Canadian Woodworker
I'm not going to lie to you, I like working with wood. I like it a lot. I like it more than I like snowboarding, which is saying something, but not quite as much as I love photography.
This last weekend, I managed to indulge two of my favorite yearnings. Friday night I went to Warren Miller's: Off the Grid, and on Sunday I went to the Wood and Tool Show.
Warren Miller's film was pretty much up to expectations. The cinematography was top notch, the terrain was spectacular, and the abilities of the professional skiers and snowboarders were unquestionable. The film showed some amazing powder, and made me yearn to get out on the mountain. It was rather disappointing to go outside to bare ground and above zero temperatures.
The Wood and Tool show was too good for my own good. Hall C of the Roundup center was roped off and filled with wood nuts. Every vendor who was somebody was there, and they were all hawking their wares. The Calgary Wood turners had a 'turn off', where two of their members competed in making a top . The winner took a blank stock and turned it into a rough stock in under two minutes. It was quite the sight.
A great deal of representation was put into routers and their bits, as well as the great joinery you can make with it. One of the vendors was showing how to make a very elaborate form of a dovetail joint using only one hand, while drinking a Coca-cola with the other. I was interested in the demonstration, but not in the jig, as I don't have a router (If you are thinking about Christmas: Plunge router, 10+ amps, 2+ hp, 1/2 inch collets, the on/off switch on one of the handles, variable-speed, thanks).
A hole that I no longer have in my wood working arsenal is that used by wood turners. I knew it was going to happen since my brother gave me my dad's old skews, gouges and scrapers. I was hoping to buy one a couple weeks ago, that was until I found out that some lathes come with a turnable headstock feature that allows you to spin larger projects without having to drop a couple grand for a stand up lathe. I went back to the research.
I figured I wanted either a General International, or a King Canada lathe. Since the turning course I took at Lee Valley used the Generals, I knew it to be a good reliable brand. As it turns out the General people just released the newest version of their Maxi lathe (Bench-top model) with a variable speed turning headstock. When I found out about it, most retails I talked to said they hoped to have it by the time of the Wood and Tool Show.
Along came the show, and I was eager as can be towards finding this lathe. As I wandered about show I found that both House of Tools and The Black Forest Wood Company had the lathe that I wanted, and both for about twice the price I was expecting. I did manage to dicker the House of Tools guy down quite a bit, but his delivery date was three weeks out. So, I took that price back to the Black Forest (because I like them better anyway) and he matched it with delivery this week.
Now, I'm waiting like a child waits for Christmas until my new lathe arrives and I can chew through some junk stock to practice up on my abilities.
