Brisbane 2012 - VISITORS FEEDBACK

[Lawry01]

Well, I've got to say that my first expeience of the Timber & working with wood show in Brissy was fantastic. I was impressed with the variety & blend of product, service mix of exhibitors, thoroughoy enjoyed seeing things woodwork that I'm not familiar with, and found the bit of advice given me by a few to be fantastic! Careful though...it really does have the potential to develop/ feed an addiction!. Thinking of going back...now that I know whats there.

[ubeaut]

OK folks, I know at least a couple of you went to the show. Howzabout you give us some of your impressions.

Feedback is nice good, bad or otherwise..... Good would be better than bad but not as bad as none and as for otherwise. What on earth is otherwise anyway?

Cheers - Neil :U

PS Moved the one above from another thread.


Please post in here and not other threads to keep it all in one place.

[Pariss]

Another terrific show this year, although it seemed that a few stands were missing this year. I use Friday as my splurge day, and Sunday as my learning day. Plenty of great demonstrations with some hands on. As usual, Neil (u-beaut) gave plenty of instruction and help for us mug punters. His method and
products are just amazing. I'm on the forum stand Sunday 10 to 11. Enjoy the show guys ! :):2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

[eisbaer]

Always love it but definitely seems like less vendors every year.

Highlights for me were mostly around timber prices. I picked up a heap for very little coin. Demonstrations were good again, especially turning and pyrography. Always good to see Stan Ceglinski doing his thing too.

It's sad to see some stalls were smaller than usual and some weren't there at all. Over the last few years we've seen some vendors simply stop turning up because they can't turn a profit. Now I'm certain it isn't a lack of potential traffic, because the show is always busy. I'm worried that unless the organisers can make it more appealing for vendors to show up, we might see a somewhat downsized show in the future.

Anyone thinking about going, do it. It's still a good show. My negative comments aren't meant to drive people away. Quite the contrary in fact. We need to support the show lest it diminishes to be something we no longer recognise.

[Liz Falloon]

Hi Guys
thanks for al of the comments re the show, and glad you enjoyed your visit. Had a great suggestion on email this morning - one woodworker suggested having designated public seating areas on Friday when the students come. So we are going to designate a lounge and lunch areas for public only - not students.
The show does have a few less exhibitors, but you know whats happening outside we are in a tough economy. we had a good day yesterday our numbers were 113 down, which i was ok with considering the economy - lets hope we pick those numbers up today. Better still last night at exhibitor drinks i had at least three exhibitors reporting their best Friday's ever.
It's 9am and we have people waiting already to get in!!! thanks for your support, will make sure i get down to the forum lounge today!! Liz

[Bob38S]

Fog and traffic aside - I had a great day - handing out pamphlets on the forum stand, having a yarn with some I had not met before and just the atmosphere in general.

Neil, Pauline and going hammer and tong most of the time with customers, lookers 2 - 3 deep at times.

I felt there were fewer school kids there this year - which was good from a demo viewing perspective but we need to remember that they are the future woodworkers.

Regards, and thanks to all,
Bob

[Lawry01]

......also want to say a particular thank you to Neil @ Ubeaut (I'm trhe guy with the old desk/ leather inlays) , the Padghams @ Padgham upholstery, Dave @ Howards, and Bob & others at this forums stand...great chatting, and great advice. Lawry

[jamarpa]

Yes it is a pity that it seems to be shrinking each year but still worth the visit. Had a great time.

[Charleville]

I thought that it was a smaller show than previous years also. I missed some of the more specialised presentations that I had seen in previous years. eg the box maker/ veneering expert Forum member from the Gold Coast. (Forget his screen name unfortunately.)


Enjoyed spending a couple of hours at the Forum stand, meeting a number of forum members and Neil-da-boss as well as , alleged axe wielding mongrel. :wink:


It was pretty quiet when my turn came 3 pm - 5pm but it was good to chat with some other woodies at the start of the session. It seems that most people are gone by about 3 pm.


