and was wondering if the show would be worthwhile to attend for the average weekend woodworker. I live in Atlanta, so getting to the show wouldn't be a major endeavor, but it looks like a lot of the exhibitors are geared towards the big shops and professional woodworkers and didn't want to waste the trip on MARTA if I was going to be way out of my element there, although it would be nice to get a woodorker show fix to last until next February. I saw a post from 2002 about IWF 2002 when I DAGS, but didn't really give much more info.
There are plenty of hobbyists at the IWF. I probably won't make this one, to my regret, but the last 2 I attended had a really good mix. There is a preponderance of heavy duty machinery, of course, but all the big guns in the hobby and small woodshop fields are there, too...you'll find Lee Valley and Lie-Nielsen and Delta and Powermatic and Grizzly and a host of others. You'll also find smaller booths in various areas with things you might not have come across at any other woodworking show, such as states touting their hardwoods, the APA handing out literature on plywood, a ton of free magazines (mostly trade stuff, but mostly interesting, too). None of that is there for the hobbyist, specifically, but it IS there, and can be milked for information. Wish I hadn't packed my last book of attendees. Huge thing. You'll find most of the major hobby woodworking magazines there, as well as the trades.
Go. Especially if you're in Atlanta. What with moving and a few other things this year, I won't be able to afford either time or cash--those hundred buck a night hotel rooms are killers, as are meals in places I like to eat. But for a citizen of Atlanta,...I'd say it's a Do NOT Miss!
Charlie Self "If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin." Charles Darwin
I agree.....if you can attend it is well worth the time and effort. Lots of big boy tools that are amazing and take more floor space than my house. But alot of others that will feed your appetite for woodworking and machinery.
Rob, this show is something any woodworker should see if they have a chance. I went to the show in 2002 on Saturday, wanting to see it all. Wrong..............it is truly a 2 day minimum show, but 3 or 4 days to really enjoy seeing machinery that you never dreamed of. The Congress Center is packed with every type of woodworking tool imaginable.
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