Helping other members with demos

[Joe Hendershott]

This might have been covered before, IDN.

This idea might get panned due to the pandemic but with some light at the end of the tunnel and things opening up perhaps a little...If you don't agree you don't have to participate but lets focus on the working of wood.

On a sailboat forum I frequent there is a sticky where you can put your location and offer to let people try out or examine products or things you've done. It seems that it is harder to put your hands on some tools to demo, especially large tools. Perhaps a sticky here might be a big help to some members to at least look at a piece of equipment before they buy. Not suggesting letting people come build a kitchen with YOUR stuff but rather just open up the shop and let them look. It's a huge community here with lots of members everywhere and not always in a big city where access to items might be easier.

On the sailboat forum it works well, I've had some members over and vice versa. If not, at least put the location here where it's easier to see where members live so we can invite.

[David Bassett]

... If not, at least put the location here where it's easier to see where members live so we can invite.

And yet, you haven't filled in the location field in your profile so we could easily see where you live....

[Joe Hendershott]

And yet, you haven't filled in the location field in your profile so we could easily see where you live....

I am not asking for advice on a tool. Having a sticky with that info easily found instead of clicking several times on a profile seems handy, most likely I was incorrect though.

[Jim Koepke]

This might have been covered before, IDN.

This idea might get panned due to the pandemic but with some light at the end of the tunnel and things opening up perhaps a little...If you don't agree you don't have to participate but lets focus on the working of wood.

[edited]

On the sailboat forum it works well, I've had some members over and vice versa. If not, at least put the location here where it's easier to see where members live so we can invite.

Hi Joe, one of my oft used replies when someone, without a location in their profile, asks about a tool or technique is usually to suggest they include their location in their profile as there may be a member in their area who would be happy to let them come by for a test drive.

Another suggestion is for them to become a contributor if they haven't done so to allow for private messaging.

There are a few folks who have taken me up on invites to my shop and invited me to visit their shop.

In my most active forum here, Neanderthal Haven we used to have a sticky with folks who would be happy to have visitors to their shop. After a while NH had half a page of stickies and it was eventually cleaned out.

It seems to work. One person is possibly coming by my shop in the near future to tune up some of his planes and to try some of mine.

One person brought an unusable plane by and we worked on it for an hour or two and got it to work quite well. He now lives in another country but hopefully we will meet again someday to resume our friendship. The same can be said for another friend who has been visited a few times and actually gone out together on a rust hunt. He lives across the river in another state. The pandemic has kept visitations down.

jtk

[Bruce Wrenn]

I'm a member of another regionally focused forum. Thru forum, we do workshops, shop crawls, individual tutoring and helping. Got a problem and need help, just ask. We also "Pony Express" items between members. Sometimes it may take a couple weeks to get item to intended receiver, as more than one person may handle it. We also do group buys for stuff that has a good price. One member who owned a band saw mill, did a monthly "wood run" to local shopping center parking lot. I 'Pony Expressed" a radial arm saw to a member who lives 300 miles away. Freight company want almost $200 to carry it. One member, who was a salesman, had to call on a customer, whose business was less than 30 miles from intended receiver. Couple members search CL, face book, etc constantly for WW bargins, then post them.

[Jim Becker]

It's very common for owners of machines from companies like Felder/Hammer, SCM/Minimax, CNC manufacturers, etc., to have owners "entertain" and/or answer questions of prospective customers. This stuff is almost never available to be seen in local showrooms if at all anywhere outside of very large trade shows. I have personally had visits from folks for this purpose over the years...as recently as a few weeks ago. That one was actually a 'Creeker, too.

And yes, the pandemic has made this kind of thing a little more challenging.

[Keith Outten]

ShopBot used to pay owners to do demonstrations if a machine was purchased. Years ago it was rare to find a CNC Router in a small shop so the incentive was very attractive. I have been to many of the ShopBot Jamborees at their shop in Durham NC and a long list of ShopBot Camps that were hosted by individuals. Haven't heard of any of these events in several years but when they were offered I tried my best to be at as many events as I could.

Several of our Members here at The Creek have hosted events and I had a SawMill Creek Swap Meet here in my shop many years ago. We had a long list of FreeStuff drawings at our Swap Meet and I made sure that everyone went home with a prize...gave away Corian cutting boards to those who did not win a drawing. People brought machines with them that they want to sell or trade, it was quite an event. I think I did about four hours of demonstrations myself.