Third SFA MegaWorkshop takes place in Nashville

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