It’s showtime

I haven’t been to a regional woodworking show in years, but that changes in two weeks.

Last time, I mentioned how much I used to enjoy woodworking shows back in the day. While I’ve been invited to a number of single-manufacturer media events more recently, it’s been at least a decade since I’ve been to one of the shows. Huge hall, dozens of machines from the big players, interesting stuff from smaller manufacturers, the regional shows usually have a bit of everything.

Just for fun, I Googled around to see if there were any shows within a reasonable distance and discovered that both luck and timing was on my side: There’s one coming up this month, and it’s less than two hours away.

It’s the Wood Pro Expo that takes place at a big sports complex in Lancaster, Pa., on the 24th and 25th of this month. Needless to say, I plan to attend one of the days of the event.

Now, this is a regional show, so it won’t be anything like IWF with its 1,000-plus exhibitors, but there will be about 70. Not huge, but very similar to the regional shows I used to go to back in my Woodshop News days. Some of the big players will be there, like Blum, Osborne Wood Products, KCD Software, General Finishes, Rev-A-Shelf, and more. Looking at the exhibitor list, there are also some manufacturers I’m not that familiar with that I look forward to learning more about.

While fully operating tools large and small are always the big draw at shows of any size, there’s also an ambience that’s hard to describe. There are all the sounds and smells you’ll only find at a woodworking show. It’s being in a room with several hundred people who all have the same interests and background as you do. A wonderful feeling of camaraderie surrounds you.

I’ve really missed all that and can’t wait to experience it again.