One of the great things about living in the Pioneer Valley is the abundance of open, green spaces. Unfortunately this means that the resources of the valley can also be very spread out. Many basic items can be obtained within the Amherst/Hadley/Northampton corridor, however for many specialty items or materials one would have to travel to Greenfield, Springfield, or even Hartford. This list should be a starting place to find or explore your options for materials.
A general note- small quantities or samples of a particular material can frequently be ordered online, however large quantities will almost always require finding distributors or specialty stores.
UMass Amherst has contracted with Amazon to books an supplies via the Amazon@UMass web portal. Many items can be ordered through this service for next business day delivery. For basic supplies, I suggest a trip to a local retailer first before shopping online.
Services, Materials & Tool Suppliers
| 3D Printing | |||
| UMass Libraries Digital Media Lab | 3D scaning and printing resource located within the DuBois Library. PLA and ABS printing only using low resolution Makerbot machines | ||
| Shapeways | online 3d printing service and marketplace. Amazingly wide array of materials including plastics, metals, ceramics, etc. Extremely high resolution available. | UPS delivery to UMass | |
| Wood, Foam, Acrylic | |||
| The Home Depot – Hadley350 Russell Street, Hadley, MA(413) 587-2790 | AC and Veneer Plywood, MDF, EPS (pink) foam, general lumber, hardware, hand & power tools, paint (Glidden, Behr), and construction supplies | ||
| Lowe’s282 Russell Street, Hadley, MA(413) 588-0270 ? | same, but blue. | ||
| Cowls Building Supply, Inc.125 Sunderland RoadP.O. Box 9676North Amherst, MA 01059413-549-0001 | AC and Veneer Plywood, MDF, general lumber, some specialty lumber in indoor yard, hardware, paint (Benjamin Moore) | Delivery to UMass | |
| Prime Plywood24 Parkside Ave.West Springfield, MA 01089800-272-7088 info@PrimePly.com | ULDF, MDF, Baltic Birch, furniture grade ply, many high quality veneer plywoods with different thicknesses, species, and cores in stock. Rolled hardwood veneers and laminates in stock. | Delivery to UMass | |
| Forest Products75 Oak Hill RdGreenfield, Massachusetts 01301(413) 772-6833 | HARDWOOD!Many different species of hardwoods sold by the board foot. Large slabs frequently available. Bring a tape measure. | ||
| Garston Supply570 Tolland StreetEast Hartford, CT 06108(800) 966-9626 | Complete Sign Making Supplies.Supplier of HDU Foam (signboard), Acrylic, other interesting substrates.Good online catalog (registration required) | Delivery to UMass | |
| FLN-MARFLN-MAR Rubber & Plastics, Inc.102 Cabot Street, Suite 8Holyoke, MA 01040(413) 536-3913 | Local distributor and fabricator of sheet Acrylic. Wide array of colors available but usually not in stock. pre-order required. | Delivery to UMass | |
| Model making supplies | |||
| Pioneer Valley Hobbies54 Myron StreetWest Springfield, MA 01089Phone: (413) 732-5531 | Model making supplies, adhesives, small scale wood, plastic, and metal. RC components. Small store with lots of fun stuff. | ||
| Art Supplies | |||
| UStore UMass Campus Center | Basic art supplies, paper, paint, drawing media, drafting supplies | ||
| Guild Art Supply102 Main StNorthampton, MA 01060(413)586-6343 | Good supply of art papers, drawing media, paints, etc. Archival supplies | ||
| Dick Blick | Art supply mega store. Online catalog. Frequently cheaper than Guild. | UPS delivery of most items | |
| Amherst Potters Supply47 East StHadley, MA 01035(413)586-4507 | Most common ceramic materials, tools, and supplies.Local plaster supplier. Hydrocal, FGR 95, specialty plasters available by pre-order | ||
| The Compleat Sculptor | Like the title says, complete line of sculpting supplies and materials. Located in NYC. | UPS delivery of most items | |
| Smooth-On | Everything mold making. Mold rubber, casting resin, additives, pigments, mold releases. Located in Easton, PA. | UPS delivery of most items | |
| Steel & welding supplies | Sullivan Metals68 Jackson StHolyoke, MA 01040(413) 532-3903 | Comprehensive industrial metal supplier stocking steel, stainless steel and aluminum. Order by Tuesday for Wednesday delivery. $30 delivery charge to UMass. Free to pick up, but take a few crappy blankets or pads; steel is really dirty. | Delivery to UMass |
| Airgas1361 Union Street,West Springfield, MA 01089-4099(413) 781-6550 | Complete welding supplies. TIG filler metal, safety gear, the whole 9. | ||
| Tools | Harbor Freight Tools1150 Union St #bWest Springfield, MA 01089413-732-2571 1750 Boston Rd.Springfield, MA 01129(413) 543-2350 |
SUPER CHEAP TOOLSMany items like hammers, drill bits, pliers, tape measure, rasps, files, cheap chisels, etc. can be purchased here very inexpensively. Great place to buy hand tools that you don’t mind trashing.LOW QUALITY / CHEAP PRICE Look for the monthly sales and 20% off coupon |
UPS delivery – caution delivery can get expensive. |
| Home Depot, Lowes(See above) | |||
| Specialty Hardware | |||
| McMaster-Carr | Darn near everything from hardware to raw materials to mechanical components. Extensive online catalog. | UPS delivery to UMass |