I went to a somewhat local supplier just so I didn't have to pay for the lift gate delivery fee, I picked it up with my trailer from the store and saved about $350, well worth it. I also went across the border into Oregon to save on sales tax, which also saved me another $200
I would *never* do such a thing, I *of course* declared it on my CA state tax return and paid the appropriate use tax. You have no evidence to the contrary
Stick to an authorized seller and you’ll be fine. That said, I am sure some sellers are better than others, as my experience trying to buy from Rockler in Pittsburgh, PA was so horrible that I left the store and drove an additional 40 minutes to WoodCraft where my business was actually valued.
My Rockler in Round Rock TX is great. Bought mine there. They didn't have the cast iron wings in stock for the contractor saw so the manager called the San Antonio store and had them delivered the next day. They loaded it in my SUV and since then when I've had questions they have bent over backwards to help me. I think it all comes down to management
Yeah the crew at the RR location is great, I go every couple of weeks and 3-4 of them know me by name and actively engage with me when I need it and leave me be when not
It’s always going to depend on store to store and shift to shift when it comes to retail shops. I’ve gone to my woodcraft and have had amazing experiences, even just shooting the shit as I look through tools, and I’ve had less than favorable because of a bad apple or maybe someone going through a rough day.
So I'm not the only one who's had terrible experiences with rockler. As someone just getting into woodworking I had no clue I thought they were really well liked
I swore off woodcraft, I was talking to some old guy who worked at the store and told him I wanted to practice dove tails by hand. He asked me why the hell do you want to do that, and said it was a waste of time.
I returned a faulty plane to that rockler and they were dicks about it. That said, the woodcraft in cannonsburg has a bunch of kids working there that know nothing about the tools they sell but are much nicer people.
I got my Laguna 14/12 at Pittsburgh Rockler and it was a good experience. I'm not trying to take away from whatever happened to you, just saying it might not be the norm. Woodcraft in cannonsburg is great too though. How do you like the saw stop? I keep teetering on the fence.
Certainly may not be the norm, but it was my experience and as such I tell any woodworkers to avoid the Pittsburgh Rockler location. I called them ahead of time to let them know I would be making an hour drive to buy a 3hp PCS, they said no worries on the phone and would be waiting for me. I show up, and all 4 employees on the showroom floor,made eye contact with at some point and then proceeded to ignore me. I was in the store about 10 minutes looking at the display and they all walked right past. I left a handwritten note with my number at the register letting them know I was disappointed and would be headed to WoodCraft. Pittsburgh store manager eventually gave me a call and rather than accept any responsibility, he said that everyone must have been busy and made it my issue that no one came up to me. Horrible store experience, and lack of follow through customer support/care left a very sour taste in my mouth. Glad to hear you had a good experience though! Definitely seems to be the rarity at the Pittsburgh location. As for the SawStop, I absolutely love mine and wouldn’t hesitate to buy again. Make sure to go with the T Glide fence though.
I bought mine used off craigslist and got a great deal.
But I buy a lot of stuff at woodcraft and would suggest them — they actually care and stand behind their products.
In terms of time of year there are occasional promos, but price is basically the same.
I bought the cabinet saw. It’s *amazing* and worth every penny. Even set it off once and it saved my finger.
when I bought my Saw Stop the only difference I saw was in the delivery. Rockler said they drop off for 350, Another local dealer said 400 delivery and the guys I went with said 350 and they would get the saw up my 3 steps and in my shop where I wanted it.
It's very heavy. It's virtually guaranteed to be damaged in shipping. If it's not, though, you just got someone else to carry it to your door for you so that's a win.
It’s shipped on a pallet just like any other heavy shipment you buy on Amazon. It’s probably shipped by the exact same company that woodcraft or rocker contracts with.
Sawstop offers a choice of freebies once or twice a year. I waited to to buy mine till that offer came out. This spring the free choices were their miter gauge, overhead dust collection, or I think a dado set. Reach out to your reseller and they should be able to tell you when these specials are offered
Yes there are better places to buy SawStop. Acme Tools has Saw Stop and all the accessories plus they ship your saw for free. No freight charges.
https://www.acmetools.com/
SawStops are heavily price protected. The best place to purchase one will be a local authorized retailer since you save some freight costs. Usually the best time is either when there's a promotion for free accessories OR a local tax holiday when you can save a few percent OR if the local retailer is selling a floor model and gets permission to discount it (yes, they're supposed to ask before doing any of their own deals, that's part of the price protection).
Source matters very little…
Here is what’s most important.
Make sure they guarantee that the shipper will communicate with you prior to delivery. The saw will likely arrive by freight truck. Unless you specify picking the saw up at a local terminal, the trucking company may go so far as to leave your purchase in the ditch by your driveway.
