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Thread: Finally, a rant about high prices but not about lumber!

  1. #1

    Finally, a rant about high prices but not about lumber!

    Good grief, we all know that lumber prices are obnoxiously high. Went to buy some planer blades today, had to take blood pressure pills:

    Name price paid approx year ago/price now if ordered today (AMZ)

    Freud 15" x 1" x 1/8" High Speed Steel Industrial Planer and Jointer Knives (C045) 57.73/76.65
    Freud 10" x 24T Heavy-Duty Rip Blade (LM72R010) 53.16/54.99
    SawStop RT-C27 27" x 16" Cast Iron Table For R 290.84/485.00

    POWERTEC HSS Knives, 6-1/8" x 11/16" x 1/8", for Ridgid 6-1/8" Jointer 16.99/19.99
    West System 105-B Epoxy Resin (.98 gal) with 205-B Fast Epoxy Hardener (.86 qt) and Mini Epoxy Metering Pump Set 152.95/161.12
    General Finishes Water Based Dye, 1 Quart, Ebony 20.95/24.28
    Johnson Level & Tool B85 8-Inch Hardwood Sliding T-Bevel 13.45/14.26
    AMMEX Gloveworks HD Industrial Orange Nitrile Gloves with Diamond Texture Grip, Box of 100, 8 mil, Size XLarge, Latex Free, Powder Free, Textured, Disposable, GWON48100-BX 17.95/36.99
    General Finishes Enduro-Var Satin Gallon 87.51/99.99
    Lead Free Brass Pipe Fitting, Union, Class 125, 1" NPT Female 15.50/26.23


    Now to be fair, some things in my order history have gone down, but not a lot and not by much (e.g 80 grit sand belts 15 cents cheaper). I've already switched to a cheaper epoxy, but its not that much cheaper, and with cheap planer blades, you get what you pay for (bow like a banana after 10 uses and can't be sharpened). I feel like I'm scraping the bottom of the quality barrel with the freud planer blades.

    Between lumber prices, tool prices, and consumable prices, I don't think I'm going to be able to stay in the hobby much longer. I just can't justify not making a house payment or groceries so I can make that farm table, which is where prices are now. I can no longer afford it on my disposable income. ***** it I picked wood working because it was cheaper than women and fishing! Guess I'll have to fall back to collecting old hand planes, heard that was cheap.....

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    I usually don't read a post with "rant" in the title. But it's lunch time, so..... Haven't you heard about steel and cast iron prices going way up? Have you ever had a hobby that isn't expensive? Around me the price of used furniture is at an all time low. You can pick up an entire wall unit for $50 if it's dark wood and out of style. If you absolutely must have that farm table design to live, you might want to examine your priorities. NO ONE should have an expensive hobby if it gets down to groceries and house payments, vs tools. My Father taught that to me 65 years ago. He would have told me to pick up a second job if I had too much idle time and not enough money. Idle time was a never discussed subject on our farm. If it was, I was then scooping hog manure the next day.

  3. #3
    Picked this up a few days back. Owner still had all the original paperwork. Check out that price. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get that much for it today, for a thirty year old machine.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Thomas Colson View Post
    Between lumber prices, tool prices, and consumable prices, I don't think I'm going to be able to stay in the hobby much longer. I just can't justify not making a house payment or groceries so I can make that farm table, which is where prices are now. I can no longer afford it on my disposable income. ***** it I picked wood working because it was cheaper than women and fishing! Guess I'll have to fall back to collecting old hand planes, heard that was cheap.....
    You dont have to give up woodworking. But it sounds like you might have to set it aside until prices come down to a level you can afford. Or make smaller projects than you'd prefer. Or learn to refurbish and use old hand tools to build (smaller) projects.

    But if woodworking is now more expensive than "women", I'd go find a nice girlfriend and put up my tools for a while.
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  5. #5
    Join Date
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    Still cheaper than golfing of fishing . The problem with opportunism in emergent situations is that if the rules (the president signed an executive order in March of 2020 aimed at preventing price gouging) is not enforced strictly and promptly the higher price tiers are very difficult to bring back into the old reality. We failed miserably and now the general population gets to pay the price. I assume just like the coffee skyrocket in price due to drought and the baltic birch price near-doubling due to supply problems, all escalated prices blamed on COVID-19 will return to near-normal any minute now .

    Every time I pass my lumber hoard I picture it as my own Scrooge McDuck's swimming pool full of money getting bigger and bigger. I have tools I picked up due to a good price rather than an immediate need at the time that I might otherwise never own due to the current asking price.
    Last edited by glenn bradley; 06-04-2021 at 6:40 PM.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  6. #6
    Ditto rant for nitrile gloves, double the price come on that's scalping.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
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    Kansas City
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    854
    I'm not so sure we've seen the worst of it yet. And even if we have, prices rocket up but float down.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Jacob Mac View Post
    I'm not so sure we've seen the worst of it yet. And even if we have, prices rocket up but float down.

    Ever hear of a government agency say "We need less money this year than last year?" For me it's property taxes. Been in our house for forty one years. Already paid twice more than what house cost in taxes, with no relief in sight. Each year, they jump up 5 -10%, but my retirement doesn't. Need to do some things around the house, but riding out the crest in lumber prices. If it's leaking, or on fire, it WILL get fixed, but everything else can wait.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 2014
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    Alberta
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    Hey Thomas ,I will check at my shop here tonight to be sure. I may have a set of planer knives the size you listed. Will let you know.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
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    Fairbanks AK
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    I have gone through an insane amount of gloves doing patient care under the pandemic rules last year compared to years previous, that one is supply v- demand; but the sawstop cast iron thing I got nothing.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Valrico, FL
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    62
    Quote Originally Posted by Jacob Mac View Post
    I'm not so sure we've seen the worst of it yet. And even if we have, prices rocket up but float down.
    I agree with Jacob!
    But why has this inflation coincided with other alarming trends over the past 6 months?
    It's no mystery to me.

  12. Shopped for Bessey 24" clamps today, prices from $41 to $62. The 24 (2) 40 (2) four clamp set price ranged from $209 to $314.

  13. Here is a rant !!!


    Hardware store has their yearly Midnight Madness Sale. EVERY YEAR!! , they had the Roulette Wheel that you could spin . Depending on the number it landed on, you could get anywhere from 5% to 50 % off on WHATEVER YOU BOUGHT !!! So, I head on down to the store, to buy a new Makita Planer I get there , and check out the Planer, $750.00 I look around and get ready to spin the wheel ...



    Huh.. I ask the owner of the store " Hey , where did you put the Roulette Wheel ?"

    His answer: " WE KNEW YOU WERE COMING TO THE SALE. THE WHEEL IS IN THE BASEMENT, NEVER TO BE USED AGAIN !!"

    Still confused, I asked why...




    " BECAUSE EVERY TIME YOU SPIN THAT WHEEL, YOU END UP SPINNING IT SO THAT IT STOPS ON 30 , 40 OR 50 % off !! "

    Not my fault I knew how to spin the wheel!!! LOL

  14. #14
    Join Date
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    How is this woodworking related? This is the entire global economy right now.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Kansas City
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    According to Wall Street Journal, wholesale lumber prices have recently taken a steep drop.
    < insert spurious quote here >

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