On Friday, February 9, 2018 at 6:55:18 PM UTC-6, John Grossbohlin wrote:

Most years I go out to dinner with the professionals and it is a very
stimulating experience. The degree to which they delve into woodworking goes
far beyond the techniques that most show goers seek when attending the
presentations. On a related note, at another organization's show, I recall
Mario Rodriguez saying that good design is the hard part... after than you
can always manage to put it together.

Note of interest and specific to my recent experience:
This was code for the joinery is the
easy part... yet the beginning to middling hobbyist woodworker often
struggles with the joinery and help with that is what folks seek at the show presentations.

A few years ago I mentioned, here, I needed more learning and experience with making different joints. In making the latest cypress chairs, I researched for a good joint for the back legs & backrest frame attachment to the seat. I discovered the Maloof joint, so that's what I'm using.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/438361...in/photostream

I have 4, of the 5, chair frames done and discovered, last night on one chair, I cut the left back leg to fit the right side of the seat, and the right leg to fit the left side. Sometimes you feel like a nut.....

I blame this mistake to a number of facts, related to the salvaged lumber being used: 1) that each seat slab has a slightly different thickness, as does 2) each leg stock. I thought it best to cut all stock and fit to assembly, before carving the finish profiles on each element... slow going. All pieces are scattered about, so apparently I got the pieces and parts mixed up, at least for this chair's mistake.

In doing some preliminary carving, a few days ago, I stabbed myself in the wrist with a carving tool, requiring one stitch and a tetanus shot..... my (personal) most serious accident, ever, in the wood shop. Alls well, now.

Yep, it's nice to have the opportunity or make time to hobnob with the pros, as you describe.

Sonny