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View Full Version : $1295 for a granite topped table?



James Taglienti
10-09-2010, 6:02 PM
Just looked at the granite (excuse me... "Maine Granite") topped table on the LN website. More impressive was the price. Also noted the astronimical prices of the workbenches. Makes my bench and sharpening system look, well, archaic.

Reminded me of when I was younger... my father was a construction contractor and in the summers we would go to Cape Cod where he'd try his hand at commercial fishing. He bought a nice big Grady White, with a cabin, all of these expensive rods, and every bit of gear you could imagine. Spent tens of thousands, and this was in the 80's. We'd go out in the boat in our summer tourist clothes and catch about 4 striped bass. All around us were the locals, in their $2500 sometimes wooden fishing boats, center console with a little square hut around the controls, with their yellow waders on. Their rods were junk and their motors blew smoke and quit sporadically.

Back at the fish pier they would pull up, quota filled, every day. Piles of stripers, filled the ice chests and overflowing onto the decks. We'd go and get our $60 for our fish, not even enough for gas, and go home. But -

my father would smile the whole way home. Just grin. He loved it, and that is something that I'll never forget. He was doing something he loved.

These guys were just doing their job.

But I digress...

Anyone who buys that granite topped sharpening table thing, let me know, so I can mock you. I could build that thing for $400 all day long, $380 if you exclude the precious "Maine Granite."

Mark Maleski
10-09-2010, 6:17 PM
Anyone who buys that granite topped sharpening table thing, let me know, so I can mock you.

Whatever you think about it, James, that's a pretty poor attitude. :(

I enjoyed your post up to that point.

george wilson
10-09-2010, 6:21 PM
I thought it was going to be a full size workbench!!! 24" x 36" ? A cheap Chinese granite surface late that size from Grizzly is how much? $254.00 @ .0002" accuracy? Plus some maple???

To tell the truth,I can't see it either,attitude or not.

Owen E Wheeler
10-09-2010, 6:25 PM
Let me start by saying I have no plan to buy the granite topped sharpening station.

I want to stick up for your dad and guys of his stripe.

Some people want to equip their shop well and get to work. "Equipped well" is an elusive metric, and for some that means "the best".

Any quibble on the fact that the LN sharpening station is the best you can buy commercially?

I sell $$$$ automation systems and home theater systems. Does anyone I sell to need one? Nope. Do they want "the best". Yep.

You can find a web site devoted to the DIY automator/home theater guy, and they will tell you I'm raping the client, charging too much, he could do it for so much cheaper on his own and leave me at home. Maybe, maybe not, depending on who you believe. Me, personally, I've never taken advantage of a client in my 30 years in my industry despite vast numbers of opportunities to do so.

What the DIY denizens of the A/V web site overlook is that my clients (and by inference buyers of the LN sharpening station) are guys that don't want to spend the time to do it themselves. They want to have it there, so they can sharpen their chisels and planes and get started on the project at hand. They don't have the time to build the station, find a piece of granite, put it all together, and then get to work. The cost differential is not enough for these few guys, and they know the purchased station is better built than they can produce themselves. They buy it, they start sharpening, and they're working on dovetail skills while you're still researching which of the lower 48 produces the best granite for the cost. What's to mock other than their checkbook?

James Taglienti
10-09-2010, 6:28 PM
Yeah it was a crummy thing to say, the mocking thing. It sounded more acceptable in my head, which coincidentally is where I do most of my mocking.

uh..

george wilson
10-09-2010, 6:44 PM
I can't build a home theater system from scratch(did get a REAL nice system for $75.00 at the local flea market. Hard to beat real 12" speakers!)

But,for $1250.00,I could get off my duff!! I do have several LN planes,and had several more at work.

Tim Null
10-09-2010, 6:54 PM
I completely agree. For some woodworking items, I want to build it myself. I spent months building my workbench out of hard maple. I spent $1,100.00 for the maple alone. Then there were the vises, etc. I then built cabinet drawers for the space underneath. I got a bench that I enjoyed building and am proud of. It was fun.

