Leigh grumble

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Aragorn

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I wanted to get some extra cutters for my new Leigh FMT jig. Trend do them, but being solid carbide up-cut spiral cutters, Trend want you to re-mortgage to be able to afford a set.
So, I went to Lee Valley's site - cutters weren't there. No problems, I found them on Leigh's site, added to my cart and checked out.
That was two days ago. This evening I got this reply from Leigh:

Leigh Industries has a distributor in the country of your residency, and therefore we can not fulfill your order. We must abide with our agreement with this distributor, otherwise it would be pointless for them to carry our product. Please feel free to contact:

BriMarc Associates
blah blah blah

I hope that you can understand our position. If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to provide us with your comments.

In the meantime, we have taken the liberty to forward your name onto BriMarc Associates (UK) and have asked them to send you the latest catalogues and pricing. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call our representative.


Well that annoyed me a lot! BriMarc will charge a fortune for these cutters. The whole point of ordering like this from across the pond is to save money. Surely it's my choice who I buy from. Can Leigh just refuse my business like this?
I'll just take the order to Lee Valley instead. Lesson learnt. It will probably arrive tomorrow knowing them :wink:
Sorry for the grumble, but really... :?:
 
Aragorn you have my sympathies - I've been there so often :twisted: :twisted:

Usually one finds that the £ price is numerically the same as the $ price which means we pay around 30% more in real terms :evil:
 
Aragorn":ewdjqyq4 said:
Can Leigh just refuse my business like this?

Yes.

Normally they setup "sole" representatives/partnerships and this guarentees exclusive rights to the country in question. Generally in any industry it is well known for other importers to buy cheap in the states and then undercut the "official" distributor. E.g. jeans in supermarkets etc. The "official" reps get very upset about this, as often they are investing their own staff in attending shows, demonstrations, brochures, phonecalls, technical support etc, and then someone else comes in and steals their customers. (thats looking at it from their point of view). The other way to look at is, if you can buy them cheaper elsewhere, then why not, someone is clearly milking the system.

Aadm
 
asleitch":3tsfjvrn said:
Normally they setup "sole" representatives/partnerships and this guarentees exclusive rights to the country in question.
So why make allowances for international orders on their website?
I've got Lee Valley on the case now anyway - hopefully they will be more helpful.
 
Aragorn,

Is it worth checking out Wealden, Titman or any of the other cutter people?

Rgds

Noel
 
Had an equally disappointing experience with Porter cable. It started with an email that went like this:

Dear Mr.

Thank you for visiting the Porter-Cable website.

Please contact Hamilton Power Products for all of your Porter-Cable needs.

Hamilton Power Products
Unit 12
Grange Way Business Park
Whitehall Road
Colchester Essex CO2 8HF
Telephone: 44 1206 798 600
Fax: 44 1206 798 799

Thank you,
Stacie
Porter-Cable


After about a week of trying, finally got through to Hamilton Power Products. Turns out they don’t do retail. Had to beg for the number of a retailer in my neck of the woods. Turned out to be an outfit in London. The first person I spoke with was not even sure that they stocked Porter cable routers. The second bloke wasn’t too impressed with their routers anyway, but thought that their biscuit jointers were the bees knees. But he really didn’t have the time to dwell. Could I call back another time. Needless to say, thanked him for his efforts and started looking at another brand (currently awaiting delivery on a mid sized router).

I know that the UK is a pretty small market for these huge for these major American concerns. But I had mistakenly thought that they would nevertheless encourage punters to buy their products......
 
Why not buy from an American retail outfit like Woodcraft or Rockler? I have used both in the past. Their prices were good, delivery was quick and there was no BS about distributors in the UK
 
Got to agree with you .Hamilton Power didn't do Delta / Porter Cable any favours. Although I've had no direct problems with the company most retailers I spoke to had a poor opinion of them and anytime I was in the UK with a bit of spare time the dealer list supplied by Hamilton was seriously outdated with the result that anybody I rang that was supposed to stock the products simply denied being a Delta / PC dealer!!!
I understand now that Hamilton only distribute PC as Toolbank are the official importers of Delta.
Incidentially there is a PC GB website somewhere set up by a company in the Midlands? area. Canny find the URL. I'm sure Charley has an idea.

Rgds

Noel
 
Now that's odd. I got a very good response from Hamilton when there was a small problem with our PC biscuit jointer, and usually it's aftersales where the problems set in rather than before. Shame that they put people off buying PC stuff, 'cos I've been very impressed with the two tools we have.

As to the Leigh cutters, Woodrat have the same policy overseas. There was quite a thread about it on their forum a couple of months back. Like Noely suggests, I'd try some of the alternative router suppliers. You might add Jesada to the list too. I think it's MTS that carries them now isn't it?

