There's a whole parallel universe of suppliers out there. Some stuff comes from muggle stores like Home Depot or Lowes because they're ubiquitous or the tools are sufficiently interchangeable or some wizard brand gets stocked there anyway (Klein, for instance).
Good stuff largely comes from wizard stores. They're mostly locally owned or small, regional chains with a few national chains most muggles haven't heard of. Electrical stuff comes from Needco, Rexel, and Graybar where I live. I bought some Klein screwdrivers at a Rexel, because Klein (and maybe Wera) are the last ones making decent screwdrivers generally and cabinet-tip screwdrivers specifically.
They were $9-$10 a piece instead of that much for a set, but they're made right, and they're readily available if you know where to look.
My handheld power tools mostly come from lumber yards or local hardware stores. And I happily pay more for Makita over DeWalt, Milwaukee, Rigid, etc from the box stores. Not looking to start a flame war over who makes better tools, but the Makita stuff is consistently excellent and priced fairly for the quality.
I've probably used a wider variety of routers than any other type of tool, and it's true that you get what you pay for, especially for plunge routers. The plunge action is just smoother and more precise as you go up in price. Bosch also makes a pretty good one, for what it's worth.
Though I build furniture, not houses, I end up shopping at a lot of the same places as carpenters. You consistently see Festool for handheld power tools (and I do own a Domino), Stabila for levels, Freud, Whiteside and/or Amanda for router bits, Freud or Forrest for saw blades, and Tajima for a wide variety of layout and hand tools. Tajima makes an outstanding chalk line and the nicest caulk gun I've ever laid my eyes on.
You might see Freud router bits at a box store, but never the selection that a wizard store stocks. You'll pay more, but the sales people know their stuff, and you can get it today, not tomorrow. That's worth a couple bucks if time is money. Incidentally, Freud also makes the Diablo saw blades that you find at box stores, and they're excellent value for the money.
Tools truly specific to furniture making are usually a specialist supplier. You can buy an approximation if a combination square or marking gauge at a box store, but it'll be less irritating to just take your money and light it on fire. Woodcraft and Rockler both have decent stuff if you're near a brick and mortar location. If you aren't, they sell online as does Highland Hardware, and a bunch of other vendors.
How do you know if you're in a wizard store or a muggle store? Wizard stores usually keep hours that reflect the fact that most of their customers are there during their workday, not on their time off. If a store closes by 5:30 and aren't open on the weekend, guaranteed they're a wizard store.
Good stuff largely comes from wizard stores. They're mostly locally owned or small, regional chains with a few national chains most muggles haven't heard of. Electrical stuff comes from Needco, Rexel, and Graybar where I live. I bought some Klein screwdrivers at a Rexel, because Klein (and maybe Wera) are the last ones making decent screwdrivers generally and cabinet-tip screwdrivers specifically.
They were $9-$10 a piece instead of that much for a set, but they're made right, and they're readily available if you know where to look.
My handheld power tools mostly come from lumber yards or local hardware stores. And I happily pay more for Makita over DeWalt, Milwaukee, Rigid, etc from the box stores. Not looking to start a flame war over who makes better tools, but the Makita stuff is consistently excellent and priced fairly for the quality.
I've probably used a wider variety of routers than any other type of tool, and it's true that you get what you pay for, especially for plunge routers. The plunge action is just smoother and more precise as you go up in price. Bosch also makes a pretty good one, for what it's worth.
Though I build furniture, not houses, I end up shopping at a lot of the same places as carpenters. You consistently see Festool for handheld power tools (and I do own a Domino), Stabila for levels, Freud, Whiteside and/or Amanda for router bits, Freud or Forrest for saw blades, and Tajima for a wide variety of layout and hand tools. Tajima makes an outstanding chalk line and the nicest caulk gun I've ever laid my eyes on.
You might see Freud router bits at a box store, but never the selection that a wizard store stocks. You'll pay more, but the sales people know their stuff, and you can get it today, not tomorrow. That's worth a couple bucks if time is money. Incidentally, Freud also makes the Diablo saw blades that you find at box stores, and they're excellent value for the money.
Tools truly specific to furniture making are usually a specialist supplier. You can buy an approximation if a combination square or marking gauge at a box store, but it'll be less irritating to just take your money and light it on fire. Woodcraft and Rockler both have decent stuff if you're near a brick and mortar location. If you aren't, they sell online as does Highland Hardware, and a bunch of other vendors.
How do you know if you're in a wizard store or a muggle store? Wizard stores usually keep hours that reflect the fact that most of their customers are there during their workday, not on their time off. If a store closes by 5:30 and aren't open on the weekend, guaranteed they're a wizard store.