Third SFA MegaWorkshop takes place in Nashville

The Tynan McDermid Spirit of the SFA Award went to Sam Irvin.

Antolini Luigi of Verona, Italy, presented a three-hour program entitled “Antolini: The Ultimate Stone Romance,” and it covered all aspects of processing and marketing natural stone.

Antolini Luigi of Verona, Italy, presented a three-hour program entitled “Antolini: The Ultimate Stone Romance,” and it covered all aspects of processing and marketing natural stone.

On the final day of the event, “The Cage” was the site of the “Fabricator Olympics,” a spirited competition where stoneworking craftsmen show off their skills.

The Flat Polish Champion was Hector Soriano of Counter Solutions in Jackson, TN.

After the session, attendees were invited to a dinner hosted by OHM International, where the Antolini Signature Collection was on display.

The Profile Champion was Dan Thompson of Morris Granite in Morris, IL.

The Top Polish Champion was Arturo Hernandez of Cadenza Marble & Granite in Concord, NC.

Stone fabrication equipment was in full operation on the exhibit floor, including equipment not seen before in North America.

tools and accessories — A full lineup of tooling and accessories could also be found on the show floor.

âThe Cageâ SFA megaworkshop — “The Cage” allowed attendees to see hands-on demonstrations as well as try out fabrication tools for themselves.

Dan Riccolo of Morris Granite presented a seminar on importing from the fabricator’s perspective.

A session on stone texturing was hosted by James Oglesby of Tenax.

Eric Pate of Continental D.I.A. was honored by the SFA as Educator of the Year.

The “Job of the Year” award went to Jeff Homola of Incline Granite Werks in Incline Village, NV.

The Stone Fabricators Alliance(SFA) MegaWorkshop held its third edition from October 10 to 12 at the Nashville Convention Center in Nashville, TN. In addition to an exhibit hall with running machinery, tooling and accessories, the event featured an extensive agenda of demonstrations, hands-on education, seminars and an exhibit hall filled with stoneworking technology and accessories.

The SFA MegaWorkshop exhibit floor featured a full range of stoneworking machinery, including bridge saws, CNC stoneworking centers, edgers, surface polishers and more, and the equipment was actively processing stone throughout the event. Suppliers of accessories such as tooling, sealers, adhesives, sinks and templating equipment were also present in Nashville, along with a number of stone suppliers.

In addition, the SFA MegaWorkshop also featured “The Cage,” a unique concept where tooling, pads, etc. were used for stone processing.

Attendees were able to test various tools and accessories, and “The Cage” also had an extensive hands-on education schedule, where topics included:

Setting and Dressing Seams
Top Polishing
Mitering
Texturing/Antiquing/Honing
Surface Scratch Repairs

The 2012 SFA MegaWorkshop also had a “Restoration Cage,” that featured the following demonstrations:

Tool Reviews
Diamond Floor Refinishing
Filling Floors
Marble Countertop Refinishing
Granite Refinishing
Chip and Crack Repair
Polishing Marble with Powder
Granite Repair
Sealers

The Ultimate Stone Romance

This year’s MegaWorkshop also featured a new initiative for attendees. The industry’s leading supplier and processor of natural stone, Antolini Luigi of Verona, Italy, presented a three-hour program entitled “Antolini: The Ultimate Stone Romance,” and it covered all aspects of processing and marketing natural stone.
The session focused on the role of the stone fabricator as the connection between finished stone products and consumers — whether they be architects, designers or homeowners. It covered stone processing, polishing and selection — with an emphasis on marketing higher-margin natural stone products to the high-end consumer community. After the session, attendees were invited to a dinner hosted by OHM International, where the Antolini Signature Collection was on display.

Fabricator Olympics

Celebrating the craftsmanship of stone fabricators, the SFA MegaWorkshop once again hosted the “Fabricator Olympics” on the final day of the event. Competitions were held in three different categories, and the winners were as follows:

Flat Polish Champion
Hector Soriano, Counter Solutions, Jackson, TN

Flex PLW923S air polisher from Flex and Terminator - Continental D.I.A.
4-inch rigid polymer backer with water diverter from Diamant Boart
Magnum 3-step 1 and 2 pads from Diamant Boart
4-inch Piranha Flex pads 400-3,000 from Diamant Boart
Premium white buff pad from Diamant Boart

Profile Champion
Dan Thompson, Morris Granite, Morris, IL

Flex PLW923S air polisher from Flex and Terminator - Continental D.I.A.
V1 grinder/cutter from Diamax
Copper phenolic 50-grit from Diamant Boart
Cyclone Ultra pads from Diamax
5,000-grit Dryflex 1 pad (wet to dry) from Diamax

Top Polish Champion
Arturo Hernandez, Cadenza
Marble & Granite, Concord, NC

Flex PLW923S air polisher from
Flex and Terminator-
Continental D.I.A.
Set of 3-inch Surface Slayer
top polish pads (500-3,000) from Defusco
Final polish buff pad from Weha
Snail-lock backer from Tenax

One of the main global events for the stone and machinery segment, offering an opportunity for buyers and sellers of stone products and services from around the world to source an astounding array of the very latest technologies, innovations and techniques.