My first woodworking show rant...am I getting too old?

[glenn bradley]

My only experience with WWing shows is "the Woodworking Shows" get togethers. There was some element of feeding frenzy but it was the minority. You may want to see if they come to your area.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I got you beat by a mile.

I just bought a machine that grows the trees, cuts 'em saws, 'em stacks & drys the wood, decides what projects I'll make and then does it all for me.

I almost bought the better model that also opens and drinks my beers but, I felt that to be a tad much.

[Nathan Conner]

I just bought a machine that grows the trees, cuts 'em saws, 'em stacks & drys the wood, decides what projects I'll make and then does it all for me.

You know, Cliff, I saw the demo of that one, but they said that next year's model will be available in an anodized-blue model, and I think it'll be more efficient, so I'm going to wait until that one comes out.

Or maybe I'll buy this one and then pick up the blue one next year so I can have a pair.

Did you get the one with the extruded aluminum handles? Or the stainless ones?

[Rod Sheridan]

You know, Cliff, I saw the demo of that one, but they said that next year's model will be available in an anodized-blue model, and I think it'll be more efficient, so I'm going to wait until that one comes out.

Or maybe I'll buy this one and then pick up the blue one next year so I can have a pair.

Did you get the one with the extruded aluminum handles? Or the stainless ones?

In Canada we have the more advanced model, once it's halfway through the project, it starts nagging you about why it's taking so long and costing so much.

Regards, Rod.

[Rick Levine]

Nathan,

An excellent review. Well written and informative. You should submit it to one of the woodworking magazines. You definitely have a knack for writing. Maybe if some of the show promoters read it, it might do some good.

[Bob Glenn]

I don't go to shows, but I share your thoughts. I opened a woodworking magazine the other day a saw an ad for some sort of gizmo that does carving.

I didn't give it much attention, but I got the impression you did your carving on a computer and then saved it to this little card, then put the card in the machine and then the machine carved the design in the wood?

What the hell is that? It isn't woodworking in my book.

[Roy Hatch]

Nathan, I really enjoyed reading your rant. My observation is that you are a woodworker and not a tool collector. (And a pretty good writer.) Tool shows rely on the impulse buyer (and there plenty of them) to make it worth having the show. If those in attendance bought only what they actually needed, the shows would cease to exist.

When I first became interested in woodworking as a hobby I went to shows, looked, asked questions, and I have to admit that I bought a few things that I didn't need. Older and wiser, the shows have little to interest me.

Roy

[Ed Blough]

I think your description of the woodworking tool show is valid.
I think it also reflects much of America's buying public. My dad always said they had more money than brains.

I see people paying outlandish prices for cars, houses, tools etc and wonder what are they thinking. Then I go to one of these shows and watch the pitch men work their magic and I soon realize they weren't thinking they were reacting to an emotional stimulant.

There is a new sanding tool I saw that basically is an 18-20" drum sander in a box where the side of whole drum slightly protrudes from the box. You lay your wood on the top and slide it over the drum.
They want $700+ for the thing. It can't have much more than a hundred dollars in parts in it yet people are buying. Why not lay a piece of sandpaper on the your workbench and lay your work on top of it and slide it back and forth. It would do the same thing.

I guess I shouldn't wonder I saw a BBQ brush that has a motor to move the brush back and forth so you don't have to do anything but hold it to clean your BBQ.

I will bet the same people that buy the brush also belong to a fitness club where they pay to move their arms back and forth.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

My feelings are that there are two types of Woodworker:

Those to whom it is a VOCATION. Being that it's their livelyhood, they are looking for the most efficient way of making something good, while being able to compete. The problem is that there is a LOT of SIZZLE but not much SUBSTANCE at these shows, In most cases, they seem directed towards the neophite.

Those to whom it is an Advocation. The adventure of creating something worthwhile is more important than the sale. The BIG Regional Shows do not cater to us, at all.

Each year they seem to get worse. If, when I go to the Carlinville, Il show this year, it's not any better, it will be the last time I waste my time and gas to attend.

Bruce

[Steve Beadle]

Thanks, Nathan, for making me feel better this Monday-following-the-annual-woodworking-show. I was kind of kicking myself because I had the weekend marked on my calendar for quite a while and then I decided not to go. I decided not to go because down in my heart I just knew it would be a big disappointment after quite a bit of hassle--driving the freeway in the rain, paying for the parking, hobbling through the rain to the building, waiting in line (maybe) to buy a ticket, not being able to hear either the hawkers or the workshop leaders, not be able to see the demonstrations because of the crowds (maybe), feeling the sales pressure, putting up with a lot of negatives and paying for the privilege, etc., etc., etc.