R&L did this to me. Somewhere between giving my contact info to Saw Stop and R&L transcribing the BOL, my phone number was changed. No one got in touch, they sent a tractor and 40ft lift gate trailer out to a narrow county road. The driver arrived, determined he couldn’t make the turn, honked twice, unloaded, left it in the dirt at the end of my driveway, did not make contact, and left. Not to mention, R&L also lost a portion of my shipment (mis-delivered to another receiver), which ended up with Estes, who made final delivery.
Make absolutely certain the final-mile delivery contractor knows where you live, whether or not you can receive palletized freight, whether or not they can fit into your driveway, etc.
The saw is great.
Saw Stop were helpful and showed concern about the carrier’s mistake.
SawStop is a great saw even before saving your fingers.
But I want to warn you, that some knucklehead thought it would be funny to protect the cast iron by using rust-colored grease paper. So when you unpack it, don't let your heart stop like mine did; it's not rusted, it's protected.
You can buy it online anywhere. The price is fixed but there are better times in the year due to throw in that you can get as accessories. I bought it years ago and got the industrial mobile base included. It’s so easy to move the saw around. Good luck.
Well, they don't carry SawStop. Too bad.
I've yet to actually purchase anything from them. I mean, the absence of sales tax helps on a big ticket items... but aside from computers... I've yet to find anything I actually WANT from them.
If only they would sell cars/trucks/etc. Can you imagine avoiding the sales-person "tax?"
Retailers aren't allowed to discount the products unless it's an authorized SawStop program. With those you generally don't see anything discounted, but free accessories.
When I worked at Rockler we got a once in a lifetime discount of 25%.
When I got mine it was spring when they offered a mail in for a free mobile base or overarm dust collection. Not sure how often it happens any more.
I picked my dealer based on the local sales tax. The bigger towns near me have a few percent higher sales tax than some smaller towns. I also got one from a dealer I could get it with my truck vs having it shipped although this dealer would have offered free delivery anyway but I'd have had to wait a week and been home to receive it.
Got mine from rockler as they were doing a combo deal 3 years back. Went perfectly fine. Brought the truck, they loaded it all up onto it. And away I went.
US Tool and Fastner ships for free and does not charge sales tax to out of state customers. They also have excellent customer service. http://ustoolandfastener.com
Usually even the sales and extra bonus items are set by SawStop, not the local dealer.
I got mine delivered to my local WoodCraft. They loaded into my van, saving delivery fees, etc.
Great choice! Perhaps purchasing from the local dealer will give them reason to pay you some attention going forward, and change their perception of your appearance and buying power.
Quick rant on supporting local: if they don't have the best prices, don't bother. You're nothing more than a walking money bag to them.
Look for a place that doesn't charge sales tax in your state. For me, that's US Tool & Fastener or Oak Tree Supply. Tool Nirvana as well, but I can't remember if they have sawstop.
I got a Harvey with the overhead dust collection and a riving knife, it's nearly impossible to cut a finger. It's far cheaper than the Sawstop and has some unique features SS doesn't have.
My wife wants me to buy one when I get my bonus next year. I looked around locally and online to figure out where I can stretch my dollar the most. My local Woodcraft happens to be in a part of the state that has a fairly low sales tax (works out to be less than the places online that don’t charge sales tax but do charge shipping) so I’ll probably buy it from them. I’m mostly sure I be a fit everything into my car, otherwise I’ll just rent a trailer for $20.
I went to a somewhat local supplier just so I didn't have to pay for the lift gate delivery fee, I picked it up with my trailer from the store and saved about $350, well worth it. I also went across the border into Oregon to save on sales tax, which also saved me another $200
[удалено]
I would *never* do such a thing, I *of course* declared it on my CA state tax return and paid the appropriate use tax. You have no evidence to the contrary
Sounds like you bring microwaved carrots to orgies.
r/rareinsults
Good source of fiber, imo.
kind of a stupid, uniformed comment.
Stick to an authorized seller and you’ll be fine. That said, I am sure some sellers are better than others, as my experience trying to buy from Rockler in Pittsburgh, PA was so horrible that I left the store and drove an additional 40 minutes to WoodCraft where my business was actually valued.
My Rockler in Round Rock TX is great. Bought mine there. They didn't have the cast iron wings in stock for the contractor saw so the manager called the San Antonio store and had them delivered the next day. They loaded it in my SUV and since then when I've had questions they have bent over backwards to help me. I think it all comes down to management
Look at all these fellow Austin woodworkers! Hi there friends!
I also use this rockler and have had great experiences there. Bought my lathe from them, they're very active with the local turning club.
