The New Midlands Woodworking & Woodturning Exhibition

[meridienne]

4th & 5th October - Winter Woodex
Opening hours 10am - 4pm daily

Venue: Warwickshire Exhibition Centre, Nr Leamington Spa. CV31 1XN

FREE show!!! FREE Car parking!

The show is organised by Meridienne Exhibitions Ltd.

For further information visit meridienneexhibitions.co.uk
Tel 01926 614101

 

[wizer]

"How to make friends and influence people" By Meridienne Exhibitions Ltd

Tho i'm sure we all knew about this anyway.

Anyone going?

 

[davegw]

I was - until they did this - you know how much I like dodgy advertising

seriously though, I was at a Demo the other day and the demonstrator said that a lot of the trade stalls were staying away from this as there is another show the week after that they think will be more popular.

I wonder if that's what's made them do this?

 

[Smudger]

I didn't know about it...

What is the other show the week before?

 

[Gill]

I'm sure there was a list of exhibitors somewhere but I can't seem to find it any more. Can anyone help?

Gill

 

[wizer]

http://www.meridienneexhibitions.co.uk/ ... 0000000006

I am sure the last time this come up the list of exhibitors was much longer. Which leads me to believe this isn't the expo I thought it was??

 

[Gill]

Thanks wizer.

It certainly was longer - much longer! I remember Hegner being listed because I have some questions to put to them about scroll saw design and I was going to talk to them at the show. If there aren't going to be any manufacturers or retailers there, I see little point in going .

Gill

 

[Steve Maskery]

I think the confusion is that there is another show, with a similar name, in the same region of the country, just one weekend later:

10-12 Oct 08 http://www.skpromotions.co.uk/midlands.htm The New Midlands Woodworking Show, Hall 2, Stoneleigh Park, Coventry

This one is the same guy who promotes the Harrogate show, which has a much better reputation than the last effort I last went to at Stoneleigh, put on by a completely different organizer. It wasn't worth the petrol, let alone the entry fee.

Unfortunately I'm on holiday when the SK show is on, or at least I land at 1 in the morning on Saturday, so I'm not sure how much I'll want to drive for an hour for some woody stuff on the Sunday, but my guess is that it will be closer to the standard we want, rather the standard we are used to in recent years.

I hope this helps clear up the confusion.
Steve

 

[Gill]

That's the fella, Steve . Thanks for clearing up the confusion.

Stoneleigh Park will be my choice of woodwork show.

Gill

 

[wizer]

That's the fella, Steve . Thanks for clearing up the confusion.

Stoneleigh Park will be my choice of woodwork show.

Gill

yep thanks Steve, that was lucky. I nearly planned to go to the Meridean one.

 

[Jorden]

Hmm the Skpromotions show costs £8.50 to get in, the Meridian show is free.

I certainly wouldn't pay £8.50 to go to a show. I will be going to the free one, even if it's no good it sends a little message to organizers of the over priced shows.

D.

 

[Gill]

Having been to previous Meridienne shows, Dennis, I'd rather pay the £8.50 for Stoneleigh. When all's said and done, it's no more than the cost of cinema tickets, you get to encounter manufacturers who would otherwise be inaccessible and examine their products, and you can see demonstrations by acknowledged experts who are happy to discuss their techniques.

I'm all for frugality, but in this case there's a danger of making a false economy.

Gill

 

[RATWOOD]

I went to the april woodex it was a good show I will be going again

 

[lurker]

I went to the woodex in April and it was OK.

Given the time & petrol ( & I live fairly close) I think it was JUST worth my while.
However the exibitors list for the next one is very poor.

The list on the Sk one looks tempting so I'll give it a whirl.

Dennis, If you change your mind,about the SK one PM me and I'll "chauffeur" you there

 

[Steve Maskery]

Can anyone remember who used to organize (I use the term loosely) the Stoneleigh show up to the year before last? There wasn't one last year, but it did run (down) for several years before that. Was that Meridienne?

It seems very strange that this has just popped up. I've not heard about it before, I wonder how long it has been planned? The timing seems, to say the least, suspicious. The word "spoiler" comes to mind.

