WIA 2011 Extracurricular Events



The Woodworking in America Conference expands beyond the walls of the Northern Kentucky Convention Center. Purchase these extra activities during registration for the full conference or marketplace admission.

FRIDAY NIGHT


"Through 17th-century Eyes" with Peter Follansbee

7:00 pm
Molly Malone's Irish Pub - $50/person

Price includes dinner, and the location is walking distance from the Northern Kentucky Convention Center
See the world of carved chests and chairs through the eyes of Peter Follansbee, who has spent his adult life immersed in period. Peter will unlock the patterns and proportions found in the work of the period and reveal its complexity and beauty.

"How to Save Woodworking – Five Views"- SOLD OUT- Seats may become available due to cancellations-  if you are interested in being on the wait list for this event, please e-mail woodworkinginamerica@fwmedia.com and include your name, phone number and list the title of this event.  We will call you if seats becomes available.

7:00 pm
Hofbrauhaus - $50/person
Price includes dinner.Please note that transportation is not included and you will be required to make your own arrangements. 
Our public schools have closed almost every shop class in every state. Professional cabinetshops are closing at an alarming rate because of overseas competition. The power tool business is shrinking and consolidating. And the overall woodworking demographic is getting older. Some people worry that all these worrisome trends will result in the serious decline of the craft. Can anything be done? We’ve found five people who have some insight into this problem and can offer up ideas and even solutions. Come find out what these leaders of the craft community have to say and be prepared to raise your own voice during a question-and-answer session after the meal.
Speakers include:
Robin Lee, Lee Valley Tools
Brian Boggs, the Boggs Collective
Chuck Bender, Acanthus Workshop
Adam Cherubini, Arts & Mysteries columnist
Chris Schwarz, former editor, Popular Woodworking Magazine

"JPEG Wars!"

10:00pm
Hofbrauhaus
Free to all WIA attendees
See some the work of your fellow woodworkers – and have your work seen! In this unique, beer-driven event, we are going to project images of the work of WIA attendees up on a giant screen and let the crowd offer praise, criticism, cheers or jeers. It’s your chance to see (anonymously) how your work stacks up against those of other woodworkers. Attendees will be asked to submit digital photos of some of their pieces in the months before WIA (five submitters will randomly receive a $100 gift certificate to ShopWoodworking.com). Then on Friday night, we’ll project all the images we receive up on a giant screen (no names will be used), and we’ll ask for lightning-paced feedback from the crowd. We’ll even have a design guru on hand who will declare one design as the winner of the entire night – and that woodworker will receive a very special high-end hand tool.

SATURDAY NIGHT

"Living on Handwork" with Ron Herman - SOLD OUT- Seats may become available due to cancellations-  if you are interested in being on the wait list for this event, please e-mail woodworkinginamerica@fwmedia.com and include your name, phone number and list the title of this event.  We will call you if seats becomes available.

7:00pm
Molly Malone’s Irish Pub - $50/person
Price includes dinner, and the location is walking distance from the Northern Kentucky Convention Center
Hear the life story of Housewright Ron Herman, who builds houses by hand and has managed to keep a successful joiners shop running in the modern age. Get a tour of his shop and see some of the works he has accomplished.

"Annual Meeting of the Roubo Society" - Roy Underhill & Don Williams

7:00pm
Metropolitan Club - $50/person
Please note this is a business casual private club so it is recommended that attendee's wear suitable attire. Button down shirts and khakis will suffice.
Roy Underhill and Don Williams host the second annual meeting of the Roubo Society. Don will give an update on how the translation of this 18th-century masterwork is progressing (it’s close!) and reveal some of the interesting gems of information he has unearthed, while Roy will offer his own personal view of the man Roubo.
 
 
 

Events During Marketplace Hours:


Hand Tool Olympics:
Anyone who walks through the marketplace is eligible to compete (and you need not be present to win) – and the Olympics are held the same hours the Marketplace is open, and staffed by volunteers from the Society of American Period Furniture Makers (SAPFM), led by Mike Siemsen of the Minnesota chapter of SAPFM and Mike Siemsen's School of Woodworking.

The Hand Tool Olympics consist of six events,where accuracy and speed counts in each:

1. One Meter Dash , Step away from your table saw and venture back into the 1800s. Each contestant is required to accurately rip a 36" piece of 1 x 12 stock using a handsaw.  We hope you practiced the pointers doled out in Popular Woodworking magazine's "Arts & Mysteries" column. This event is judged mainly on time, with points deducted for going way off the line. (A kinked saw will result in immediate disqualification.)

2. Shooting Sports , Use a jointer plane to straighten and square the edge created during the One Meter Dash. That's right , you have to do it completely by hand. Crazy. Judging, with a test bar of aluminum, a feeler gauge and an engineer's square is for straightness and accuracy.

3. Crosscut Extravaganza , Hold your finger straight to sight down the saw (or simply channel your inner square) to accurately crosscut a piece of 1 x 12 lumber. This event is judged mainly for time with points deducted for going way off the line. (A kinked saw will result in immediate disqualification.)

4. Brace Yourself For a Hole in One , Before the advent of electric and battery-powered drill/drivers, carpenters and woodworkers used a brace and auger bits to bore holes. The challenge: Bore a 3/4" hole in a plank, straight and square to surface of plank (no squares or other aids allowed). It's not as boring as you might think! Judged for speed. Points off any degrees out of square.

5. Pins First or Tails First , You make the call on which method you prefer; we'll track the numbers to see which is more popular. Either way, you have to complete a well-fit three-pin dovetail joint on a 1x4, using hand tools. Goodbye jig. Judging is subjective , but we know it when we see it. If the competition gets close, we may call in a jury.

6. Greco-Roman Tenons , Produce a 3"-long, 3/4"-thick tenon on the end of a piece of 2x4 stock. Your attempt has to fit into a provided test mortise. This event is judged for time and quality , with some latitude allowed if the tenon is a bit tight, as most are hand planed to final fit.
 
 
So be sure to check out the Hand Tool Olympics in the Marketplace-it will be a great time!
 

Also in the Marketplace:

When you are visiting the Marketplace-  you won't want to miss John Sindelar's Antique Tool Museum!  You can examine the incredible collection curated by John Sindelar. You can even bring in your antique tools and have them appraised.