Good luck, Jim. They never called me back about the cbn wheel I mentioned above.
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Woodturners Wonders
- Thread starter Lou Currier
- Start date
I deleted that bookmark, so I don't forget and try to order from them again. It used to be great service. 
Thats the number I have for them but no one answers and the message stated the voicemail is full then hangs up.
Reading this thread makes me sad that we've apparently lost a(nother) small business that serves woodturners.
I will forgive almost any delay from small business, as long as they communicate their difficulties. It doesn't have to be a personal call about an order; a message on the webpage, a group email or text to their mailing list, or even a voicemail greeting explaining the problem.
The fact that they've apparently gone dark with communication - especially in this digital age where it literally takes seconds to reach their entire client base tells me that the company won't be in business for much longer.
I'm taking Darryl's path and deleting all the contact info I have for them.
I will forgive almost any delay from small business, as long as they communicate their difficulties. It doesn't have to be a personal call about an order; a message on the webpage, a group email or text to their mailing list, or even a voicemail greeting explaining the problem.
The fact that they've apparently gone dark with communication - especially in this digital age where it literally takes seconds to reach their entire client base tells me that the company won't be in business for much longer.
I'm taking Darryl's path and deleting all the contact info I have for them.
Hmm, I think I have the same RO palm sander. Is it the compressed air one?
I haven't reached 200hrs of use yet...I don't use it a lot, only on the most stubborn of pieces that I can't clean up any other way. I'm a bit concerned now, though.
Did you ever take it apart, clean it, or check the pressure?
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This sale of business, sounds like how several of those went in the astrophotography community some years ago, which I am also a part of. Several top notch businesses in that arena sold, and the new owners were NOT communicative. At all. New owners also seemed to have supply problems that the original owners never had. Never quite understood that...but, in the long term, its destroyed brands, and one of those stores went completely out of business a couple of years after the sale, as the people who owned it and their employees were NOT very friendly, and often quite rude and derogatory.
I really hope that doesn't happen here...but, I've seen the aftermath of business sales too many times now, and heard these very same "symptoms".... Sad. I have a number of things from WW, including their lathe track system. I understand that China tariffs can potentially have an effect right now, however, this EXACT scenario, I've seen play out more than once. I just hope these guys don't hire the wrong staff...the one astro business that sold, oh, maybe it was as far back as 2018...the staff eventually went "rogue" and just started treating their customers like crap. Was a pretty rapid decline for them once that happened. Hope the new WW owners find the right, FRIENDLY, HELPFUL staff, and figure out how to navigate the new tariff waters.
The tariffs are not the issue here. This thread/problems started last December. If they had supply/customer service problems 5 months ago, apparently have done nothing to address these issues, they probably won't make to the end of the year.
Sad. This seems to be an age-old story... It usually doesn't end well, in my experience...
Yep, and it was the only source for 7" cbn wheels. My 180 will suffice. The 600 I wanted to add is now vaporware. I'll survive.
Some people just have no business being in business. They bought the previously successful business, now they are killing it, and putting themselves in financial ruin at the same time. Lose-lose for everyone.
Yeah. Sometimes even people who already own similar businesses, can still ruin another. That happened in the astrophotography community...an existing supply company bought a brand. That brand had been really well respected, made high quality narrow band filters, but a "particulate" issue caused some people to complain. The original owner of the brand, ended up decidign to get out of the market (I think he was beyond retirement age), and sold the brand. People had hoped that the new owner would resolve the particulate issue (some kind of somewhat sticky fibers and particles, assumed to be from the filter sleeves, was causing people to have to deal with non-trivial cleaning on their brand new filters.)
Well, the particulate issue DID get resolved, after a bit of hullabaloo...but then the new owners simply couldn't seem to actually make the filters. They promised, and delayed, and promised, and delayed, and delayed....and delayed... The previous owner never had issues getting them manufactured, new owners never explained the supply issue. Some people still had some trouble with having to clean their filters when they arrived, too. As far as I know, the supply/manufacturing problem is still an issue to this day, and the brand has effectively died. People switched to other brands with similar or better quality (and often better prices), and that was that...
I actually own some sets of those filters. They were really good when I bought them. Today, it sounds like they are just no longer trusted. The really crazy thing is, the company that bought the brand, had been successful in the astrophotography industry for many years before, with other kinds of equipment. Baffling how they just couldn't figure out how to manufacture and supply the brand they purchased.
