Experiences in Holland/Europe

T Bredehoft

T Bredehoft

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Dec 27, 2014
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With my change of residence, from Ohio to Holland I expected things would be different, yup, they are, I've signed up for a 10 month 6 hours a week course in Netherlands, the language of the people here. No Sweat, the community is covering the cost, I just have to learn the language, something I had planned on, anyway.

Tooling up my shop has been a bit of a problem. One of the first machines I bought was a FERM 360 three wheel band saw. I remember seeing them in the States as WEN, a nice little band saw. But it was about 45 years old. the rubber on the wheels was deteriorating (no replacements) and at first I had problems aligning the wheels. (top wheel had various settings) and it would only track with a 5/16 wide blade. I got its use for a year and a half and last week the drive O ring broke. Searching found O rings for seals, but none mentioned for driving machinery. So.... I decided to buy a new band saw.

Thanks to experimenting with blades, I had a small number (5 to 8) 1790 mm blades for it, various widths. I figured that the blades represented an investment of perhaps $50 to $75. (Yeah, Euros, 10% more than dollars. ) I

I could find any number of band saws for under €150 , but all had shorter blades.

A (somewhat) local company, HBM, based in Gouda, nearby, offered a Sheppach (German) bandsaw, 4.7 inch throat using my 1790 blades, and three day delivery. My first table saw here had been a used Sheppach, a well engineered machine, but took more space in my shop than I felt I could afford, so I replaced it with one from HBM, turned out to be made by Sheppach. The Sheppach band saw offers also a table with an optional extension to the right for wide work, (same as the table saw) not necessarily needed in my case but certainly a plus. So I ordered one, three days delivery, and all.

That was last Thursday. Purchase order confirmed by email. Today, (Monday) I get a notice that this is a "DropShip" order, HBM passed the order on to Sheppach in Germany and they said it would be an " expected delivery time for DropShip orders will be 10-15 business days" (Week Days, two to three weeks.)

I'll live, I want THAT saw, and after I get the saw I'll be all over HBM about their 1 to 3 day delivery. More later, probably.

Expat Tom
 
Any cultural differences in buying used equipment?

Is haggling expected or frowned on?
 
So far, I've paid what was asked, all were well below retail. I'm planning on giving my (broken O-ring drive belt) band saw to the first responder to my free add. Paying back the debt of gratitude.

In one case I got two used industrial duty routers for 50 E.
 
When I lived over there I was amazed at how many people can speak english, like 100%. lol
 
Why did you decide to move to Europe? (Ben)

My wife of 59 years passed, I reunited with my "High School Sweetheart" after 63 years and I had little to keep me in the States... I was 81 at the time with little to look forward to, family all lived in different states and I had no social life.
 
Because the North Sea (between England and Europe) is only a few miles, (well under 20) to the west of where we live the weather is guite moderate. We had one snowfall of note this year. While it was snowing the grass turned a very pale green with snow, but by the time it stopped snowing the heat in the ground (+8 C) had melted any accumulation. There were several (no more than 10) days of freezing (below 32f, 0C) weather, when it rains it's (70% of the rain) is light shower type, no all day soakers.

80 years in Ohio and its' two or three 8 in. snows and two or three months of below 32f weather cured me of missing winter.
 
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