Sleepless in Seattle...

[Alan DuBoff]

Well, that's not surprising...I don't sleep when I'm at home, so why would I sleep while I'm travelling?:p

Got to Seattle yesterday at 4:00pm, checked in where I'm staying at Lake Union, and was able to get to Hardwick's by 5:40pm (they close at 6:00pm:(), not bad...but I need to get back there to look around more...what a place...;)

One thing I found kinda interesting, that there was quite a bit of Japanese stuff there, and I got me a small Japanese socket awl for $4.29, the same product that JapanWoodworker sells for about $7.75. Hardwick's had the regular size version for $6+change, and JapanWoodworker sells those for $10.95, go figure...I picked up one of the mini size...then I got a small interesting Japanese awl with a blade on the other end which can be sharpened, it was only $4.99. I'm going to use this for scraping glue rather than use one of my chisels.

They had a pretty decent selection of Japanese saws which appeared to be pretty good prices.

Anyway, when I was over there it seemed their prices were lower on Japanese products, and it made me wonder how much the markup is at JapanWoodworker that Hardwicks can sell it for so much cheaper?

There was quite a selection of fishtail style chisels, and I need to get back and look at them and see what type of prices they're selling those for, and/or want to see if they sell Matsumura chisels or any of the other name brands. I saw some used hand saws, but didn't see any used backsaws (my fetish;-) but they were closing after I was pilaging around for the 20-25 minutes I got in the store...damn, why can't we have some place like this in the bay area?

It's also too bad that so little of their inventory is online, it would sure make a great access for a lot of galoots, no doubt. The LN products were discounted which seemed odd to me seeing that Woodcraft charges more than LN on some products they carry...:eek: (maybe 10% across the board).

I'm up here until Thursday (I love a job you can work remotely :cool: ). My sister lives in Sammamish so I'm staying with after I give my presentations tomorrow...

Lucky the UofW is spittin' distance from Hardwicks...(I will be requesting presentations at any UofW events my company holds! :D ). My colleague had the nerve to ask if I wanted to car pool over...so I had to explain that I need to go back and get..."Hammered at Hardwick's". :rolleyes: ). They did have a nice hammer selection, cobbler hammers, brass hammers, stuff like that...I thought the Japanese products were substantially less than JapanWoodworker...not that I want to stock up on things...nice selection of Starrett products, and Japanese measuring tools also...

I envy you folks in the Seattle area...what a place...

[Frank Chaffee]

Alan,
Will you visit Tashiro Hardware while you are in town?
Frank

[Alan DuBoff]

Will you visit Tashiro Hardware while you are in town?Frank, maybe...not sure. But it doesn't interest me nearly as much as Hardwick's. They seem to be very different type stores, other than Tashiro sells a small selection of inexpensive Japanese saws.

I'm in Seattle til Thurs, going to Bainbridge Island to have lunch with a colleague on Wed., and want to catch the log home museum on Thurs to see if the home is done in Appalacian style (square logs with chinking). My sister lives in Sammamish, and it looks like Tashiro is just south of Lake Union, so I'll be in the area.

I would probably pick the log home museum over Tashiro, but maybe he has some products that are not listed on his webpage? Maybe both places... ;)

Hardwick's reminded me more of a merchantile, or old chandlery...it was just galootaratti...all around...

[Alan DuBoff]

Oh, there was some new perfect handle style screwdrivers from Sheffield, possibly Crowns (Hardwick's had a lot of Crown tools), but no smaller sizes. I find the smaller sizes more useful, and more often the ones that are pitted or deformed on the tip (and grinding only would make it smaller). They weren't called perfect handles, they were called perfect master or something like that...

I'm interested in what other older tools they might have had, I didn't see too many, but there was a lot of nooks and crannys I probably didn't get to in the short time I was there.

[Charlie Mastro]

Frank, Tashiro's Hardware is no more. It's been closed for 15 or 20 years, Frank has moved his little shop at least 4 times since I started buying from him when they were in the orginal building on Prefontaine. I'm not sure but I think he may only be mail order these days. His wife got ill and he moved his operation to his home.

Alan, don't miss the Northwest Gallery of Fine Woodworking in Pioneer Sq. About Hardwick's, all his prices are very reasonable not just the Japanese tools and he does have about the best collection of Japanese saws you'll find anywhere. Hardwick's carries Z brand which is the brand Tashiro carries. Hardwick's does not to my knowledge carry any of the better brands of chisels like Matsumura. You don't have it so bad in the Bay area there's my favorite Hida Tools. You won't fine a Japanese tool store as good as Hida in Seattle.

[Alan DuBoff]

Alan, don't miss the Northwest Gallery of Fine Woodworking in Pioneer Sq. About Hardwick's, all his prices are very reasonable not just the Japanese tools and he does have about the best collection of Japanese saws you'll find anywhere. Hardwick's carries Z brand which is the brand Tashiro carries. Hardwick's does not to my knowledge carry any of the better brands of chisels like Matsumura. You don't have it so bad in the Bay area there's my favorite Hida Tools. You won't fine a Japanese tool store as good as Hida in Seattle.Hardwicks had a bunch of stuff that was reasonably priced, I agree, and as I pointed out was a bit surprised to see that there would be a discount on LN tools, but they did (similar to Clarence at fine tools).

