HAND TOOL EVENT at

Exotic Lumber, Inc.

FRIDAY, JUNE 11TH, NOON-6PM
SATURDAY, JUNE 12TH, 10AM-5PM

19324 Woodfield Rd - Gaithersburg, MD

FREE ADMISSION

DIRECTIONS & PARKING: Lot parking available.

Exotic Lumber Inc. has its origins in South Africa. Started by Bill van der Westhuizen in Durban in 1988, Exotic Lumber was started and expanded in 2002 with the joining of partner Neil Gager. Exotic Lumber operates as a specialty lumber yard and has expanded into two operations servicing the Washington DC / Baltimore areas. We also ship lumber to customers throughout the United States, and with over 130 species in stock have one of the widest selections of lumber available on the East Coast.

Demonstrators include...
Bob Zajicek: Czeck Edge Hand Tools
Fred West: Marcou Planes
Matt Bickford: M.S. Bickford Planes
Chuck Bender: Acanthus Workshop

Lie-Nielsen Toolworks employees
will be present to answer questions, do demonstrations and more.

Czeck Edge began the manufacture of layout hand tools for woodworking craftsmen in July of 2005. Their venture was an outgrowth of producing awls and marking knives for fellow craftsmen in the Atlanta area woodworking community. Encouraged by these users, they were moved to create a company and offer our tools commercially. Their vision then as now, is to provide tools with bench made quality, high performance and affordable prices. They use the finest materials and a combination of traditional and state-of-the-art processes to achieve these goals.

Marcou Planes: After modifying his first planes, Philip was prompted to make a smoother plane using double dovetails. His knife making experience taught him the aesthetic value of combining fine woods, steel, and brass. His planes have steel soles and brass sides, which combine to offer a gorgeous look and significant mass to the plane. Exotic woods offer the finishing touch to these quality tools, attractive to both collectors and serious users.

The transition from power tools to hand tools led Matt Bickford to make his first set of hollows and rounds nearly three years ago following the release of the Lie-Nielsen produced video Making Traditional Side Escapement Planes featuring Larry Williams of Clark & Williams. Matt's interests fell in the realm of the five types of planes he offers: rabbets, snipes bill, side rounds, hollows and rounds. The arcs these planes create are specific; the possibilities they allow are limitless. M. S. Bickford Planes was established in early 2010 as a result of Matt's various efforts to encourage others to take the same steps and eliminate future tooling needs.

Charles (Chuck) Bender is the lead instructor and managing partner of the Acanthus Workshop. He began seriously woodworking at the age of 12 in his parents' basement making pieces of furniture for friends and family. Throughout high school he studied under Werner Duerr at the Central Chester County Vocational Technical School in Pennsylvania. Werner taught his high school program exactly like his apprenticeship in Germany. The students were taught to blend hand tool use with power tools. Chuck teaches that same philosophy today. After graduation from high school, Chuck spent nearly ten years working with Irion Company Furnituremakers, working his way to heading up their chair and casework production before  deciding to branch off on his own. Since 1991 Chuck has been building a reputation for building the highest quality 18th Century furniture in the country. His work can be seen in museums, private collections and at some of the finest juried craft shows in the country. In 2007 Chuck added the title "woodworking mentor" to his list of accomplishments by starting the Acanthus Workshop. He's received numerous woodworking awards throughout his career and has appeared in local and national magazines and newspapers. Also in 2007, he began sharing his knowledge publicly by writing for Popular Woodworking Magazine and teaching skill driven classes at woodworking shows across the country. In 2009, Chuck was a presenter at the Woodworking in America Hand Tool Conference and in 2010, he added a new line of instructional DVD's which are available through the school website. The weekend and weeklong classes at the school are taught by Chuck and other professional woodworkers. The philosophy is simple:  learn from those who work wood every single day because they have the practical knowledge and experience to help you become the best woodworker you can be.

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