Yet another Shepherd Tool Sale?!?

[Doug Evans]

Ben successfully ran some Chariot bridges in brass on Friday with little apparent problem. This is our first run of metal with our own router. We sort of did a collective sigh of relief, as we were a bit aprehensive as to how long it would take us to get onto it. Thus, we are capable of 13 1/2's now.

As to the possibility of being in the Oregon/Washington/Vancouver area again, it is quite likely that we will be there next summer. We missed a meeting of the Pacific NW Tool Collectors on the last trip and we are talking about coming out for their meet next summer. There is also a group interested in Vancouver. We also like to go fishing... (did I say that out loud?)...

We are trying to work towards a fall that covers Houston-Dallas-Atlanta-Orlando-Miami in addition to an east coast loop.

Again, for the summer, we are working on the manufacturing delivery engine and some prototyping.

Cheers,

Doug

[Ben Knebel]

I don't know if any of you are currently building Shepherd kits? If you are, I'd love to see some progress pics...if not, what are you waiting for?!? The Shepherd guys are having yet another sale it seems. I don't quite understand it myself, I just checked out their site and they seem to be having a concurrent sale to their "moving sale"?!? Something to do with Victoria Day/Memorial Day?!?

I may just have to pull the trigger on one of those shoulder plane kits...too many ways to spend my money...I suppose an alternative would be collecting stories? I'd sure save some cash...

...again, no affiliation, etc...I just like their products and think most woodworkers can benefit from the experience of building their own quality plane...

Hey Louis--check this out http://www.shepherdtool.com/fantasti...ne_kit_sal.htm you wanted to pull the trigger--shoot away.
Best regards
Ben

[Louis Bois]

Darn...I hate it when you guys do that!!!! Hmmm...let's see...did I spend that whole tax return yet?!?

[Ben Knebel]

I am going to keep doing this Louis till I get you to bite again--you entice me to give away even more
http://www.shepherdtool.com/great_sh...other_give.htm
Best Regards
Ben

[Ben Knebel]

Darn...I hate it when you guys do that!!!! Hmmm...let's see...did I spend that whole tax return yet?!?

So how goes the taxes?--only till July 4th to pull the trigger --then all sales end. If not new stuff how about the stuff in the Antique Store I just opened.
Best Regards
Ben

[Louis Bois]

YOU sir, are crossing the line!!! I'm glad I have a sensible wife...or else I'd be in the poor house...surrounded by beautiful infills...and donuts, of course.

[Ben Knebel]

YOU sir, are crossing the line!!! I'm glad I have a sensible wife...or else I'd be in the poor house...surrounded by beautiful infills...and donuts, of course.

All you have to do is win a contest. # 2 is now running.
Best regards
Ben
www.shepherdtool.com

[Andrew Ault]

I've built the Spiers Smoother. It was a lot of fun and very educational. Not having much experience working metal, I was very interested in how peening steel makes it possible to create compound dovetail joints in steel so that both sides of the joint have tails and the joint is interlocked. I built the steel sided kit, so the joints pretty much disappeared when I finished filing the sides and bottom smooth.

I was lucky to be able to attend a short build session in the workshop of a local woodworker here in San Diego during Ben's west coast road trip. It was handy to have Ben available for the first procedures in making the plane from the kit but from my experience I think that it would be no problem doing it from the instructions.

The parts were precisely made and the kit and procedures well thought out for the first time builder.

I've since ordered additional kits for a shoulder plane, chariot plane and thumb plane and I'm looking forward to making those planes.

I see on the Shepherd website that they are now having a 25% off sale...

-Andy

[Ben Knebel]

I've built the Spiers Smoother. It was a lot of fun and very educational. Not having much experience working metal, I was very interested in how peening steel makes it possible to create compound dovetail joints in steel so that both sides of the joint have tails and the joint is interlocked. I built the steel sided kit, so the joints pretty much disappeared when I finished filing the sides and bottom smooth.

I was lucky to be able to attend a short build session in the workshop of a local woodworker here in San Diego during Ben's west coast road trip. It was handy to have Ben available for the first procedures in making the plane from the kit but from my experience I think that it would be no problem doing it from the instructions.

The parts were precisely made and the kit and procedures well thought out for the first time builder.

I've since ordered additional kits for a shoulder plane, chariot plane and thumb plane and I'm looking forward to making those planes.