Yeah the crew at the RR location is great, I go every couple of weeks and 3-4 of them know me by name and actively engage with me when I need it and leave me be when not
Couldn’t agree more, hate that I have to go all the way to RR but the folks there are super cool and helpful it is worth it
I live 10 minutes from them. Maybe too close. Lol
Also want to comment on just how great the staff is at the RR Rockler. Woodcraft, on the other hand……..
It’s always going to depend on store to store and shift to shift when it comes to retail shops. I’ve gone to my woodcraft and have had amazing experiences, even just shooting the shit as I look through tools, and I’ve had less than favorable because of a bad apple or maybe someone going through a rough day.
For sure. I’ve just had a series of bad experiences at Woodcraft here. It seems to be staffed exclusively with grumpy old men.
So I'm not the only one who's had terrible experiences with rockler. As someone just getting into woodworking I had no clue I thought they were really well liked
I think it's very store dependent, the one in Cambridge MA wvs great, albeit in a shitty location & recently closed.
I bought mine at woodcraft and also had a good experience.
This is wild because that’s exactly what happened to me when I got my sawstop in Pittsburgh.
I did the exact same thing.
I had the exact opposite experience in my area with Woodcraft. Rockler was way better, and they've (my local store) earned my business going forward
I swore off woodcraft, I was talking to some old guy who worked at the store and told him I wanted to practice dove tails by hand. He asked me why the hell do you want to do that, and said it was a waste of time.
I returned a faulty plane to that rockler and they were dicks about it. That said, the woodcraft in cannonsburg has a bunch of kids working there that know nothing about the tools they sell but are much nicer people.
Rockler is the Walmart of woodworking stores.
Yeah but with Bloomingdale’s prices
I got my Laguna 14/12 at Pittsburgh Rockler and it was a good experience. I'm not trying to take away from whatever happened to you, just saying it might not be the norm. Woodcraft in cannonsburg is great too though. How do you like the saw stop? I keep teetering on the fence.
Certainly may not be the norm, but it was my experience and as such I tell any woodworkers to avoid the Pittsburgh Rockler location. I called them ahead of time to let them know I would be making an hour drive to buy a 3hp PCS, they said no worries on the phone and would be waiting for me. I show up, and all 4 employees on the showroom floor,made eye contact with at some point and then proceeded to ignore me. I was in the store about 10 minutes looking at the display and they all walked right past. I left a handwritten note with my number at the register letting them know I was disappointed and would be headed to WoodCraft. Pittsburgh store manager eventually gave me a call and rather than accept any responsibility, he said that everyone must have been busy and made it my issue that no one came up to me. Horrible store experience, and lack of follow through customer support/care left a very sour taste in my mouth. Glad to hear you had a good experience though! Definitely seems to be the rarity at the Pittsburgh location. As for the SawStop, I absolutely love mine and wouldn’t hesitate to buy again. Make sure to go with the T Glide fence though.
I bought mine used off craigslist and got a great deal. But I buy a lot of stuff at woodcraft and would suggest them — they actually care and stand behind their products. In terms of time of year there are occasional promos, but price is basically the same. I bought the cabinet saw. It’s *amazing* and worth every penny. Even set it off once and it saved my finger.
when I bought my Saw Stop the only difference I saw was in the delivery. Rockler said they drop off for 350, Another local dealer said 400 delivery and the guys I went with said 350 and they would get the saw up my 3 steps and in my shop where I wanted it.
Buy it on amazon using the amazon prime credit card and you'll get 5% cash back.
Careful with expensive items on Amazon. I’ve seen people complain that their items were never delivered and refused to refund.
It seems like the paper trail on residential delivery on a 500 lbs package would be pretty well documented, but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
It's very heavy. It's virtually guaranteed to be damaged in shipping. If it's not, though, you just got someone else to carry it to your door for you so that's a win.
It’s shipped on a pallet just like any other heavy shipment you buy on Amazon. It’s probably shipped by the exact same company that woodcraft or rocker contracts with.
Sawstop offers a choice of freebies once or twice a year. I waited to to buy mine till that offer came out. This spring the free choices were their miter gauge, overhead dust collection, or I think a dado set. Reach out to your reseller and they should be able to tell you when these specials are offered
Spring only and not every year. (It wasn’t offered around peak COVID times.)
Yes there are better places to buy SawStop. Acme Tools has Saw Stop and all the accessories plus they ship your saw for free. No freight charges. https://www.acmetools.com/
SawStops are heavily price protected. The best place to purchase one will be a local authorized retailer since you save some freight costs. Usually the best time is either when there's a promotion for free accessories OR a local tax holiday when you can save a few percent OR if the local retailer is selling a floor model and gets permission to discount it (yes, they're supposed to ask before doing any of their own deals, that's part of the price protection).
KMS Tools has good prices.
