Earlier I mentioned that WoodCraft sold 13 Jet midi lathes at the event this past weekend. That was incorrect - they sold 30.


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That's quite a coup. If we were back in the house now it would have been 31. I wonder how many they sell in a month

They were so pleased with the response they received at the event that they are planning to begin offering rod building classes at their Greensboro location. They have already contacted JP Timberlake about helping them with some courses.

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They have a good store and helpful sales associates but that figure is well above normal sales. Personally I would say they sell 3 to 9 a month, just my opinion.

my guess is they'll be back next year,, at kest I hope so.

Lib saw the lathes and came back to the table and asked me if I wanted one. I said no, we'd make do with what we have for a while. I don't remember her telling me the special price of $180 was why she was asking, but she said she did. I missed getting the last one by about 15 mins.

Maybe next year - - -

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

They have already told me that they'll be back in 2008 and that they'll take more booth space and bring more product with them.

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i am going to their store on saturday and i will get the official number. i know they sold everything they had in their store and preordered more. they were amazed at the response at the show. after talking to them they are looking at adding items that apply to rodbuilding as well as their normal woodworking. i will suggest for them to make these items available to all woodcraft stores or online. chester greathouse who was at the show just happens to be the owner of the greensboro store.

It may have been my suggestion to Tom last summer that led him to invite Woodcraft to this year's Expo. I may have been the only person who actually expected them to sell many lathes and wood turning tools in the course of the weekend. They are a welcome addition to the premiere venue in rod building. I hope Woodcraft's success will attract Penn State Industries and even Grizzly Tools to future Expos. It would be especially nice if the companies would run show specials for the tools of the craft. Not long ago Woodcraft offered a 30% discount on Sorby turning tools, so it is well within their ability to do so.

This is a prime example of how rod building can have a positive economic potential for many businesses. As creative ideas keep expanding the methods and tools we employ we will see other tools become a part of our arsenal. Any excuse to add a new tool to the shop is welcome.

I can envision someone offering a ready to go workshop kit which includes all the benches, tools and supplies needed to start a home rod building business... self contained custom rod shop in a crate. To take it one step futher I have dreamt of a towable trailer (like a tidy Gulfstream) completely rigged as a custom rod shop on wheels. As you can tell I love to daydream.

Dave

Chester is a great guy. Unfortuantely like many of the other dealers at the show, I didn't get a chance to speak much to them. He is into "double bevel Marquetry", and had I found out he did stuff like that I would have been sitting with him chatting much more than the last 6 minutes of the show, lol.

Penn State wanted to be at the event but I did not want more than one woodworking supply dealer there .

I can sell booth space all day long and put more money in my pocket, but it would be detrimental to the continued success of the event. There are a certain number of folks who will attend and a certain amount of money that will be spent and I have keep the number of retail vendors at a level that allows them to all make a good profit within the confines of what roughly 1500 rod builders are going to spend in two days.

Thus, I sold booth space to WoodCraft Greensboro (they got their contract back to me first) and not to Penn State.

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Tom, you make a good point which I had not considered. There is always more to the picture than what appears on the surface. This is another example of how your stewardship of these events contribute to their continued success. Again, I tip my hat to you.