In article , Jim wrote:
Completely new direction... just responding to the subject.

Did anyone else think this show was worthwhile? It was a fairly small show
with what appeared to be light attendance. However, every one of the
vendors and demonstrators were extremely informative and took the time to
offer advice.

[snip]

*Very* worthwhile. SWMBO and I took #2 son Allen (age 12) along. He griped and
moaned about it beforehand, but within fifteen minutes of getting there, he
had spotted Don Weber's booth, and was fascinated watching Don turn firewood
into chair spindles (frankly, so were we). Don sat him down on the shaving
horse, handed him a drawknife (I'm sure it helped that Allen was wearing a
shirt with the Boy Scouts logo), and showed him how to smooth and square a
walnut billet in preparation for turning. Allen spent the next _four_hours_
playing apprentice and assistant to Don, learning about working with green
wood and how to use a treadle lathe, and just generally seeing first-hand, in
a way that I could never have explained to him, that fine results can be
achieved with primitive tools.

That was worth the price of admission right there.

SWMBO got some hands-on instruction in lathe techniques from Don, too, things
that I had tried unsuccessfully to show her previously. Don's an excellent
teacher, much better than I am. And we both learned a lot about working green
wood.

I got to see and touch Woodline's router bits, finally settling for myself a
question that I had raised here a few months ago about their quality. The few
responses that I received, and the comments I found with a Google search, fell
into two distinct groups: (1) they're good middle-of-the road bits, and (2)
they're absolute stinking garbage not worth the powder to blow them to hell.

My conclusion, based on visual and tactile examination (but, I admit, no
actual use): they aren't absolute stinking garbage, but they aren't good
middle-of-the-road bits either.

+ On the Woodline 1/2" flush trimming bit, there is a visible difference in
diameter between the cutter and the guide bearing.

+ Someone on the wreck had claimed, a couple years back, that Rockler's bits
are made by Woodline; other than the fact that both brands are painted blue, I
saw no evidence to support that claim. Woodline bits are made in China; every
Rockler bit in my shop was made in Taiwan.

+ The Woodline bits are noticeably less smooth and less sharp than Rockler,
Woodcraft, Freud, or Amana bits, and don't even begin to compare to Whiteside.

I didn't buy any.

I did buy a dado set at the Ridge Carbide booth, after seeing that it makes
cuts just as smooth as a Forrest Dado King -- and with a flatter bottom -- for
almost a hundred dollars less. The Forrest dado set leaves tiny but still
noticeable "wings" at the bottom corners, but the "wings" left by the Ridge
Carbide set are nearly invisible. I also bought Ridge's special-purpose blade
for cutting dados for undersized 1/4" plywood (actually 5.7 mm); I have a lot
of drawers to make soon, and this will sure beat the daylights out of making
multiple passes with a 1/8" router bit. Got that *and* the dado set for almost
fifty bucks less than it would have cost for the Forrest dado set alone.

Once I actually use these guys, I'll post reviews.

I was very impressed with the cut quality of Ridge's table saw blade, too. It
looks every bit the equal of the Forrest WWII, at a significantly lower price.
Probably would have bought one, if I didn't already have a WWII. I bought the
WWII at the Indy woodworking show in January two years ago, but if Ridge had
been exhibiting there, and I'd been able to compare the blades and the prices
then, I think I would have bought the Ridge instead.

I was disappointed by the near-total absence of "big iron", Wood-Mizer being
an obvious front-and-center exception.

It was nice to see a *lot* more hand tools, and more woodturning equipment,
supplies, and demos than the January show (the one sponsored by Wood Magazine)
typically has. Didn't buy anything in that area, but came away with ideas...

All in all, I think it's a good adjunct to the larger January show. I'm glad
to have both of them here. I hope this one comes back next year.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)