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I know there are a few pickers from Toronto, that would be interested in places to get stuff. Today I was looking for a small table top vise and came across a shop similar to Efton Science (like Edmunds)

Sayal Hobbies had the vise for next to nothing. A cheap six buck vise that I could throw in a bag. There are much better hobby/mini vises but they tend to be a bit on the cumbersome side. So I kept looking to see what else they had
10"x4"x 0.018" stainless steel sheet for 5 bucks. cut into strips it would be good for 6-8 blanks. They have brass stock as well. magnets all kinds of stuff. I didn't look for files but they probably have some that would work for impressioning.

I thought we could compose a list of stores that have things that pickers could utilize. Maybe other cities could do the same.

ACTIVE SURPLUS. on Queen Street. From tweezers to bar stock, electronics, motors, old console controllers. You could probably make an electric pick in 10 minutes with the assorment they have. The only way to shop is to browse, it's amazing what you come across and say "That would make a great...whatever"

SAYALHobbies. They have stores and a .com

Lee Valley. It's a bit pricey, but the quality is top notch. Files and finishing equipment are my main purchase. They also sell a Timmies rim-unroller key chain (it's not lock related but is stupid-brilliant). They also have small stock which is useful for handles. The hook and pick set is cheap enough that it's worth buying just to modify into by-pass tools. I also got some shaped buffing bits there that are WAY better than the dremels

Curry's Art. You'd be surprised what you find in there. Detail knives, mould-ma...mold-mak...FORM-making stuff, lots of stuff if you think outside the box.

What are your finds for creative shopping?

Hello another Toronto picker!

I managed to find a decent vice at Princess Auto a couple of months ago. It has a swivel head and table clamp.

There is also many different Re Stores around the area as a great place to find used locks.

I go to Site3 at Bloor and Ossington to do my cut aways and discuss locks with people on Thursday nights.

Now i just need to find a Toronto or Canada based locksmith supplies place to pick up some Abus 73/40 springs

jacobbiljo - Let me see what I can get from work... I can probably have some at the next TOOOL Meeting. Did you need them sooner?

nine4t4 - Hello From Hamilton. Great idea sharing resources on where to find cool stuff. I agree that surplus stores are excellent places to find great deals. Also come spring time when garage sales begin its sometimes fun to find rare treasures. If you are ever out Cambridge way there is Cambridge Surplus. and if your in Kitchener it is a quick jump of the expressway to KW Surplus. Also its not a bad idea to make friends with local locksmiths in your area. We often come end up with used product that we cannot resell that hobbiests would be extremely happy to have.

I am just east of Toronto, and I find that the Surplus section of Princess Auto has a ton of useful stuff

As another Toronto picking "resource" the Toronto Toool meetings have been moved to Site3 on the first Wednesday of the month. Hopefully we can see some more of the large Toronto crowd on here out tomorrow night.
http://www.site3.ca/location

I am about an hour from Toronto. I am currently looking for a vice, will have to check out the princess auto in my area. When i went to a restore last week they didnt have any unfortunately.

Lee Valley has a nice swivel vice on special at $19. I ordered one as a backup. Direct link did not work. Search under "woodworking" for "clamp-on vice" if you have a problem. Order $40 worth of stuff and it's free shipping until Sept 8th.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.a ... at=1,43838

When I went to Lee Valley last I also saw the swivel head clamp on vice Princess Auto sells for about the same price. I guess these relatively small Canadian stores all buy from the same Chinese manufacturers.

Sorry but I disagree. Lee Valley is known for the high quality of its tools whereas Princess Auto carries what are often lesser quality imports, and the vices are no exception. The cheap swivel vice carried by PA has a rough black coating and crudely manufactured parts. The similar vice carried by Lee Valley is of a much higher quality, with a carefully applied blue powder coat. The difference can even be seen in the online photos:

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.a ... at=1,43838

http://images.palcdn.com/pal/Vises/2-1- ... /8438335.p
(enlarge the image)

Thanks for the link, will buy one.

Got the Lee Valley vise today. Very nice little vice for $20.. Actually more substantial than I thought. It is Chinese, but the quality is quite high.

I was talking about a different vise altogether that I've seen at at least Princes Auto and Sayal and I'm pretty sure Lee Valley but not as a regular sale item, just a shelf filler. It has a cast aluminum base and a ball head connecting to the vise so you get even more degrees of freedom then just the swivel. The surfaces contacting the table all have rubber pads so it won't damage anything either.

I did drop into Princess Auto yesterday and they had a small detachable swivel vise for $12.95 which wasn't bad. The jaws were a bit mis-aligned but for the price it was pretty good. The Lee Valley vise though, is much better made in my opinion and with a better finish. PA also have a vacuum base vise for about $20 but you need a table or bench which is impermeable. I have a nice granite disk for my vacuum vice and the vacuum holds for around half an hour before needing relock. This is my main go to vise because it locks at any angle, with the LV swivel as my backup.

Princess Auto is the country's greatest tool toy store, but you need to be careful. It is all import and while there are good deals, lots of the inventory is substandard. On the other hand I bought a good sized file there yesterday for $2.32 and wish I had purchased several because it cuts better than my expensive files. I am also looking at their small metal lathe. LV sells the Taig (which I have owned before and love) for $300 but by the time you buy all the needed attachments and a motor you are close to $1,000. The PA lathe is $799, but includes built in motor, taper cross slide etc., plus it will cut threads. Tough call. They didn't have the PA lathe set up so I couldn't get a comparison, but if anyone out there has used it please let me know.

Sorry if this is off topic.

Toronto Members of Keypicking, Give me a shout. Let me know what you need and I can probably get it for you. I have buddies that attend auctions and I can get some pretty cool toys. I bought my No. 2 vise for $15

I'm looking to find some local lockies to work on a couple projects with.

Hi Guys,
I'm near Toronto as well.
KBC tools dot com sells shim stock in various configurations that is good for making tools.
They also sell music wire.
I find their prices and service to be reasonable and have bought from them for years.
If you do order from them just call them up to confirm that they have the item in stock if your in a hurry.