Today, by the time you read this message, I will be in Las Vegas, Nevada. The National Hardware Show is starting on Wednesday, and I plan on being on the floor checking out cool new stuff when the doors open.
These days, in my dotage, the idea of going to a trade show is uninspiring — this will not be my first rodeo. But when I get there, I confess to feeling a bit like a kid in a candy store. I can’t help it. Show me a new tool, even if it is not that innovative, and you’ve got my attention. Show me one that is really inventive and solves a woodworking problem — and my inner tool geek comes to the fore and it is like Christmas morning.
So, keep your eyes open; there may be some interesting tool stories in the near future. And don’t worry about my wages. In 18 years of going to Las Vegas for trade shows … I have wagered a total of one dollar and the one-armed-bandit returned $39. My gambling days ended then.
Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal