I finally attended my first woodworking show this weekend.  I don’t know why I didn’t do this years ago, it was a blast.  I went for Friday and Saturday and had a non-stop run of seeing cool tools, attending demonstrations and classes, and talking to other woodworkers.

There were a ton of vendors selling everything electrical, mechanical and sharp.  I got to put hands on some really sweet vertias planes and rummage through endless piles of junk!

There was a ton of wood being sold there as well.  I should have brought my suburban.

People were demonstrating all sorts of carving and turning techniques and even giving attendees the chance to try out a skill for themselves.

Band saw boxes

power tool carving

pen turning

I attended some really informative free classes while there.  I filled up pages of my field notes with different techniques and tips from the instructors.  One guy was a multi-generation housewright.  His shop still takes on apprentices and works on period houses using period tools.  I learned some things about finishing that will have to be included in my next big project, and walked away with some free varnish samples.  How cool is that?!

I spent way too much on “show special prices”, but managed to pick some some things I had been drooling over and actually did find some good deals.  Last but not least they had a monster of a log section for display, and a big portable wood mill.  Who doesn’t want one of these?