Shopsmith Forums

I just returned from a 3000 mile trip with stops in Atlanta, SC, Pa and Ind and back to Atlanta and home.

Had time to stop in Highland Hardware. I have read their catalogues and e-mail and web updates for years and always wanted to go to the store.

Great visit! Very nice store, very nice people and lots of toys!!!!!!!!!

What is surprising is the location on Highland Ave. You drive down the street and it is a mix of turn of the century buildings with homes and businesses mixed together. Besides Highland is resturant but nex to it is a home. Very nice setting, almost Christmas cardish.

Store itself is two levels with mostly hand tools and some stationary machines on the first level and the second level is mostly turning and bandsaw blades. They have a huge collection of bandsaw blades.

Prices are around Rockler/woodcraft perhaps a little higher and their stock is very similar. One thing that was nice was being able to handle some of the tools particular to their store.

As a side note I was really fascinated with the new Kreg bench clamp. That is a must have for me. Looks like a Kreg clamp/vise grip but with a crank in the handle to tigthen the clamp down. NEAT!!!!!!!

Check it out at http://www.kregtool.com/Bench-Klamp-Sys ... dview.html

Can't say I was ever to that hardware store but I do order from them.

I can say that I have that Kreg clamp. Haven't decided how I want to mount it. So many ways to use this stuff so I hate to start routing out the hole for it to only find I don't like it that way. Still I guess I have to just to try it out.

It's on my todo list.

Ed

I cannot comment on how long the Kreg clamp has been available. I have had a few of them for four or five years as well as the Kreg clamp table. Wow what a great combination. I use mine frequently. I also have the rest of the kit shown on the link. So far have used only the clamps and table yet can see situations where the balance of the kit will come in handy. Kreg has videos on their website which offer ideas for uses. They are well worth the time to view them. Jim

Excellent Ed!! I've visited that store several times over the past thirty years, (Have some family local), and I always saved my pennies before we went up there......dont know if they still have it, but the basement was always full of exotic wood!!!! I have some widgets around the house turned from some of their wood...

the family has moved a bit farther south and its almost a day trip to get there and back.......just lucky the Woodcraft store on 17-92 in north Orlando has most of the wood i'll probably need.....

take care, bill

Ed in Tampa wrote:I just returned from a 3000 mile trip . . .
Had time to stop in Highland Hardware. . . . .
What is surprising is the location on Highland Ave. You drive down the street and it is a mix of turn of the century buildings with homes and businesses mixed together. Besides Highland is resturant but nex to it is a home. Very nice setting, almost Christmas cardish. . . .

What was so interesting about "turn of the century buildings"? I don't remember anything interesting about architecture happening around the year 2000, at the turn of the century? Tin framed buildings aren't "Christmas Cardish"?

mountain4don wrote:What was so interesting about "turn of the century buildings"? I don't remember anything interesting about architecture happening around the year 2000, at the turn of the century? Tin framed buildings aren't "Christmas Cardish"?

Okay you got me! Let's try the late 1800's early 1900's