Tool Shops near Costa Messa L.A.

[Peter Bell]

My daughter who works for an International Airline will be in the States four times from late May till the end of June. She will be in the Costa Messa area of L.A. for a few days.

It is an opportunity for me and a few friends to obtain what you guys take for granted some of the wood working goods from your stores. The closest we get is to see glossy photos. We really are starved of some equipment here.

What I am looking for is some names of stores that might be close by. Unfortunately I think everything may be a bridge to far.

I know Woodcraft are about 10 miles away at Garden Grove, Stanford and Rockler about the same distance at Orange, in Orange County. Is there other hardware and tool companies that I do not know that might be near by that might have catalogs so I can get them to deliver to the hotel for her to bring home.

The hotel apparently has a free shuttle bus to areas within 3miles and it is not recommended she catch an ordinary bus like we would do in Oz. Taxi's are expensive and with tips make it impracticable to purchase small items to bring home as the add on costs blow them out of proportion.

Any ideas, having been to the States a few times I appreciate her or should I say my dilemma.

PS I spend most of my time here in the Neanderthal section with the old tools, planes and saws, but posted here hoping to get more exposure.

Peter.

[Mark Fogleman]

Laguna Tools is in Irvine/Santa Ana across the 405 from John Wayne airport if you need any bandsaw blades or Festool accessories. Kind of hard to carry on or plug in (remember we're 110 volt mains) anything else they sell. www.lagunatools.com (http://www.lagunatools.com)

Mike's Tools is nearby but need to check and make sure they have a pick up counter: Mike's Wood & Metal Tools | 1512 E Edinger Ave | Suite D | Santa Ana, CA 92705 http://www.mikestools.com/Default.aspx

[Mark Fogleman]

Just re-read your post and looks like you're a knuckle dragger. See if she can get to the local Flea market/Swap Meet on Saturday and Sunday at the Orange County Fairgrounds as there may be a few rusty pieces of cast iron there.

[Peter Bell]

Just re-read your post and looks like you're a knuckle dragger. See if she can get to the local Flea market/Swap Meet on Saturday and Sunday at the Orange County Fairgrounds as there may be a few rusty pieces of cast iron there.

Thanks for your reply Mark. I had to stop and think what a " Nuckle dragger " is. :confused: but I eventually caught on as I have never heard that expression before.:D I will have to try it out on some of my friends who are further down the slope than I am.

Peter.

[Roger Savatteri]

Very well worth the hour drive from Costa Mesa......

Eagle tools,

http://www.eagle-tools.com/

ps. budget at least two hours there.


cheers,
Roger



.

[Mike Henderson]

A one day car rental would be the best way to get to many of those places - but note that Eagle Tools is quite a ways from Costa Mesa. I know you guys drive on the wrong side of the road in Oz so maybe she doesn't want to brave our freeways.

Woodcraft is a good place to get a variety of things. I teach there so I'm a bit biased, however. If you're looking for a fair amount of stuff maybe the owner of Woodcraft would arrange transportation.

Mike

[Michael Liechty]

Being that I live across the street from the fairgrounds. You will not find any old tools at the swap meet. It's all new stuff from local stores and hardly any tools mostly china crap if ant tools are there. A real swap meet is the GWC swapmeet in north Huntington Beach.

ML

[Roger Savatteri]

- but note that Eagle Tools is quite a ways from Costa Mesa.
Mike

.......49 minutes. :D (per google maps - not rush hour)

[Mike Henderson]

.......49 minutes. :D (per google maps - not rush hour)
Maybe Google can make it there in 49 minutes on the I-5 but I doubt if I could - unless it was about three in the morning.

Mike

[The 5 is one of the most miserable freeways in LA - narrow, grossly overloaded, and goes through the heart of LA downtown.]

[Brian Kent]

.......49 minutes. :D (per google maps - not rush hour)

Close up, your map says up to 1 hour 50 minutes in traffic. Each way. No closures from accidents.:rolleyes:

[Roger Savatteri]

.




hmmm,

His daughter might want to also take in a cultural slice of L.A. :D
They could always take in the Getty (up the 405, not the 5) in route, or the Gamble house in Pasedena.


http://www.getty.edu/

http://www.gamblehouse.org/


..r

.

[Peter Bell]

Thanks for all your replies. You have to remember that it is not I that will be in L.A. My daughter has no interest in woodwork and is doing me a favour.

I would not want her to go outside her safety zone just to get me some items that I could well do without. She will not have the time to do a cultural tour of the city as she is only there for 48 hours and after working for at least sixteen hours straight will require some sleep catch up time reducing the amount of hours available each trip.

Her husband goes there regularly, but I prefer not to bother him.

On the plus side she will have four trips there in the next six weeks. I guess my best option is to try to get hold of a store catalog and find out if delivery could be arranged to her hotel in the time frame available and what the cost of delivery to her hotel will be.

Thanks for all your help, it is appreciated.

[Peter Bell]

Just to keep you up to date with my progress. I would like to thank everybody for their help, one member even sent me a PM offering to help personally.

I sent two e-mails one to Rockler and the other to Woodcraft. Both stores are about 10 to 12 miles away. Both replied and were helpful but Woodcraft have said that the have several pilots and staff who frequent their store and if I give them sufficient time they will deliver to the Costa Mesa Hotel for a minimum charge.

If I want same day delivery I will have to pay courier charges, which is fair enough. some of these Pilots are big spenders so I suspect Woodcraft value the custom from this Airline.

I guess the first delivery will tell if the system is workable or not, but so far so good.

Thanks again.

Peter