I see on the Shepherd website that they are now having a 25% off sale...

-Andy

Which sale ends Wednesday at midnight.
Best regards
Ben

[Ben Knebel]

Which sale ends Wednesday at midnight.
Best regards
Ben

By popular demand the sale has been extended to July 25th, 2005--many folks have asked for the extra time to get their money together and/or convince their spouse so hey why not?

Best Regards
Ben
www.shepherdtool.com

[Ben Knebel]

By popular demand the sale has been extended to July 25th, 2005--many folks have asked for the extra time to get their money together and/or convince their spouse so hey why not?

Best Regards
Ben
www.shepherdtool.com

ALRIGHT ALREADY
I've had more requests to extend the sale--this time into August- this will be the last extension--the sale is extended to August 15, 2005 but that'll be it.
Best Regards
Ben
www.shepherdtool.com

[Jim Rolf]

I ordered the Spiers smoother back at the end of May and have yet to receive it. I've emailed several times and sometimes I get a response along the lines of "we're a little behind, but will ship it next week." The last email I sent, i did not even get a response.

I've heard great things about this kit, but unfortunately don't have any experience because Shepherd Tools hasn't shipped me the kit, even after 3 months.

I would advise going elsewhere....

Jim Rolf

[Ben Knebel]

I ordered the Spiers smoother back at the end of May and have yet to receive it. I've emailed several times and sometimes I get a response along the lines of "we're a little behind, but will ship it next week." The last email I sent, i did not even get a response.

I've heard great things about this kit, but unfortunately don't have any experience because Shepherd Tools hasn't shipped me the kit, even after 3 months.

I would advise going elsewhere....

Jim Rolf

Hello Jim;
We have had a number of issues that have delayed shipments--including a bad batch of wood that had to be rerun and some problems in heat treat and some other supplier issues. Add to that the move of our shop and a huge influx of orders and thus the delays. Not trying to excuse this--just explain it.

We are now in a postition to catch up the backlog on kits and we apologise to everyone waiting for kits for the delays. Your kit Jim and a number of others will ship by Tuesday.

We have had delivery issues for a number of months but I would like to assure all our customers that the product will be delivered--we always do.

One of the reasons we moved our shop and invested in a CNC router , surface grinder, milling machine, better drill presses and sanders and various other pieces of gear was so that we could control our own production and eliminate the production delays we have experienced in the past. Being a small company--we were-- until recently--- at the mercy of outside suppliers. All our components were jobbed out and then brought in house for final prep and then shipping. Because we are small we didn't always get the highest priority with our suppliers and would sometimes have to wait inordinate lengths of time for inventory, thus creating shipping delays to our customers. With our new shop and equipment coming on stream we will be able to eliminate these shipping delays. This will take some time to work through but we should be catching up on all our kit backlog over the next few weeks.

The non response to your last e-mail may be because I also moved my home over the last couple of weeks and had to change ISP's--that meant changing all the forwarding addresses on the website and of course my personal e-mail. I was off the air entirely for 5 days--Fergus is in a somewhat rural area and hookups aren't as fast as in a more urban area. Anything that went to my knebel@ rogers.com address would have been kicked back or lost in the ether. The ben@shepherdtool.com address on the website forwarded to the @rogers address until I could get it changed to my new bknebel@cogeco.ca address.

Once again--apologies for the delays but the product will ship by Tuesday.
Best regards
Ben

[Andrew Ault]

When I read Jim's message, I felt conflicted. I know what it is like to do too much with too little and I know what it is like to wait for something that I want - and to wait too long.

I have built a one of thier smoother kits and I can say that it is excellent and the results are worth every effort. At the least one hopes for communication in this situation.

Having met Ben I feel that they will do everything they can to get the kit in your hands and that it will go together really well. It is designed to go together with common tools and by someone that is doing it for the first time. The completed plane is excellent and works great.

I am just one of thier customers.

I hope you can regain the excitement that I personally felt to be able to actually make something that I never thought I could. It is a good learning experience and the result feels so good in your hands. You can PM me if you want to ask me anything about the process.

-Andy

[Jerry Crawford]

Not trying to hyjack this string Gentlemen but as long as we have his attention,

HEY DOUG I sent you a note about your work benches a couple of months ago. No reply. Lets talk.