Don't give up on these guys just yet. I ordered a lathe lamp with magnetic base and a Robert Sorby bowl gouge from them about 2 weeks ago. It showed up 3 days ago, but the mag base was stripped out where the flexible arm screwed into it. I called the phone number for them (678-400-8181) but the recording said the mailbox was full and hung up. I also found 2 email addresses for them (info@woodturnerswonders.com) and (customerservice@woodturnerswonders.com), so I emailed with pictures of the damage. 2 days later, I received a call from John, from that same phone number, he had received my email but was out of the office at the factory the day before, and was just getting to returning his messages. A very pleasant conversation and he more than made it right, promised to send out another lamp today to replace the broken one. I can attest that they fill their orders and stand behind their products. Let's not be too quick to criticize these guys. It appears they are still there for us, and they offer some really nice quality products.
I just called them, one hour before their posted closing time. Got the answering machine saying how important my call was... Voice mail box is still full and won't take any messages.
Steve, try the email addresses, see if they'll call you back.
Yes, took it apart and cleaned. It’s working well, hope that continues
Yes, took it apart and cleaned. It’s working well, hope that continues
Thanks!
Well, I'll be darned. Last night, I thought to myself, it can't hurt to try. With nobody but WW selling 7" CBN wheels for my Baldor, I placed an order for a 7" 600 grit wheel and a set of self-centering washers.
This morning I received an email saying my order has been shipped, picked up by, and in the very capable hands of the USPS. I should (should...) receive delivery by this upcoming Monday.
I hope my order is the beginning of a new and positive trend for them.
This morning I received an email saying my order has been shipped, picked up by, and in the very capable hands of the USPS. I should (should...) receive delivery by this upcoming Monday.
I hope my order is the beginning of a new and positive trend for them.
I had a switch on one of my magnetic lights go out a couple of months ago on a Sunday,
. so I emailed to see if they had replaced switches.. John emailed me back an ask that I call him on Monday.. I reached his Monday afternoon. He suggested that he would cover it under warranty. This light, I informed him, was purchased a SWAT at least 7-8 years ago. He pulled up my purchase history the inform me that he would cover if under warranty, I was shocked, I said no way, three days later I received a new light. I was impressed
I anyone has a push button click switch go out on one of there lights message me and I’ll send you one , got 12 on Amazon for less than $10.
. so I emailed to see if they had replaced switches.. John emailed me back an ask that I call him on Monday.. I reached his Monday afternoon. He suggested that he would cover it under warranty. This light, I informed him, was purchased a SWAT at least 7-8 years ago. He pulled up my purchase history the inform me that he would cover if under warranty, I was shocked, I said no way, three days later I received a new light. I was impressed
I anyone has a push button click switch go out on one of there lights message me and I’ll send you one , got 12 on Amazon for less than $10.
Yikes!! I just placed a small order with them so I hope your experience is the exception. I liked doing business with them in the past.
I placed an order on the 24th for an 'in stock' item. I loved this company in the past. Didn't hear anything for a week and so pinged them yesterday on the item.
Got notice that they discontinued the line and they cancelled the order.
I liked the people there, Brittany was always responsive, but am going to look elsewhere from now on
Got notice that they discontinued the line and they cancelled the order.
I liked the people there, Brittany was always responsive, but am going to look elsewhere from now on
I really hope these guys figure out the ropes and find their groove. Over the last 5-7 years, it seems there has been a loss of a number of sellers. A lot of them sold very specialized things like ornamental turning jigs or lathes, one was Beall closed shop entirely, and many of their tools have yet to be manufactured again by those who bought the rights to the patents (i.e. PenWizard).
It would be really sad to lose another seller of unique or specialized tools in the woodworking world. There are not all that many, I don't think, at least that I know of. WW sells some unique CBN wheels, and some other interesting things like the Lathe Track system. Good stuff, that would really be a loss to the community if WW vanished.
It would be really sad to lose another seller of unique or specialized tools in the woodworking world. There are not all that many, I don't think, at least that I know of. WW sells some unique CBN wheels, and some other interesting things like the Lathe Track system. Good stuff, that would really be a loss to the community if WW vanished.