I went to the Carba-Tec shop today and spoke a staffer who was there yesterday, and will be there this arvo. He said that they seemed to be as busy and crowded as ever but then he also said that might have been because their display was smaller and that some of the opposition were not present.


I thought that the parking price was quite reasonable at $10. It has been higher for some shows in the past couple of years so I thought that that was a pretty fair price.


The only thing that puzzles me about that show is how people take home the big lumps of wood that are on sale in the outside section. I carried an armful of wood to my car in the car park but I would not want to be trying to take any of the big stuff, as much as I would like to.


Sure, there is a parcel pick up area inside the pavilion but how do you get it from the vendor area to the parcel pick-up area? You would need to bring in your own trolley for some of it.


I am told that the Maleny show is more convenient in that regard. Loved the range of timbers that are available, however. :)



.

[Babylon5]

I went on Friday and was disappointed with it overall. It was suppose to be a timber & working with wood show yet there were stands there that I felt not relevant. Examples were the steam mop stand, whipper snipper stand etc. If I want to see them I'll watch the home shopping channel.

I would like to see new and improved machinery and woodworking tools. It was the same old stuff trying to be flogged off year after year.

The range of timber was nice and the prices weren't too bad either.

[plantagenon]

I went to the show Saturday and worked for an hour at the Forum display. It was low key and great. I imagine a lot of new members would have been recruited. The forum display with the lounge was a really good set up and it was a pleasure to meet some of the members. I enjoyed my hour there.:2tsup::2tsup:

Overall the show itself was a little different as there was not the displays that have been there on previous years and that was a little disappointing. But it might be an indicator that times are hard financially and people are not prepared to spend the money either as a displayer or as a visitor. Some of the displays were tiny compared to previous years. I only spend $18 this year as compared to $500 two years ago.

Maybe it needs a more village market atmosphere in a different location where more woodworkers can display their wares. Just a thought for what its worth :;

[Mrs Woodpecker]

Hi All,

Spent a most enjoyable time at the Forum Stand today. Met some old friends, and some new ones. Thoroughly enjoyed my stint at the forum stand, and, all being well in 2013, I will offer my services again, and for a longer time if needed. Great to catch up with " ", Ian W, Gawdelpus and the Bunny.

There were not the displays this year as in the past, and some of the suppliers were missing, but maybe that is because of the current ecomonic situation. I really enjoyed seeing Ken Wraight wield his magic. Spoke to a lady turner at one of his displays and hopefully have procured another forumite. She comes from the Bundaberg area, and has invited me to visit her when I am up that way. Woodies are such friendly people.

Thanks to all for helping to make my day such a happy one.

Cheers,

Shirley

[Jim Carroll]

Great weekend so far.

Crowds have been good and the demos well attended and lots of questions asked and answered.

[A Duke]

:worthless:
Regards

[jaksam]

Went in today with my family (wife plus 2 daughters 7 and 9). At our first stop at Island Specialty Timbers, my youngest showed some interest in the wood and had to touch and admire all of the wood. Just as we were moving onto the next stand, one of the guys from the stand (sorry - didn't get a name) came over and handed her a piece of huon (after they had been given pencils, fridge magnets and bookmarks from the same stand). This set the scene for the rest of the day with the girls receiving chocolates from one stand, tops from the Ipswich turners (I think) and a small turned vase from another.

While we went back and bought some timber from Island Specialty Timbers, what struck me was that the 7 year old was still talking about her "huon pine" tonight after we got home. She even said it was the best part of her day as I put her to bed ! The gesture by the guys from the stand was appreciated and I suspect she will now get more and more interested in the woodworking (which can only be a good thing...). Perhaps there is scope to involve the younger kids in some simple construction exercise to start the ball rolling for them.

I liked the fact that there were some designated areas for sitting with lounges. With a couple of kids, it certainly helped to rest their weary bones.

