April 2001 Newsletter
Index
Regular Features
Special Articles
Board Briefs
Jeffrey M. Nebel
Secretary:
Jeff Nebel reported The Annual Wisconsin Non-stock Corporation Report has
been submitted to the State. The Post Office Box rental renewal comes due
in early April. Jeff will be watching for the notice because the USPS gives
little warning before the due date.
Treasurer:
Liz Rohde distributed the financial report for the period of 2/1/01 thru
3/15/01. The balance on 3/15 was $12,579.79, but this did not include a
large payment ($1,261.50) for rental for some of the upcoming workshops.
March income was $607.80. Ed Goldman had not finished the 1999 audit because
he was missing a final report. Liz was not aware of this but has since
provided the information. He will finish the 1999 and 2000 audits soon.
Programs:
Ken Bahr reported that Michael Doerr of Sturgeon Bay, who has been featured
recently in several prominent national woodworking magazines, has been
contacted as a future speaker to the Guild. Liz Rohde reported she will
meet next week with the people at Zorba’Äôs regarding next December's Holiday
Party. A discussion was held about ways to promote the upcoming prominent
speakers, Gary Rogowski and Jeff Jewitt.
Workshops:
Bob Jahncke reported that a new sign-up sheet will be started at the next
Guild meeting for the Jeff Jewitt weekend workshop to help anticipate attendance.
A 60-person room has been reserved and Liz will investigate whether the
large hall would be available if needed. Because the materials came significantly
under estimates, The Board approved a $20.00 be refund to each participant
of the router table workshop. Dick Yezek will provide proper refund slips
to the treasurer for processing. Bob reported the tour of the flooring
factory near Oshkosh will have to be rescheduled for May or September.
Toys Program:
Ron Hinderman reported a workshop was held last week. A lot of maple was
planed. The board approved reimbursement for the planer blades. Rich Sitzes
offered the use of Fillinger's planer and/or sander if needed. Ron also
reported speakers from the various shelters are lined up thru September.
Publications:
Si Farmer reported the last scheduled meeting of the Publicity Committee
had to be cancelled due to bad weather and several other circumstances.
All scheduled tasks for the upcoming issue are assigned.
Membership:
There was no representative from Membership at the Board Meeting. Several
dozen of the membership volunteer surveys returned at the last Guild meeting
have been misplaced. A form will be included in the next newsletter. It
was noted that many members are not wearing nametags at the Guild meetings.
An effort will be made to enforce this for the benefit of all members and
to identify repeat non-members coming to the meetings. They should be asked
to join or leave. Several board members expressed concern about the lack
of Membership Committee representation at Guild meetings. Every Board member
should have membership forms available, but none do. The president will
address these concerns with the Membership Chairperson. A brief discussion
was held regarding sending letters to recent members who have not renewed
to find out why.
Publicity:
Rich Sitzes has sent Guild Calendars off to The Woodshop News and American
Woodworker magazines. He reported Santa Claus will be at the Holiday Party
and he is still working on ideas to incorporate that into the Guild’Äôs
toy program. He reported the e-Member idea is dead because the logistics
are too difficult to implement.
Old Business:
Dick Yezek reported that a tax-exempt status for the Guild would require
a $500.00 federal filing fee and an accountant to prepare the mountain
of tax forms required. A discussion was held about the free green shirts,
the cost, how many have been given out so far (16) and the criteria for
future awards. Members can buy them with a selection of colors, except
red and green, but few have done so.
New Business:
The next board meeting will be held on April 12th at the same location.
