This was the first year I had the opportunity to go to any woodworking event and it happened to be Woodworking In America 2015. If you’re not familiar it’s a yearly show with a market place and some classes. I only went to the market place and actually had the opportunity to be part of the Video Woodworkers booth. The booth was a place for all of the YouTube content creators to get together and not only meet and hang out with each other but more importantly meet and chat with anyone who wanted to stop by and say hi.
Man what an experience it was. I met so many people, had so many great conversations, and really gathered a ton of information from the feedback everyone provided. Being able to look around at the market place and overhear so many conversations from other people to to other creators that started with “you inspired me to….” or “I learned this when you….” was a big testament of how powerful online media actually is. And the cool thing is every one of us making online media are just regular, every-day people like all of you reading this. Anyone and everyone with a camera and an internet connection can contribute and have a positive impact on other peoples lives. That’s so powerful.
While I do have a full weekend of awesomeness to reflect on I’m sure you will hear a ton on the subject in the coming days from other people. So instead I’ll share some pictures from the weekend and provide links to everyone so hopefully you might stumble upon someone new to you that you might be able to pick up a thing or two from. Also, to see a ton more pictures than what I can include here search for the hash tag #wia2015 or #wia15 on social media.
I talk to Bob Clagett from I Like To Make Stuff regularly but this was the first time I got to meet him in person. I didn’t get the chance to get a picture with him though so here’s one I snagged from the internet with another great dude I met, Doug Neiner.
I didn’t get a chance to get a Making It pic but Shawn from Stone & Sons Workshop got one. Making It is a great podcast by the Diresta, Clagett, and Picciuto trio.
Wes from Geeksmithing had an old school Nintendo Gameboy to take some pics. Never saw that before.
I didn’t get a chance to take a pic with Steve Ramsey but I was able to get a quick conversation with him. Here’s him and Dema Gamayunov. Two cool dudes.
April Wilkerson and Drew Short were both killing it at the booth. I saw a couple ibuildit.ca shirts as well! The kind dude in the middle is woodrodent on Instagram.
Mr Epoxy himself, Peter Brown with Shawn Stone and Braxton Wirthlin. Super fun guys.
Jack Houweling made the trip down from Canada. It was a pleasure to meet Jack and my wife ended up talking with him for quite a bit. She said she really enjoyed talking to him.
Friday night just about all of us got a bite to eat. That’s just me sharing a table with Chop with Chris, Peter Brown, Andrew Klein, Jeff Ferguson, and Brian McCauley. I think I drank a little too much fun that night….I mean “had”. I had too much fun that night.
Either Sterling Davis is super tall or I’m super short. I think it’s a little of both. Either way he’s a great guy. Just remember to be kind to one another ;)
So this was a first for me and probably most of the others as well but there was an awesome kid getting his t-shirt signed. Many of us signed it and as you can see Diresta tagged the front. That was a very fun experience that I never imagined I would be a part of.
Mike Fulton (another dude who I never pictured to be as tall as he is!) was kind enough to make a bunch of YouTube play button’s to pass out. Great guy and thanks again Mike!
The Mr. Stumpy Nubs was rocking his own booth and getting it done with the big boys on the next aisle over. I couldn’t snag him for a pic though. Looked like he was non stop the whole time.
It was great seeing Jason Rausch and Father Thomas as well. Glad they made the trip.
I talked quite a bit with Brian McCauley.
So glad to see this dude doing good. I’ve met David Picciuto in person once before and talk to him regularly. He’s a good friend of mine so it was absolutely great to get a copy of his new book and even better to see him sell every copy he brought to the show. Good stuff dude. Good stuff!
We need to see more of this guy. Laney is just as cool, calm, and collective in person as he is in his videos.
The always creative Mr. Steve Carmichael. Great to see him on Saturday.
Great to see Matt Lane as well. Super nice dude and it was great to meet him and his brother.
Mr Brian Grella from Garage Woodworks made an appearance. Great to meet him and his wife as well.
Not only did the Video Woodworkers booth stay busy but it looked great as well. Kudos to April, Nick, and whoever else had a part in organizing and setting it up. I know I’m forgetting names here but you know who you are. Thank you!! This was definitely a success. It’s not official but I’m almost certain the Video Woodworkers booth will continue in future shows.