Other items I will simply buy, as I have no desire to spend the time. I have new planes because I do not want to spend time searching for used ones and then rehabbing them. I would rather spend my time building stuff, as it is only a hobby.

If someone can afford to buy the best, already done and ready to go, then more power to him. If one cannot afford it, then he must go the more economical route.

In the end, it is what your time is worth and what you can afford to spend on your hobby. The father with the boat sure seemed to enjoy fishing. The simple act of spending time with his son was worth the expense, the fish caught a bonus. Having things that made it more comfortable is the way to go if you can afford it. Di he need those items to catch fish? Obviously not. Did they make his experience more enjoyable? I would say yes. Then it was worth it. Same goes for woodworking tools, etc.

Just my take on it.

george wilson
10-09-2010, 7:03 PM
It is also about what you enjoy. But a lot of the things I have posted here I made at least partly because I didn't want to pay a fortune for one.

The half size salesman's sample dovetailed smooth plane is especially in that category. I would not have paid thousands of dollars for it ( nor could I ever find another.)

And,that little table wouldn't take more than a day to make.

James Taglienti
10-09-2010, 7:19 PM
Absolutely George.

There are places where a toilet is considered a ridiculous luxury. Where having a personal automobile is unheard of.

Maybe I have a third world workshop. There is neither a granite honing booth, a toilet, or a car in my shop.

That table thing is a result of the current fad, which is dead flat everything. Also granite is becoming more popular. It also belies the fact that deep pocketed hobbyists drive a huge portion of the current hand tool industry.
It looks like it's a dedicated "scary sharp" station. Kind of funny, since scary sharp is one of the FIRST methods a budding woodworker usually uses. I remember gluing some sandpaper to a piece of window glass and scrubbing away. What an epiphany! Then about a month later I bought some real stones.

David Weaver
10-09-2010, 7:50 PM
Any quibble on the fact that the LN sharpening station is the best you can buy commercially?

I am a fan of lie nielsen, but I'd say yes, a quibble. Any metal stand reference plate would be as good (better if you thought you had a need for the flatness).

I think the commercial cost for such a thing would be about $300+freight.

It would be more if it was starrett, but we're talking about better, not necessarily domestic.

I wonder where the want for that came from. There was a big discussion about this on wood central, but I would bet that they took something similar to events to sharpen demo tools, and people expressed a want for one. They're already building benches there, and all they have to do is find a local granite countertop place, who probably rakes them over the coals for the cost of the granite since it's domestic.

Bruce Page
10-09-2010, 7:57 PM
That granite bench would look really nice in a upscale kitchen. :cool:

Jim Koepke
10-09-2010, 8:13 PM
Maybe mine is the record holder. The piece of granite cost me $25 and I think the wood was less than $10. It didn't take a day to do.

jtk

Rick Markham
10-09-2010, 8:20 PM
I'm not going to take issue with Lie Nielsen's decision to market it, nor am I going to say anything negative about anyone buying one. To each his own. I really like Lie Nielsen, and I hope they continue to thrive, heck I hope a bunch of collectors and people who appreciate that kind of thing buy a ton of them.

I will take issue with it being referred to as "the best" It clearly states in the catalog "granite is not milled to surface plate specifications" If you want the flattest truest surface get a surface plate. It is beautiful, and far better than I have. But "the best" is arguable... always!

Jonathan McCullough
10-09-2010, 9:05 PM
Anyone who buys that granite topped sharpening table thing, let me know, so I can mock you.

Hilarious! Vive la difference!

From their perspective, their average clientele probably wouldn't think twice about dropping that and more. I like Lie-Nielsen stuff and plan to buy more, but at some point you have to make your own sharpening tables.

John Coloccia
10-10-2010, 7:11 AM
I have an idea. Let's all get together and bash Lie-Neilsen, and make fun of anyone who buys their stuff, especially the sharpening table and workbenches. Then let's all go to the off topic format and whine endlessly about how no high quality made in the USA tools are available anymore.

