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We have a very exciting announcement to make: Woodworking in America is returning this fall! We’ve put together a top-notch group of presenters and an amazing venue right in our home base of Des Moines, IA. The October 11 & 12, 2024 event will be hosted jointly by Woodsmith, Fine Woodworking, and Popular Woodworking magazines.
This is the first time we’ve held a Woodworking in America event since 2016. Since then we’ve gone through two different Editor-in-Chiefs, a corporate bankruptcy and subsequent buyout, and an expansion of our woodworking magazine brands, just to name a few things. It’s thanks to our partnerships with Woodsmith and Fine Woodworking that we’re able to make this event what it is — a fresh start that gives you, the reader, the opportunity to talk with staff members from all three magazines together in one place.
WIA 2024 will be held at The Franklin Center, a re-purposed former junior high school. Walking the halls will invoke (hopefully pleasant) memories of your school days. This is an ideal venue for a woodworking event like Woodworking in America; an educational setting for learning more about our craft.
Presenters
The lineup of presenters is growing, so check back in often. Here’s what we know so far:
Patrick Edwards — A Lifetime of Working With Traditional Protein Glues
W. Patrick Edwards, a furniture conservator in private practice and the 2014 SAPFM Cartouche Award recipient, will discuss the various advantages of working with animal protein glues in woodworking. With over 50 years of professional experience, he will demonstrate using hide glues for rub joints, hammer veneering, lamination, marquetry and veneering, as well as how to reverse the glue bond when correcting mistakes in assembly. Patrick is the developer of Old Brown Glue and will explain how the glue was modified and how it has real advantages over the traditional hot hide glue using a double boiler. Don’t be confused about adhesion and gram strength; find out from an expert with a lifetime of experience. wpatrickedwards.com
Alexis Dolese — Building Custom Furniture & A Business
Alexis Dolese is a second-generation furniture maker and educator in Bozeman, Montana. She will share practical techniques for building custom furniture and insights on running a business. Her discussion will also focus on the practical aspects of designing solid wood pieces with clients in mind and strategies for creating high-quality works efficiently. She will also touch on setting up a shop for furniture making and teaching woodworking. Dolesewoodworks.com
Wilbur Pan — Japanese Tools
Rollie Johnson — Coloring Wood with Dyes & Stains
Chromophobia is defined as a persistent, irrational aversion to colors and is usually a conditioned response. Sounds like a woodworking problem! Too many woodworkers are terrified of adding color to their woodworking, falling back on the hackneyed phrase “I would never ruin the natural beauty of wood by changing its color”. What they’re really saying is “I’m afraid of color, I might ruin the piece” and unfortunately in many cases that’s exactly what happens. Rollie will show us how to change our conditioned response by learning how to correctly use color to bring out the best in a piece, no more bland! There are many factors that will determine the outcome of using color and we will make a grand tour of them. Stain, pigment dye and reactive dye will be compared with an overview of best application practices. We will also delve into surface preparation and correct adhesive usage for avoiding the dreaded “glue spots”. Fear no more, color is here!
Amanda Russell (Fine Woodworking) — Router Joinery Machines
Phil Huber (Woodsmith Shop) —
Logan Wittmer (Popular Woodworking) — Sawmilling Demos
Ben Strano (Fine Woodworking) — 3D Printing for Woodworkers
Chris Fitch (Woodsmith & ShopNotes) —
Dillon Baker (ShopNotes) —
Shop Talk Live … Live
We’ll also host a live recording of the Shop Talk Live Fine Woodworking podcast with an audience Q&A.
On the evening prior to the event, you’ll have the chance to attend an open house tour of the shop and studios for Woodsmith, ShopNotes, and the Woodsmith Shop TV show.
Register for WIA 2024 here.
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