John's Junket
Do you have May 4th & 5th and June 1st, 2nd, & 3rd prominently
marked on your calendar? No?! Well, I'm glad I was able to catch you before
you missed out on some very special events! During these months we will
be visited by two of the leading figures in woodworking today. The first
Friday in May finds Oregon's own Gary Rogowski gracing our stage. Gary
has been designing and building furniture for more than 25 years, teaching
woodworking for the last 20 years, and a contributing editor to Fine Woodworking
since 1996. He is the author of the book, Router Joinery, and is currently
working on An Illustrated Guide to Joinery. At the Friday evening's program
meeting Gary will be sharing his router knowledge and expertise. Then on
Saturday, May 5 the party moves to Jay Hollingsworth's shop where Gary
will spending the day demonstrating and discussing router joinery. If you
are a woodworker and can spell "router" this will be a workshop too valuable
to miss. The first day of June heralds the return of a woodworker that
Fine Woodworking recently described as a "Finishing Dynamo", Jeff Jewitt.
Jeff is recognized in the woodworking community as the reigning expert
in finishes and finishing. In addition to being a constant contributor
to Fine Woodworking, (he is featured on the cover of the April issue, #148),
Jeff is the proprietor of Homestead Finishing Products (www.homesteadfinishing.com),
runs a full-time restoration and refinishing company, and has authored
two books - Hand Applied Finishes, and the recently released Great Wood
Finishes. Jeff will be visiting with us for 3 days in May. On Friday, May
1st, Jeff will be sharing the Secrets to Using Dyes and Tints at our Program
meeting. Then buckle-up and hold on as Jeff shows us Six Finishes in Two
Days during the Saturday/Sunday workshop on May 2nd and 3rd. How could
this workshop be any better? Well, it's FREE to all members! If you don’Äôt
show up to THIS workshop we'll have to send someone to check your pulse!
Both Gary and Jeff are sure to bring their merchandise as well so it will
be a great opportunity to grab an autographed copy of one their books or
pick up some supplies. Do I sound excited? You bet! We have two of today's
premier woodworker's coming into the Guild’Äôs home for extended visits
and I plan to take full advantage of the opportunity. How about you?
GUILD SPONSORED WOODWORKING
EVENTS
April 4, Wednesday, 6:15 - 9:30 pm
Event: Regular Guild Membership Meeting
Program: Metal Working for the Woodworker
Presenter: Bruce Bogust
Location: Washington Park Senior Center, 4420 W. Vliet St., Milwaukee.
April 21, Saturday, 9 am - 4 pm
Event: Workshop Topic: Power Tool Repair
Presenter: Rob Olson
Location: WoodCraft, 1725 So. 108th St., West Allis, WI
Comment: Bring your old, tired, worn-out portable tool for a diagnosis.
May 4, Friday (Note date/day change) 6:15 ˆ„ 9:30 pm
Event: Regular Guild Membership Meeting
Program: Routers Presenter: Gary Rogowski from Portland, Oregon
Location: Washington Park Senior Center, 4420 W. Vliet St., Milwaukee.
May 5, Saturday (all day)
Event: Workshop / Seminar Topic: Router Joinery
Presenter: Gary Rogowski from Portland, Oregon
Location: Jay's Shop in Kenosha
May 12, Saturday, 9 - 11 am
Event: Tour Topic: Birdhouse Workshop
Presenter: Jackie Schwitzer
Location: Greendale Birdhouse Workshop, 5608 So. Broad Street, Greendale
(W66, 1 block south of Grange Avenue
Comment: Limited to 25 participants.
It's Wood, Naturally!
Don Berger
Now that the show is history, let's look back at it. We, The Guild, were
able to stand in with some of the best in the world of art. We were able
to be on a big stage with al the lights blazing. The show became a great
experience Our thanks go out to the members who put their work in the gallery
for all to see and admire. We had good pieces from beginning crafts people
to professional woodworkers. We saw pieces of wood as small as a dainty
statue and as large as a shimmering watercraft. We had bowls and boxes,
cutting board and chairs, tables and turnings, plaques and plates, clocks
and cradles, trunks and trains, dulcimers and a dapple grey horse, scroll
saw work and shaker boxes, stands for music and plants, a light-house lamp,
kaleidoscope, shadow boxes, trains, frames and a drift wood mobile, stools,
tools and a duck from intarsia. The grand opening party on Friday, January
19th, was brimming with enthusiasm and joy. We were treated to music from
Korinthia's violin and furnished with a table of treats from the College
of Generosity. Thanks to our fellow teachers, Liz Rohde, Bob and John Petrovic,
Leila Crandall-Frink and Peter Kolettis who gave the very fine workshop
demonstrations to a full classroom of interested people. We owe a very
large Thank You to Wisconsin Lutheran College and especially Professor
Debra Heermans who guided us all the way. Another Thank You to our financial
helpers (in this business, called Patrons) Chris Kraemer of WoodCraft and
also the Oscar Boldt Construction Company. The final feather in the cap
is The Guild has been invited us to return! Let the chips and sawdust start
flying.