Overall, while the stall holder numbers were low, I still thought this was an excellent day out. Economic times are tough and attending the shows is expensive for the exhibitors. However, as someone who looks forward to this every year, I am not sure what else you can spend $10 on for entry, walk around and learn lots, talk to very knowledgeable people and look at beautiful wood. Even if I don't buy anything from the show which is unlikely, it is still an excellent way to while away a few hours. Seems like the best $10 I have spent on "entertainment" so far this year (given that even a DVD movie could cost more than this and only runs for a couple of hours.)

Please pass this feedback to Island Specialty Timbers if possible.

Keep up the good work !!

[Groggy]

Crowds have been good and the demos well attended and lots of questions asked and answered.Hopefully Jim, the questions are "do you have a thingummy", and your answer is "yes, that is my last one, we're sold out now". :)

[ubeaut]

Two good days so far, plenty of interest in demonstrations, to date only 4 have taken up the challenge to "have a go" at a bit of polishing, but those 4 drew a pretty good crowd of people all asking questions, picking brains, and interacting, so well worth the effort.

Yes, exhibitors are down a little but that's not necessarily a bad thing. There's lot of businesses out there doing it pretty tough right now so it's not really surprising.

Some of the timber prices and quality is extremely good and there seems to be goodly number of bargains around. On our stand alone the prices are crazy with EEE UltraShine selling for only $15 instead of $23.20 Shellawax and Glow selling for $30 instead of $40.70 Hard Shellac $20 instead of $33.00 and everything else selling at ridiculously low prices.

So come to the show, bring the family, have fun, get some bargains, see some great demonstrations, and "Have a go" at many, many, different things under supervision and with expert and friendly help.

Cheers - Neil :U

Come on in the welcome's warm and you'll love it..

[thompy]

So i haven't posted in a while, knee surgery and major dental work have kept me unable to get comphortable at either computer or lathe for quite some time (literally months). I've been trying to keep up to date reading posts, but haven't had anything noteworthy to post myself.

Had a ball today at the woodshow:D, and bought a few blanks, pens and bowl stuff, (got a piece identical to your bit last year Troy $2, sameish size), caught up with Greg, Neil and Neil (and thanks both Neils for the impromptu advice on the bandsaw, i did buy it, but i went there armed much better):2tsup:. Also managed to have a chat with Bruce in person, whitch was great. Bought a 60 deg plain dead centre as well.

So i guess nothing new to show and tell on the pen front really, but there will be some exciting projects coming up for me in the year to come, looking forward to it all. just wanted to share and say "Hi..i'm still here reading and lurking just not posting much".

Neal.

PS: Thanks again, to the forum stand, an the guys that manned it, that allowed this big kid to drag his missus around all day and still have a quiet place to sit and coffee up, i didnt volunteer this year because of the knee, but knowing it was there was beut.:;

[Perfect Pens]

Hi All,

Was at the show all day Friday, walking, watching, listening and learning and best of all picking out some goodies for my Purchases today. Spent a fortune !!
I attended the Forum display stand today and put in a couple of hours which I really enjoyed.
Met a few people I had met before and also a few new faces which was great. Attending again tomorrow doing it all over again :2tsup: Now what else can I buy :D

See you all tomorrow avo.

Cheers
Tony.

[plantagenon]

It was great to catch up with you again Neal and I appreciated your advice on my bandsaw blade.

Greg

[Da bunny lover]

I went on friday morning, the school kids were a bit of a pain at times (they wernt that excited to be there , and some were just stuffing around and getting inn the way, but thats a given), its not what it was several years ago,it would be nice if there were more handtool stuff for sale...eg the kind of gear you buy at carba-tec (but who else sells that stuff anyway, eg things like chisels,bevels, doo hickys....) i went because i was after some LN tools (chisels,saw,2 planes) i wanted to pickup and feel. But really i had a wander around and didnt find anything else i wanted to buy....i didnt get any timber because im doing a refit at the moment and decided it would just get in the way for now.The outing was ok, but i came away a bit flat...biggest shock was the price of a dagwood dog!!!!...made the LN gear seem very cheap !

