It should be easy to want things, right?

[Victor Robinson]

Ok, here's the deal. Wife's family wants me to make a wishlist for my birthday. While I'd prefer Lee Valley or AMZ gift cards, they don't like to give gift cards. They aren't good at internet shopping either (when I wanted some items from Amazon last Christmas it caused a kerfuffle), so that means no Lee Valley, Woodpeckers, etc. They'd prefer to be able to walk into a store to get something. No Rockler or Woodcraft in reasonable vicinity. No Festool dealer near to them either for those little accessories. There are several family members and they don't want to pool for a larger item.

Believe me I have a lengthy wishlist but none of my items really satisfy the above requirements!

Basically, I guess what I'm asking is: are there any items $50 and under that I might want from the borg, lol?? And I'm the bad guy for being so hard to shop for...sheesh! :rolleyes:

[Steven Triggs]

Lowe's carries Kreg stuff: jigs, bits, screws, etc...

[Roger Myers]

You can never have too many clamps, and the borg has those in various sizes, styles, price ranges....
Roger

[glenn bradley]

The Rockler in Pleasant Hill is 45 minutes from the heart of the city. If I wasn't willing to drive for an hour for my loved ones I would never see my parents ;-)

If the online shopping experience is too daunting, they can call the 800 number, give the item number you supply and deal with a human; problem solved.

If ordering something from someone over the phone is too much for them, they probably shouldn't venture out in public to go shopping (or for any other reason) unassisted :D:D:D.

IT could be as easy as:



Call 1-800-871-8158
Pleasant person answers with "Lee Valley, may I help you?"
They say "Hi I'd like to order your item number 05P27.02 as a gift."
Pleasant person takes their payment info and get's your shipping address.


All done.

I know it took a couple years for people to realize if they really wanted to get me something I wanted (as opposed to something they wanted me to have) they should just browse my online wish lists and pick something from there. It has worked out great and even those folks who don't do the online thing have learned that there is always something I can use a Lowe's or Home Depot gift card for. I then use the money I saved on potting soil or a BBQ cover to spend on tools ;).

[Rich Engelhardt]

- Pocket screws
- Sanding disks
- General folding protractor
- Jig saw blades.
- Two faced tape
- Dowel rods
- Zinsser Seal Coat
- Johsnon Paste wax
- Toilet bowl wax ring(s) for lubricating screws
- Shop vac filters
- Shop vac hose &/or fittings
- Small 1 to 3 gal portable compressor
- Air hose - rubber
- Air hose quick connects
- 23, 18 and 16 ga brads in assorted lengths
- A box of shop rags
- A box of shop towels
- Simple Green
- Paint thinner/Mineral Spirits
- One of those pin type thingies that conforms to different shaped objects.
- Straight router bit(s).
- Sandpaper
- Clamps
- More clamps
- A wet/dry sandpaper assortment ffrom any NAPA auto parts dealer. It's a couple sheets of 400, 800, 1200 and 1600.
- A couple gallons of denatured alcohol.


(I'm going from off the top of my head/from memory here. Somewhere here @ SMC is a post about small impulse type things to buy @ the borg that run ~ $20 or so. I'm really pressed for time right now or I'd search for it. I can dig the post up but it will be later tonight or tomorrow)

[Carl Beckett]

Just cruise through the Borg with your phone camera. Everytime you pass by something that would be fun to have in the toolbox, take a snap.

(lots of things come to mind, from router bits to drill bits to consumables like gloves, paintbrushes, shop towels, etc etc.) Clamps are always on the list!

Its the thought that counts!

[Art Mulder]

If the online shopping experience is too daunting, they can call the 800 number, give the item number you supply and deal with a human; problem solved.


Glenn speaks wisdom...
And if you have the paper catalog, then they don't even need to crack open a web browser to see your list, you can just mark up the items in your LVT catalog...


...art

ps: otherwise I'd drop the ww'ing for birthday items and suggest things that are easily available at home: Books, clothes, etc

[Richard Dragin]

I have a hard time finding something in Rockler that I want that I don't already have. Maybe another Japanese saw. Until I need something for a project I don't desire anything. Lee Valley is another story.

[Bobby O'Neal]

I will vote clamps as well. HD and Lowes here carry Jorgensons/Bessey

[Jamie Buxton]

Your location says San Francisco. There's a Woodcraft in San Carlos, which is like 30 minutes from SF.