These sellers would survive, specialist and generalist alike, if woodturning was cool to more (for the most part) than just us cranky old Gen X'ers and Babyboomers who have some disposable income. The price of admission is very high to Gen Y and Gen Z, if they even have the interest to begin with, much less a few square feet of shop space.
(Can't I just 3D print a vase? It's so much less messy, and cheaper, than a lathe, and I can do it in my apartment without disturbing my roommates.)
A lot of these specialty tools that these suppliers make and sell are pretty much one-time sales. New blood has to be their next buyer. I'm not buying a new lathe or bandsaw every other year (or grinder and wheels, or 1/2 gouges, or...), so someone new has to buy them to keep the manufacturers in business. Try as I might over the past decades, I've never gotten another person to take up woodturning. In recent times I got 2 coworkers into Swedish spoon carving, but that requires a couple $30 knives and some birch firewood.
(Can't I just 3D print a vase? It's so much less messy, and cheaper, than a lathe, and I can do it in my apartment without disturbing my roommates.)
A lot of these specialty tools that these suppliers make and sell are pretty much one-time sales. New blood has to be their next buyer. I'm not buying a new lathe or bandsaw every other year (or grinder and wheels, or 1/2 gouges, or...), so someone new has to buy them to keep the manufacturers in business. Try as I might over the past decades, I've never gotten another person to take up woodturning. In recent times I got 2 coworkers into Swedish spoon carving, but that requires a couple $30 knives and some birch firewood.
Don't give up!
I've been fortunate to get one young person (a half century younger than me) started from scratch up to moderately advanced, now has a lathe, tools, grinder, turns often, gives everything away. That warms the soul. I supply whatever wood they want.
Also, I was happy to spur a revival of interest in a couple of people who turned long ago then quit. And I continue teaching in my shop, not with a heavy schedule but as time allows, for relative beginners and some old timers - some remedial skew/spindle lessons, some just want to learn to make special projects.
But my favorite thing is to introduce someone to woodturning, often someone who has never seen a lathe. They may take up turning someday or may never but at least now they know what it's about. And they all get to take home something they made (or helped make!)
JKJ
It is really quite sad, how little the latest two generations seem to have not only little interest in, but often disdain for, some of the GREAT hobbies and careers of the past. I also like model railroading. Boy, I LOVED them when I was a kid! Particularly N-scale.
I still subscribe to Model Railroader magazine, but it has been really sad over the last 10 years, to see the RAPID decline in interest in model railroading, or just about any scale modeling and diorama type stuff. There is something about small scale but realistically designed and crafted....worlds! They are so amazing...and yet....I really wonder if the hobby will be completely gone, when the last generation (boomers, maybe early Gen-X which is my generation) retire and...pass on. There is so little appreciation for it anymore...but, wow, there are some IN-CREDIBLE model railroads out there. Mind blowing stuff, the attention to detail, even the operation of them once the builds (which often take many years to complete) are done. Another thing I've noticed is that traditional crafts, and a LOT of artisan crafts...are just dying these days. Some artisan crafts that have centuries, maybe even a millennia of history, are often down to one small town, and one group of artisans or maybe just a family, and in some cases even just ONE GUY or GAL left...who knows anything about it. There is a guy in...Japan, I think, who makes these extremely high end, high grade, traditionally crafted brushes for this classic form of painted Japanese writing. I think it can take him a YEAR to go through the entire process (from hacking down a very specific plant, to extracting the fibers, to filtering the fibers down to only the best of the best of the best, etc. etc. to actually constructing a brush from the materials). He is the ONLY guy who makes these particular kinds of brushes anymore. I think he is in his 80s? That ancient craft dies with him. There are many other such artisan crafts that seem to be in the same or similar boat.
I don't think woodworking is close to that point yet, but...I could see it, down the road... Eventually, it might just be...a handful of artisans in any city, still doing woodworking? AT LEAST...real woodworking, not something 90-100% handled by AI and some fully automated machine, that is...
Well, I hope John is right...that, if we keep trying, we can keep it alive. There is something to be said, about working with natural materials. I'll leave this beautiful video for you all to enjoy:
THIS, should never be allowed to die!
It is really quite sad, how little the latest two generations seem to have not only little interest in, but often disdain for, some of the GREAT hobbies and careers of the past. I also like model railroading. Boy, I LOVED them when I was a kid! Particularly N-scale.