REFLECTIONS
It's Wood, Naturally Exhibit Event
Liz Rohde
Our first exhibit in conjunction with the Wisconsin Lutheran College was
a huge success. It was great to see how much talent we have in our Guild.
The variety of work was spectacular. The items ranged from wooden boxes
to a wooden canoe. All were arranged very artfully by the college staff.
We kicked off the exhibit on Friday, January 19th in a Grand Opening. It
was great to see so many of our members there. Many of us even went through
the exhibit gallery more than once. We fortified ourselves with cheese
and crackers and some veggies and dip. And, Korinthia Klien provided our
musical entertainment on the violin that she had hand-made. A number of
folks stopped and viewed the gallery display, prior to going to a concert
that was being presented at the college that evening. Their responses were
great! I heard a lot of "How did he do that"? or "Isn't that beautiful"?
One lady hit the nail on the head when she said, "You can't buy anything
like that in the store"! On February 10th, the Guild gave demonstrations
in one of the college classrooms on various topics. I gave one on Victorian
Christmas Ornaments. Robert and John Petrovic show how to Shape a Shaker
Chair Seat. Pete Kolettis gave a demo on Marquetry. And Leila Crandall-Frink
showed how to make Heart Ornaments from Wood Veneer Strips. As an exhibitor
myself, I felt some pride in being able to have my piece in the exhibit
and I know all the other exhibitors felt the same way. We were representing
our love for woodworking as well as the Guild. The Guild and Wisconsin
Lutheran College should be proud of a job well done! But there is one person
that should get the bulk of the kudos. That person is Don Berger. Without
his devotion (and I really mean devotion) this event could not have happened.
He spent days organizing and meeting with all involved. Also, I feel I
must give our President, John Petrovic, a big hand. He was supportive right
form the start. He also spent a lot of time and effort to make sure that
we were well represented in the best light. He succeeded!
Router Table Workshop
Larry Whitstone
The temperature was hovering near zero in Kenosha on Saturday, Feb. 17th,
and when I first entered Jay Hollingsworth spacious "Wisconsin Woodworks"
shop, I didn't think it was whole lot warmer inside than out (just kidding,
Jay!). Five of us had gathered to build router tables for our own use.
The atmosphere (and the shop temperature) quickly warmed as we enjoyed
coffee and goodies in the shop office while discussing woodworking and
auto racing, Jay's other love. ’ÄÝ’ÄÝIn short order we were in the shop
trying to decide on size and other features of the tables we would be building.
