woodworking show question

Re: woodworking show question

Fog Tanner

>Depends on the show and what you are looking for. I just bought a Vicmarc chuck at the Craft Supply booth for a very good price, about what it I could get it for from Australia. I bought a dial indicator for setting up my table saw (segmented work), and I bought a 16" MiniMax (an offer I couldn't refuse) for cutting large bowl blanks and making veneer for segmented pieces. At a previous show I bought the Dubby cutting sled for doing segmented work and a couple of sets of the GripTite feather boards to keep my fingers attached to my hands while cutting segmented stock. There are also an assortment of dust collection pieces that can be had at fairly decent prices.

Our woodturning club has a booth at the show in Houston and C.S. gives those club members that work the booth and do turning demos a 20% discount, hence the great price on the chuck. Plus we get in the door free, only have to pay for parking.

The best deals I have found on turning tools at a show have been at the Texas Turn or Two symposium. I picked up a P&N tool for a decent price, a Moffet light for my lathe. It all depends on what your interests are and what you are looking for. Can't hurt to go and look.

Re: woodworking show question

Ruth in So. Cal

>Ken, there is a show coming up in Pomona at the end of the month...April 29th through to May 1st.

Check out 'Calandar' on the Inland Turners website which I have given you before.

Ruth

Re: woodworking show question

Glenn Madsen

>In Sacramento last weekend, the only turning tools were at the Craft Supplies booth, and pretty much limited to their economy Artisan line.

Shame, really. I was looking for a couple of items, and left with most of my budget intact.

Their catalog did have a discount code for phone purchases however. That may get used.

The problem may be....

tdaniel

>Some of the shows, especially regional turning shows, have a habit of protecting some vendors by not allowing competitive booths. I think this is a gross dis-service to the attendees but that is the way it is. If there were more competition there would be better prices but there would also be the problem of some vendors not making enough profit to come back next year.

TD

Re: The problem may be....

Jerry Whitaker

>The regional SouthWest Association of Turners (SWAT) formerly the Texas Turn or Two had 6 vendors selling all kinds of tools, chucks etc. including Craft Supplies, WoodCraft Supply, Best Woood tools, The Cutting Edge from Houston and a couple of others. Selling wood were Shadetree Woodturning Unique Mesquite, Turning Wood, Curly Woods, Tropical Turning Woods of Florida and others. SWAT does not screen vendors....everyone is welcome. We had about 23 vendors in all and prices were very good. Come to Wichita Falls, TX Sept. 30 - Oct 2, 2005 for three full days of turning events. You will win a PM3520a lathe if your raffle ticket is chosen. Visit our website at www.swaturners.com. The site is just getting cranked up for 2005 and has a registration form and an application to be a demonstrator and a few other minor things but with more to come soon. Check us out!!! Better yet, come see us in September!!! We had 568 in attendance last year in Temple, TX....help us break that record.

Re: The problem may be....

Fog Tanner

>That is not entirely true. There was a wood vendor that was turned away from the Turn or Two (I refuse to call it swat). He had health issues in the beginning of the year and could not make a commitment at that time. He was later told that he could not come as a vendor. I spoke to our club rep and the issue was brought up at one of the planning meetings by him and another rep from another club. They were effectively blown away by some comittee chairman (who has forgotten what we turn) with some fairy tale about the vendor having some nonexitant fire and no stock, the vendor was not allowed to come. I had just received some wood from him that week with a note saying if I needed anything to let him know as he a large supply and would cut what I needed.

The sad part is there was no other wood vendor in attedance that had the same type of wood. This year the vendor has some serious health issues that will not permit him to attend any shows at this time. So a lot of people were denied the opportunity at some really interesting wood.

In fairness to some of the reps this year working on the vendor committee, several of them are beating the bushes for vendors. They are aware of what happended and trying to get as many vendors as possible and not let the situation that happened last year repeat. They are doing their part to keep Texas in the event, after all we are supposed to be friendly to out of town folks here.....

Fog

Re: The problem may be....