Yes, we have Japanese tool stores but the prices are through the roof on much of that stuff. I was curious to why Hardwicks is so much less on the chachkas I picked up. I'm waiting for my presie, I'm on in 30 minutes. Can't wait to get out of here and to see if I can get to Hardwicks before they close.

With that said, I'd trade you Hida for Hardwicks! :D

Hida I can order online if I wanted, but Hardwicks only has a fraction of their inventory online.

[Charlie Mastro]

That is a problem with Hardwick's on line that they don't have 1/10 of the stuff listed that they have in the store but if anyone gets to Seattle it's not a place you want to miss.

[Frank Chaffee]

Alan,
Charlie,
I feel a loss learning that I will not be able to visit Tashiro Hardware again. The old place definitely had a mercantile flavor. I got a Case folder there, two Japanese saws, soft and hard arkansas stones, and a natural Japanese hone. I often went there and explored, discovering things I hadn’t known existed.

I enjoy going into a store and seeing things that have been on the shelf for ten or twenty years. Modern accounting practices don’t seem to favor that inventory plan, however.

Seems like just yesterday, but I guess it was over thirty years ago.

Glad to hear that Hardwick’s is so inviting to those who appreciate old time stores.

Frank

[Joe Pelonio]

Alan,

Welcome, maybe you are the one that brought this nice weather.

Hey, I live in Sammamish too. I hope you didn't get mixed up in all that nasty protest march traffic in Seattle yesterday. If you are at all into boats see the Center for Wooden Boats at 1010 Valley Street, south end of Lake Union. Hopefully the weather holds out for your ferry trip tomorrow. If you have time and haven't been there before it's just a short hop over to Poulsbo, a really cool little town.

[Alan DuBoff]

Yep, I brought the nice weather...:D

I'm on the ferry going back to bainbridge...free access on wifi, my rental car is downstairs...I like this place...Bainbridge is very nice indeed...

Got a couple old tools at Hardwicks last night...nothing too special, will post when I get more time.

[Alan DuBoff]

Hey, I live in Sammamish too.Too bad we couldn't have gotten together, I'm probably close.

My sister lives close to "xx 228" and "xx 25". Honestly I can't for the life of me figure out how the street names work, but she lives up on the plateau.

I got kinda excited over on Bainbridge earlier today when I saw a Hardware/Merchantile store. Unforntunately I found out it had changed hands and turned into some type of artsy import type studio with high priced junk.

Weather was sure nice, and I like the area a lot. Lots of waterfront homes, which is what I like.

If you have time and haven't been there before it's just a short hop over to Poulsbo, a really cool little town. I think this is the place my sister and BIL mentioned, is this the dutch or norwegian town? My sister acquainted it to Solvang, which is down by Santa Barbara, is that the place?

I wanted to get up there, but didn't have enough time, and thought I could get back to Hardwicks to dig around more, just didn't have time and there's a lot of traffic around the Seattle area during rush hours... :(

I realized I don't have my camera with me, so shipped my tools back. Imagine security with the awls or auger hole cutter bit? :eek: I found an old wooden handled driver, with about 4 or 5 bits, handle unscrewed to hold the bits. Some drill type bits, and a driver possibly. Similar in function to a yankee but shorter, and no push_mechanism. It was only $4.99. Also got a 1" - 1 3/4" (aprox) hole cutting style auger bit for $3.95. One new tool I bought was a Kunz 79 plane, it was $40 and looked pretty decent quality, especially given the price. I figure this will serve it's purpose once the blades are sharpened properly.

There was one tool I almost bought, might kick myself in the rear later, but it was a homemade hammer. It looked like someone took a valve guide and welded it on a ground down hammer to make a cobblers style hammer with a large head. Someone put "pat pend" on the price tag, quite humorous. It was only $9.95 but I couldn't for the life of me feel that I would use it. It was really interesting, IMO.

Tomorrow I'm headed over to either Pikes Place or Dukes Chowderhouse for lunch. Saw today there's one at Alki beach, could kill a couple birds with one stone as that is where the log home museum is. I'm flying out of here tomorrow night, you'll have to excuse me if the great weather leaves with me. ;) That Ferry ride was a real treat today, saw a great home for sale on Murden Cove, over on Bainbridge...headed straight to the Ferry before I asked how much it was, didn't want to give my wife any surprises, she's had enough over the past 20 years...:rolleyes: There's a lot of great waterfront property, I'm sure there's plenty of great homes with spectacular views. Lots of sailboats also, I love to sail...

[Joe Pelonio]

Alan,

Poulsbo is a long way from being Solvang (I've been there) but the same idea. It's a Norwegian community, smaller than Solvang but on the waterfront.

If I may suggest a place for a meal, Ivar's Salmon House on Lake Union.
http://www.ivars.net/Salmon_House_Home/salmon.html

The streets of Sammamish and most of this area are very hard to decipher. Thet are on a grid system, with numbered streets and avenues, but if a street changes directions it changes names. Did you see the fire station on 228th, just S of 25th? My son works there as a volunteer medic. If you turn there on NE18th I live up at the top of the hill.

I must say you are VERY lucky to get such great weather here this time of year. It's supposed to rain Saturday. Enjoy the rest of your stay!