[Kevin Gregoire]

can you say CA$H! ! !


but i have seen at a lot of places they sell gift cards to tons of various other places, so maybe check at lowes or home depot and see if they
have a gift card 'wall' and maybe some of the online places have cards their?

[glenn bradley]

can you say CA$H! ! !


but i have seen at a lot of places they sell gift cards to tons of various other places, so maybe check at lowes or home depot and see if they
have a gift card 'wall' and maybe some of the online places have cards their?

The OP said these folks don't like to give gift cards. I used to have a few folks around like that but, I cured them :)

[Kevin Gregoire]

i thought he meant they didnt like going online to order gift cards? im talking gift cards found in a B&M

[Bruce Page]

You can never have too many clamps. About 80% of these were Christmas gifts bought at the BORG.

[Ronald Blue]

Ok, humor my ignorance. What does BORG stand for. After 2+ years on here I still don't know. I am guessing "Big Overgrown Retail Giant".

[Bruce Page]

Ronald, BORG refers to any of the big box home improvement stores like Lowes, Home Depot, Menards, etc.

[Jamie Buxton]

There's a Home Depot Pro in Colma. It has a considerably larger tool selection than the standard Home Depot. (There's one of those nearly next door, so don't confuse them.)

[Peter Quinn]

Back when I was a child I used to love browsing that Sears Toy catalogue at christmas time. I looked forward to that all year. Even at 4 years old I could negotiate that fine piece of literature. All I needed was a credit card. Now I'm inundated with a barrage of paper catalogues from Rockler, woodcraft, Lee Valley, Lie Nielson, Garret Wade, Woodworkers supply, Highland Hardware, the list goes on. I almost never buy anything except online, but the paper copy is nice to hold for dreaming purposes, and there are 1-800 numbers in each of them.

I suggest you go online and forward a few of those catalogues to the relatives, and leave a copy at home with your wish list circled for your wife to make choosing easy for them. As long as they trust UPS or USPS, its a pretty proven way to purchase anything. I once had a house mate that met his wife that way, but thats a whole different story....

If it has to be purchased from the borg, I'd go clamps. They carry a decent selection, you really never can have too many, and any one is typically $50 or less. Just don't let them get you any plywood from there.....:eek:

[Mike Heidrick]

Few ideas for dads presents:

HD has a $30 mag jig featherboard. Its super nice.

The Bosch Classic router bit is nice at Lowes for $35. They also have teh Bosch flush trim.

Titebond 3 gallon at Lowes is $25.

$20 Moisture meter from Lowes.

Bag of dust free towles at Menards and some wipe on Poly should be about $20.

The case of blue shop towles from Sams is about $15.

Set of Craftsman Max Access ratchets/sockets from Sears.

[Victor Robinson]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, lots of great ideas. I completely forgot about the Jorgy clamps at HD, and the Rigid magswitch featherboard. I need to beef up my clamp collection with a lot of cabinet and built-ins going on!

Re: location, the fam is in the North Bay, so it's a trek for them to get to the WC or Rockler. In the future, I'm going to equip them with Lee Valley catalogs welllllll in advance. :)

[Harold Burrell]

Remember...almost ANYTHING that they get you is returnable. Instant cash.

I always tell my family: "Well, you can give me cash so I can get something I want. Or, you can buy me something I don't want...so I can take it back...and then get something I do."

[Richard Dragin]

Some of the responses to this thread just confirm something my wife and I do. We don't buy adults presents for birthdays or holidays but we do for the kids. The adults can go get themselves what they really want but the kids can't and seem to appreciate gifts more. We don't like pre-conditions on a gift and don't always honor requests if we feel like giving something else. We do make exceptions for a good book or music CD that we feel someone will appreciate or if we want to show appreciation for something. I would be insulted if someone told me to give them cash or they would just return what I did pick out for them. It sort of goes against the whole idea of giving in my opinion.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi, I guess I'll be of no help with what to buy or where as I stopped accepting birthday and Christmas gifts years ago.

For Christmas my family buys dinner for 100 people at a local mission in place of gifts for me, for my birthday and Father's Day gifts to a charity of my choice are made.

Regards, Rod.

[Bill White]

Hey, I like kerfuffle. Most times I eat it with an extra helping of........Oh Crap! Kertufflets (sp?).
Just goes ta show ya how "continental" I am.
Kinda goes with "Vas get der heigen flaggle mit eine kleinen schmultzer". (I don't EVEN know what that means, and appologies in advance. Sounded good to moi.)
Bill

[Harold Burrell]

Remember...almost ANYTHING that they get you is returnable. Instant cash.