Chris Shey was kind enough to duck down to my level for a pic. It’s crazy how tall most of these guys are and you don’t realize it until you’re standing next to them.
Diresta. This dude is such a BOSS. Forget the Chuck Norris memes. Everyone needs to start dropping Diresta memes everywhere. Chuck who?
There was only one pic my wife wanted and that was with Frank Howarth. He’s definitely her favorite. He’s taller than I thought as well. She was super excited to get this one.
I wish I got to talk to this guy a little more. Here’s Ted Alexander. We did some trading last year and I got a hanging horseshoe planter that my wife absolutely loves. He was also the one who turned the drawer pulls for my recent chest of drawers build.
There’s this one dude they call Nick Ferry. The guy’s got some hilarious jokes. Never a dull moment around him.
Mark Christopher came down all the way from Nova Scotia. I’ve talked to him on G+ previously so it was great to see him in person.
Sean Rubino was there. Great dude and is actually having a giveaway on his website right now.
Good to meet Tim from woodworkingmaniak.com as well.
Mr. Dema Gamayunov and Matt Cremona drove down together and actually got a chance to check out the Grizzly showroom a couple hours away. It was great to meet him.
And of course it was great to finally meet Matt Cremona. I’m so amazed at this guy’s projects. Top notch craftsmanship and a great presenter.
Somehow I managed to not get a picture of Kyle Toth. Another crazy talented and super nice guy. Definitely check out his channel. I’m sure I missed some others in all of the chaos so I do apologize if I accidentally left anyone out.
So it was obviously an amazing experience and I’m so glad I decided to go. If you ever get a chance to meet any one of these people I highly recommend it. They are all just great down to earth people. I’m sure the next big meet up will be here before you know it. Also, be sure to search for the hash tag #wia2015 or #wia15 on social media for tons more from the event and look out for any WIA content in the next couple days. You might even see a Public Service Announcement somewhere…
Don’t you sleep?!? It certainly was a great time at WIA.
hahaha. Great to see you man. We got in at 4am this morning and I slept from 5am till around 9. Hard to sleep during the day.
Glad you had a great time here in my home town! Great to meet you and all the other youtubers!
That was so much fun. Wish the Market was one day longer just so I could officially lose my voice completely lol.
That is so cool! Looks like it was a blast. Wish I could have made the trip to meet you all.
Jay nice to see you sporting the hat I gave you thanks for all you videos Mike koerner MAK Tool
Thanks again Mike! It was great talking with you as well.
Someone didn’t let you take a picture with April?
I talked to her quite a bit but we never got a pic. Next time for sure.
Looks like it was an awesome time.
I had a blast. Wish it lasted longer.
Get some rest. Things can get dangerous around equipment when tired. Looks like everyone had a good time at WIA.
Of course. I’m sleeping in tomorrow lol.
I love your pics! It looks as it was a blast being there!
I envy you (in a good way) and I wish I was there too!
Thanks for the photos Jay!
Thanks Andrea!
Great times Jay! Was awesome to meet everyone in person, including yourself. I’m glad you and your wife were able to make it.
Thanks Tim. Glad you were able to make it.
Jay, It was an absolute pleasure to meet you and your wife at the show. You are an awesome woodworker and I really appreciate everything you do to inspire me to get out and make stuff. Glad you got to come to my hometown and can’t wait to see you at the next show.
Absolutely Larry. It was such a great event and it was cool that quite a few local people could come out. Thanks again.
It truly was an amazing time. I cant wait till next year! Thanks, Jay for what you do.
Dude that was such an epic weekend. Crazy awesome.
At least your taller than Matt. Trust me, I know what its like to look up.
Short people unite!!
Just barely taller
I wish I could have gone to it with all the other youtubers… but the Pacific ocean is a little far to swim across…
Agreed. And I don’t like sharks. Hopefully there will be a way for more people to attend in future events.
This post made me smile! Looks like you had such a great time!
It was absolutely insane. I’m running out of superlatives to say about it. Just non stop smiles.
Jay, do you know if they’ve set the date and location for next year’s event yet?
