# Hobby Machinist Meet and Greet???



## November X-ray (Aug 9, 2012)

I belong to a couple of other forums unrelated to machining/metalworking and they have annual events where people from these forums/clubs meet for a long weekend once a year. I was curious if anyone here was interested in something like that or even perhaps regional or state or ??? type venues. I know there are annual shows where members could meet and put a face with the handle!

Just a thought!


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## PurpLev (Aug 9, 2012)

yup, I do that with woodworking circles. would be nice here too.


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## 12bolts (Aug 9, 2012)

Yeah I'ld be in that.....................Anyone want to sponsor me for an airline ticket????????:lmao:

Cheers Phil


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## HMF (Aug 10, 2012)

Sounds very interesting to me... we'd need to pick a location...


:tiphat:Nelson


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## November X-ray (Aug 10, 2012)

12bolts said:


> Yeah I'ld be in that.....................Anyone want to sponsor me for an airline ticket????????:lmao:
> 
> Cheers Phil



I say we get a pool going, I'll start. I got an expired coupon for 20% off on my next purchase to Pizza Hut I'd be willing to throw in the pot, who next?


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## Rbeckett (Aug 13, 2012)

Hey fellows,
 Look at the invitation to the 2013 PA fair in Portersville Pa.  It is fairly central to most of the East Coast and close enough to major airports and bus stations that everyone could make plans and come.  The event is in Aug 2013 and they are looking for volunteer to have show tables and demos set up.  This would be a great opportunity for me personally to put a face on the many freinds I have made here.  This would also allow us to put our Hobby in the lime light and show folks what a little machine, a little time, and a little determination can do.  To me it is a Win-Win for the Hobby, the group and the members who could attend.  Perhaps an East Coast and a West Coast event so that our brothers out west can participate too.   Just taking the great suggestion for a meet and greet to the next level maybe?...
Bob


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## Rbeckett (Aug 13, 2012)

12bolts said:


> Yeah I'ld be in that.....................Anyone want to sponsor me for an airline ticket????????:lmao:
> 
> Cheers Phil


We can swap tix back and forth.  I'll come dive the reef and you come to the meet-n-greet...  Heck yeah, In a new Yawk Secont!!!! Just kidding NX, but I would still gladly trade.  Gainesville, Atlanta, New York, Narita Japan, Sydney..... Cathay Pacific Business Class......Oh Yeah, The trip to die for,,, already on my do before I die list fer sure.  My next fave, G'ville, Atlanta, Dubai UAE, Bangkok, Phuket, Soi Wattana, Rm 213 in the Grand Orchid above the restaurant...

Bob


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## macrnr (Aug 13, 2012)

How about Moab Utah? It isn't close to anything, but it has some of the most spectacular rock formations in the world.:rofl:


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## November X-ray (Aug 13, 2012)

macrnr said:


> How about Moab Utah? It isn't close to anything, but it has some of the most spectacular rock formations in the world.:rofl:



Moab is close enough to Grand Junction and I really enjoy that area plus I have some good friends that live near there! I'm game and can be there in spirit if not physically anyway!!!


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## rickard (Aug 14, 2012)

Well I'd say since our Lord keeper of the Forum is From Tyler Texas, Maybe we could do a Meetup in Canton Texas for the First Monday Weekend where we can meet up and scour the Market for Tool Deals  Lots to see and do at the First Monday Trade Days!


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## macrnr (Aug 14, 2012)

For us in flyover country, we are probably not going to be a part of these gatherings due to the travel required to reach one coast or the other. If you are flying west, about 45 minutes past Dallas look down and I will wave from Tijeras New Mexico. Yes, New Mexico is a part of the United States.hew:


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## Old Iron (Aug 14, 2012)

Rbeckett said:


> Bangkok Bob



A little OT but I almost went to Bangkok in 1967 but we went out on ambush the night before and I got in a fight with a land mine and the mine won. Sure was looking forward to that little trip.:biggrin:

Paul


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## Charley Davidson (Aug 14, 2012)

Well the first ever  largest "Hobby-Machinist" Meet & greet was held in Nashville,Tn.  so I think maybe that should be the official place of any further Meet & Greets :winner:


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## OlCatBob (Aug 14, 2012)

Hey! I'm with Charley on this one for sure; look how centrally located it is. Supposed to be within a ten-hour drive from 75% of the US population.
Bob


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## Gary Max (Aug 14, 2012)

We really should start making plans on having our second Nashville Meet & Greet in Oct. It's their largest Flea Market of the year.