I always tell my family: "Well, you can give me cash so I can get something I want. Or, you can buy me something I don't want...so I can take it back...and then get something I do."

I do hope you all realize that this was a joke. :o

[Larry Whitlow]

Some of the responses to this thread just confirm something my wife and I do. We don't buy adults presents for birthdays or holidays but we do for the kids. The adults can go get themselves what they really want but the kids can't and seem to appreciate gifts more. We don't like pre-conditions on a gift and don't always honor requests if we feel like giving something else. We do make exceptions for a good book or music CD that we feel someone will appreciate or if we want to show appreciation for something. I would be insulted if someone told me to give them cash or they would just return what I did pick out for them. It sort of goes against the whole idea of giving in my opinion.

In this case Victor says he is being asked what he would like. That is a little different from your scenario. I recently had someone give me a gift for building some cabinets at no charge other than materials. I felt bad because they spent a lot of money on something I will never use.

I think the reference to HD as "the borg" comes from one of the star trek series. I am not a trekkie by any means and will probably get this wrong. The borg were aliens intent on assimilating all others to their colony. The borg spaceship was shaped like a big box.

[harry hood]

Forget Woodcraft, Japan Woodworker in Alameda, Hida Tool in Berkeley, MacBeath Hardwoods in Berkeley, Earthsource Lumber in Oakland, Pastime Hardware in El Cerrito, Albany Steel in Albany (they sell small amounts of tool steel), and a hundred other woodworking-related to spend way too much money around here.

[Richard Dragin]

In this case Victor says he is being asked what he would like. That is a little different from your scenario. I recently had someone give me a gift for building some cabinets at no charge other than materials. I felt bad because they spent a lot of money on something I will never use.

I think the reference to HD as "the borg" comes from one of the star trek series. I am not a trekkie by any means and will probably get this wrong. The borg were aliens intent on assimilating all others to their colony. The borg spaceship was shaped like a big box.

Larry, I agree with you and was referring to other responses like I said. The OP's question I answered earlier.

I always thought BORG stood for Big Orange Retail Giant (Home Depot) and is doubly humorous because it was the name of the giant alien ship from Star Trek that swallowed up other cultures. It now includes Lowes and Menards.

[Larry Whitlow]

Huh, I wonder is it Borg from Star Trek, Big Orange Retail Giant (I like it) or both?

[Victor Robinson]

Just for the record, I didn't want them to get me anything. But then I got REALLY scolded by the wife for not playing along and instructed to make a [easy] wishlist, so that's what I'm doing! After all, she controls whether I get the big stuff so I do as asked. :)

[Matt McColley]

I tought I saw a milling machine with a rotary table!!!

I did! I did saw a milling machine with a rotary table....

that's what I'd ask for!!!

[David Hostetler]

Offhand I can think of...

#1. Quick Grip type clamps, I believe Home Depot sells the Irwin Quick Grips, Lowes sells a knockoff... double check that.
#2. Have a scroll saw? I am forever needing blades for mine. Scroll saw blades.
#3. Have a need for a particular sized hole saw?
#4. Freud Diablo 10" blades. Most are under $50.00 and are worth every single penny.
#5. Ryobi or Skil handheld sanders. Not the best, but beat the tar out of B&D for sure...
#6. Pocket Hole Screws.
#7. General plug cutters
#8. General doweling jig.
#9. General countersinks, OR Ryobi Speed Load countersinks. (I have both, I like the Ryobi as I can use them speed load style for coarse work, or chuck them directly when I want precision.).
#10. Finishes
#11. Shop Rags in a Box. Seriously. My BIL gave me a box for Christmas. it's memorable and very useful!
#12. Good quality air hose.
#13. A LOT of low quality air quick connects from Harbor Freight.
#14. A few quality air quick connects (Milton) from Home Depot, Lowes etc...
#15. Digital Caliper
#16. DeWalt 29 piece pilot point drill bit set.
#17. From Sears. Anti Fatigue Mats. I prefer them in Red due to contrast reasons. But you pick whatever color you want.
#18. Shop Radio. (Home Depot has a Ridgid model around $50.00)
#19. Shop Light Fixtures.
#20. Cases of shop light bulbs.

That's just tossing out the first twenty things that leap to mind, there are many, many more...