Cheers, Alf

P.S. I hope you appreciate the effort I'm making to not be smug and point out how this wouldn't be a problem if you'd bought a British 'Rat... :wink:
 
Noely":3b48aivc said:
Found it.
http://porter-cable.uk.com/
Not sure it is official, but good site.

Rgds

Noel

Yes it's a good site. It's run by a company called Corroy Products. I was speaking to Roland Howells the other day who's a big fan of PC tools -he's a nice guy :) He was telling me about how they are trying to import fixed based routers and I learnt that at the moment they can legally sell the router motor and the base for it separately but can't sell them as a package due to CE regs.
 
Alf":3ar276j3 said:
P.S. I hope you appreciate the effort I'm making to not be smug and point out how this wouldn't be a problem if you'd bought a British 'Rat... :wink:
:wink: I new it would come up! I was waiting for it... preparing myself. I thought perhaps Adam, but you Alf... Thanks for holding back though - effort appreciated! No smugness detected :wink:

Thanks folks for all the suggestions, and I can add a whole load more sites to my favourites now. As yet none of them carry the stock I need. Still pinning my hopes on Lee Valley...
 
Aragorn,

I believe the spiral up-cut cutters sold for use on aluminium are recommended by Mike Humphries (Woodrat teacher) as a slightly cheaper alternative. Apparently there's no difference in result. Maybe someone who's actually taken the course can confirm or deny?

Cheers, Alf

Rather enjoying the irony of 'Rat related advice possibly coming to the aid of a Leigh owner... :lol:
 
Well, now I know you need some help from us 'ratters to get your Leigh running thats very different.....yes Mike humphreys does recommend "non" woodrat bits, as being basically cheaper. Mainly for the straight cutters (even with spiral cutting edges - if that makes sense?). He does however, recommend the woodrat dovetails if I remember correctly but I'm going OT. :oops: From memory he says their is no difference in performance using normal spiral cutters from other manufacturers his cutters are in regular use, and he teaches a lot with trend so I should think his advice is good. I'd need to check my notes, to see if he suggested a particualr brand, bit I don't remember him as doing so. I'll check on the www.woodrat.com site to see if their is any details in there.

Their is quite a few threads on Woodrat and Leigh cutters on the woodrat forum, it might be worth having a read through - I'll try a link below but you would need to look through all the threads. Someone mentioned using cutters for aluminium windows - if that helps.

http://www.walcotmedia.com/cgi-bin/ikon ... ST;f=1;t=8

Does Leigh not have it's own forum with these sorts of questions? Perhaps their not such a friendly helpful bunch as us 'ratters.......

http://www.walcotmedia.com/cgi-bin/ikon ... T;f=1;t=57

Adam (who's always happy to help out a distressed Leigh owner :twisted: :lol: )

Well, I couldn't resist honest guv. I mean, this thread was begging for a small gloat, and I did manage to hold of earlier. I blame ALF as she stuck the oar in before me. <chuckle>.
 
mike recommends trend cutters as used by the d/glazing folks the price is a lot cheaper

frank
 
Hi all

OK, OK. I've been very good and kept out of this thread but my "smugness" detector has just gone over 120. Wow.

So, I have just one question for all you woodworkers.

What is the most M&T's you have cut successfully in an afternnon and which tool did you use?

Let me help here.

Aragorn - 192 - Leigh FMT. (96 dual M&T's)

Cheers
Neil
 
OK, ok, I cut 40 in an afternoon by hand, yep, mallet, chisel and a black and decker workmate.

see below:

chess_table2.jpg


Thats was before I bought a #rat to speed me up.

Nontheless, to do that many (96 doubles!!!!!) in an afternoon is a remarkable achievment and means it must have paid for itself (well almost anyway!)

Adam
 
It's a slightly odd questions though Neil, as 'tis not often you need to do 96!

Actually I just remembered, I have cut that 50 before, on a tablesaw in under a morning, <i know> Why didn't I use the rat? Well, we don't have one at work, only a tablesaw and a router table.

Bedhead0019.jpg


I did find it hard though, as their were different sizes, and it was oak. Very hard going on the morticer.

Adam
 
I think there is little contest Neil, I'm fairly sure you could never achieve that number with a 'rat, as it simply isn't dedicated enough to be so fast at a single operation(s). Is that what you wanted to hear? :roll:

You can cut tenons really fast on a 'rat, I'm thinking 20-40 :shock: per pass if they were small pieces, and you sandwiched them all together but you would find the mortices much much slower. If the tenons were on big pieces, or unusual, again, it would take longer.

Adam
 

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