Gearing Up for the Woodworking in America Conference

I'm really getting excited about the upcoming Woodworking in America Hand Tools & Techniques Conference in Berea, KY, that's being put on by Popular Woodworking and Woodworking Magazine. More than anything, I’m looking forward to it being an unadulterated, woodworking-overdose geekfest! With the caliber of the presenters, there is no surprise that the event is completely sold out. Even all the hotels in the area are booked solid.

Since I'm lucky enough to be able to attend, I would love to know what you would like me to report on there. I'm trying to finagle a laptop and a camcorder so I can post directly from the event and record some video of the presentations and chats with presenters or attendees. I hope to meet with lots of the toolmakers (Lie-Nielsen, Hock, Robin Lee and even Sauer & Steiner – the guys who make planes that cost $1,900 and up!) to find out what new stuff they're working on. And I hope to schmooze with the presenters, so if you have any specific questions for any of them, please let me know and I'll do my best to ask them. There are going to be some other woodworking bloggers there also, and I hope to get to know them a bit and find out their take on woodworking on the Interwebs.

Here are just a few of the sessions I’m going to attend:

Dovetailing -- pins vs. tails with Roy Underhill and Frank Klausz
Advanced dovetailing with Frank Klausz
Understanding western saws with Christopher Schwarz
Wooden plane technology with Underhill and Larry Williams
Setting up a hand tool shop with Adam Cherubini
Understanding wood for chairmaking with Brian Boggs
Furniture design with John Economaki and Kevin Glen Drake

I've never been to Berea, KY, but I'm planning to go up a day before the conference to look around. If possible, I'm going to meet with some of the amazing woodworkers there and write some posts about them. I hope to pay a visit to the nearby Pleasant Hill Shaker Village as well.

Stay tuned! And please send questions and comments.