After much discussion and looking at Jay's router table, we decided on
a size of 24 inches deep and 32 inches wide for the base cabinet and a
30 by 40 inch wide for the tabletop. We started actual construction on
the projects by ripping and crosscutting Fuma 3/4-inch plywood. This is
a plywood that is somewhat similar to birch plywood but is lighter in weight
and somewhat less expensive. The cuttings were a breeze on Hollingsworth's
Powermatic Table Saw equipped with an Excalibur Sliding Table. These pieces
would make up the base, sides, and partitions of each unit. Edge banding
with maple veneer on an edge banding machine (slick), hole drilling for
shelf locations, and pocket hole boring for joining the table base parts
together rounded out this portion of the construction. ’ÄÝ’ÄÝWe then cut
the 1-inch particleboard tabletops. They were already covered top and bottom
with a Melamine type material. After looking at the 30 inch deep by 40
inch wide tops we decided they were just a little bit too deep so ripped
them down to 27 inches. This appeared just right with the 40-inch width
that we wanted to stay with. Plastic "T" molding was then added to the
edges after rounding the corners and routing a slot for the molding. With
the parts cut and ready we then started actual assembly ˆ„ with glue and
screws we had the five tables put together in short order. After ascertaining
(and some adjusting) squareness of the cases, we tacked on 1/4-inch plywood
backs into dado grooves cut earlier for this purpose. The router tables
were looking pretty good at this point and resemble one built by Norm Abrams
on New Yankee Workshop some time back. The tables have some nice features.
Besides ample bit storage spacing, the units have a wide deep drawer that
covers the whole lower half of the cabinet. This would be ideal for storing
routers, specialty jigs, etc. They would be out of the way but readily
available for use when needed. By the day's end, the five of us, John Breckenridge,
Bob Jahncke, Paul Rosman, Jerry Smaglik and myself each took home a beautiful,
functional router table, ready for us to customize to our own needs and
wants. Thanks, Jay!
Volunteer Enlistment Form
Si Farmer
Many of you forgot to indicate the areas in which you wished to help the
Guild during the year 2001. Some of you were in such a hurry to renew your
membership that you forgot to turn the renewal form over to the reverse
side to give your comments and indicate the area(s) in which you were willing
to voluntarily help the Guild this year. To help remedy this situation,
our president passed out sign-up forms at the last meeting. He said that
he got a whole handful (about 2 dozen) forms returned. Well, when I picked
up the forms, there was only about a half-dozen. A copy of this form is
included as an insert in this R.I.P.S.A.W. to recoup the members that signed
up at the last meeting, and to provide an opportunity for the other 150
members to indicate the areas in which they are going to help us this year.
Remember, I'm a Farmer. Any farmer knows that one only reaps what he sows.
Planting, and tending a farm one year does not give a harvest for years
and years. It's something that must be repeated ˆ„ year after year. You
can see what the Guild is like (quality wise) with only 20% of the membership
making a positive contribution. Can you even imagine what the Guild would
be like if each of us made a personal contribution each year? Remember,
fill out the form and return it to Si Farmer at the next Guild meeting.
Toy Makin' Coming Up !
Ron Hinderman , Sr.
We need wood donated to make toys for the 2001 gift effort. We will take
any 'clean' wood that could be converted into a toy. That includes 'soft'
and 'hard' woods, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, etc. Of course, they kinds of toys
that can be made out of the wood will determined in part by the type of
wood that you give us. (All woods should be directed to Ron Hinderman.
He will allocate it to various toy making groups as available and indicated.)
We also need people to help make these toys. Please sign up at the Guild
Meeting and help us make wonderful toys for the kids. If you cannot make
it to the meeting, call me. Thanx
Raffle Column
Alan Clapp
Rockler Woodworking and Hardware (The Woodworkers Store) will be providing
the raffle prizes during the April 4 meeting.The main prize will be a CMT
10 inch, 40Tooth ATB general purpose circular saw blade.There will also
be two other CMT consolation prizes for the wining ticket holders to select.
Rockler Woodworking and Hardware is located at 845 North Mayfair Road Milwaukee,
WI 774-1882.
April Program
Ken Bahr
The April program will feature the topic of Metalworking for the Woodworker
and will be presented by our very knowledgeable member, Bruce Bogust. Bruce
will discuss the types of tool steels that can be utilized in woodworking.
He will inform the members how to identify the various types, and some
of the properties of each. He then will talk about sources for purchasing
the tool steel, how to properly heat-treat it, and give examples of uses,
such as making your own lathe tools. This should be a no-miss program for
you is you use metal tools in your woodworking.
