SWAT 2006 - The benefits of AAW

[bca13]

SWAT 2006 is over and it was a great time.

I am new turner and recently moved to Texas. I read the posts on the board all the time to learn some tricks since this is all new to me. Last week I posted about finding a mentor in the South Texas area and one suggestion was to attend SWAT. I had heard the name SWAT at a local AAW meeting in San Antonio, but learned more about it after the suggestion came up on the AAW board.

I attended this past weekend and I met some great people and some even offered to have me visit for a day in the shop so I could learn more. The turners I met were so hospitable. The instructors were great and really explained things in simple terms so that even a newer person like me could understand.

SWAT was very well set up and the vendors had some great items that helped me happily part with my money. I am definately going back again as well as no plan on attending the national meeting in Portland.

The highlight of the weekend for me came in the raffle where I won the new Powermatic lathe that they were giving away. What an amazing prize.

None of this would have been possible without an AAW membership. I would not have found the local clubs I have in Seattle and now San Antonio. I would not have found the boards with the SWAT info and so much more.

I am very thankful to AAW and highly encourage those that are not members to join and take advantage of all the benefits.

Thanks AAW. Time to go do some turning...

Ben

 

[Jeff Jilg]

Thanks for the followup post Ben. It was nice to meet you at the SWAT symposium. And I am glad to see that this forum and the AAW membership has been so beneficial. What a great experience to go to a nice symposium like SWAT and then end up with the grant prize from the raffle. You will find that lathe to be very capable for a bunch of different turning styles.

I spoke to a lot of attendees at SWAT and the general experience was pretty good. This year they changed out the breaks between sessions to be one hour long. That way we weren't rushed between the demonstrations, and we got to spend more time with the vendors. That extra time between sessions worked well for me.

Who else went to SWAT and what did ya'll think about it?

 

[Randy]

Well Ben, I sure am glad you followed my advice and came to SWAT but did you have to go and win the lathe that I had my eye on .
Congradulations! This was my second SWAT and I learn something everytime I go. The people are great and I even managed to win a turning by Andre Martel.
Now that you have a big lathe you might even be a demonstrator at SWAT some year . Keep turning.

 

[Ed Heuslein]

Howdy Ben: Congratulations on your big win. I hope your wife forgave you for being late for lunch! Look forward to seeing you again next year. It'll be bigger and better than ever.

 

[Randy Rice]

Swat

Congratulations, Ben. Please, believe me when I say the the silent invectives directed toward you were not personal. Hope you enjoy the lathe.

Jeff, here are quick impressions from SWAT:

Positive --
Longer breaks between sessions.
Video setup.
Bonnie MacDonald, Andi Wolfe, David Nittmann, Dave Hout, Andre Martel, Clay Foster, John Horn, James Johnson.
Lunch line on Friday.
Saturday night's raffle (won two pieces).
Displaying numbers of winning raffle tickets.
Some of the camera operators.
Wife was not able to attend.


Negative --
Cultural Center not being unlocked on time.
Some of the camera operators.
Classrooms too small to hold all the people who wanted to get in.
Lunch line on Sunday.
Was at last table to be served on Saturday night.
Not enough funds to buy everything I "needed".
Would like to see more vendors.
Road construction on IH35 (perpetual problem).
Wife was not able to attend.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Ben,

I am happy to hear about your experience at SWAT and that you also won the Powermatic lathe. I had a senior moment following the Saturday night raffle and tossed all of my tickets. It occurred to me about noon on Sunday that I had made a bad decision so I did not stick around for the drawing. I did not want to hear one of my numbers called and not have a ticket.

Who else went to SWAT and what did ya'll think about it?

I don't know what the SWAT committee can do about the I-35 construction, but if you came from the north, there was no construction.

On things that SWAT can control, I was very pleased with everything. It was all very well organized and the demonstrators were excellent. I think that we should focus on formal training for camera operators so that volunteers would not go into a situation with no prior experience. Fortunately for me, I had experience operating a television camera, but I still had to familiarize myself with the hardware in about 15 minutes.

I had the pleasure of meeting Steve Worcester, Jeff Jilg, Richard (from Madisonville), Jimmie and Johnny Tolly along with many others. Also, I had to spend some time visiting the vendors and help lighten their inventory.

Bill

 

[John Nicholas]

Swat 2006

Yes! SWAT was OK!!!

I got there from just outside Wichita, KS. Sure did meet a bunch of nice Texan Turners! Yep! I got parted with more money then I care to fess up to my wife from the vendors. I got some good info from the rotations. I would add Frank Penta to the names of demonstrators listed.

I also entered items in the IG for the first time. Fantastic experience. Even just with my 3 simple bowls, up against all those fancy, shiny, non bowl type items. And especially when someone mentioned seeing my bowls.

I am sure glad that I scheduled tomorrow as a vacation day also. I get a chance to try out what I saw.

BTW: Came to Temple from the North - not much construction -- except thru Dallas. Left to spend a night with my cousin in San Antonio. Minor construction - no delays. Coming back from San Antonio to Wichita today, more of the construction and road delays were in Oklahoma.

John

 

[Richard Baker]

First Time Swat Experience

Jeff, Bill, and Others,
It was great to meet you at SWAT. For a first timer's impressions, check out my post in Johnny Tolly's thread on the Wood Mag forum. It got kind of long-winded, so I won't repeat it here.

 

[Bob M]

Ben:

I'm sure glad someone from Texas won the big lathe. The last 2 years it's been somone attending from Pennsylvania. You would have to go back to 2003 for a year when a Texan won it. Good Turnings!

Bob Matern

 

[John Nicholas]

PM 3520 Raffle in 2005

Bob,

I believe that Ray Chipman from Wichita, KS won the raffle last year.

John

 

[Ruth Niles]

Ben:

I'm sure glad someone from Texas won the big lathe. The last 2 years it's been somone attending from Pennsylvania. You would have to go back to 2003 for a year when a Texan won it. Good Turnings!

Bob Matern

And what's wrong with someone "from Pennsylvania" winning it again?!?! I was sure crossing my fingers and toes AND I drove for 2 days to get there through #%*! construction in PA, WVA, VA, TN, AK and TX.

Seriously, the trip was worth it, SWAT is a great show. I had a vendor booth and didn't get to see any demos (well, I did peek in on a few) but quizzed the turners who stopped to talk and there weren't any critical comments, all positive.

I'll make the trip next year.

Ruth