This info may or may not be worth anything, of course. But I did get it from someone who has a position in the industry that should make inside info available to him.

Now like I say, this may just be the usual BS, but if anyone out there hasn't gotten around to attending but has been considering going, this might be one of the last years for it. Or it might go on forever.

From my perspective, at the root of this phenomenon is the natural waxing and waning of any leisure time pursuit. You can probably also see it reflected in the recent "decline of the woodworking magazine" discussions hereabouts.

While there's always been the hardcore woodworker, you can make a good case that this latest upswing in woodworking's popularity, for the past ten years or so, is due mainly to TV exposure.

Now, those who have gotten their wannabe cues from Norm, the DIY channel, Bruce Johnson, and David Marks are starting to fall by the wayside as their short attention spans kick in.

It's also becoming harder and harder to hold onto your home, and therefore the "shop", in your advancing years (the usual time when many take up the pursuit) due to the insatiable appetite of the property taxing authorities.

I'm seeing a lot more 'complete shops' being sold the past year on places like craigslist, and five years ago it was rare to see a used Unisaw for sale, now one seems to pop up every month or so around here.

Eventually it'll go back the other way, if we survive ...