Reply To: Buying Woodworking Tools is Becoming Stupid
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Had a look at the Quangsheng. Not impressed.
In fairness, quangsheng doesn’t make a full-size router.
Why re-invent the wheel? Preston Routers were excellent. Copy those.
With today’s CAD-designing & CNC-milling we’re not talking foundry casting.
Couldn’t agree more. Seems like an opportunity for some machinist to get their start in the world. IIRC, this was how Glen Drake, now of Glen Drake tools, got his break in the marketplace — he was just a young metalworker / machinist trying to find work, and one of the woodworkers from the nearby College of the Redwoods Fine Woodworking Program (yes, where Krenov taught) came to him because that woodworker had a need and an idea for an improved marking gauge.
Glen made one for that woodworker, and it was a hit with the other students and faculty, who came to Glen to ask him to make one for them, too. Now he sells lots of his “Tite Mark” marking gauges, including to Lie Nielsen, he has a range of other tools, he even tours around giving presentations for Lie Nielsen sometimes.
So if there’s some young machinist out there, maybe this is a way to get your name out there. The Preston 2500P is a fine design, and it’s patents have long expired. As Dave mentioned, the full foundry casting route is probably contra-indicated, at least if Walke-Moore tools’ failure is any indication, but that’s good news, as it lowers the cost of entry, and implies a lower cost to market.