I would love to hear how it is going, both with Thermwood and eCabinet Systems in Las Vegas.
1. Is there anything exciting?
2. Is there anything new?
3. Is everyone being safe and well-mannered?
4. How is the new Thermwood machine being received?
It just has been TOO QUIET from the Western front today. Please give us an update, if anyone finds the time do so. Oh, and please put $5 n black for me .
Thanks to any and all taking the time for a quick update. Enjoy your time in Las Vegas, and remember - What happens in Vegas, stays is Vegas...
There must also be a whole boatload of forum members there, as the board has been pretty quiet in the last few days. I am sure there will be plenty good news when everyone gets back. Plus, maybe the next issue of the Member Magazine will provide good highlights, with photos.
Well, I was there Wednesday and Thursday and I thought it was a pretty good show. Thermwood was running the heck out of the new machine, serial #1 and it seemed to be performing very well. It was nice talking to the Thermwood team as well. I also managed to steal a copy of Ken's book and a bunch of the finishing CDs which will be going to the Palomar College Cabinet and Furniture Technology department. Someday I hope we can get a bit more technology into the program with a Thermwood router. This time there was a separate booth for the eCabinet Systems software guys in the quiet zone. They just happened to be parked right next door to the KCDw folks.
I also pressured Ken into revealing some TOP SECRET information which he would kill me for if I revealed it. To give the machine owners a clue, this is going to be great news for them if they do work for other shops using brand X software.
I was personally trying my hardest to get a few guys I know to buy Thermwood routers. I can't afford one yet myself, so having a friend with one is the next best thing.
One of my buddies had me watch a brand X point-to-point machine demonstration that actually applied 3mm banding to a part after cutting and drilling it. Very impressive,and only $280K! I then walked him over to talk to the Thermwood guys about getting something more realistic (and no doubt easier to maintain).
There was also a nice Martin shaper for only $50K. Hmmm, that new Thermwood router is only $59K.
I was impressed by the new Salice hinges featuring the soft close mechanism built into the cup. Very nice. I normally use Blum, but I might be swayed to switch. Hopefully Thermwood will get these into the software.
There were also the dozens of companies showing us the same old stuff like copies of saws designed by Delta back in the 40s. I finally got to see a SawStop demo with the hot dog. Very impressive, plus it scares the crap out of you if you happen to be standing right next to the saw.
For those of you who are into going green it seemed that there were lots of people offering environmentally friendly products from finishes to formaldehyde-free panels to bamboo sheet goods and drawer boxes to sustainably grown wood, like Lyptus.
The bummer of the trip to Las Vegas was that all of the slot machines in the hotel we stayed at only took tickets or dollar bills - and I had a pocket full of quarters... Bummer, I didn't lose a cent.
Thanks for the wonderful and thorough update, Joe! Glad you made it there and back home safely. I, for one, look forward to seeing the new items in the program some time in the near future.
Are those quarters still burning a hole in your pocket?
I had originally planned on going to the Vegas show, and since I've got every toy I need now EXCEPT the Thermwood router, I was going to spend all the time at the Thermwood booth bugging the guys. I really wanted to see the new machine in action.
I hope everyone had a great time at the show this year, looking forward to someone posting some pictures! <wink wink>
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