It has been my pleasure to travel to San Diego each year to be a judge at the Design in Wood show at the San Diego County Fair, in Del Mar, Calif. I say pleasure not only because it is the biggest furniture show by any club in North America, but also because it is such a pleasure to work with the people who run it. For 20 years the top dog has been Bob Stevenson, with the help of his wife, Janet.

Supervising a wonderful group of volunteers from the San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association, Bob has grown this show from a small display in a corner of one of the fair buildings to the massive display it is today, drawing pieces from around the world, and including many live demonstrations. My favorite is a live chair workshop that makes seating for day cares and schools.

If you have a chance to thank Bob for his many years of service to our craft, please do. He and Janet have already got two great vacations planned, one to Europe and one in their camper.

It’s not only the number of pieces–from furniture to turnings and sculpture–that makes this show stand alone, but it is also the quality of the work. The pieces pictured here are the ones I found most inspiring, but just a tiny sample of the overall show.

By the way, if you go, you’ll find a whole other hall filled with the work of local high-school and secondary-school students, which is just as inspiring.

Launch Gallery