Handworks - OMG!

I'd wanted to go to Handworks in Amana, Iowa before, but never made it.  Finally this was the year.  I just have to say, "WOW!!!"  This event exceeded my expectations by far.  At home I don't have many people to talk to about woodworking, hand tools, and everything related to my primary hobby.  But being with several hundred (or maybe a couple thousand?) like-minded people was fantastic.  My sincerest thanks to the entire Abraham family for putting this on.  I can't imagine how much time, work and planning it took to get this event together.

I apologize if I get people's names spelled incorrectly in what follows.  I won't mention (or even remember) every tool vendor at the show - there were just so many.

It was like a who's-who of the hand tool woodworking world.  When I first got there, Tom Lie-Nielsen was standing outside the Festhalle Barn and he was so easy to chat with.  I told him how appreciative I was that his company does what they do.

Tom Lie-Nielsen

Inside the barn were booths for many tool sellers, from the well known Lie-Neilsen and Lee Valley (selling new tools) to Pat Leach of Supertool (selling old tools).

Small part of the L-N booth

Down at the other end was Lee Valley.  In one corner was Jeff Miller, showing off his version of a contraption that hollows out bowl blanks.  Next to him was Benchcrafted, the company the Abraham family runs.  Roy was there signing posters.

Roy signing posters and hamming it up (as always)

Next to them was Lost Art Press, with Chris Schwarz, Megan Fitzpatrick and Kara Gephart Uhl.  Then there was Joel Moskowitz from Tools for Working Wood.  They had a prototype fold-away treadle lathe with them that was fun to play with.  Next to them, Matt Bickford had his beautiful molding planes.  Sharing a booth with him was chairmaker Andy Glenn.  What a nice guy - we chatted for quite a while.

In the center area was Don Williams from "The Barn on White Run".  Few people in the world know more about traditional finishing techniques.

Don Williams demonstrating a finishing technique

Beyond Don was Blum Tool, Ron Brese from Brese Planes, Isaac Smith from Blackburn Tool and more.  Along the front wall, Pat Leach of "The Superior Works" (Supertool website) had hundreds of old tools laid out.  He had even more tools outside - his less-desirable tools - on several tables going for cheaper prices.

Some of Pat Leach's tables outside the Festhalle

Past Pat's tables inside were Plate 11 (workbenches and related hardware) and the Florida School of Woodworking.

I could have stayed in the Festhalle barn all day.  Next I went over to the green-wood area, which comprised an open-air barn and a couple of tents.  I first stopped by a booth with Kelly Harris and chairmaker Pete Galbert.  Kelly had these sweet tapered tenon cutters that cut a maple tenon like it was butter.

A Kelly Harris tenon cutter

Next were the people from The Chairmaker's Toolbox.  Further down was John Switzer from Black Bear Forge.  I've had a couple of his holdfasts for a few years and they are fantastic.  "Sawyer Made" Windsor chairmakers had a booth.  I'm not certain (I asked, but don't recall the answer), but I think Dave Sawyer's son runs this.  Dave taught Curtis Buchanan a lot of what he knows.  Then there was a booth for Elia Bizzarri's place.  Elia learned from Curtis.  Elia wasn't there, but his partner Seth was.  They had a lot of chairmaking tools and supplies.  At the end was Willowglen Nursery, a place making baskets (and other things) from willow shoots - fascinating!

Around the corner was another vintage tool seller.  Then I get to the tents.  In the further tent was Sloyd Woodworking, who work with kids to teach skills - very cool.  HNT Gordon was there from Australia.  With them was a woman from Philadelphia who sells Gordon's stuff in the U.S.  Terry Gordon was very nice.  Turns out the "HNT" are his kids' first name initials.  In addition to his high-end planes, he had a couple of vises that were awesome!  One was a modern take on a pattern-maker's vise.  For only $1600.

Lazarus Planes were very cool and very well made.  There were a few leather goods sellers.  Blue Spruce was there.  Jennifer Bower had some beautiful engraved tools - I think she's the one who engraved some of Crucible Tools' lump hammers.

In the next tent was M&T Magazine.  Joshua and Mike were really gracious, spending time with everybody who wanted to chat with them.  Joshua's last name is the same as my mother's maiden name.  I had long wondered about this, but we figured out that we're (probably) not related.

Joshua and Mike from m&t

A few booths down was Jason Lonon, a toolmaker I'd not heard of.  He makes really nice adzes, drawknives and scorps, among other things.  I got to use a scorp for the first time ever and it was so sweet!

One of Jason's scorps

Day 1 ended with a beer at the Mill Stream brewery.

Outside the Mill Stream brewery a German group performed

Day 2 started with Roy Underhill's presentation.  He was very funny and interesting, as always.  Roy just loves the spotlight - he was made for the camera.

Roy giving his keynote address

After Roy's talk, I made it down to the Amana Furniture Shop and Amana Lumber, where there were more vendors.  In the Furniture Shop was a guy named Slav, who sold new old-stock files of all types.  I picked up some older Nicholson saw sharpening files - the good ones that were made before they sent their manufacturing outside the U.S.

Also in the building was Mark Harrell of Bad Axe Saw Works.  His new thing is called "SawSharp" and they do saw restoration and sharpening as well as training.  Lake Erie Toolworks was there with their very beautiful and massive wooden screws.  Knew Concepts had their coping saws and several variants thereof.  I've had one for several years - it's great.

The Amana Lumber shop was selling wood for about 1/3 the price I pay here in CA.  Very jealous!

I'll try not to drool

That building had booths for Mike Siemsen's woodworking school, as well as the Society of American Period Furniture Makers (SAPFM).

I didn't realize it at the time, but that's Mary May at the SAPFM booth

In addition to all the vendors, I saw several YouTubers:

James Wright

Rex Kruger

Marc & Nicole Spagnuolo (The Wood Whisperer)

Shawn Graham (Wortheffort)

Anne of all trades

I even got my film career debut as an extra in James' video of the event at the 48:59 mark (I'm in the white shirt talking to Bob Compton of SAPFM, who's wearing the black shirt).

I met one fellow blogger at the event: Jeremy from the JMAW Works blog.

Man, I'm exhausted just writing about this.  What a good time.  To be with so many people who share a common hobby/passion was just exhilarating.  I hope they do it again.