Why is Woodpeckers do all of this One Time Only stuff.

[Bill Huber]

I don't understand why Woodpeckers is running all these one time only things, like the square and the saddle T squares.

I like the square I got and it was a one time only but a friend really likes it also but they don't have them any more.

Is Woodpeckers just using this as a way to get people to jump and buy something now in a type of panic deal.

Just don't get it, if the product is good, and they are, why not make some for stock?

[Tom Walz]

Dear Mr. Huber,

That is an excellent question. The answer is that Woodpeckers wanted to build some tools that they thought would appeal to a few woodworkers but that would be too expensive to become a regular product.

Woodpeckers is supposed to be coming out with a similar square but that is going to be two pieces and bolted together instead of being a one-piece square.

In many ways Woodpeckers is a victim of their own success. They are becoming very popular and have ordered more machines but there is a delivery time on the machines. We are seeing delivery problems on some Woodpeckers items.

There is an additional problem in that woodworking tends to be seasonal. Everybody wants to get their project done for Christmas. And everyone wants to get their project done before it's time to go fishing, do yard work or whatever. So Woodpeckers is in the middle of one of their crunch periods where orders are way up and they're trying their best to meet them.

I bought one of the woodpeckers squares for myself and, if he wishes, I will sell it to your friend. This is the inch model in the case. It is brand-new. I've never even measured anything with it. It was part of my tool collection. If your friend will call one of the nice ladies at carbide processors 800-346-8274 they will be happy to help him.

Unfortunately, this really is the last of these anywhere.

Sincerely,
Tom Walz

[Peter Quinn]

I haven't bought any of the one offs from them yet but I though it was kind of a neat idea, to do limited production runs of some one off tool designs, see how many orders come in, then make the tools to fill orders rather than fabricate on spec and hope they sell. Or make a limited run so you don't get stuck with inventory that must be closed out. It seems the prices are fair for the kind of products they sell, so it doesn't come off to me like one of those TV infomercials where they try to get you to "ACT NOW FOR THIS LIMITED TIME OFFER.." Its almost more like a buying club. Imagine hiring a machinist to make one of those squares to your spec and the costs involved for set up on just one.

[John Sanford]

Is Woodpeckers just using this as a way to get people to jump and buy something now in a type of panic deal.

Just don't get it, if the product is good, and they are, why not make some for stock?

Not a panic deal model, although it can become one. It's more a matter of controlling their inventory costs. This model allows them to take orders and make Order Quantity + X (where X is a modest fraction of OQ) of the product. It significantly reduces their cost of product, and more importantly, the RISK of sinking a bunch of $$$ into something that flops when it hits the market. They pass some of the savings on to us. It also allows them to use their idle production capacity, when they aren't filling honking big "keep it in stock" orders for themselves and the Pinnacle products sold by Woodcraft.

IIRC, they've already indicated that if something is popular enough, they will re-run it at a future date, just no indication of when. So, they can create new products while reducing the risks inherent in doing so, keep fresh products coming, and revisit things that are champs. The key is, it vastly reduces the risk of new products for them.

[Kevin Gregoire]

they've already indicated that if something is popular enough, they will re-run it at a future date, just no indication of when. So, they can create new products while reducing the risks inherent in doing so, keep fresh products coming, and revisit things that are champs. The key is, it vastly reduces the risk of new products for them.

yeah, i would think if enough people mail in about a certain tool they will run it again since they already have the programming for it they just need to set up a machine and start running parts.

[Bill Huber]

I bought one of the woodpeckers squares for myself and, if he wishes, I will sell it to your friend. This is the inch model in the case. It is brand-new. I've never even measured anything with it. It was part of my tool collection. If your friend will call one of the nice ladies at carbide processors 800-346-8274 they will be happy to help him.

Unfortunately, this really is the last of these anywhere.

Sincerely,
Tom Walz

Thanks Tom, I will let him know.

[Tim Null]

Bridge City Tool works runs on this model. They make tools that once they are done, they will not make any more. It keeps the customer buying even if they are not really sure, because they know that they cannot get it at a later date. Not a knock on BCTW, cause I have a number of their tools. But I wish I could order some of their products that were available years ago, before I got into woodworking. Upside of this practice: you make a finite amount and usually sell all, no sitting on inventory. Downside: The consumer may not be able to get products they want in the future due to lack of availability.

[Ron Bontz]

I would think if a company pumped out excessive quantities of any high end product you would certainly have diminishing returns. Not to mention glutting the market, supply and demand. Seems like China does this. Quality and price IMHO are always closely related. BCTW and WoodPeckers makes quality products and I would not want to see it any other way. If you are on Woodpeckers mailing list they sometimes do little surveys to see if there is enough of an interest to make a run of something.

[Brent Smith]

I think we're looking at the future of North American made speciality retail/manufacturing here. Given that the majority of people seem to prefer price over quality when given the choice (Walmart as an example) retailers/manufacturers who still want to offer a quality product, and stay in busines, have found a way to do so. By getting a head count before moving to manufacture they assure themselves of not having cash flow problems. Don't forget, though, they are still risking capital on design and prototype, which in my eyes gives them insentive to come up with a better than average product. Larger companies are still using demographics to decide on production runs, but for the smaller guys out there this is the way to go. Some retailers are getting in on the plan also. One that comes to mind is Charles Neil. They put out e-mails offering special pricing on group buys before ordering from manufacturers. This ensures that their assets won't be tied up in inventory and leaves them free to look to the next product offering. Scott Morrison also does this with his project DVDs. I'm fairly certain we'll be seeing this more and more often as time goes by. One upside for the end user is that, given the limited number of tools produced, they should hold their value very well if ever a need arises to sell them.