Tuesday, June 2, 2009

See You In St. Charles

Join me at the Woodworking In America Conference August 14-16! It will be too hot to do yard work anyhow, and unless your shop has AC, it will be too uncomfortable for woodworking.

Plus the resort* has both indoor and outdoor pools. And I hear that Marc Spagnuolo and Matt Vanderlist wear speedos.**

Interactive workshops and Q&A sessions on Early American, 18th century, Arts & Crafts, Shaker, and Contemporary furniture will help you learn new techniques and discover the details that make each style unique.

Unleash your creative energy by learning how pieces were made, how to successfully include combinations of mouldings, carving, and inlay, and understand proportions to make an aesthetically appealing product.

Learn methods to recreate Greene & Greene furniture, how to design with wood grain, and how the popular software program Sketch-Up can help you through the design process.

Q & A sessions with expert woodworkers will offer an informal chance to have all your questions about joinery, finishes, and ornamental details answered.

Check out the schedule here. Read about the impressive line up of presenters here. And view the list of exhibitors here.

Not only that, but the keynote speaker for the Saturday night dinner is Thomas Moser, who relied on historical influences to develop his own internationally known brand of furniture.

The Saturday dinner, the Marketplace, and the in-between seminar times are excellent opportunities to meet other woodworkers, make friends, and speak directly with presenters and exhibitors. If it's anything like last year's conference, it will be the best, albeit exhausting (but I'm a wimp), 3 days you've had in a long time.

It's easy to copy a plan from a book, but making your own original piece based on the knowledge you acquire at the conference can be more personally rewarding.

See you there!

*The resort looks pretty sweet and a section has been blocked off for conference attendees to make the stay affordable.

**I'm aware that this is a potential deterrent.