Let's see who is exhibiting:

Meridienne:

The British Woodcarvers’ Association
Association of Woodturners of Great Britain
Coombe Abbey Woodturners
Guild of Model Wheelwrights
Merseyside Woodturners Association
Tools and Trades History Society
Trent Valley Woodturners
Tudor Rose Woodturners
Warwickshire College
West Northants Woodturners

SK:
* Anglian Chemicals
1. The Camvac range of dust extraction machinery and accessories


* Ashley Iles (Edge Tools) Ltd
1. Turning, carving and cabinet making chisels, sharpening systems


* Avanquest Software
1. 2D and 3D CAD drawing packages


* Behlen Ltd
1. Wood finishes


* BriMarc Associates
1. Jet woodworking machines
2. Arbortech
3. Duragrit
4. Flexcut
5. Gorilla glues and tapes
6. Kreg machines
7. Leigh jigs
8. Sjoberg benches
9. Tormek grinders
10. Veritas
11. Proxxon and CMT cutters


* Carroll Tools
1. Sanding drums
2. Microplane blades


* Chestnut Products
1. A full range of Chestnut wood finishes


* Classic Hand Tools
1. Premier quality hand tools from:
Lie-Nielsen, Veritas, Blue-Spruce tool works, Bridge City tool works,
Hock, Auriou, Sauer and many more fine hand tools


* Craft Supplies
1. Woodworking courses in England and France
2. LED lights


* Crown Hand Tools
1. Turning, carving and general woodworking tools


* Felder UK Ltd
1. A full range of both Hammer and Felder woodworking machines


* Freshwater Publishing
1. Living Wood (a NEW magazine for the woodworker)
2. British Woodworking


* Frhei Drill Bits
1. A comprehensive range of hand tools plus all those little extra necessities


* Hamilton Edge Tools
1. Band saw blades


* Hegner UK Ltd
1. Hegner Scroll saws
2. Hegner Disc Sanders
3. Hegner Lathes
4. VB36 Lathe
5. Multi Star Chuck
6. Organoil
7. Advanced Sanding Systems


* Lincolnshire Woodcraft Supplies
1. English and imported hardwoods


* Lovell Workwear
1. Woodworkers smocks and aprons


* Meantime Design
1. Clocks and gift making components


* New Generation Tools
1. Flexidisc Sander
2. Letonkinois Varnishes
3. Uniclamp Sharpening Systems


* Oneida Air Systems
1. Dust extraction equipment


* Phil Irons Woodturning
1. Vicmarc Lathes, chucks and accessories
2. Woodcut tools


* Power Capacitors
1. Transwave phase converters


* Price Tool Sales
1. Trend
2. Makita
3. Fein
4. Festo


* Proops Bros
1. All those hand tools and accessories so vital to the woodworker


* Record Power Tools
1. A full range of Record power tools, machines and accessories


* Robert Sorby
1. Turning, carving, bench and framing chisels
2. Lathe accessories
3. Patriot chuck
4. ProEdge sharpening system


* Scheppach
1. The full range of classic workshop and benchtop machines
2. The Mafell range of power tools


* SIP
1. A range of their woodworking machines


* Snainton Woodworking Supplies
1. Charnwood Woodworking Machinery
2. English turning and carving blanks
3. Record Power Tools
4. SIP


* Stobart Davies
1. Woodworking books


* T & J Tools
1. Abrasive disc pads
2. Diamond sharpening stones


* The Saw Centre
1. DeWalt power tools


* The Toolpost
1. Wivamac lathes
2. Hamlet Craft Tools
3. Versa chucks
4. Beall buffing systems
5. Kelton tools
6. U-Beaut finishes
7. Holzer Diamond products


* The Guild of Master Craftsmen
1. A wide selection of magazines, books and videos from the GMC


* The Old Tool Store
1. Old hand tools for the discerning collector and user


* Turners Retreat
1. Project accessories
2. Pen kits
3. Clifton planes
4. Microclene air filters
5. Titebond glues
6. Safety equipment
7. Microplanes
8. Pax saws
9. Inlace and Suede-tex
10. DVDs


* UK Tools Direct
1. A large range of quality woodworking tools


* Warren Machine Tools
1. The NEW range of Warco woodworking machines



Attractions

Demonstrations
This list will be updated as demonstrators are confirmed.