I agree that the WW Show is too much of a sideshow atmosphere, and falls way short of appealing to the soul of the woodworker. Even so, I usually end up going to the show about 75% of the time, but that likelihood is diminishing.
I suppose that if everyone felt that way, before long there wouldn't be a woodworking show anymore--and I'm not sure how I feel about that!

Steve in Oregon City

[Ken Shoemaker]

Nathan,
You are my HERO!!! I'd rather read your next post than go to another time waster by Woodworking Shows.

And there you have it, my unsolicited contribution to the mob mentality... Ken

[Rob Bodenschatz]

I'm not gonna pile on here. I like going to the shows. I don't buy much. In fact, I don't think I've bought anything in the three I've gone to. Check that, I bought some kind of super glue at one. I do like looking at the tools, even the gimmicky gadgets. They give me ideas. I like handling the LN & LV stuff. I like watching the presentations, even the sales ones. I always learn something. I like going by myself so I don't feel pressured to leave. I'll walk around the place several times just in case I missed something the first time around.

Sorry you didn't like it but don't feel sad for me.

[Jim Becker]

Woodshows are kind of like woodworking magazines, after a while you don't need another article on how to use your biscuit maker, or why you should own a jointer, you want more quality articles, designs and reviews.

I tend to agree with this statement, particularly with regard to the "consumer" woodworking shows. I'll go if there is a particular exhibitor going to be there that I really need to speak with, but I'd much rather go to the "industrial" woodworking shows at this point and visit with a few vendors I enjoy both as suppliers and "friends" as well as get a chance to see what some of the "big boys" are using these days.

Nathan, thanks for your excellent synopsis of the show you recently attended. Very thought provoking!

[Greg Peterson]

Nathan, I went to last years show. While I somewhat enjoyed it, I feel safe in saying I don't need to go to another. I didn't buy anything at that show, not even a little gadget or two. Nada.

You pretty much summed up the experience. I was underwhelmed and disappointed in the chaotic consumerism. Not a lot of craft going on, IMO.

It was like a walking through living version of any woodworking magazine on the market today. Busy, brash, loud, countless interruptions and very little substance.

'Course, it could also be that I'm not big on crowds to begin with.

[Pete Brown]

I'm also 35, but have a different perspective on this. In generaly, the atmosphere you described seems pretty common across various industries.

I have far more hobbies than time. One of those hobbies is model railroading. If you go to those shows, you don't get quite as much hard sell, but you get twice as much junk and three times as many people soaking it all up. The busiest tables are the ones with just piles and bins of junky tools. I am in the software industry, so I also go to conventions that have vendor shows in them. The vendors there are often selling things you don't personally need (or could build in a short amount of time), but that perhaps someone else does need.

Of course, that all beats the machine show I went to in York a few years ago. I went there to see some of the CNC setups people had and what folks were doing with Sherlines and the like. What I got was a bunch of rude and unwashed people (don't people shower before they go out anymore?) both cutting in front and cutting lots of other things <g>.

That all being said, I still enjoy woodworking shows (and train shows). In some cases, it's my only chance to see the machines in person. It's one day a year, and it's like a carnival or local fair. You don't need to eat all the popcorn or stop and look at every gutter guard on display. You can enjoy the sounds of the machines (if you like machines) and also look and pick up techniques or maybe an odd tool.

Those $15 bits? probably no worse than the crapola sold at the local lowes/home depot. I won't buy them, but someone turns over the stock at all my local stores.

One other thing. My wife and I are best friends and we enjoy doing lots of things together. However, I can't have her at a train show or a woodworking show. The experience is totally different, even though she tries her best to enjoy it. You need to have time to walk around the place a few times, and stop and listen to a demo (if you want), or inspect something for 10 minutes. When my wife is with me, even though she is being patient, I feel rushed. I'm also a lot more critical (not in the best way) of what I see and hear in there when she's with me. Perhaps a little of that rubbed off on you this time?

Oh, and I think I have that miter sled you're talking about (it really does eliminate test cuts, which is a huge deal when you're building a whole kitchen for your house)

Pete