Meh. :rolleyes:

Richard Magbanua
10-10-2010, 8:12 AM
I have an idea. Let's all get together and bash Lie-Neilsen, and make fun of anyone who buys their stuff, especially the sharpening table and workbenches. Then let's all go to the off topic format and whine endlessly about how no high quality made in the USA tools are available anymore.

Meh. :rolleyes:

I agree John.
If it's too expensive for you then don't buy it.
If I were to place a price on a piece of furniture that I thought reflected the work and skill required to make it as well as support my business I'm sure I would be angry if someone, especially a fellow woodworker, came by and openly devalued my work, criticizing me for charging so much for something he could have easily and cheaply made himself or bought at Wal-Mart.
I support top-notch companies like Lie-Nielsen and I'm not well-off by any means. Last week at WW'ing in America I really considered getting the cheaper smoother but I finally decided to wait and save a bit more to get the LN or LV.

Derek Cohen
10-10-2010, 8:20 AM
What do you think the shipping costs to Perth would be?

Airmail.

Regards from Perth

Derek

george wilson
10-10-2010, 9:14 AM
Since I must have bought at least 12 LN planes for work and home,I have supported them ,and said many good things about their tools.

They must have a reason for charging this for their little table. I just don't know what it is. I can see spending $400.00 for a plane better than I can 3x for the table,though.

Owen E Wheeler
10-10-2010, 9:22 AM
Look at it this way. There's a lot of supposition in this though, but work with me.

LN makes great tools; I don't expect there will be a lot of argument on that. Yes, yes, you can buy a used Stanley and get it going to match a LN's performance, but no one here would throw out a LN plane because of the brand.

Their cost? I would call it manageable compared with some, a value. I bought a set of LN chisels recently on the basis that I could do much worse if I'm not careful buying, or do a bit better by doubling or tripling my expenditure. Hence, LN chisels represent good value to me. I have them all, they're all extremely well made, and I'm down to work on chiseling tasks.

I also surmise that if LN exited the industry there would be sorrow from our ranks, right?

If LN sells 10-20 of these (I hope) highly profitable sharpening stations, the profit they make can be rolled into the next exotic plane, chisel set or other tool they could otherwise not be able to afford development on. We of the hand tool group would celebrate that, eh?

So, I say we all rejoice when someone buys another of those, because it means a prime vendor for our hobby is prospering. :-)

Mark Maleski
10-10-2010, 9:23 AM
The sharpening table is the *one* tool in their catalog that I'd have a tough time justifying the cost to myself. Still, if there's a market for it and they're able to make profit, I'll not criticize. They have a segment of employees in Maine who make a living building benches, and that's a good thing.

Steve Friedman
10-10-2010, 10:00 AM
Not that the price isn't high, but it's all relative. I saw that sharpening table at the L-N showroom this summer and it's a stunning piece of furniture that probably costs as much to make as their benches (excluding hardware).

That said, I hope they sell lots of them. As was mentioned before, we would all be a lot poorer if L-N was unable to make enough of a profit to support their continuous development of new tools.

At the very least, that sharpening table gave me the incentive to build a dedicated sharpening table for myself.

Steve

Kent A Bathurst
10-10-2010, 10:17 AM
I have an idea. Let's all get together and bash Lie-Neilsen, and make fun of anyone who buys their stuff, especially the sharpening table and workbenches. Then let's all go to the off topic format and whine endlessly about how no high quality made in the USA tools are available anymore.

Meh. :rolleyes:


HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH!!! A touche on yourself, James. A rare duck, indeed.

Well played, Sir. Well played. All is forgiven.

Tony Zaffuto
10-10-2010, 11:19 AM
Some like their shops to show off.

Some like their shops to do work.

To each their own as it is their money. Nobody is forcing anyone to send their money to LN. I would probably be mocked for some of the stuff I have, both in my shop and in my home. So what?

