The woodworking shows are worth it -- but not for the reasons you might think.
I was fortunate last month to be in Sacramento for other matters at the same time CLT's Woodworking Show was on at the nearby Convention Center. I nearly made off with a 3-1/4 hp Triton router (with built-in table lift) and a bunch of Sommerfeld cabinet making router bits but the $100 luggage surcharge American Airlines now charges for checking 3 items made me decide the "Show Special" savings weren't worth it.
The shows used to be a lot bigger -- lots more vendors and many, many more in attendance. Last month's CLT Woodworking Show in Sacramento was a mere shadow of what I remembered in the early 90's. The crowd seemed a lot older, too (myself included), and there were few people thronging the vendors eagerly buying stuff. Peachtree was there in force, as were Lee Valley Veritas, Woodline, and the people from Kreg. I looked for Rockler but never found them. My heart soared when I saw some Klingspor stuff, but it was only by their Canadian distributor.
I know that a lot of first time attenders at the Woodworking Show may be disappointed. At its primary level, it's just a tool-and-other-stuff sale. There are some discounts but usually not enough to really get your adrenaline going. There are some bargains, and a lucky person in the drawing won a new model Unisaw. Alas, not me.
Just don't plan on "Show Special" savings to make up for the cost of attending, especially for the long distance trip. But if you're like me, it's great to see stuff up close and personal. Even so, now and again, I've been known succumb to temptation and cart off $300-$400 of purchases. But for me, that's the exception rather than the rule. The show savings are rarely worth it. Even late on the last day, don't count on super deals in the days of yore -- the vendors are ready with their trucks to cart their stuff on to the next venue with another cookie-cutter version of the same show with the same stuff and the same products.
What does make these things worth the time and price of admission is the classes and demos. Last month I sat through two different Sommerfeld cabinet making demos, two Popular Woodworking-hosted classes on getting the most out of your shop, and one on finishing (which I generally loathe). The purpose of these, of course, is to sell their respective products, too, but they do so more subtly than the hawkers in the booths. More important, they do impart a good measure of techniques and education at the same time.
One of the aspects I have particularly enjoyed in past shows is running into famous people in the industry. Sometimes you'll find "Meet the Author" booths and can get an autographed copy of some volume you've been lusting for. Years ago, I met and got converted to the joys of hand planing by writer, teacher, and master woodworker Ian Kirby himself. Recently, I spent an hour with Kevin Glen-Drake using his Tite-mark gauges and radical variable pitch 2-handed dovetail saw. I also got to play with a Tormek T-7 sharpener learning how to easily keep my chisels and planer blades honed to an incredibly polished edge and I learned the fine art of using a Japanese dozuki and Matsumura chisels. Now I have to make myself stop shouting "HAI!" every time I cut a great set of pins and tails when they fit perfectly.
I got my money's worth from woodworking shows and would go again in a heartbeat. And the vendors are winners, too. Even without buying a thing, I'm mentally sold on Sommerfeld cabinet making router bits and router accessories, the Tormek, and anything Glen-Drake Toolworks makes.
Go forth and enjoy the shows, observe and learn, but don't expect to reap a bag of savings.