Today's the day - new equipment arrives!

[Todd Burch]

The 3 Felder pallets will be delivered today sometime. WOO-HOO! I'm clearing space so I can get everything in and uncrated. The trailer is ready in the drive so crating and other debris can be hauled to the landfill later this afternoon.

Oh, what's coming you ask? Several items: 20" Jointer/Planer combo machine, standalone horizontal mortiser, a power feeder and a dust collector, plus loads of accessories. I didn't get a mobility kit for the jointer/planer, but the dust collector has wheels and I did get the kit for the mortiser.

Oh, and this Powermatic oscillating edge sander was delivered this last Tuesday. I put casters on it until I can get it positioned. It's a 9" x 138¾" belt. 3HP, 3 phase, dual 4" dust ports. I've got the phase converter, but it's not hooked up yet. It will be a few days yet before I can turn any of this stuff on!

[Keith Starosta]

:eek: :eek: :eek:

Daaaaaaamn, you've hit the mother load....

This is going to be a fun weekend for you, my friend....

.....{envy begins to set in}........................

Keith

[Jason Tuinstra]

Todd, good for you. You are a hard worker who will put those tools to good use. Congrats. The tool shipment around here today is a package with a couple dozen books for the study.

A question though, are you putting all these tools in your garage? I thought that's where your shop is, right? I live in a small town in the burbs, but even at that, I would worry, for lack of a better word, about people seeing all that equipment in my garage. Do you have a security system of some kind? I guess no one is going to take the heavy stuff, but what precautions do you take, if any? Also, if this is in your garage, how do the neighbors take to a shop professional shop being in a subdivision? Just wondering.

Sounds like it is going to be an exciting day! Enjoy.

[Todd Burch]

Jason, yes, I work out of the garage. It's a 3 car garage, with a 20' extension on the back. That yeilds about 1200 square feet, plus the attic area is pretty tall.

I am discreet with my noisemaking. I have insulated the wall to my closest neighbor. She's a single mom and works most of the time and is not home during the day. I try to not make any (or much ) noise after supper. I also built a partition wall separating the front part of the garage (where you could "theorectically" park cars!) with the back half. So, when the big door is up, you can 't see much. I leave the doors down as much as I can.

I try to keep deliveries down as much as possible, although that would free up a lot of my time not having to get materials myself. I could really use a dumpster too...

Garage is tied into the security system and always locked otherwise.

So far, no complaints, but again, I'm REALLY discreet. I'm on the hunt for about 3000-4000 square feet now... I could stand to hire a couple guys too. "Grow or Die", as they say.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Todd, sounds like you have a great setup. I'm sure your neirghborly example will go far in your community. As far as growing, just remain faithful and you won't be able to help but grow in one direction or another. So keep up the good work. I look forward to seeing your sucess.

[Jim Becker]

Congrats on the new gear, Todd. I'm going to need to manuver another trip down that way so I can fondle that big J/P! 'Can't wait to see the pics in the mean time. Be sure to take some during the unloading, too!

[Chris Padilla]

Excellent, Todd...you know that you'll be working even harder now, right!! :)

Looking forward to your thoughts on the Felder J/P.

[Todd Burch]

Well, delivery AIN'T happening today... I'm pretty upset. Yesterday, the delivery company asked if I wanted morning or afternoon delivery. I said morning. They said they would deliver in a 4 hour window between 10am and 2pm. (Not sure how that correlates to morning or afternoon...) I called them at 2:30 and inquired. After 15 minutes of being on hold and being passed to operators twice, they said they would do their best to get here by 4pm. No apologies, no excuses. It's 4:45 - and I'm outta here for dinner plans. I guess they'll just have to carry it around until "I" get ready to waste another day.

I wonder what it costs them to make multiple trips and reschedule and load and unload and load and unload... I'm guessing more than it would cost them to PHONE CALL ME if they weren't going to make their appointment. I certainly know what it costs me to waste a day... and I ain't cheap.

I've been waiting since Jan 4th. I can wait another week. No more "4 hour" window grace for these bozos. :(

Frustrated.... Todd

[Ed Falis]

Hey Todd, just don't let it burn you. Enjoy dinner.

- Ed

[David Brown]

any motions, laser or IR?, are the windows wires? how many key pads, is there battery backup? When will ALL the NICE NEW MACHINERY be on wheels? .... Just curious? BTW, so the lady next door is away during the day, does your wife work? any other close neighbors?

[Steve Jenkins]

Todd reminds me of something i notice all the time.

