In what will almost certainly be my last long trip unrelated to family matters, Mrs. Barn and I hit the road for a Labor Day weekend toolapalooza in Amana, Iowa, for the fifth (?) convening of Handworks, a mondo gathering of hand woodworking enthusiasts. The trip was very long, two full days of driving each way (I took a full-to-the-brim truckload) and even though the gathering of several thousand friends old and new is a delight, it is just too much for us. Part of the problem is that Mrs. Barn’s CR-V is excruciating for me to ride or drive; it was not made for linebacker-sized folks. My large pickup is a perfect fit but Mrs. Barn hates driving it. Oh well. I still get many invitations to travel to speak and teach but at this point I decline them all. The Wood and Shop school fits my needs just perfectly as it is two hours away from Shangri-la. That I can do easily. Two days each way? Not so much.
We were joined by dear friends Mr. and Mrs. Ripplin’ John.
John was with me side by side throughout the event as multitudes of folks wanted to ask about historical wood finishing and we were delighted to explain and demonstrate. While we were doing that the Misseses were out and about doing gal-pal stuff.
We were among the first to set up, near the center of the giant Festhalle. I brought two of my smaller workbenches to use as display and demonstration space. Soon the place was filled with enthusiasts of every stripe. I was glad to see that the demographics of the attendees was becoming broader and especially younger. It gave me hope for the future of the skill set.
The Festhalle was only one of many venues for the event, I think the total this time was seven. They were all filled with a bajillion tools, old and new. I only managed to get pictures of about 10% of the goings-on.
On the second morning the packed house was regaled first with a stirring rendition of The Star Spangled Banner magnificently presented by Mike Siemsen followed by a recitation by Chris Schwarz of some old-codger-ish correspondence between a Welsh Stick Chair maker and an American host regarding some workshops. Very entertaining stuff.
One final note is a comment on the weather, which was a stark counterpoint to the first Handworks. At Handworks 1 the weather was absolutely frigid, a very cold and rainy Memorial Day weekend fifteen years ago. This year the air in central Iowa was stifling, temps in the mid 90s with a choking level of humidity. With every handshake, two hands stuck together. They day after the event was much cooler. Oh well.
The Abraham boys and their posse are at it again and Handworks 2026 is barreling down the pike. It will be Friday and Saturday of Labor Day weekend, in the lovely village of Amana, Iowa. I’ll be there again close to dead center of the Festhalle, hawking my wares such as they are. Polissoirs, beeswax and shellac wax, videos, and original c. 1765 Roubo prints, etc.
The Festhalle from Handworks 2013
It’s the most amazing tool festival of hand woodworking you will even encounter with visitors and makers from around the globe if the tradition holds.
I’m already ramping up my truckload of stuff to take with me, at the moment creating a pile on and under a workbench I will be taking and making wax processing part of almost every day from now on.
This just might be my last long road trip other than family priorities. We just don’t have the oomph for drives like that anymore.
We recently traveled north to Butler PA for the 2026 edition of the Plane Wellness shindig. What ensued was a terrific weekend of handtool woodworking fellowship. In a way it was a smaller scale version of Handworks and a good tune-up for getting my brain and inventory set up for that venture.
My first impression of the attendees is that they were younger and more beginner-ish than other tool events I have attended, and that is a good thing.
A true delight was spending time with both old friends and new.
I was presenting on historic finishing, which drew an enthusiastic audience, and I was doing demos at my table throughout.
Keep an eye on their web site to put next year’s event in Washington PA on your calendar.
Last year when prepping for the Labor Day weekend 18th Century Trades Fair down at Fair Lawn Farm I included a stripped-down Nicholson workbench. As useful as the bench is for demonstrating and didactic exposition, it needed to be stripped down further.
What I’m subtracting is two feet from the length of the original 8-foot bench; one-half foot from one end, a-foot-and-a-half from the other. There are a couple reasons, not the least is being an 8-foot bench is a little bit much for this 70-year-old to rassle solo. Also, the larger bench took up too much space in my work area at the Fair. I also will refrain from bringing a large display table for my pile of joinery samples. Absolutely no one took a look at them so out they go, at least for this event.
The Nicholson bench has many benefits to providing a heritage work station, including simple and fast making (I can make one in less than a day), in addition to ease of both assembly and disassembly. In this case It was a piece of cake to disassemble one end of the bench and cut off 18-inches and move those legs two feet.
At the other end I just marked off six inches and sawed it off.
In the end I had the same bench, only two feet shorter.
But, I’m not just subtracting. This year I will be adding a leg vise to the workbench along with a Moxon vise.
Stay tuned
Again this year I will be one of the hands-on demonstrators at the 18th Century Trades Fair down in center county. The number of confirmed craftsmen is around 35, working in a magnificent Highland County setting. If you are so inclined it would be a grand day to spend with the family.
Despite having done this twice before I’ve still got a lot to do to get ready.
Stay tuned.
Recent Comments