Thread: The Perth Wood Show (August 2007)

It was great to meet up with a few of the Perth gang today (Saturday). I suspect that they all managed to get to the old tools section before hand and buy all the best items. All I came away with was a very nice steel hand vice.

Highlights of the show was getting together with Terry Gordon (where I managed to help sell my friend Peter a round bottomed spokeshave - actually I didn't have to try very hard as they work so well) and had a chance to play with the new HNT Gordon planes. These are an addition to the range and sport Norris-type adjusters with a 55 degree bed. In the flesh they are really attractive and, of course, they work extremely well.



Colen Clenton was also there. He is such a nice guy. And of course he builds the best marking gauges and squares in the world. I doubt that I will get an argument on that. Needless to say I bought a 6" square in Ebony and brass .... mmmmm.....





Later I had a little fun at the LN stand playing with some of the new tools and demonstrating a few of the planes. I came away with one of the new joinery floats (for trimming tenons):





Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by derekcohen

Colen Clenton was also there. He is such a nice guy. And of course he builds the best marking gauges and squares in the world. I doubt that I will get an argument on that.

Derek, I have a few of Colen's squares and cutting gauges and they are great. As far as the best...I am not so sure...I really like the precision double square made by Chris Vesper, very hard to choose between the two. .
(click the pic to go to Chris's web site)

Well... I THINK I might make it for a brief wander tomorrow arvo!... Having spoken to Yuri (slabi) and changed the day for his visit to mill the logs down the back... The missus is taking a couple of the kids and heading to her mum and dads new macmansion for the day while someone has to take our eldest to the train station in East Perth at 2... this so the agent can take a couple of couples through the place... so given that I will drop Lissa and Iszy off at EP at 2pm I reckon I can manage to get away from there by 2.15... I should get to Claremont... ooooh around 5!! ...nah probably around 3pm... all things considered that is

I can and do get lost travelling in a straight line in Perth... so getting from EP to Claremont and to the show grounds is gonna be one hell of a journey... AND Im reliant on a 12 and 14 year old for directions!!! EGADS AND BEGORRAH IM NEVER GONNA GET THERE!!

What times she shut down?

Keep a wary eyesocket ajar for the bloke in the pic! short ass fella about 5ft 6in tall with wild curly hair and white beard and hat!! ...will probably have a little blonde young bloke with me and perhaps (not firmly decided yet) a dark haired 14 year old sheila tagging along going "are we done yet? huh? are we done yet? can we go now? this is BORING dad!! etc etc etc" dont know if I can handle the "drama queen" for the whole day!! Drives me knuts just going into the shops in Bunbury with her goins on ALL THE TIME... sheilas eh? flamin mob of bloody galahs the lot of them!

So if you see the little bloke in the hat that looks like the bloke in my avitar then say gidday!

Well Im now officially over the Perth Wood show... yes indeed... on previous occasions Ive stated my opinion of the show being too crowded to many stalls etc etc... well in my half hour wander today (ahem fellas? 3 - 3.30pm where were you?? mmmm??? ) I saw Les chattin up some sheila pretending to be showing of some bit of gear... I also saw ol Joe also chatting up some sheila... carbetex eh? must train their bods to aim for the chicks As they were busy as ticks on a roos bum I went for a wander....

Went around the block twice... and the only other buggar I saw was Ken the bloke from PTMS... no ubeaut hats... no one screaming "Oi DINGO!!"... no one shakin me hand... strewth there werent even any fans wavin and askin for me automagraf nope no one even said "gidday"

So we wombled around for a couple more laps... checking out this and that... stopped drooled and was pushed away from the HNT stand where one plane with a 700 + price tag had me enthralled but spun the kids out... didnt end up spending a damned bent centablo on anything!! all we ended up buying was a couple of bags of caramel cashews on the way out the door

BUT!!! Did anyone else notice that wee boat??? HUH!! MAN WHAT A FLAMIN RIPSNORTER!!! hes done a truely great job... cant stand stink boats personally but this one was soooooo flamin sweet I almost got in it!!

I think we spent more time up in the display area than anywhere else... there seemed to be less stands this year than the last time I went I also NOTICED Lucas mills had a VERY prominent stand... about time!! the usual suspects were there Carbetec Triton Festool even noticed Felder had a stand and a bloody great section in the middle with some of Wongos rellies standing floggin cheep an nasties and the orange mob were still there... but all in all to me... the biggest waste of time money and effort Ive done in a long time... not that I spent a lot I didnt unless you take in the cost of fuel feeding stops and entry but used to be a time if I went there Id not be able to leave without at least SOMETHING!!! wasnt even tempted... well except by the damned plane sweet thing that plane was... couldnt find any decent lathe chisels without handles so nothing really took me to the challenge of opening up the wallet and burning up the CC... most unusual

Seemed empty... comparitively... and I havent recieved my call to pick up the little lathe door prise either

AND!! I got friggin lost!!! As expected... between East Perth and Clarement its a bit tricky if you dont really know your way around or youve got a blindingly colander like memory or you find theres no flamin road map in the damned car!! Who stole that eh?

I had a good wander around Saturday and met up with everyone for a pie and coffee. Bought a lever cap for $4 and a bottle of citrus oil. Did anyone else see the infill plane in the old tool section that had carved naked women for the front and rear handles, very cool, but I had no camera on me so sorry no pics? Also layed my mits on the two Felder brochures .

Spent plenty of time watching slabs being cut and finished. Got excited in the arvo when I was cutting a load of fire wood and free hand cut a slab big enough to make a cutting board out of so I could use the oil stuff I bought. Straight into the shed when I got home and planed down the slab (marri I think - but it was out of my sisters front yard so could be some other gum) and finished it.

After reading the Hammer catelog front to back I decided I better go back today and have a better look, also thought I may catch Dingo (I left about 2.30pm so must have just missed you mate). I did manage to obtain a DVD from the Felder guys after spending half an hour playing with their combo machines. After watching the DVD I had to mop the drool off the floor

I enjoyed the show but could'nt find any form members at entry or cafe, mainly because I don't know what you all look like.

I met "Driver" in the carpark on the way home, he had cap in hand. Nice to catch up with him.

Derek, I would have liked to meet you, maybe next year?

Graham

Dingo, I agree about the boat. it was beautifull. I could see myself jsut cruisin up and down the Swan in that. Giving it a blat every now and then.