AWFS - Day one!

The anticipation has been intense! The AWFS convention finally arrived, and I think it was the best show in years! 

This giant AWFS backdrop greeted everyone as they entered the hall, and you could tell it was a great investment for the organizers of the event. Everyone and their brother was taking photos in front of it - with photos of it plastered all over Facebook and Instagram.

 The hall was packed, and companies spared no expense on the design of their booths. 

This Arauco booth had some major beam construction going on, 

and I'm always fond of these "desks" made of a faux unit of lumber. They were everywhere!

First on my agenda - finding the Fresh Wood area - where high school and college kids enter their furniture into a competition with some pretty nice prizes. 

I ran into Paul Downs at the show, and we chatted for a while - he's been an idol of mine for a while and I met him at the last AWFS show two years ago. Whip smart about running a woodworking business, and very giving of advice and guidance. I think that's what this show is all about... networking, connecting, learning.

If you ever get a chance - you should check out his book.. Boss Life.  

 I've gifted this book many times to other business owners in the woodworking industry, and it should be required reading for new graduates.

After our chat, we walked around the FreshWood entries, meeting a few of the instructors whose students built these pieces.  Paul thought this piece was the best one there... more about that later. 

  I actually liked these two pieces the most - this small cabinet is everything I want in a piece of furniture - clean lines, beautiful grain management, interesting handmade pulls - all in all - just a wonderful piece. I met Owain Harris, the instructor who guided this student, and we also had a nice chat. 

Another one of his students made this - one of my other favorites... a small valet table with really nice lines. This really was a terrific design, and I watched quite a few other woodworkers get down on their knees to inspect the underside, which sort of lets you know how much everyone appreciated this piece. When someone inspects your work from every angle - they not only love the piece, they're trying to figure out how to make it!  

Some of the other highlights were this iPhone coffee table, 

and this tamboured jewelry cabinet,

this amazing coopered daybed,

this Morris chair, 

and stool 

this poker table, 

and guitars galore! 

Music has always been a big theme here.

I particularly liked this piece, 

with its "quilted" wooden back. I wish the student would have included some cushions on this piece, but I suspect they were lost in transit, as there was a furniture blanket on the seat for the first day, and the second day - there was nothing.  

With cushions - this would have been an outstanding piece!... actually, it still is!

The wood turning demos had everyone's attention. 

Damn, they make a mess!

As usual, I drooled over a few machines -  like this massive Felder jointer. It would be a dream to have this in my shop. Dammit, I want this!

And I'm always a fan of these giant box-generating machines - you plug in the size of the box you want, and add in some details like how it hinges or seals, and which direction it should sit, and out pops a custom box.  

The cardboard feeds in one end, and a box comes out the other side. Very cool.  Every single FedEx and UPS store should have one of these.

Shaper was well represented, and their booth was packed. 

Speaking of that - everything was packed - a very nice turnout on day one.  

Celebrities were everywhere, and my buddy Rick sent me these shots he took with the biggies.... April Wilkerson and Matt Cremona, 

Norm Abrams, 

and of course - Marc Spagnuolo. Rick was having a really fun time meeting everyone, and he even picked up Marc's book. A good deal for everyone!

Part two coming up.... stay tuned!