Woodworking shows

By Ken Schulte

Ever been to a woodworking show?  Is it worth it?  My first show I had to drive about 2 hours to get to.  I paid my $9 at the door with low expectations.  I was really amazed to see a big crowd outside the door waiting for the show to open up.  Inside I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of vendors present representing the major tool manufacturers.  If you�re looking for something specific, you can usually get a decent discount at the show. This usually makes going there worth it.  You will at least save on shipping charges if you�re buying a new toy.  The big problem is, the dealers selling have demonstrations to give.  The demonstrations compel you to buy that indispensable tool you did not know you needed.  They do a nice job, since their ultimate goal is to sell the product.   I just made sure the following year I brought a list and made a resolution not to make any impulse purchases.

Another thing I noticed at my local show was that you can buy just about any brand name that you are looking for.  Some vendors simply take an order if your item is a big tool and some let you take it home right now.  There are sellers that you think are the
manufacture, but really are just companies selling tools.  I went to buy a Porter Cable
Router and assumed it was directly from PC, it was not.  That was ok, just a mental note.

One of the best reasons to go to the show is to see what�s new in the industry.  Its one
thing to read about it, but it is much better to see it in action.  Seeing something in action and having the ability to ask questions, is terrific.  A lot of the woodworking shows also have some mini classes that show you some specific technique.  If you want to learn some new techniques or dive into an area that you are not real comfortable with, these can have tremendous benefit.  The shows usually employ a well known craftsman to teach these techniques.  So again, being able to ask questions and see it in person is valuable.

All in all, these shows are awesome and have a lot of new tools and lectures from the
leaders in the industry.  You can attend mini courses and learn a lot about woodworking
as well as spend your entire day at a woodworking show.  If you want to find out where the next local show is in your area, simply type in woodworking shows into google, it will give you the latest information.

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