So we’re getting ready for day 2 of the Woodexpo and day 1 was a great start. Everyone had a great time getting to know each other and picking brains about furniture. Glen Guarino gave a great talk about stacked laminations and their uses. There is some really gorgeous work, too. Here are a couple of overview pictures to give you a taste:

Ben Barrett is here representing Berkshire Veneer, and is a really nice guy. I’ll definitely be calling him. We also have some fascinating furniture in the open category, which we’re in the process of photographing with the makers. The student work is unbelievable, too.

Eli

The WoodExpo starts today at noon and I’m going to try to keep everyone updated with pictures and commentary. For Those that don’t know, the WoodExpo is a furniture show presented by Tom MacDonald (of Rough Cut: Woodworking with Tommy Mac on PBS) and hosted by the New England Home Show. This year, we’ve received about 17 “juried” entries and 20 student pieces. In addition to the work, we’ll be having demonstrations by the exhibitors, highlighting the techniques they used in building their pieces. Also, there will be lectures and demos by Glen Guarino, Phil Lowe (Furniture Institute of Massachusetts), Allan Breed (The Breed School), Steve Brown (North Bennet Street School), and others. I’ll post a schedule of events and topics later today, so you can plan a trip for particular demonstrations.

The Home show’s hours are 12-9 today and Friday, 10-9 on Saturday, and 10-6 on Sunday. It’s at the Seaport World Trade Center in the Seaport District of South Boston. Hopefully, I’ll see some of you there, and I’ll certainly be checking in with more info throughout the weekend.

Eli

I was planning to point to the endless debates about woodworking tools and techniques that we engage in on forums, casting them in the light of the D-K effect. With the implications a little less exact, I’m forced to make broader points. Regardless of interpretation, the experiments show that people generally aren’t so good at recognizing their own ability, or lack thereof. The simple conclusion, and one I support, is that we shouldn’t buy into all the hype. When someone claims to be next big thing, well maybe they are and maybe they aren’t. Despite the significant growth of woodworking communities online, context is still lacking. Though many users browse multiple forums, there is still a significant “us vs. them” mentality preventing thorough exploration. The “local” forum champion, wherever he/she may actually live, is held in the highest regard, while the challengers are scorned for using too many power tools, or not enough, or using plywood, etc. In a field still struggling to transcribe all the secrets of the masters, misinformation spreads much more quickly and convincingly through forums. The overwhelming size and scope of websites prevent oversight, while the flurry of new topics buries older queries before a quality source can be found (much less verified). Consequently, the knowledge of the forum “hero” is disseminated and digested by users, while the insight of the truly experienced never makes it to the board.

I seem to have gone a bit away from my intended direction, but I kind of like it. In summary, this should read like a wordy caveat to those woodworkers scanning all the forums out there for “the answer.” When it comes to the selecting a “voice of authority” to listen to, choose wisely.

Eli

edited to add links, thanks rw

I wanted to give you an update on the new show. We’ve been working ridiculously hard all summer and we’re just over half-way through filming this first season. The show will be airing on Public Television starting this October (check your local listings ;) ). GBH has put together the promotional “sizzle reel” (that’s an industry term…I think) to get everyone excited; I hope it works. It was cool for us to see, because it looks like a real TV show. Weird.

Eli