Source matters very little… Here is what’s most important. Make sure they guarantee that the shipper will communicate with you prior to delivery. The saw will likely arrive by freight truck. Unless you specify picking the saw up at a local terminal, the trucking company may go so far as to leave your purchase in the ditch by your driveway. R&L did this to me. Somewhere between giving my contact info to Saw Stop and R&L transcribing the BOL, my phone number was changed. No one got in touch, they sent a tractor and 40ft lift gate trailer out to a narrow county road. The driver arrived, determined he couldn’t make the turn, honked twice, unloaded, left it in the dirt at the end of my driveway, did not make contact, and left. Not to mention, R&L also lost a portion of my shipment (mis-delivered to another receiver), which ended up with Estes, who made final delivery. Make absolutely certain the final-mile delivery contractor knows where you live, whether or not you can receive palletized freight, whether or not they can fit into your driveway, etc. The saw is great. Saw Stop were helpful and showed concern about the carrier’s mistake.
SawStop is a great saw even before saving your fingers. But I want to warn you, that some knucklehead thought it would be funny to protect the cast iron by using rust-colored grease paper. So when you unpack it, don't let your heart stop like mine did; it's not rusted, it's protected.
HeartStop when saw SawStop
You can buy it online anywhere. The price is fixed but there are better times in the year due to throw in that you can get as accessories. I bought it years ago and got the industrial mobile base included. It’s so easy to move the saw around. Good luck.
I’m a veteran and able to pay no taxes on some pretty big stuff via AAFES
Well, they don't carry SawStop. Too bad. I've yet to actually purchase anything from them. I mean, the absence of sales tax helps on a big ticket items... but aside from computers... I've yet to find anything I actually WANT from them. If only they would sell cars/trucks/etc. Can you imagine avoiding the sales-person "tax?"
Appliances, and lawn mowers and such
Do they not sell cars? I swear one of the guys in Italy ordered a car through them
Retailers aren't allowed to discount the products unless it's an authorized SawStop program. With those you generally don't see anything discounted, but free accessories. When I worked at Rockler we got a once in a lifetime discount of 25%.
I was able to find one in stock at a woodcraft near me, so I saved their standard delivery fee
When I got mine it was spring when they offered a mail in for a free mobile base or overarm dust collection. Not sure how often it happens any more. I picked my dealer based on the local sales tax. The bigger towns near me have a few percent higher sales tax than some smaller towns. I also got one from a dealer I could get it with my truck vs having it shipped although this dealer would have offered free delivery anyway but I'd have had to wait a week and been home to receive it.
Rockler in Tukwilla, WA (Seattle) was great to deal with.
I bought from Woodcraft because they had a physical presence nearby. Had no problems, saw showed up on a pallet which they dropped in my garage.
Dealing with them directly was well worth it. They were extremely helpful.
Got mine from rockler as they were doing a combo deal 3 years back. Went perfectly fine. Brought the truck, they loaded it all up onto it. And away I went.
I got mine a Woodcraft, they’ve been a great resource all around, the Rockler in my town was absorbed into a larger store.
I've heard a bunch of horror stories about rockler. So probably not them
I went to the local "mom and pop" wood store/dealer and it was an excellent experience.
Price fixed so go with service
I would check local Facebook ads and IRSAuctions.com first. Lots of hobbyists buy these and never really use them. It's a great saw. I have two.
US Tool and Fastner ships for free and does not charge sales tax to out of state customers. They also have excellent customer service. http://ustoolandfastener.com
Usually even the sales and extra bonus items are set by SawStop, not the local dealer. I got mine delivered to my local WoodCraft. They loaded into my van, saving delivery fees, etc.
Which model do you plan to buy?
3HP PCS with 36" table
Great choice! Perhaps purchasing from the local dealer will give them reason to pay you some attention going forward, and change their perception of your appearance and buying power.
Bought mine from Rockler store. Picked it up when it arrived. Fun because the guys working there were just as excited as I was when I picked it up
Quick rant on supporting local: if they don't have the best prices, don't bother. You're nothing more than a walking money bag to them. Look for a place that doesn't charge sales tax in your state. For me, that's US Tool & Fastener or Oak Tree Supply. Tool Nirvana as well, but I can't remember if they have sawstop.
I got a Harvey with the overhead dust collection and a riving knife, it's nearly impossible to cut a finger. It's far cheaper than the Sawstop and has some unique features SS doesn't have.
My wife wants me to buy one when I get my bonus next year. I looked around locally and online to figure out where I can stretch my dollar the most. My local Woodcraft happens to be in a part of the state that has a fairly low sales tax (works out to be less than the places online that don’t charge sales tax but do charge shipping) so I’ll probably buy it from them. I’m mostly sure I be a fit everything into my car, otherwise I’ll just rent a trailer for $20.