Any of you get to the Lie-Neilsen Chicago event?

[Jerry Olexa]

Went yesterday,,Good to see/feel/use some of those great tools....Very helpful staff..Learned much..My tool fund took a hit!!
Any one go and what were your impressions, results, etc?

[Michael L. Martin]

I was in attendance late yesterday morning. Same as you.... I enjoyed looking, picking up and admiring the tools. I have a plane, a Titemark, and some accessories on the way. The staff was attentive and very helpful....... and patient.

It is always good to see Jeff Miller and listen as he instructs those gathered around him. I would liked to have taken some of his classes as he appears to be an excellent teacher.

Period furniture and infill planes are nice to look at, but I do wish there were more presenters/exhibitors there that the "common" woodworker could relate to. My opinion of course, since I consider myself in that category. And there appeared to be a few folks there that were new to the hobby. To me there would be more interest for those type of exhibitors.

All in all an enjoyable time.

[Paul Sidener]

I made it there yesterday as well. I liked it better when it was at Jeff Miller's shop. I like Chicago School of Woodworking. With all that room, I don't see why they insist squeezing into the small room in the back.
I like seeing a shop where a person produces stuff, as opposed to a school environment. And no it didn't keep me from spending money, from the wife don't know I got it fund.

[Jerry Olexa]

Somewhere i read " the only difference between a man and a boy is the price of his toys"....
I'm guilty too...

[Jerry Olexa]

Agree it was a bit cramped in that back room...There was lots of space available (I think)in the main area...

[Rob Luter]

I went to an event in Cincinnati a couple years ago. It was quite an experience. Kind of expensive too, but in a good way

[Mike Brady]

Yup, went today. Agree with the others that Jeff's shop had a somewhat better atmosphere, but the school is easier to get to and park. The space at the school is too small, but the larger spaces have big equipment that would have to be relocated to house the event.

I will throw this thought out there....the hand tool events have not been anywhere near as well done since Deneb quit participating in them. I'm sure he was got burned out on the every-weekend pace, and probably has a bigger role in the company now. I also don't know why they quit having stock to sell at the events. I find these events to now be geared mostly to new customers. Formerly, most of the attendees would leave with multiple boxes of stuff, but in recent years there has been very limited new product availability for the "legacy" customers.

It needs to be added that it was great to see Jeff Miller and many other good friends there.

[Mark Fisher]

I also went. When I went it was very very crowded. There wasn't enough room or Lie Neilsen folks. There was exactly one think I wanted to try out and they did not bring it (but there was an empty space on the rack). It is a great event where you get to play with tools that you wouldn't get to otherwise, but the one in Chicago needs a bit of help. I really, really want one of those Lazarus planes though. Beautiful and wonderful to use.

[Michael L. Martin]

There's no doubt that Deneb was a big part of any LN presentation. Remember back in the "old" days when Deneb and Lie Nielsen were exhibitors in the Wood Working Shows in Villa Park? Back when it was a real woodworking show. But it seems the staff from this weekend were good guys trying to answer everyone's questions. Maybe.... a case of doing what they can with what they have.

To me not having the stock there at the event goes both ways. It's always a nice feeling to carry home those boxes from the event, but it's also worth the wait of a few days for the perk of free shipping. IIRC, when they did have tools there the city/county got their unfair share too. Correct me if I'm wrong about that.

[Mike Brady]

They did charge all local taxes, which have recently approached 10% in Chicago, if you took the item with you. In spite of that, a lot of tools went home with attendees. I agree that the staff did the best they could in cramped quarters.

Chicago has a hard time supporting woodworking shows; for reasons that totally escape me. Both Indianapolis and Milwaukee have very well-attended shows, but Chicago can't make it happen. It's not that there aren't woodworkers here, so it must be the cost of securing a venue at a feasible cost. Finding that ideal venue is tough too. Take a look at what LN does in the Cincinnati market: they have the event in a brew-pub, and Chris Schwarz commented that he thinks it is maybe their busiest show anywhere.

[Jerry Olexa]

Difficult to do anything in Chicago without the associated high costs,,,Taxes big part of that....I cannot blame LN...They did the best under the circumstances..
I loved seeing, feeling, using these great tools but it was busy and CRAMPED!!!

[Bill McDermott]

I've been to a few of these and always enjoy how you can start a conversation with a perfect stranger on something as esoteric as a back bevel on a number 4 with a standard frog. This year, I wanted to feel what it was like to actually use a #2. I was also curious about the school. Wow! That's an enormous facility. The gracious proprietors who hosted the event have boldly invested in teaching the craft on a grand scale. I took my 20 year old nephew, who has a modest interest in woodwork. He said "This really expanded my horizons". So, I have to say kudos to all involved in making it happen. It's all good in my opinion. Lazarus planes are just absolutely cool. I test drove a couple and drooled on all of them. Mateo was generous to bring his kit all the way to Chicago. Having his boutique hotrods in the room raised the bar for the event. Jeff is a Chicago Furniture Making Celebrity - and a real gent. Generous of him to lean in. I agree that it is inexplicable how relatively little enthusiasm there is for an event like this in a metro area as enormous as my sweet home Chicago. I'm not sure why or what to do about that. If only our kindred spirits who spent the day in their workshops had known.... Bonus: my nephew and I stopped a few blocks away and I finally ate at SuperDawg after driving past it my whole life. A satisfying finish to a satisfying day.

[Jeff Heath]

I used to go every year just to see Jeff. I took his chair building class 20 years ago (approx.) and have stayed in touch over the years. He's an excellent teacher, if anyone is on the shelf. Also one helluva guy.

I was disappointed to see that it wasn't at his shop anymore, and decided to spare myself the 90 minute drive from the far northwest suburbs-Crystal Lake. Chicago is a joke to get around and park.....I grew up there back in the 60's.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I wish I could go to an event, but for me it means a $1000 plane ticket. Wifey promises we are going to go to Maine one day, but every year it doesn't fall into the schedule.

Please, without sidetracking the thread, did they bring the plow plane prototype, and did they mention a release date?

[Mike Brady]

They aren't showing the plow plane prototype any longer, at least not at the Hand Tool Events. The plane didn't materialize during the period when they were showing it, so you will have to decide what not showing it might mean. I don't ask any more.