Workshop News
Bob Jahncke
Power Tool Repair Workshop
On Saturday, April 21, 2001 from 9 am till 4 pm The Guild will hold a Power
Tool Repair Workshop. It will be held at Woodcraft and will be presented
by Rob Olson. Bring your worn and tired portable power tools and the 'Tool
Doctor' will evaluate it for you. Knowing how to maintain and repair small
tools is important to every woodworker. This is for members only and the
fee is only $20. Plan to attend this workshop by singing up at the April
6th Guild meeting.
Tour - Greendale Birdhouse Workshop
On Saturday, May 12th, form 9 to 11 am we will tour the Greendale Birdhouse
Workshop. It is located at 5608 South Broad Street, Greendale (W 66, 1
block south of Grange Ave.) Guild members will tour this Village of Greendale
volunteer woodworking workshop inspired by Roy Reiman, founder of Reiman
Publications. Volunteers produce birdhouses and trellises that are sold
in Greendale gift shops, the sales of which support local charities. The
tour will include a discussion of The Birdhouse Workshops most popular
designs. The presenter will be Jackie Schwitzer.There is no charge, but
it is for members only. This tour is limited to 25 participants due to
the size of the facility ˆ„ so sign up now! You can sign up at the April
6th Guild meeting or reach Bob Jahncke at <bobjahncke@aol.com>
Woodworking Opportunities
at Rockler's
Please contact Rockler's (414)774-1882 for class sizes and cost.
Woodworking Opportunities
at WoodCraft
April 2001
1- Sunday 1 & 8, 11 am - 4 pm Marquetry on a Scroll Saw, Praying Hands
with Rich Radtke.
2 - Monday 6 - 9 pm, Band Saw Basics with Jim Miller.
4 - Wednesday, 6 - 9 pm, Sharpening Hand Tools with Kevin Clarkowski.
5 - Thursday, 6 - 9 pm. Basic Pen Turning with Liz Rohde
7 - Saturday, 9 am - Noon, Wood Burning Easter Eggs with Dick Buerger.
9 - Monday, 6 - 9 pm, Introduction to Solid Wood Furniture Design with
Christopher Thomas.
11 - Wednesday, 6 - 9 pm, Introduction to Marquetry with Pete Kolettis.
12 - Thursday, 6 - 9 pm, Basic Scroll Sawing with Rich Radtke.
14 - Saturday, 9 am - 5 pm, Raised Panel Cabinet with Dale Osowski.
16 - Monday, 6 - 9 pm, Hardwood Jewelry Box with Christopher Thomas.
17 - Tuesday, 6 - 9 pm, Basic Router Techniques with Jim Miller.
18 - Wednesday, 6 - 9 pm, Basic Bowl Turning with Jerry Veenendaal.
19 - Thursday, 6 - 9 pm, Workshop Trio: Table Saw, Jointer and Planer,
with Rich Radtke.
20, 27 & May 4, Fridays, 6 - 9 pm, Finish and Detail Canvas Back
Duck with Roger Wilson.
21 - Saturday, 11 am - 5 pm., Make a Cathedral Raised Panel with Dale
Osowski.
22 - Sunday, 11 am - 4 pm, Relief Scroll Saw Raccoons In A Tree with
Rich Radtke.
23 & 30, Mondays, 6 - 9 pm, Carve an Easter Bunny with Greg Young.
25 - Wednesday, 6 - 9 pm, Band Saw Puzzle Box with Kevin Clarkowski.
26 - Thursday, 6 - 9 pm, Basic Scroll Sawing with Rich Radtke.
28 - Saturday, 9 am - 6 pm, Scroll Saw Cougar & Cub with Al Caldiero.
29 - Sunday, Noon - 4 pm, Raised Panel Desk Accessory with Dale Osowski.
Please call WoodCraft at 414/607-6164 for class sizes and fees.
Classified
For Sale
Scroll Saw, Dremel, Model 1671, with Stand, $75. Bob Jahncke.
Last Update: 3/30/2001
Web Author: Brian D. Halligan
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