Last weekend my 11-year-old son and I went to the 16th Annual Long Island Woodworkers Show at Old Bethpage Village, just off the Long Island Expressway (affectionately called the LIE by Island commuters). On display was an impressive array of woodworking talent, with a wide-ranging furniture exhibit, tool demos, seminars, and a well-stocked selection of used tools for sale.

The Long Island club, started in 1990, is a passionate group, with more than 300 active members who meet monthly. It’s also a diverse club, with a few special interest groups that focus specifically on wood carving, cabinet and furniture making, turning, or scrollsawing. All of those skillsets were well-represented at the show in both the seminars and the exhibits.

All in all, it was a great father-son day. If you’re interested in joining the club, you can get membership info online, or you can attend one of their meetings, which occur the first Wednesday of each month at the Brush Barn (211 E Jericho Turnpike, Smithtown, New York). Annual dues is $35; membership in the special interest groups is extra.

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