Another thing I've noticed is that traditional crafts, and a LOT of artisan crafts...are just dying these days. Some artisan crafts that have centuries, maybe even a millennia of history, are often down to one small town, and one group of artisans or maybe just a family, and in some cases even just ONE GUY or GAL left...who knows anything about it. ...
I spent about 10 years doing plank on frame ship models at scales ranging from 1:10 for oar-powered boats to 1:48 (18th century warships). I helped edit a 2 volume (!) practicum on building a British sloop warship timber by timber, plank by plank at 1:48 scale.
The Fully Framed Model, HMN Swan Class Sloops 1767 - 1780 Volume I - R
The Swan series has been collaboration between David Antscherl, who wrote volumes I and II, and Greg Herbert, who was David's student builder of HMS Pegasus. Together they put together a practicum that became the basis for this series of books. In this book, Greg photographed his step by step...
seawatchbooks.com
My other current interest -- after turning -- is paper marbling, both traditional and acrylic. That has a better chance for longer term survival since it is used both in book conservation and also for other decorative paper arts. Again, practitioners tend to skew older, but there are enough younger ones doing it for a living that it has reasonable prospects for the next few decades. One of the teachers of classes I've taken has been reviving the methods used in the 18th-19th centuries, including the methods of making the paint (pigment, rabbit hide glue, beeswax are the main ingredients), including grinding the pigments.
Thanks for the hint. I reached them via phone today, Monday, May 05, 2025. I person said my order been sent to the manufacturer, and confirmed the details about lathe spindle size 1 1/4 x 8 tpi. On the order page WTW state the lathe will take 10-12 weeks to be shipped, which correlates with the manufacturer webpage.
Long story - last Thursday I ordered Vicmarc VL240 lathe from WTW, mostly because no other reseller in the US had them available, and next reseller would be in Canada (about the same price as WTW). I paid via PayPal, and received order confirmation from WTW and from PayPal. However, it did not state the spindle size, so I wanted to confirm, and wrote emails to the address above, on Thursday. No reply on Friday, so I called the number, left message, no reply.
However, I called again Monday morning, and as you know they responded.
Fingers crossed. I'm willing to wait 12 weeks, PayPal guarantees refund for 6 month if order does not arrive and seller is not responding.
I spent about 10 years doing plank on frame ship models at scales ranging from 1:10 for oar-powered boats to 1:48 (18th century warships). I helped edit a 2 volume (!) practicum on building a British sloop warship timber by timber, plank by plank at 1:48 scale.
It's always been a niche hobby. Hard to tell about its prospects.The Fully Framed Model, HMN Swan Class Sloops 1767 - 1780 Volume I - R
The Swan series has been collaboration between David Antscherl, who wrote volumes I and II, and Greg Herbert, who was David's student builder of HMS Pegasus. Together they put together a practicum that became the basis for this series of books. In this book, Greg photographed his step by step...
My other current interest -- after turning -- is paper marbling, both traditional and acrylic. That has a better chance for longer term survival since it is used both in book conservation and also for other decorative paper arts. Again, practitioners tend to skew older, but there are enough younger ones doing it for a living that it has reasonable prospects for the next few decades. One of the teachers of classes I've taken has been reviving the methods used in the 18th-19th centuries, including the methods of making the paint (pigment, rabbit hide glue, beeswax are the main ingredients), including grinding the pigments.
Ship models, alongside model railroading, were my two key childhood hobbies. I always expected to have one of those big basement model railroads and shelves full of ships by the time I hit the age I am now. Interesting how life often takes you in wildly different directions.
I miss both. Love the detail of small scale ship models. The one you shared looks beautiful. I have a number of books like that, that give you the necessary details to build a ship model 100% from scratch. I actually also still have a number of kits as well, that I haven't actually finished (some not even started.) Those, like model railroading, are becoming increasingly scarce! I really should get back into making the ones I have...
I placed a small order with them Sunday. I was leery of doing so after reading the above, but it wasn't much so I took a chance. I just received the shipping notice that it has been shipped. I'm hoping they've got things back in order.
Hard to tell from the outside what is really going on. Latest issue of FineWoodworking has an article on CBN wheels - all wheels I saw in the pictures had the WoodTurnersWonders labels and author mentioned getting advice from Ken Rizza. Can't tell if it was written a month ago or a year ago so who knows what is going on.