I just flew back from China … and boy, are my arms – OK, even I can't go for that goofy joke. But I am indeed back home and happy to be in the soon-to-be-frozen north. My tool travels to Asia were eye-opening and truly gave me an opportunity to understand the dynamics behind the shift of manufacture – of all sorts, not just woodworking tools – to the East. I will be putting those observations and thoughts on this complicated subject into an article that will appear in the January/February issue of our print magazine.  My travel blog (www.woodworkersjournal.com/asia) will remain on the web for those of you who have not had the chance to check it out. (The videos will remain online as well – so far no calls from Hollywood – frankly, I'm baffled.)
Almost any travel experience tends to broaden a person's views and is an opportunity for growth and enlightenment. My most salient memory from my Asian travels is the warmth and hospitality of the people I met. Both my tool making hosts (American and Chinese) as well as the people I met "on the street."  It is somehow uplifting to find that the human bond is close at hand, even if you are clearly an odd-looking foreigner and don't know a word of the language.

— Rob Johnstone, editor: Woodworker's Journal