>I'm on the committee to find the demonstators for next years Tennnessee Symposium. We are looking for a few big name demonstrators That can also teach the basics. We want our symposium to represent the beginner as well as the advanced turner.
We're also going to look at a few turners who may not be "big name" but who are really good at teaching thier craft. That would be teaching about tools, cutting, wood movement etc.
Ideally I want to hear from people who have actually seen these people and know that they are good demonstrators. We were lucky to have some good ones this year. Thanks, Clay, John, Andi, Brenda and Gary.
>You won't do much better than Bill Grumbine. His DVD aught to be "on the stands" by then so it'll be a good deal with souvenirs available at the door.
Of the "big names" I have seen, Bin Pho is one of the best. To that list I would add Trent Bosch, and Dale Nish.
Down from the big names (though some famous in their own right) I would add Bill Grumbine, Dave Peebles, Don Donaldson, Stephen Gleasner, Keith Tompkins, Elve Jackson......
>One of the most personable demonstrators I`ve ever seen.Al makes it seem like he`s just a friend who stopped by to show you something neat that he discovered.The Maine woodturners brought him back just because all the oldtimers thought so much of him.
Bob Rosand is very good and can field demo`s from beginner on up to advanced,and make it all look easy.He`s especially good at detail work and working small projects with small tools.
Christian Burchard is more an intermediate type demonstrator but he had a way of putting the beginners at ease and getting them to try things they wouldn`t have thought they could pull off.He makes you very much aware to the sound and feel of wood being cut properly.Many of our members credited him with making thier turning more relaxed and enjoyable.
Steve Gleasner is inspiring.Watching him demo is like looking at turning with a completely different set of eyes.He gives you the feeling we`re only scratching the surface of what can be done.
The only reason I didn`t mention Jacques Vesery is because he demoed at the last symposium.Jacques is one of the top 3,the complete package.He makes a natural connection to whatever audience he stands in front of.
There`s the list of all the demonstrators who impressed me and the other members of the Maine Woodturners the most.
Consider Tennessee's own Hershel Miller, President of the Midsouth Woodturner's Guild, turning instructor, and frequent demonstrator. Some other good names from the Rock&Roll end of the state are Dick Absher, John Stubblefield (FUNNY GUY!!!), and there are others.
>Especially since you want to inclue beginning turners in the mix. Bill knows all the stuff he's supposed to know, as an instructor, so he can teach to all levels. With a beginner he has a way of making you feel comfortable. I took a lesson from Bill, when I first started, and as I told him he has the patience of Job. There were a few things I kept doing wrong & Bill patiently reminded me & showed me the right way until I got it. The lesson with Bill is still the best investment I've made to date in my WW'ing hobby.
>This is the Tennessee Association of Wood turners annual symposium August 13 and 14 2005. It was a good one this year and we are going to make it better next year with state of the art Audio and Video if all goes as planned. We are now meeting in a new facility at Belmont University in thier new art building and they have expressed interest in having us hold the symposium there. We are going to look it over next week.
>John, I would highly recommend both Alan Lacer and Dick Sing. We have had both at our club and both were absolutley fantastic. Alan's work with the skew is great. And Dick Sing is just all round great.
A couple of others I might add would be Mike Mahoney, Rex Birmingham and Lane Phillips. I had the pleasure of taking the Utah 5 class at Craft Supplies last year with them and they were really good, knowledable and good to work with.
>Sounds like a plan, John. By the way, I've recently taken on the position of webmaster for the Midsouth Woodturner's Guild. While I still have a LOT of work to catch up on, I've gotten some things updated on our website - including the Gallery page. Go there to check out some of the fantastic things that are coming out of the Memphis chapter.
The images towards the end show Hershel Miller demonstrating split turning.
Hershall called and we compared notes on the split turning. I sent him some stuff. Hope it went well. I will be doing a demo on split turning this month at the Upper Cumberland club in Crossville, Tn.