[Charleville]

http://www.woodworkforums.com/images/smilies/smilie%20signs/worthless.gif
Regards __________________
Hugh


Ah - well, let's see what we can do about that.

I took a few snaps but they are pretty random. I just wanted to show my wife the sorts of big lumps of timber that are on sale and anything else that attracted my interest but without trying to be a chronicler of the whole event.

So these are just a few random snaps, mostly of the outside timber sales area...

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Edited by ubeaut 22/05/2012 523pm - Reason - Photos on external site.

[Charleville]

One more ...

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Edited by ubeaut 22/05/2012 529pm - Reason - Photos on external site.

[springwater]

So these are just a few random snaps, mostly of the outside timber sales area...[/QUOTE]

$10 to laze around in T-shirts and shorts looking at wood and everything else woody, yeah, you bannana benders got it real tough :rolleyes:

[Charleville]

$10 to laze around in T-shirts and shorts looking at wood and everything else woody, yeah, you bannana benders got it real tough :rolleyes:


Yup! There is no doubt about it. $10 for entry with Neil's discount - or free entry if you help with the forum stand - and only $10 for parking makes it a very cheap day out...


... unless you buy something. :U Not so cheap for many of us. :)


It is a good day out though. :)



(PS - food can be a bit pricey - $8.80 for a steak sandwich; $4.50 for a Dagwood Dog. Nonetheless,if that is an issue, you can take your lunch. Something that always characterises the Timber and Working with Wood Show differently to many others is the number of old blokes wearing back packs so I suspect that a lot of people take their lunch. I hate those back packers though, they suddenly turn around and if you are too close you get "cantilevered." :C )


.

[dai sensei]

Well I spent all day Sat at the show and loved meeting up with everyone again. My knees are st_ffed so only managed to shop for 10mins then had to sit down for an hour to recover, lucky we have the forum lounge :2tsup: This is the first year I have not gone for at least 2 days, but due to my knees, not the show.

Yes definitely less vendors, which is a shame, but expected given the current economy. There were not only less timber suppliers, but I found even those there, came with less stock. A lot of my favourite special timbers were just nowhere to be seen. Although I still managed to cart another 3 logs home :doh:

Still plenty to see though :2tsup: I will be back next year :U

[Shane Watson]

I reakon this year had the least exhibitors ever, bad thing? Thats an individual opinion. It suited me, but on the other hand, as I was pushing a pram this year, it made it very difficult to get around some of the smaller stands (ie festool) which in previous years were always large enough to move around and touch'n'feel everything. Due to this Festool lost a sale which i had planned this year.
What seemed like lower crowd levels to me, made it easier for me to get around with the pram (with the new up'n'coming woodie), but on latter thought, it may have been the timing of my visit which was latter arvo on Sat and there was definitely more people leaving than arriving.

All in all, another enjoyable arvo spent and look forward to continued improvements from the organisers.

[htou]

Woohoo first post.

Well I attended my first ever wood show today with my 1yr old and father inlaw and we we had a great time. The last time I ever did any 'wood work' was 15 years ago in high school. We walked away with triton power saw and a pro bench 2000. If i had the car space I would have had the workcentre. Hopefully bunnings can get me one in at a reasonable price. Food was very exy and crowd numbers was perfect. If only I had more money.

[Greg Ward]

Just spoke to Mal at Boutique Timbers, (I note some photos above of some of his timber). He said he thought it much better than the previous two years and was pleased with his sales, the general vibe of the show and attendance, he'll certainly be back next year
Greg

[skot]

A BIG thank you deserves to go to IanW who was this year's organizer of the Forum Stand. Great Job Ian.

