woodworking shows

[Justin Rapp]

I also was at the Edison show yesterday, part of the New Jersey Woodturners booth, spinning tops to sell for charity.

I did visit Arbortech, as I had been thinking of getting a mini carver for quite some time. Their show price of 30% off list pushed me over the edge.

Maybe it’s just me, but I have difficulty getting engaged in the demos. An overhead camera and screen, better audio, and a more enclosed space would help.

Both of my kids have tops from NJ Woodturners from a number of years ago. Passing the both, my son, no 16 said, hey, I still have my top from them and give it a spin once in a while. I didn't watch the sawstop demo as i've seen it, and hope I never set mine off. I was lucky, I was in the front row for the seminar, and agree that if you are not close up, you can't stay engaged as you can't see well. The audio kept breaking up and there was a bit of drown noise from the seminar next door. The setup isn't 'great' for these types of seminars. However I do know Raritan Center does have a really good presentation room. I've presented in it (not for woodworking) and it's AV is very good. I guess they can't put all of the seminars in there, and some of them would make a total mess of the room.

[Bruce Wrenn]

I'll tell you, the young lady working the booth looked pretty bored.

Which was she, pretty or bored? Just to good to pass up!

[Justin Rapp]

Which was she, pretty or bored? Just to good to pass up!

She was bored. Everyone is pretty to someone, so my taste may not be yours or someone elses. So I will refrain from that discussion.

[Craig Shipman]

I just drove 3 hours to the Columbus show and it was a waste of time. The shows that used to be in Detroit were huge, at least 10 times larger (or so they seemed). The one in Columbus was at the Ohio Exhibition Center which is where the State Fair is held and is huge. The building listed on the web site was not the correct building. There were no clear markings or directions and it has hard to determine which building the show was in. I don't understand why there were so few venders. Has competition from the internet cut into the amount of business conducted at the shows? I hope/wish the one in Detroit comes back in its old glory.

[al ladd]

Frank, you're familiar with this show? Does it draw a crowd? Do you know if this is it's first year back after COVID?

I have two woodworking products I'm looking to sell (a small power feeder, and a high end cross-cut sled for table saws) and this looks like it might be a good low-key venue for getting them in front of woodworkers eyes live for the first time. I also have my own woodcrafts, my full time livelihood for many years, I could show for sale too. Thanks!

Great show in Saratoga Springs NY coming up in March.

https://woodworker.org/about-showcase/
Northeastern Woodworkers Association’s
Annual Fine Woodworking Show

SHOWCASE

Featuring the Fine Craftsmanship of Regional Amateur and Professional Woodworkers

March 25 & 26, 2023
10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Saratoga Springs City Center
Saratoga Springs, NY

Advance tickets on sale starting
January 1, 2023

________________
Lodging for Showcase

The Saratoga Hilton has special room rates for NWA Showcase & Totally Turning. Rooms go fast so make your reservation early.

[Carroll Courtney]

I always like Peach Tree booth for miscellaneous items

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Warren, WMS in Toronto is odd years only, you’re going to have to go to Quebec in even years.

SIBO is in Drummondville Oct 24-26 2024

Regards, Rod

[Justin Rapp]

I always like Peach Tree booth for miscellaneous items

I did also, but they don't show up now. Prior to Covid, 2019, they missed the show-ring. I remember seeing a message that they were not going to make the show because one of the key people had a health condition, or something to this matter. It's a shame because they always looked like one of the most busy vendors at the show.

[jack duren]

Seems to have found its way back to KC..

[Justin Rapp]

I just drove 3 hours to the Columbus show and it was a waste of time. The shows that used to be in Detroit were huge, at least 10 times larger (or so they seemed). The one in Columbus was at the Ohio Exhibition Center which is where the State Fair is held and is huge. The building listed on the web site was not the correct building. There were no clear markings or directions and it has hard to determine which building the show was in. I don't understand why there were so few venders. Has competition from the internet cut into the amount of business conducted at the shows? I hope/wish the one in Detroit comes back in its old glory.

