Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Event March 10-11, Greater Cincinnati

Close-up on Lie-Nielsen mortise chisels.

The Popular Woodworking team is looking forward to the end of this week – instead of reporting to the office for work on Friday morning, we’ll be meeting bright and early at Braxton Brewing Co. to set up for the 2017 Greater Cincinnati Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Event. I’ll be there Saturday as well…but perhaps not bright nor early – but by 10 a.m. for sure! (That’s when the doors open – and I’ll make sure to get myself a nitro cold brew coffee or two before they do.)

The event runs March 10 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and March 11 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. It’s an excellent opportunity to get your hands on the entire line of Lie-Nielsen tools and try the out before you make a buying decision – but it’s also a great opportunity for hand-tool instruction. The team from Lie-Nielsen is happy to demonstrate and teach you essential hand tool techniques – sharpening, sawing, planing and more. That’s right – you’re encouraged to not only touch, but actually use the merchandise. (Plus, there’s free shipping on most Lie-Nielsen items ordered at the show – and they typically have on hand a few of the most popular items, so you can take them home with you.)

And did I mention that admission to the show is free? cru

In addition to the Lie-Nielsen staff, we’ll be there with our latest books and videos (mostly the hand-tool-related titles), and I will also be happy to show you how to plane, saw or sharpen. After I finish my coffee (it’s simply too dangerous beforehand!).

Also on the roster:

Lost Art Press – if you’re looking for a roundup of the best ways to occupy non-woodworking family members and a salivation-inducing list of delicious meal options in the area, head over to Christopher Schwarz’s LAP blog (where he’s also announced that PopWood contributor and LAP author Don Williams, and photographer Narayan Nayar, will be at the show).

Crucible – This new company formed by John Hoffman (who will be at the show), Raney Nelson and Christopher Schwarz is dedicated to making tools they think have been overlooked or are in desperate need of improvement – tools you need that you can’t get elsewhere.

M.S. Bickford – Matt Bickford, as you likely know, specializes in moulding planes, and his book on the subject is, in my opinion unparalleled. It wasn’t until I read it that the lightbulb went off in my head: “Oh! That’s how you make a moulding…any moulding.” The book and his tools are brilliant.

Voigt Planes – Steve Voigt makes traditional double-iron wooden planes, based loosely on those form the circa-1790 Seaton tool chest. (And he’s going to show you how to make a smooth plane in this style in an upcoming issue of the magazine. I tried out his planes at last year’s show, and was terribly impressed – so I asked him to share how he does it.)

The Lazarus Handplane Co. – Mateo Panzica is a Louisville-based infill planemaker (who also offers a few slicks). He’s both a woodworker and metal worker, so he makes his tools start to finish, including the blades. I haven’t used his planes. Yet. (I hope he’ll let me take a few passes this weekend.)

Scott Meek Woodworks – Scott is known for his futuristic-looking wood-bodied handplanes (that work gangbusters_), but he’s also an accomplished woodworking teachers and furniture maker (plus, he offers a jointer-plane kit, so you can make your own!)

Society of American Period Furniture Makers – Representatives from the Ohio River Valley chapter of SAPFM will be displaying their work and demonstrating throughout the weekend. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about thei important membership group, and to join (the annual publication – American Period Furniture – alone is well worth the membership fee, but you also get access to a a forum of like-minded makers and specialists in this field.)

So now back to editing like a madwoman…so I can forget about comma splices, subject-verb agreement, etc. on Friday and Saturday, and just enjoy the show – and hopefully meet a bunch of you!

– Megan Fitzpatrick