New Bridge City Tools Range from Axminster

https://www.axminster.co.uk/bridge-city

Anyone taken a look at this yet? Looks like some really nice stuff but not cheap! Don’t mind spending the money if the tools are worth it and will last forever but no reviews as yet.

Really like the look of the multi tool with adjustable bevel:

Nice stuff Tim, but spendy! I’ve got so much stuff in the 'shop that I don’t really need another piece of kit like this. On the other hand, if you actually do need it…

All this new equipment arriving from China seems to be priced way above that quoted at source: However, I also have no idea what duties and taxes as well as VAT that are added, but the days of cheap (priced) stuff out of China seems to have long gone.
Harvey looks like a classy set up, and at least their brochures, are ‘very’ impressive.
What a shame all our traditions engineering skills have gone/diminished, and hence the need to buy abroad, this applies even to some/most big name American brands, made in China now, and just re-badged, same kit, numerous name tags. Although they also seem to be in the dark about this: (Politics) will bring this home if/when the ‘trade wars’ hot up!
Barry

I’ve imported a few bits and pieces from the USA and other countries in recent years to save a few bob… Import duty varied from 8% to 15% depending on what I bought…HM Revenue and Customs have, as you can imagine thousands of codes and sub-codes for items…and also some have no import duty at all (car alloy wheels from the USA for example)…

Upon import you will have to pay the import duty and VAT (20% of the ‘declared value’) of the goods…so it’s worth asking the supplier for the value to be lowered…before you can get your mits on it…

You can save money this way…I did getting an alloy wheel for my Jeep…as it only came in the UK with a 50mph/50 mile emergency wheel (great for a 4x4 eh!), and which the dealer wanted £540 + VAT for…I told him exactly what he could do…

So I found a supplier on the West Coast of the USA (in New York) who I purchased a new Jeep alloy wheel from, and had it shipped over via the US postal service (much cheaper than DHL and all the rest), and got a new tyre on the wheel, balanced and ready to go…all for £285 including VAT… (as mentioned above there was no import duty on this alloy wheel at the time)… so saved a lot of £££’s doing it this way…

The dealers excuse for charging £150 more was he had overheads…and could not stock stuff like that on a shelf…but he would have been quite happy to make £150 for what was essentially less than an hours work…!!

Beware though, other stuff can work out a lot more expensive…if your interested in exploring importing goods from overseas it’s worth doing some research on import duties on-line via the HMRC websites…all the info is there…you just have to find it…lol…

Hi again Stu. Just us keeping the Community going?

Yes, I’ve been to the HMRC web site and trawled for the correct ‘code’, and I’ve now sent that, to another dept, and am awaiting response from them.
My other concern is then eventually how to get it from the docks, as I have no lorry and would have to hire, with driver, and don’t know how long I’d get from docking/unloading notice to pick up!
I’m sure you’ve seen all the rather nice looking woodworking machine stuff now being made in China; Most re-badged for sale here or worldwide. Not at all Hong-Kong specials!!
One Harvey machine and its accessories, is about to be badged by Ax. !!
They (Harvey) won’t sell direct to me and told me to contact direct here, but that as you say means inflated prices…
BTW: NY is East Coast :wink:
Barry

Stu.

Spooky … I just received a reply from HMRC, but usual gov assist! NONE,
they just told me the code I found and quoted was correct, not a bloody word on how much, or where I could find any such info. Like you said, Its there, (On-line) I just don’t know where!!

Hi, Barry…
I knew I was likely to have to pay import duty on the alloy wheel, as I did not know at the outset it was zero rated until later…but even paying 15% import duty would still have saved me money… later I found a list on the HMRC website that gives further codes for the rate of import duty applicable, but only because the code was shown on the import paperwork…and it was zero rated… I know the codes are listed on their web sites, but as you say, where is indeed the question…lol…

I guess you could phone the docks and ask about collection, depending on how heavy your tool is, and how it is packed will be the issue…will it come in a wooden crate of cardboard box, and will it arrive, as most things do, within a sea-going container together with a load of other items all packed in together…which is the most likely scenario… if so the containers are usually taken off the dock into a store and unpacked, and you would collect from there…

I did not have this problem, as I had the alloy wheel shipped via the US postal service direct to my home address, so I avoided having to mess about with docks…won’t your supplier offer this?..you would pay for it of course, but it’s a lot less hassle I would think than trying to collect it at a dock yourself…

I should imagine dock storage would be by the day (per 24 hours) whilst awaiting collection, after they notify you it’s ready for collection ( I presume), but like you say, you still have to get transport arranged, which could take another 24 hours…

If you are talking about a big panel saw, I guess you might get it in the back of a long wheel base van, I think they take about 1.5 tonnes (1500 kilos) max, but you might need help to load and unload, unless they can load by FLT…then it’s just a matter of unloading and getting it into your shop…

And yes, New York is east coast…lol…I decided to buy here to avoid the additional costs of shipping across the US as well…

I agree Barry the prices here in the UK are high compared to the actual cost of the machines…when yo7 consider the uk suppliers must be making a profit on getting machines made overseas, including transport costs, import duty and taxes…it makes you wonder…especially as they seem to price those same machines up even more for sale here…so really all they are doing is increasing their profit margin…there’s no real benefit to the end user it seems…

Stu/all: I’ve given up on the self import route; decided on a lower grade cabinet saw, enhanced ’hopefully’ by an Incra TS-LS system to give precision to cuts, and btw (dado cutting) sans stack.

Anyone have any feedback on the Charnwood W629??

Barry

Barry, avoid Charnwood stuff like the plague!! I had one of their cabinet saws and it was the worst money I’ve ever invested in wood mangling machinery. Dreadful is only part close.

Hi Woodbloke.!

How far back are you talking please, they like everyone have updated!
The latest tables even have mitre slots!!

Stu says he wasn’t pleased with his Ax table surface flatness.

There aren’t many choices at 13amp and with the ability to retro fit a system like Incra.

Cheers Barry

This was only a few years ago. The problem with the table saw was that very cheap bearings were used and after only a few weeks, the saw blade made a distinct rattle on start up, with consequent wobble and ‘run out’. I later learned that Charnwood use pretty poor quality fittings in their machinery, so not good. The thing was never accurate and was a complete pain in the arris to set up. Fortunately, I got rid of it fairly smartly and didn’t loose too much on the deal.

Regarding flatness of tablesaurs, Ax machinery is generally pretty good, but if you’re after guaranteed Felder flatness, you need (in my very 'umble opinion) to pay Felder prices…

Rob. Thanks.

I believe the two Ax, AW10 and AW12 saws are both 16amp!
SIP and or Scheppach are both now contenders! and the list is ever decreasing.

Anyone else have any views /experiance?
Barry

Barry…the table saw extension kit table was naff, as stated…I suppose if you are going to ‘enhance’ the saw, getting another bolt-on cast extension table would be possible…this would obviously resolve the issue.
At sometime in the future I intend to fit the table saw into a mobile workbench, that will resolve the problem for me…just need to find a bigger workshop first…lol…

PS: have sent you measurements and photos as promised and uploaded a copy here in your other post.

Barry, I haven’t seen SIP machines around for ages; they may not even be made any more or even morphed into some other brand…dunno? Scheppach machinery has always had a pretty reasonable reputation and I seem to think it was at one time (still is maybe?) made in Merkel Land.