Denver Kezuroukai Japanese Woodworking Festival August 4

[HarveyWildes]

Looks like fun to me - I'm planning on attending.
All three of the presenters are professional woodworkers in Denver, and have practical experience with Japanese traditions.  Disclosure - one of them is my son .

If you live along the front range, this is a great opportunity to meet other woodworkers from the area.  The venue is an added benefit if you have never been there - Red Rocks certainly had a good program several years ago when I attended some classes there.

Here is the description of the event from the Poster:

Mini Kez Colorado 2018
A Japanese Woodworking Festival
Saturday August 4 | 10am-4pm at The Red Rocks Community College's Fine Woodworking Department, 13300 W. 6th Ave, Lakewood
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @kezuroukai_colorado for updates!

Bring a hand plane to enter the competition!  Prizes will be awarded for the thinnest shavings.  Open to all skill levels!

10:00 Opening & Introductions
10:20 Understanding the Japanese Hand Plane, Led by Tak Kida
11:10 Mastering Sharpening with Waterstones led by Kyle Kwiatkowski
12:00 Break for Lunch
1:00 Basics of Japanese Joinery Led by Tom Harvey
2:15 Hand Planing competition
3:30 Award Ceremony & Closing

 

[HarveyWildes]

Just a note on the location of Red Rocks Community College.  6th Ave is a limited access road at the address noted.  Red Rocks is actually south of the road off the frontage road.  It's between the Union/Simms St exit and the Indiana St exit.  Use a maps app if you can.

 

[Wooden Skye]

Sounds like a great event.  Wish I still lived in Colorado.

 

[HarveyWildes]

Had a great time today.  I competed in the plane competition, and won an honorable mention with a DVD on Japanese tools, so I felt like I did a reasonable job of tuning up my plane.  My plane blade was less than two inches wide, so I had to compete with some nice straight grain white pine rather than the Port Orford cedar that the big boys used.  At the end of the competition, the room smelled very nice.

All in all it was about what I expected.  The presentations were well done for people not used to Japanese tools and techniques.  There was a mix of area woodworkers, hobbyists, a couple of teachers from Red Rocks, and a few kids.  One dad and son (maybe 12-13?) worked together during every break on tuning up their plane, with the dad showing his son how to use it (with help from "Tak", one of the presenters).  The son competed and did well.  That was just a highlight of what I think is the value proposition of this kind of event - people get together and share knowledge, techniques, and experience hands on, and get to try what they've learned.

Suzuki Tools in Oakland actually brought product out from Oakland and had a nice selection of tools, accessories, and knives for sale.  I might have had a moment where I lusted after a Japanese chamfer plane, but it's not in the tool budget at the moment.

Thanks to Red Rocks Community College for hosting the event.  All supplies were paid for out of the pockets of the folks who organized it, so kudos to them as well.