Roy Lindberry
10-10-2010, 11:35 AM
Yeah it was a crummy thing to say, the mocking thing. It sounded more acceptable in my head, which coincidentally is where I do most of my mocking.

uh..


Just so you know, I took it as humor and thought it was hilarious. Had I thought you seriously intended to mock those who buy the table, I probably would have reacted much the same as others.

As it is, I laughed my head off.

Bruce Page
10-10-2010, 11:57 AM
You spent 20k on a motorcycle!?! :eek::rolleyes:
Almost everyone that has owned a new motorcycle has heard some variation of that statement and it used to tick me off. What we spend OUR money on should be of no interest to anyone else except your immediate family and the bill collector.

joseph quijas
10-10-2010, 12:32 PM
Ive only posted a few times on here and this is a little off topic but heres what I did; I asked my granite guy for the cutouts (Im a general contractor in the day); when marble or granite slabs are being put down (typically in kitchens or bathrooms; cutouts for sinks,tubs, etc.), they will have tons of left overs. If they dont cooperate, just look around there garbage bins. also, depending on the size of the cutouts, you could get some pretty big peices for larger planes etc.
Joe

Tony Shea
10-10-2010, 12:42 PM
I must agree in that the price for this station is a bit excessive. Being from Maine I certainly can find a slab of Maine granite for much cheaper and build the table to hold it. But this is of no concern to me as I would personally just not buy the bench and leave it at that. I'd hate to mock someone for spending their money on something that probably wasn't worth the $ because I'm sure everyone here, including the OP, is guilty. I've certainly spent probably thousands of $ on stuff that is way over priced but at the time thought it was worth the investment. But the $ was spent because the quality was much better than that of something i could buy at a place like Walmart, disposable. I do my best at not buying "disposable" items and supporting the companies that carry them. It is what's wrong with the economy and American society itself. I know I'm on a bit of a tangent but I certainly will support companies such as LN especially being a Mainer myself and wish more companies could compete with big business such as they do. Keep selling those insanely overpriced sharpening stations so we can keep the locals employed building them and creating the materials needed for them.

george wilson
10-10-2010, 1:16 PM
I hardly ever buy anything because it is a good "investment". I buy it bcause I need it or like it.

Back in the 70's when silver got up to what,$12.00 an oz.(?) People would come in my shop,and sometimes start talking about "investing" in a hand made coffee pot at the silversmith's shop. I think they were something like $5000.00 at the time.

In a pinch,the investors would have gotten $6.00 an oz. for the silver in their investment. That would have not even been $200.00 for the pot. The rest was money for labor,all lost. Much less after the Geddys(?) who had caused the boom in silver by buying up a hoard of it,decided to sell their silver and take their profits. Then,the price fell out of silver.

Asher Langton
10-10-2010, 1:32 PM
I think that sharpening table is beautiful. As are the LN benches; I used one a bit at their hand-tool event in Sacramento, and it looked and performed wonderfully. If my tool budget were unlimited, I'd love to have both of those in my shop.

In any case, every time we (as craftsmen) decry the price of well-crafted products, we contribute to the devaluing of our own work.

Tony Zaffuto
10-10-2010, 2:18 PM
In a pinch,the investors would have gotten $6.00 an oz. for the silver in their investment. That would have not even been $200.00 for the pot. The rest was money for labor,all lost. Much less after the Geddys(?) who had caused the boom in silver by buying up a hoard of it,decided to sell their silver and take their profits. Then,the price fell out of silver.

The Hunt family, from Texas, tried to corner the silver market. Bottom fell out and they took one heck of a bath, along with all kind of SEC investigations (don't remember the outcome). I'm thinking they drove the price up to around $40 to $45 an ounce (IIRC).

Funny thing about silver and gold: there are many industrial uses of silver that makes it a valuable commodity. For gold, there are few and those that exist can be done with other less valuable commodities available at a cheaper price.