Not only for the long days in running the stand but also for the fantastic tools made by Ian himself which he donated as prizes for the Volunteers on the stand this weekend.

I am sure that the lucky 3 winners will be notified by Ian in due time.

Scott

[Charleville]

A BIG thank you deserves to go to IanW who was this year's organizer of the Forum Stand. Great Job Ian.

Not only for the long days in running the stand but also for the fantastic tools made by Ian himself which he donated as prizes for the Volunteers on the stand this weekend.




I agree. That was a super sized job that Ian volunteered for. Well done, Ian!


I must also say that my shift at the stand must have been in the quietest time all weekend, nonetheless I found the tone of all involved to be pretty friendly. I will most definitely volunteer again next year.


One thing that I did miss at the show this year was that steam bending machine that they use on the bananas. Perhaps they were worried that the visitors from the southern states might cotton on to how it is done. :D


.

[tdrumnut]

My first time at the show and overall impression was excellent. I did a couple of hours on the stand and met some other forumites which was great, hopefully I convinced at least a couple of visitors to sign up on the forum. Thanks to Ian W for all the work he put in organising the roster and for bringing along those great tools he has made. For the price of parking and lunch it was fantastic value. I managed to pick up a few bits and pieces and was happy at the prices. I'll definately be back next year and will be happy to offer my services as a volunteer again.

Cheers Rumnut

[Bluegum]

I too went yesterday and had a great time. Hadn't been for a couple of years and I will be booking in for next year. I ended up with a pile of blanks and new set of Robert Sorby chisels from Jim Carrolls stand. I went home a very happy person till my wife asked me why I hadn't spent all that much, this was even after I showed her the docket from my chisels.I hadn't of been booked up today I would have headed back in. I did find time to have a play with my new toys the sarvo though and all I can say is I am in love.........

[RETIRED]

Thank you Ian for all the work you did in organising this.

The work bench and the tools were an excellent idea.

Again: Thanks to you and all who attended for your help.:2tsup:

[Ruddy]

Charleville...thanks for posting those pictures. Looks like the show has been a success....Sydney next!

[ubeaut]

Good job IanW well done.

As for price of food at show: Maybe this should be answered by the organisers, but I'll do it for them.

The food and prices of same have nothing at all to do with the show organisers. This all goes to the vendors and the venue. The organisers of the show have no control over those prices and it is my understanding that they derive on benefit from the food vendors other than the convenience of the food being on site.

Bring some sangers if you don't like the prices and stop complaining about things that are out of the organisers control.

I believe there is a wet area (grog) at the Sydney Show this year. So if you don't want to complain about the prices down there bring some water.

As for the woodshows themselves:
For those people who only seem to see the down side, Try looking on the bright side and you may find that there isn't a down side at all. Be thankful there is a Working With Wood Show to complain about, be pretty sad for us all if there wasn't.

What you should be doing is actually thanking the organisers for all they have done to keep these shows alive and kicking, and maybe spare a thought for the exhibitors who in many instances travel thousands of miles, spend tens of thousands of dollars and often have to shut shut down their businesses for a couple of weeks to bring their expertise and their wares to the shows only to be accused of just coming to sell at shop front prices.

People should be thankful for what they have and for the massive effort put into making these shows happen by all involved, especially in the light of the current economical climate. Don't be surprised if more exhibitors drop out as many may not still be in business by this time next year. However the shows will endure and new exhibitors will get involved. It's happened in the past and will happen again. This is from someone (me) who has attended these shows since the very first one in Melbourne many years ago.

Cheers - Neil :U

[IanW]

My impresions of the show itself are a bit limited because I spent more time than I expected on the Forum stand, trying to bring in the new members (= talking my silly head off). I kept planning to check out all the other stands properly, but didn't get very far after several starts - kept running into people I know, & by the time we'd finished chatting, I was due back at work. However, I thought what it lacked in quantity, it made up for in quality, I noticed a number of very good demos running (not the least of which was at the U-Beaut stand! :;). The current organisers seem like a much more switched-on bunch, who listen to the vendors, so keep the constructive ideas coming from the crowd.