" There is never time to do it right but always time to do it over"

I'm not sure how that mind-set got started in people but it sure is prevelant.

I have the Felder planer and the fd250 mortiser and you will really like them both. I don't have the combo because I have a seperate jointer.
Enjoy enjoy, Steve

[Tyler Howell]

Todd you just keep raising that bar in every way. Something for us to aspire to.

Congrats and thanks.

TJH

[Chris Padilla]

Sorry for the frustrations, Todd. You'd think today with all our rapid and nearly instant communication that that aspect of business would improve. It seems to have gone the opposite way unfortunately. Hang in there...insist on a Saturday delivery! :p

[Jim Becker]

It amazes me how many times folks report this exact problem with deliveries from common carriers. It happens far too often and doesn't speak well for the industry as a whole. It's too bad we don't have the ability to easily bill them for our time when they don't show up for their "window" appointment...especially when everything is shut down to insure that the space and energy is available to take said delivery. I'm sure you could have been out earning a living today!

You should let Felder know about this, too, so they can smack the carrier up-side their heads.

[Bruce Page]

Congratulations Todd, WOW!

I’m looking forward to the pictures – the big Powermatic OES has me slobbering all over my keyboard all ready!

[Bart Leetch]

He He He

Oh come on Bruce just close your lips....

Hey Todd that sander looks like a quick manicure if you aren't careful.

I hope everything turns out ok Todd.

[Don Henthorn Smithville, TX]

Really glad the new stuff is coming in. Would love to be there to watch you uncrate it and get it set up. I remember you telling me about your efforts to keep everything low key amd it's great that is working out for you. Still, I'm hoping you can soon find the necessary space to set up away from home. Wonder about the possibility of putting up a metal building with three times or more the space you need and renting out space to make the payments on the building. You can tell I am thinking all the time. Not thinking smart, just thinking.

[Jason Roehl]

It amazes me how many times folks report this exact problem with deliveries from common carriers. It happens far too often and doesn't speak well for the industry as a whole. It's too bad we don't have the ability to easily bill them for our time when they don't show up for their "window" appointment...especially when everything is shut down to insure that the space and energy is available to take said delivery. I'm sure you could have been out earning a living today!

You should let Felder know about this, too, so they can smack the carrier up-side their heads.
Not just common carriers, but any customer service snafu. Reminds me of a time I filled my gas tank, then used my debit card inside to pay. Well, their computer goofed, so they had to take a manual imprint, as in the "days of old." Of course, when I got my bank statement later, I was double-billed, so I called the gas station manager to have him take the charge off. He told me I would need to get a certified copy of the statement from the bank, blah, blah, blah. I replied, "Gee, that seems like an awful lot of work for me (your gas station is 20 minutes from where I live), FOR AN ERROR ON YOUR END." He paused--knowing I was right. I then said, "How about I give you the phone number for my bank..."

It's certainly frustrating, especially for those of us who work by the hour/job and/or are self-employed. There have been so many times that I wanted to bill a company for the time I had to spend on the phone, on hold, writing letters, etc...all for their mistake. :mad:

Or there was the time I got rear-ended in my work truck. It was supposed to take 4 hours for them to fix....arrrrrgggghhhhh....:rolleyes:

[Donnie Raines]

Gosh...and I thought that the new LN bench plane I bought was cool....... :D


DonnieR

[Waymon Campbell]

You should let Felder know about this, too, so they can smack the carrier up-side their heads.

I agree with Jim. If we all let the vendors know about the poor service we put up with from the common carriers maybe one day we would get service from an "uncommon" carrier. Sorry to hear about your wasted day. I think we have all been there.

[Daniel Rabinovitz]

Todd
Best of luck with the new equipment.
But all that "stuff" sure sounds like lots of work to me.
You'll actually have to make something.
Daniel :D

[Tyler Howell]

I agree with Jim. If we all let the vendors know about the poor service we put up with from the common carriers maybe one day we would get service from an "uncommon" carrier. Sorry to hear about your wasted day. I think we have all been there.God Blessem we live by the transport industry but it can be a real pain sometimes. The industry doesn't always attract the nations best and brightest. I've found priority shipments for my airports pushed back in a warehouse some place, the big bright EURGENT labels in full view.
As any industy there are the bad eggs. In a previous life I did work for a carrier that had installed GPS tracking devices on the riggs. Many times the wires were cut. Another the load was suppose to be in New York via Chicago 6 days earlier. They found just the trailer in Kentucky (intact) and the drive was accross town at the horse races. :eek:

We are consumers and should speak with all the tools at our disposal.
TJH