Jerry Whitaker

>There was a limited amount of space for vendors at SWAT so if your favorite wood vendor could not make a committment by the deadline, he was out of luck as were some others. Space is always on a first-come, first-served basis whether it is a woodturning symposium or any other kind of conference or gathering. There was enough space for about 35 vendors. However, one vendor paid for 5 spaces and others paid for more than one space. Therefore there was only room for about 23 different vendors. You cannot hold a space for a vendor when space is limited and there are other people wanting it just as you cannot wait for a demonstrator to commit past a certain time frame. It takes a lot of effort to put a symposium together and time waits for no one. We will be back at the Multi-Purpose Events Center in Wichita Falls in September and there will be enough room for 50 or 60 vendors.

Symposium administrators always "beat the bushes" for vendors so that attendees will have a large selection of merchandise to choose from. Vendors are the primary attraction for some. However, I detect a bit of animosity in the way this has been phrased as well as the "Fairy Tale" scenario.

Anyway, call it what you want but it is still the SouthWest Association of Turners (SWAT)!!!

Re: The problem may be....

Gary Evans, Tallassee, TN

>Jerry,

What is the deadline for vendors for this year's show?

Gary

My kind of show...

tdaniel

>Who do I contact to get a booth?

TD

Re: My kind of show...

Jerry Whitaker

>TD

Contact Dan Henry at: danhenry@rrmb.net

He can get you all the information you need.

Re: The problem may be....

Bill Grumbine (Kutztown PA)

>Vendors restricted to protect profits!?! Is this at the Joe Stalin Symposium? This is the same mindset as the artists who try to protect "their" shapes. If this is what is really going on in some of these events, I can't imagine that they will survive for very long.

The whole process seems to be very simple to me. There are X number of spaces at X number of dollars per space. When they are filled up, even if every single one of them sells sandpaper, they are filled up! If they are all taken six months ahead of time, so be it. If there is a space still available two weeks before the event, it would be foolish to keep someone out.

But then, what do I know?

Bill

My sentiments exactly

tdaniel

>

Well said

Bob Hackett

>

Re: The problem may be....

Fog Tanner

>If this was in fact the case, then you tell people what the situation is up front. The vendor was not told this nor any of the club reps. I think all involved would have been better served if the facts had been presented and not some alternate "truth".

No animosity - that's a waste of time, I just don't like to see out of state vendors nor the members treated this way. As far as the name change goes, there are a number of us that will never call it that, there was never anything wrong with having Texas in the name and we are all still just wood turners and the majority of attendees are from Texas and Texas isn't the southwest - it is just Texas. So you can call it swat and some of us will still call it the "Turn of Two".

Re: The problem may be....

Jerry Whitaker

>Everybody knows that if you "snooze you lose". There was a deadline on the vendor form posted on the website and any form that was requested through the mail so everyone knew exactly the same information at the same time. What can be more fair? If you start making exceptions for vendors, demonstrators or those in attendance, things are not fair anymore.

Why are you so concerned about out-of-state vendors? A vendor is a vendor is a vendor and they are all welcome, even from other countries but within the published guidelines. No brown nosing and no discrimination in these here parts.

And, why are you hung up on "Texas"? I am from Texas, was born in Texas, buy many of my best woodturning friends are from out of state. To me, Texas should be Southcentral US but it is generally included with the Southwest both newswise and weatherwise but what does that have to do with anything?

Yes, Texas is Texas but it is also a part of a region, part of a country, and a part of the world.

SWAT is well on its way to being known as a regional symposium and even beyond. We had attendees from over a dozen different states last year and some from foreign countries. The name Texas Turn or Two is outdated and limiting in scope - sounds like it is for Texans only.

So, you can remain as part of a fringe group and refuse to call it SWAT but I still issue an invitation to all turners everywhere, Texas included, to attend the 14th annual SouthWest Association of Turners (SWAT) in Wichita Falls, TX, Sept 30th - Oct. 2nd for some down home "Texas Hospitality".

Registration for three days is $75 and that includes 3 noon meals. The banquet on Saturday night is $20. What a bargain and we still make enough money to improve SWAT every year and give grants and scholarships.

This year there will be three days of pen turning demonstrations in addition to the normal turning demonstrations.

Visit our website at: www.swaturners.com