NWA Showcase...

What a weekend !!!! This past was the annual Showcase for the Northeastern Woodworkers assoc. What a show !!! The displays were fantastic and the vendors were simply swimming with trade.New additions to the list were Lee Valley and The Craftsman gallery, purveyors of the Woodrat, to name a few. This was the best show in the last 5 years in my eyes. I have no idea what the gate was, but the place was packed !!! There was an air of excitement that could not be ignored. So many walking around and either viewing the displays of fine craftsmanship, or obtaining first hand knowledge from seminars or asking dealer reps questions on a one to one basis, a rarity in this area. Overall, I was sad to have to leave as this is the only type of show around without having to drive to Springfield Mass. And honestly, comparing reviews to attendees of both shows, the NWA, a volunteer group, takes the prize. Keep up the good work and congratulations on a fantastic show !!!

Glad to hear you enjoyed the show...

My sons and I had pieces on display and in competition. The boys also helped with the seminars that I co-presented on hand cut dovetails. Quite frankly, the second time we did the presentation it was better as my co-presenter and I tripped over each other Saturday but got the rhythm figured out for the Sunday presentation. The boys also spent a large part of both days working on hand cut dovetails at the Handtool Clinic workbench by the Toy Factory.

There is an article at

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with a photo of my son Jesse. The reporter had some minor errors in the article (e.g., 2006 instead of 2007) and spelled my last name wrong... pretty much on par with all of my prior press experiences. ;~)

My boys won a second place ribbon for the picture frames they made--as I posted in ABPW around Christmas. Garret Hack was one of the judges got a big kick out of them and gave them words of encouragement. They are already trying to figure out what to make for next year's show! What is particularly funny to me is that while they got a second place in their category all I mustered was an honorable mention ribbon in the category in which I entered my piece. They reminded me of that regularly over the two days. ;~) Beth Ireland and John Reed Fox were also judges.

It was a great show and it will take me a couple more days to recover!

I'll surely post my unabashed show reminders again next year!

John