My impressions from talking with people who stopped at the Forum stand is that they like to see the sawdust flying, and some of the posts here are calling for more activities, too. One big omission to me is the lack of any advanced cabinet-making demos or anything along those lines - the blokes with the spinny-turney gadgets have achieved total dominance in the woodworking sphere, it seems.. :o When the Woodcraftsman's Guild was still alive, we used to have several people making & finishing pieces of fine furniture, which always seemed to be popular. So perhaps that's something for the organisers to explore.

On the Forum stand, my little bench with its wooden-screw tail vise, plus a few tools flashing some polished brass & wood, pulled in a number of passers-by and got the conversation going. I hope we have convinced some of them that the Forum is a worthwhile place for all sorts of reasons other than the lounge & the tea-bags.

I thought the timber prices and the quality of what was on offer were more reasonable this year than previously - the marked prices equated to super-foot values that weren't as absurd as I've seen in years past. I spotted a lovely crotch piece of cedar, with a superb, defect-free feather pattern, and just had to take it home. It will become two very nice book-matched panels for the fancy china cabinet LOML 'needs'.

Despite a couple of panic moments, the Forum stand operated without any glitches, and much thanks is due to our enthusiastic volunteers, who all did a great job. The Forum 'lounge' is a brilliant addition. Having somewhere to rest in comfort, have a cuppa & shoot the breeze with fellow woodies, then leave the heavy stuff safely while you go out & run up more debt, is a boon. I reckon it's worthwhile being a member for that alone.

Finally, a public thanks from me to all the Forum members who helped out on our stand, & those who dropped by for a cuppa & a chat. I sincerely apologise for the lack of pictures. I managed to forget my camera for three days in a row :roll:. I had a moment of sheer panic on Saturday morning, when my phone decided not to cooperate, & the situation was only saved by transferring my sim card into Neil's phone for the rest of the day. That led to a few amusing (for everyone else) incidents, when a phone was ringing & ringing & I was wishing the idiot who owned it would answer it, when I realised it was Neil's phone in my pocket! Why don't they all sound like my old clunker? :~ -

And I lost my (new!) specs on Saturday. I was sure they were in my back-pack (which has more darned pockets than a whole platoon of infantry), but after three fruitless searches, a trip to 'lost & found' & phone call home, I was resigned to the fact that they'd disappeared for good. On Sunday, lost some bits of wood he's just bought, & in the ensuing search, I found my specs - in my back-pack. But 's wood was nowhere to be found, & we assumed it must have been nicked by some light-fingered passer-by.

At the very end of the day, 's wood turned up - it was over by his lathe, where he'd safely put it..... :doh: I'm so glad I'm not the only 'senior' on the street.... :U

Cheers, and here's to an even bigger & better next year...

[tdrumnut]

Heres a pic of the stand and members

[Perfect Pens]

Ian,

Glad 's timber turned up !! I did not think anybody got passed us to nick it. Thoroughly enjoyed the show, my time on the stand and catching up with several other forumites. I look forward to doing it again next year.
Ian, you done a great job and I loved seeing and feeling the quality of your hand made tools. Keep me in mind for some saws and gauges if and when you have any available.

Much appreciated
Cheers
Tony.

[Mrs Woodpecker]

Yes, Ian W, you did a brilliant job! So glad you found your specs, and Neil his wood. I will be putting my hand up for a stint at the stand again next year. It is a great way to meet the other forumites. The timber for sale was great. I did not get much as I have a fair bit here at home, but look out next year.

Arrived home to find I had got thnree seconds for some things I put in the local show. Pleased with that. Will put pics on the site when my photographer has time to wield the camera.

All in all, a good show I thought. Take care of those knees, Neil.

Shirley. xxxxxx