I drove to Visailia from San Diego and I was not impressed by the show. Where can one go to see vendors and products for the home shop machinist? 10 hours of driving vs 30 minutes to see all the vendors present, not a good ratio
The NAMES (North American Model Engineering Society) show is pretty good. It's in late April and this year will be in Toledo, OH. The previous 10+ shows were held in Detroit, but they weren't able to obtain suitable arrangements for Detroit next year. Due to the location change, next year might be better or worse. I'd guess that there are usually 50-100 vendors and at least a couple hundred exhibitors. Mostly IC and steam engines although there are a few model guns if that's your thing. There's also a series of training sessions on both days.
Cabin Fever is put on in February (York, PA?) and Iron Fever in August and Cabin Fever is better than NAMES, according to a couple of friends who have attended both. I think that the Fever shows are put on by the same folks that did Visalia, but someone will correct me if I'm wrong.
England has several model engineering shows if you don't mind a lot of travel and I've heard that these usually last closer to a week.
I have been to both NAMES and CF and I think they are both good shows. LIke the man said, NAMES is a somewhat unknown because of the new location for the April 2006 show.
PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.