Back Order has been Back Ordered :(

[Mike Ontko]

Thought I'd post a quick rant in case someone out here happens to have a spare #7 bench plane they'd be willing to part with ;)

I've had the V3: WoodRiver #7 jointer plane (https://www.woodcraft.com/products/woodriver-7-jointer-plane?via=573621f469702d06760016cd%2C57641c7e69702 d3baa000a33%2C57641c8769702d3baa000a34) on order from WoodCraft for the past 2-1/2 months and called today to find out if the targeted 7/30 back order date was still happening. Turns out that it's been pushed out (back-back ordered) until 10/31/2021. Ouch!!

Does anyone have any insights into other suppliers that might have an actual inventory?

[Erik Loza]

I cannot contribute anything to this conversation except to add that, for better or worse, this is the new normal. The whole supply chain is sideways now and everyone in the manufacturing industry is feeling it. What I see, from the supplier side of things, is that there are two factors happening. The first is shortage of raw materials. It is hard to source out raw materials from anyplace "but" east Asia and as we all know, they were hit the hardest by covid. The second factor is the Logistics side of things. Everything is taking 2X-3X as long to get anywhere. Not enough drivers, not enough personnel in the ports, etc. This is as hands-tied a situation as there has ever been. Just my observations.

Erik

[Mike Ontko]

Erik,

Sadly, I agree on this being the new status quo. At least for the near term. Another reason Lie-Nielsen is such a value to have in the U.S. is that they still (?) do their own foundry work. Unfortunately, they're still just as susceptible to supply and material shortages.

[mike stenson]

Literally everything I've ordered in the past few months has been backordered, then that backorder was delayed (I probably should just call woodcraft and cancel the router I ordered, come to think of that).

I don't see this being anything other than the status quo for the next year, or two.

[Mike Ontko]

Yep, I picked a bad time to sell my big tools and shift over to being a Neander :/

[mike stenson]

It could be worse, you could be talking mountain bikes (or just bikes in general) :)

[Alex Zeller]

I was reading how a number of independent truckers found that between the high cost of operating and maintaining their trucks and insurance made it wiser to stay on unemployment. It's going to take time before the world gets back to normal (or a new normal). There's just so many pieces that had fit together to make our economy work that people just never really thought much about it.

[Mike Ontko]

I was reading how a number of independent truckers found that between the high cost of operating and maintaining their trucks and insurance made it wiser to stay on unemployment. It's going to take time before the world gets back to normal (or a new normal). There's just so many pieces that had fit together to make our economy work that people just never really thought much about it.


You'd think those that are sitting on top of billions would see fit to put a little seed money back into the economy to help prime the pump. But I guess the lure of going to Pluto seems a much more realistic objective :/

[mike stenson]

It's a bit more complicated, much of the raw materials are processed by migrant workers.. who currently can't migrate (unlike coconuts).

And that's the easy bit.

[Earl McLain]

It's a bit more complicated, much of the raw materials are processed by migrant workers.. who currently can't migrate (unlike coconuts).

And that's the easy bit.

Yeah, since the swallows that carry the coconuts are not regulated in their travels, coconuts should be in good supply!!
earl

[Mike Ontko]

Yeah, since the swallows that carry the coconuts are not regulated in their travels, coconuts should be in good supply!!
earl

LOL - they grip them by the husks :D

[Charles Coolidge]

My recent Woodcraft orders...

Powermatic 15HH planer ordered 2/21, shipped 4/16 (8 weeks)
Powermatic PM1500 bandsaw ordered 2/28, shipped 6/16 (15 weeks)
Powermatic PM2820EVS drill press ordered 4/18, shipped 6/30 (10 weeks)

[Edwin Santos]

It could be worse, you could be talking mountain bikes (or just bikes in general) :)

Even dogs are back-ordered.
Some professional breeders that I have contacted are reserved on litters into 2022 and even some out to 2023. Crazy.

[John K Jordan]

Thought I'd post a quick rant in case someone out here happens to have a spare #7 bench plane they'd be willing to part with ;)
...

If you hope to buy one from a forum member this should be posted on Classifieds with "WTB" or "Wanted to buy" in the title.

[Mike Ontko]

If you hope to buy one from a forum member this should be posted on Classifieds with "WTB" or "Wanted to buy" in the title.

Thank you, John. I was half joking when I wrote that, but now I'm beginning to think it might be my best or only way to find a jointer before the end of the year.

[Thomas Crawford]

Got lucky as I've been wanting a lathe and found a Laguna 1836 actually in stock, had it in 5 days. Things go in and out quickly, have to be ready to jump on it.

[Tom M King]

Still waiting on a couple of platform ladders I bought on a Black Friday sale.

[Mike Ontko]

FWIW - I have my first colonoscopy coming up in a couple of weeks, oh joy! On my last doctor visit, it was recommended that I pick up the prep well in advance in case they ran out. Apparently, tools and building materials aren't all that's in short supply these days :/

[Charles Coolidge]

FWIW - I have my first colonoscopy coming up in a couple of weeks, oh joy! On my last doctor visit, it was recommended that I pick up the prep well in advance in case they ran out. Apparently, tools and building materials aren't all that's in short supply these days :/

The prep is the worst of it. I had them knock me out and remember nothing about the procedure. Go to youtube and search for Billy Connolly colonoscopy

[Richard Coers]

Would you be interested in a 7C with a little chunk missing from the base side? Great user, but recently found a perfect one so the user gets upgraded.

[Mike Ontko]

Would you be interested in a 7C with a little chunk missing from the base side? Great user, but recently found a perfect one so the user gets upgraded.


