AAW Symposium2007, Portland
AAW Symposium
"This year's AAW Symposium was held in Portland, OR. This is the 5th National Symposium that I have attended and it is fun to see familiar faces and to get to watch the world's best turners. It was also fun to see my woodturning buddies from home up there! The instant gallery always is amazing and this year was no exception. I saw pieces that make me wonder...How did they do that? I always come away inspired to be better and this year I know that I saw some pieces that have inspired me to be more creative and to improve my skills. I can't wait to see next year's!"
AAW 2007 was loaded with expert demonstrators from all over the world. The problem was trying to see them all. One of the demonstrations I chose was “Multi-Axis Handled Vessels” presented by Phil Lapp. He turned a small bowl with handles.
I attended several classes where carving techniques with a variety of tools were shown. In these classes, turning the bowl was the easy part, the carving seemed to be very detailed and time consuming.
If you ever get a chance to go, take it, its definitely worth the investment of time and money.
Dave Gelnett
I think the best part of being at the AAW convention was being able to watch and learn from some of the best turners in the world and see the work and talent of the members of AAW. The gallery was awsome. It was also nice to be able to shop for all of those great tools and lathes all in one place. The Powermatic 3520B sure is a great addition to the shop!! What I liked least was that we were only able to see a limited number of rotations. There were so many more that I wanted to see. Now I really look forward to SWAT to learn more about what can be done on a larger lathe.
John Solberg
If you were unable to attend the National Woodturning Symposium in Portland, Oregon this year, you missed an excellent opportunity to see some of the great turners demonstrate their techniques. Sitting in on any of these demonstrations give you the chance to see how they set up and turn their work. Even if you have seen these turners prior to this, you can always learn something. I think the best part of the symposium was the Members Gallery. It is amazing to see the creativity the woodturners from around the world put into each piece they turn.
Pete Tkacs
As the spouse of a “turner” I too had a great time at AAW 2007. Helping to man a booth for Canyon Studio’s gave me an “inside view of this wood world. The instant gallery was a feast for the eyes and the fertile ground for new projects for my personal turner.
Sharon Gelnett, also pictured Robin Colley