The show was back last year after covid, and it was definitely smaller. The one I went to in January right before Covid was pretty decent comparatively, even without Peachtree making the show. However Lee Valley was there and had a fantastic setup and 'try before you buy' workbench. There was also a few vendors there selling power hand tools (Makita, Dewalt, etc) But 2023 show, at least in NJ, Lee Valley was still a no show, as was of course Peachtree and a few others. The machinery companies don't even show anymore except sawstop. I remember buying my jet floor drill press, and it was available for pick-up that day in the parking lot where it was loaded from a trailer right into my vehicle, in it's original create, not the floor sample.

I really suspect the internet sales did have some affect on vendor attendance, but I suspect it is also the cost to pay for the booth, travel costs and labor to man the booth. I don't think it is cost effective for the larger companies like Rockler or Woodcraft to show in 'mass' with a lot of stock to see, because they'd send a local store and anyone local enough to the show can just go to the store all year long.

I do think the show is making an attempt to rebound as this year they brought in Tommy MacDonald (from Rough Cut) as a voice for the show and as an instructor. It might not help bring in the vendors to show this year, but if they boost the attendance based on the education/classes, the show can make a business case to vendors for next year. It is all a pure cost-benefit analysis for the companies. For example, last year, Woodpeckers booth was mobbed and looked like they were selling a ton. Especially considering buying at the show cut the cost of their crazy high shipping prices. For Woodpecker, it's a benefit for them to have less competition at the show.

It also helps if you spend some funds at the show to bring back the vendors. If they don't see any profit in attending, they won't show up. Last year I gave Ridge Carbide my support and bought 3 blades, as well as grabbing some lumber from one of the wood suppliers.

Regardless, my son gets extra credit in his wood-working class at school for showing up to the woodworking show so I need to go either way

[Mike Congiusti]

I would like to do the IWF/AWF type show again sometime as there's a lot more to see and learn, even from things I'd never buy nor use. But the small shows? Not really of interest anymore other than maybe to tag along with a friend or three for the conversation/camaraderie.

I just checked this out. It does not seem to be opened to the public. You need to be in the trade as it asks for company name. Any way how to get around it? I live 4 hours away and would love to see this one time, even tough most of the equipment is beyond my pay grade. LOL

[Justin Rapp]

I just checked this out. It does not seem to be opened to the public. You need to be in the trade as it asks for company name. Any way how to get around it? I live 4 hours away and would love to see this one time, even tough most of the equipment is beyond my pay grade. LOL

On the IWF web page it says it's not open to the public, but open to serious woodworking enthusiasts. On the registration page, company was not a required field from what it looks like. I would suspect if you registered, they wouldn't deny you entrance.



Is IWF open to the public?


No. IWF is open only to industry trade, professionals, and serious woodworking enthusiasts.

[George Yetka]

Always worth a visit but post covid they are smaller. I went to last years in Secaucus. Its back to Edison in NJ so I will go again this year. Always ends up being on my birthday so thats what I get.

[Justin Rapp]

Always worth a visit but post covid they are smaller. I went to last years in Secaucus. Its back to Edison in NJ so I will go again this year. Always ends up being on my birthday so thats what I get.

Last year was Edison also Secaucus was the one just before covid i thought. That ride sucks from down our way. I am going to try and go on Friday to avoid the small crowd if I can.

[Pat Germain]

She was bored. Everyone is pretty to someone, so my taste may not be yours or someone elses. So I will refrain from that discussion.

I used to work with a young woman, "Deidra", who was very cute and very bubbly. She really liked talking to me and always asked me to tell her about growing up in the 1970s. I would tell her something and she would say, "No way!". Every year the company had a booth at the local Space Symposium and, not surprisingly, every year they put Deidra in the booth. Years after I left the company, people would tell me they went to the Space Symposium. When I asked how it was, again and again, guys would say, "It was OK, but I met a REALLY cute woman at one of the booths!".

To this I would say, "Let me guess. You met Deidra?"

"Yeah, how did you know?". Guys are so predictable.

As for woodworking shows, I attended a few in Virginia many years ago. One thing I found funny was there was always a large crowd around the Shopsmith demo. It was typically a bunch of retired guys looking on and nodding. When I talked with those guys, they all wanted a Shopsmith, but they didn't want to buy one from Shopsmith. They said they were going to wait until some old guy nearby died and his wife listed his Shopsmith for pennies on the dollar. Kinda macabre. I always wondered if this actually worked, but I was never interested in a Shopsmith. Seemed to me those things were great if I was making bird houses, but not much else. To each his own.