Thanks for the offer, Richard. But I appear to have found a direct replacement for the one that's on a 6-month back order.


A big thanks to all those who reached out in response to my post in the SMC Classifieds. And a big thanks as well to John Jordan for suggesting I post there in the first place!

[Chris Schoenthal]

I had the same thing happen with Woodcraft. I ordered a WR 5½ which was supposed to come in at the end of this month.
Checked the other day and it's been moved out until the middle of December.
I lucked onto a forum member who had one for sale, so I cancelled and bought his.
Of course I've always been a fan of instant gratification.

[Alan Lightstone]

The prep is the worst of it. I had them knock me out and remember nothing about the procedure. Go to youtube and search for Billy Connolly colonoscopy

+1, from a guy who has anesthetized >30,000 patients for them. They truly save lives. Lots of them. If it's your time to get one, guzzle the prep (which sucks), crap your brains out, then go in and possibly save your life. The procedure is simple. You get hooked up to a bunch of monitors, then lights out, lights back on again, fart your brains out, then go home. Easy-peasy.

Now imagine if you do your prep and find out your GI doctor is back-ordered for months. :D

Who know, everything else seems back-ordered.

[William Chain]

Here's a weird backorder occurrence - I get emails from a certain company with deals on 'overstock' yet when I click through to see if the price is worth it, I get a ship date of 2-3 months out. How is this 'overstock' that must be cleared if....it's backordered??

[David Utterback]

Here's a weird backorder occurrence - I get emails from a certain company with deals on 'overstock' yet when I click through to see if the price is worth it, I get a ship date of 2-3 months out. How is this 'overstock' that must be cleared if....it's backordered??

I have wondered the same about that site.
BTW, I have found that Lee Valley usually beats their b/o dates but I have not purchased much in the last month or 2 that was not in stock. I think most would agree that they have great customer service.

[Jim Becker]

Here's a weird backorder occurrence - I get emails from a certain company with deals on 'overstock' yet when I click through to see if the price is worth it, I get a ship date of 2-3 months out. How is this 'overstock' that must be cleared if....it's backordered??

The product may very well be in "overstock" status...but it may be physically located elsewhere with a transportation bottleneck between there and you. A lot of freight is sitting waiting to ship or somewhere in the pathway waiting for a ship to get unloaded or transportation from there to be available, etc.

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'Glad you found a solution, Mike!

[Paul F Franklin]

I feel the pain. My Veritas cabinet scraper, ordered in March, was first scheduled for June, then July, now September. I've gotten by without one for 40+ years, a few more months won't be a problem, but I think we all hate waiting once we've hit the buy button!

[Donald G. Burns]

Backorders are the norm now because we don't make much that's completely done with local (USA) materials and production. Raw materials might be from any one of many cheap labor (and/or lax pollution/safety law) countries and not available due to Covid shut down mines or foundries or due to lack of shipping containers to fill with offshore motors, circuit boards or other bits needed to assemble a tool. Perhaps a complete foreign made item is sitting in a ship off the port of LA waiting for a slot to come into port and unload. Items are expected and then not unloaded when promised - so B.O. date changes. Then there's no trucks (or trucks without a live breathing truckers in the cab) available meeting California's very strict smog requirements to pick up the load at the port. No old stinky trucks allowed. All this all at the same time that companies are using just in time stocking and manufacturing to reduce inventory tax costs and to increase profits. So nothing stocked and nothing being made until there's demand will be the norm for a long time. OBTW, don't even think about just fixing up an old tool, again no spare parts being stocked or perhaps even being made, once an item is obsoleted by the maker. A throw away society doesn't fix things.

[Mike Ontko]

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'Glad you found a solution, Mike!

Me too :) Thanks!

Hope you're still making progress in the 'new' shop. I haven't been spending as much time here recently as in the past, so I guess I've got some catching up to do!

[John Stankus]

My recent Woodcraft orders...

Powermatic 15HH planer ordered 2/21, shipped 4/16 (8 weeks)
Powermatic PM1500 bandsaw ordered 2/28, shipped 6/16 (15 weeks)
Powermatic PM2820EVS drill press ordered 4/18, shipped 6/30 (10 weeks)

I feel your pain... Ordered a Supermax 25-50 Drum Sander in May...expected ship was August...Checked again in June expected ship slid to October... At some point this month I'll have the guts to ask Woodcraft the current expected ship date.:)

[Charles Coolidge]

+1, from a guy who has anesthetized >30,000 patients for them. They truly save lives. Lots of them. If it's your time to get one, guzzle the prep (which sucks), crap your brains out, then go in and possibly save your life. The procedure is simple. You get hooked up to a bunch of monitors, then lights out, lights back on again, fart your brains out, then go home. Easy-peasy.

Now imagine if you do your prep and find out your GI doctor is back-ordered for months. :D

Who know, everything else seems back-ordered.

"your GI doctor is 'back-ordered' is that colonoscopy humor? :D

[William Chain]

Backorders are the norm now.

Indeed they are. But I stand by my statement that 'backorder' and 'overstock' are not the same. One cannot be overstocked on something that isn't in stock at all. I don't care where it is in the shipping pipeline.... no have? Not in stock. Cannot be overstock.

[Corey Pelton]

Back orders have been the norm unfortunately. I had some Lee Valley Mortising bits on order, but after nearly a years wait, I had to cancel. I have about 5 back orders with Woodpeckers atm. One of them being my multi-router that could have been put to good use months ago.

I’m being patient, though. I understand the strain Covid has put on business’, and is continuing to.