buy only factory sealed.
Ken Hill
such quaint names for these store's, don'tcha think??
home dildo
blowes
get your craftsman tools at " Queers"
I got some overalls at WalFart once
how about the online tool place called Foolcrib?
And the online forum called Knobs.
and the one called fine homewrecking
Panama-
After reading Martha Stewart's Livid, pick up a copy of Battered Homes And Gardens.
:o) Ken Hill
check out the Journal of Right Destruction.
You need to be careful buying tools from harbour fright or northern savage too.
Excellence is its own reward!
Westerns return policy is a lot more strict and they have a lot less returns. I will say occasionally they do have some good specials. I also think a different "type" of person shops at a tool store than one at the home dildo at least for the most part. Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"
Mongo......same guy must shop my local K-Mart! Last year...we bought some of Martha's best paint....which really is good stuff..as has been discussed here before......and when I opened one can.....little bit of paint.....lotsa water...and the rags they used to clean the can with!
I was really suprised...as the can was prefectly clean on the outside...even the drip ring was spotless. They put alot of time and trouble into cleaning a $15 can of paint!
Took it back to show them......we weren't the first to have that kinda paint return that week. Lady said they got like 20 or 30 cans back! Jeff "That's like hypnotizing chickens........."
So are the manufacturers going to start sealing the cans like the CD makers do?
JAGCONT is correct. Both Moen and Delta do it. Biggest difference is the substitution of plastic for metal.
Someone once said (in one of these rants) something like, "I give the big boxes the same amount of loyalty they give me." Very well said.
Take advantage of their prices but remember, most often, you get what you pay for. So, don't expect some of their products to perform as well or as long as you might hope. When I do a job I carefully consider the quality level of the supplies I need to be using before running directly to a big box.
Edited 5/14/2002 1:57:49 PM ET by SAMSOTER
Well, you know, I spent enough time working in a manufacturing plant to know that it's very expensive to run a separate line for a specific customer using an entirely different BoM that I can produce in lower volumes for less cost. I could make cosmetic changes (e.g. Milwaukee used to make drills for Sears with black plastic housings - everything else was the same); and, you could make a major change or component swap (e.g. some of 'Sears Best' tires were Michelins, but with thicker tread; their drill presses were Taiwan-made, but had US moters). During a previous discussion we learned that some large retailers had their own part numbers due changes in accessories and/or warranty processing, but that's about all.
So what's the word I'm looking for, oh yes, "FUD" .
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
Don, it seems that everyone out there has the same problem - except me.
When I go into the tool crib at my local Home Depot, I get GREAT service. Most of the time I go to one of three guys I know and they are incredibly helpful. Even if they tell me they don't have it. (Why would they carry shaper blades? They are mass merchandisers).
I rarely get paint there, since I have an account at a specialized store, but I buy high quality accessories at the Depot.
When I'm doing a carpentry job, I select my lumber as if I were at any lumberyard. The specialized stuff, I go to a builder's yard.
Instead of worrying about whether the big box has a really specialized part, (you can phone, you know) call a tool shop.
Oh, yea. If you doubt the big boxes serve a need, get rich on their stock. And the next time you go into H-D or Lowe's parking lot, check out the contractors vans there.
Well Aaron, in the three HD's close to me, it is true that some of the folks stocking the shelves, working the cash-registers, or sweeping the floor really can't help if you need advice. But they can find someone in the store to help you pretty quickly: these stores all have former plumbers, carpenters, electricians, and painters working for them (most are on the gimp and thankful for the job). So, while they do try and give excellent service, it is possible to find a clerk who can't help you. .
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
You are obviously familiar with the internet - why not go to Amazon.com, Woodworkers Supply of New Mexico, Toolseeker.com, or any one of hundreds of great sources? Why torture yourself with minimum wage clerks?You already know that Home Despot doesn't have expert help. You should also know that it has a very limited selection of specialty merchandise. So why do you continue to go there for your specialty needs?
I go there because for all of my good virtues I have one that is a standout and that is the virtue of IMPATIENCE! I want it NOW,NOW,NOW! I also would prefer to hold it in my hand and check the weight and the feel and the sharpness, similar to what one does with --- i'll stop before I offend someone. I'm sure you get the idea.
A shaper is one tool I'll avoid. My concerns are similar to those RJ pointed out regarding tool use...I just don't use one enough to feel comfortable around it. Granted, that discomfort may be a safety factor in itself, but in my mind, if I keep picturing is a fistfull of mangled flesh while pushing wood past carbide, it's likely there's a simpler tool (router table) or a more qualified person (cabinet/millwork shop) to do that job for me.
I still have ten fingers, though a couple of them look a little funny. I truly respect spinning carbide and what it can do to flesh.
One other tool swap-out story. A worker told me he was at a HD when someone came to the returns desk and was fuming. This guy bought a Dewalt cordless drill, brought it home and charged up the battery. Went to use it and it barely turned the chuck. Put the battery in the charger for another 24 hrs, but got the same result the next day. He fiddled with the trigger...maybe being variable speed, it's just not getting depressed enough. Nope, full motion on the trigger. He finally cracked the case to discover the workings of an older Dewalt drill inside the brand-new housing.
That stinks.
iTS A CRAP SHOOT AT hOME DEEP BO..
Some employees are SEMI-RETIRED trades persons, those are the ones to ask (they know whats what). The Kids working there are one step up from Burger King (duh).
I HATE going on saturdays, seems like the whole population is there.. geeez
Pretty soon all there will be is big BOX stores for food hardware etc....