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## Tony Wells (Aug 14, 2012)

Unfortunately, we are spread out pretty far. As much as we'd like to, it's probably not all that practical to try a centralized meet-n-greet. Nice idea, certainly, and I'd encourage anyone willing able to make a trip to meet up with the other guys on the forum. It's good to put real faces with names. Plus all that talk we hear about reading things into people's posts because of their writing style can either be put to rest.....or confirmed.


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## Allen (Aug 16, 2012)

My 2c on this. Some of you will probably want change.
1. A _national_ meet 'n greet *can* be a good idea - IF you have enough members willing to travel long distances to make it worthwhile. "A 12 hour drive from..." don't mean doodly if folks only want to (or can afford to) drive 3 hours or 5 hours. Several _regional_ ones are probably easier to get folks to attend. but then you run into the problem of finding more folks willing to help organize them.

2. A _fixed_ location *can* be a good idea, IF a bunch of your people are already going to a certain venue anyway (Cabin Fever Expo or NAMES, for instance). - OR - it can also be a huge albatross because you'll mostly attract the SAME folks year after year - those who live far away or have conflicting dates are pretty much going to be excluded. Most conventions, be it NMRA, Narrow Gauge, Rumely Products, Historical Construction Equipment, etc. float for this very reason.

3. _A Formal_ meet n greets would require the commitment from the folks running the group AND it's members to not only organize and publicize it, but commit to attend it. A tall order if there isn't much of anything tangible in the way of returns. An _Informal_ meet n' greet, whether at a public venue, an eatery, or a person's home is easier to set up. But also have the probability for the greatest disappointment for the guy trying to organize it. Nothing says 'taken for granted' quite like having nobody show up. Even getting to eat all the cookies yourself doesn't make you feel any better.

The *EASIEST* course is to say "to heck wid it!". The *BEST*????


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## November X-ray (Aug 16, 2012)

I see no reason why it has to be a national venue or even a regional event, of course these too are fine. It could merely be 2 or 3 members that are reasonably close to one another, distance wise, and they meet in a common location. If this happened all over the place, perhaps a larger (regional) event would be easier to promote. After all it is about a hobby we all enjoy and certainly not everyone can afford to travel long distances, or even short distances for some, but the more a person can network, the easier to share the fellowship.


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## bcall2043 (Aug 16, 2012)

Gary Max said:


> We really should start making plans on having our second Nashville Meet & Greet in Oct. It's their largest Flea Market of the year.



I'm in for the second largest meeting of member "Nashville Meet & Greet" at the Nashville flea market! Gary are you the ring leader for this one?

The wife would also agree to the Canton TX flea market (family nearby) or the "Cabin Fever" show in PA. While trying to make retirement working in the east we went to the Cabin Fever show a  couple of times and she really enjoyed it. 

Benny


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## Tony Wells (Aug 16, 2012)

Canton's a pretty cool flea market. 100 acres, but it's a long way from most people.

http://www.firstmondaycanton.com/

This most practically will be a regional thing.


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## rebush (Aug 17, 2012)

For the last seven years I've hosted a Airhead tech weekend to get folks together to work on old BMW motorcycles. I've had as many as fifty people show up. Last year it started on Weds. morning and the last person rode out Sun. afternoon. If anyone is interested in a regional get together I'm in Naples FL and would consider hosting one. I would also be interested in attending a national event. Roger


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## Old Iron (Aug 17, 2012)

I'd be in for a Nashville Meet & Greet not really that far off. used to just ride to Nashville just for something to do.

Paul


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## PurpLev (Aug 21, 2012)

I think we can do localized meet-and-greets as opposed to a national one, even a regional one might be too far for most people (depending on how large of a region it is). break it down to smaller groups - just like in machining- machine in small steps, not 1 big one


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