I have no clue. But honestly I’d like to attend a larger event. I’ve been told The Woodworking Shows are much larger. Who knows but I’m definitely going to more of these in the future.
Wow… This is like some sort of wood porn… :D Its like the Avengers of Woodland.. ! :D
It was a surreal experience to be a part of for sure.
Great job Jay, only wish I could have been there but the UK is a bit too far. Regards
I understand. Thanks for stopping by here though :)
Jay, have you seen Mr, Izzy Swan in the event?
Izzy was not able to make the event unfortunately. Definitely looking forward to shaking his hand one day.
Thanks for sharing, Jay, it’s great to see all y’all having a great time together.
Keep on trucking !
Thanks Marc. It was an absolute blast.
It was great meeting you Jay
Hey Jacob. It was a pleasure meeting you and thanks for stopping by :)
Awesome to see everyone at the same place. Hope that happens again. I wish I could have been there.
Thanks Tom. It was insane.
For me that I, on the other side of the planet, they’re all just dreams. Almost all know from Youtube, but talk to them live is certainly life experience. (Google translated :) )
:)
Hey Jay it was really good to meet you. I think everybody was tired of me asking “Where is Jay”.
hahahaha. Wish I could have stayed longer. Definitely going to next time. That was a whirlwind of a weekend.
Great article Jay, glad it all went well. You’ll have to make some platform boots for the next event! :)
hahahaha. I need to borrow some of Nick’s apple boxes.
Thanks Jay, awesome photos.
Thank you Sam :)
Thanks for the report, Jay – looks like it was memorable and a lot of fun. Loved your quote : “anyone and everyone with a camera and an internet connection can contribute and have a positive impact on other peoples lives. That’s so powerful.” Well put. That’s exactly it….
Absolutely. This event really hit home with that. It was an amazing experience.
I saw a few recognizable faces. These are some of the wood workers guru’s websites I love to watch. I see I have more to subscribe to asap. It’s great to see they are real people who enjoy their craft and share their blessing with each other like “Compades”. Great picks. I wish I was there. You guys are Great! Thanks for the lessons and many hours I’ve invested to learn from your skills, imagination and your craft.
Thank you very much Jose. I very much appreciate it.
It was great to finally meet you, Jay!
Had a great time man. I didn’t get a chance to tell you guys bye. Was awesome getting to meet you and your wife. Thanks for everything man.
Great post Jay! It sounds like it was awesome!
Wow! what an experience! You got to meet some of my favourite people on the internet. How cool is that!
If one of these events could be held in Canada I would be all over that like a fat kid on a Smartie (that’s a Canadian version of an M & M for you folks in the excited states)
Seriously, an event like that is now on my bucket list.
Jay, I subscribe to all of you Video Woodworkers but yours is the first post to come to my email. I thank you for that and I hope this finds you well rested because I need you to get back out there with some more interesting things. In fact your updates and around-the-world vlogs are the ones I really look forward along with Izzy Swan’s amazing drill-powered tools and other creations. How does he continue to come up such brilliant innovations. And your use of your workspace boggles the mind. ok…I know I talk to much… something I used to tell my oldest daughter when she was in the “why” stage, some fifty years ago, oops, I’ve talked to much…. so I guess I’ll leave it at that and thank you again for all your videos and let you get back to work.
Bill
Such a great time, it was awesome to meet you, Jay!
Thanks Jay, I didn’t know you was so short. It was so cool to meet you and your wife.
It was so cool to meet you and Jamie! Thanks so much for the advice, can’t wait to build that planer sled you talked about so I can surface boards w/o a jointer. Next project on my want-to-do list is a shadow box for the saw blade you and the others signed! Hope you had safe travel home!
Jay, very very nice. It’s a petty doesn’t have this kind of events in Brazil.
Congrats.
L.ZACCARO
Couldn’t snag me for a pic? Dude, I would have dropped everything to get a picture with you! I think you did sign my Klacker, which isn’t as dirty as it sounds. I had four or five YouTubers on my “must meet” list, and you were one of them.
-Stumpy Nubs
My bad. I’ll make sure it won’t happen next time :)
Super wow event. All my favorite woodworkers in a place. Wish I had the opportunity to meet some of you, but my homeland is too far away :-)