* Barry Iles - sponsored by Ashley Iles - tool sharpening

* Bob Neill - Pyrographer

* Craft Supplies - Turning workshop

* Gerry Marlow - Turner - Sponsored by The Toolpost

* Les Thorne - Turner - Sponsored by thesheddirect.com

* Lisa Raby - Pyrographer

* Mark Bennett - sponsored by Classic Hand Tools - The use of fine quality hand tools

* Mark Hancock - Turner

* Michael Painter - Carver

* Mike Hudson - sponsored by Turners Retreat - Hand planes

* Peter Wood (Greenwood Days) - Pole Lathe Turner/Windsor Chair Maker

* Philippa Barstow and Alan Waterhouse - Finishing

* Philippe Bourgeat - French Turner - Sponsored by The Toolpost

* Register of Professional Woodturners of GB - Greg Moreton & Guy Ravine

* Reg Sherwin - Turner

* Reg Slack - Turner

* Sue and Graham Harker - sponsored by Snainton Woodworking - Segment turning and rocking horse making

* Tony Wilson - Turner - Sponsored by Hegner UK


Craft Associations and Colleges
This list will be updated as craft associations and colleges are confirmed.

* The Association of Woodturners of Great Britain

* The North Warwickshire and Hinckley Woodturning Club

* Warwick Carvers associated with the BWA

* Northern Federation of Woodturning Groups

* Warwickshire College

* West Northants Woodturners


Master Classes and Seminars.
Master Classes, some with Question and Answer Sessions.
The Guild of Master Craftsmen will be sponsoring four classes with question and answer sessions on each of the three days of the show. All of the demonstrators are experts and authors in their own right.

* Turning
1. Mark Baker - Editor: Woodturning Magazine

* Routing and Power Woodworking (incorporating Power Tools and Machinery)
1. Anthony Bailey - Editor: Router & Power Woodworking

* Furniture and Cabinet Making
1. Michael Huntley - Editor: Furniture & Cabinet Maker

* Woodcarving
1. Carving - Peter Benson - Chairman of the BWA

Hmm, decisions, decisions.
S

 

[Terry Smart]

There's a long history of shows at Stoneleigh...

The first woodworking shows there were organised by Meridienne about 15 years ago; they were held annually for about three years before moving to their current home near Leamington Spa; this was done to reduce costs as the new venue is owned by Meridienne.

Around the same time, IPC (as I think they were then) started organising a Woodturning Show at the NEC; about five years ago they moved it to Stoneleigh the company having been transformed into first Nexus and then Magicalia. Last year they abandoned Stoneleigh and tried a venue in Stafford. This was a near-total failure and seems to have died a death.

Ken Salter of SK Promotions (the company behind the Harrogate and Scotland show) have, at the request of the trade, decided to try to resurrect the Stoneleigh show this year and they seem to have got a lot of support from the trade.

There is room for two shows in the Midlands, but not at the same time. The SK show was announced about 18 months ago, Winter Woodex only during the April Show.

 

[davegw]

Terry, Are Chestnut going to be at woodex?

 

[Terry Smart]

Hi Dave

We never say never, but it is extremely unlikely.

 

[dunbarhamlin]

I did enjoy Woodex in April (might have something to do with a couple of Mr Hudson's little wonders following me home, of course) and expect I'll pop in, since it's just about within staggering distance for me (three or four country miles with a good hostelry in the middle - see - beer is a necessary part of any proper excercise regime.)

But I'll be taking my wallet to Stoneleigh (principally for a new router - I balked at West Dean (not that I left empty handed,) but having been using my bronze SJB quite a bit recently, it's time to get a nice smooth adjusting, non marring iron job.)

Cheers
Steve

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Gill,

Having been to previous Meridienne shows, Dennis, I'd rather pay the £8.50 for Stoneleigh. When all's said and done, it's no more than the cost of cinema tickets, you get to encounter manufacturers who would otherwise be inaccessible and examine their products, and you can see demonstrations by acknowledged experts who are happy to discuss their techniques.

I'm all for frugality, but in this case there's a danger of making a false economy.

Gill

I agree 100%. I didn't go to the last Meridienne Woodex show, which was also free, as I thought it would be a waste of petrol. The Woodex show was very much for turners and apparently had the feel of a craft fair.

The SK show is definitely the one to go for.

Cheers,
Neil