Board Briefs

Secretary:

Minutes of the April 13th board meeting were accepted as written. Liz Rohde reported that the post office box rental, mailed on April 20th in Kewaskum, was finally received in Milwaukee on April 8th. Rental will run thru 4/30/02.

Treasurer:

Liz distributed the financial Transaction Report for the period 4/1/01 thru 5/9/01 (unverified due to Kewaskum postal problems). The balance on 5/9/01 was $12,471.30.  A deposit of $250.00 was made to Zorba's for the Holiday Party.

Programs:

Len Borkowski has offered to conduct a program or workshop on steam bending. Financial information is needed on the Rogowski program/workshop. Garrett Hack has agreed to put on a program/workshop in 2002.

Workshop:

Dick Yezek distributed the latest registration report. There were 33 paying attendees for the Rogowski router workshop. The lunch will be picked up by the Guild as part of the workshop fee. There are approximately 55 signed up for Jeff Jewitt's Saturday workshop and 45-50 for Sunday. There are nine persons registered for the birdhouse tour.

Exhibits:

Don Berger has contacted Deborah Heerman of Lutheran College about the next Guild exhibit there. October of 2003 should be OK, but she will confirm after their board meeting. The Guild will not participate in the Menomonee Falls event on May 20th, 2001 because the notice was too short. Woodworker's Day at Old Falls Village will be at Pilgrim and County Line Roads.

Toy Program:

Ron Hinderman has received a donation of wood from John McAlpin of Woodware House Co. John will write a letter of appreciation.

Publications:

Si Farmer reported that a meeting of this committee was just held. Assignments were set up thru July.  The next meeting is scheduled for August 6th. Si is having problems receiving e-mail and has requested correspondence with him be other than e-mail for the time being.

Membership:

Ellen Davis  reported membership is currently at 191. This is on track with recent years. She distributed membership forms to board members present.

New Business:

The board discussed each of the comments received on the 2001 membership renewal forms with the following highlights. The Guild will not offer a rebate to members who wish to receive the newsletter by other than regular mail because this would be too difficult to administer. The new librarian will be recording the use of materials, including videos of the meetings, and reporting this.  Depending upon usage, there may be more video of close-ups than the meetings themselves. The newsletter will run a list of the community service projects the Guild is involved in to make those activities better remembered. Alan Clapp will be asked to contact the member offering items to be raffled off for the Guild's benefit. New product presentations could be done at a table at the back of the room, similar to the recent Roto-zip and power carver demos.  Post-it notes and a location for them will be used to display miscellaneous announcements that do not warrant meeting program time.
 

The next board meeting will be held at the same location on Thursday, June 14th at 7:00 p.m.

 

 

JOHN'S JUNKET


 Wow!  If you missed the Gary Rogowski Router Workshop you missed a lot!  Gary led the participants through an entire day of router demonstrations and I know that I walked away with more than few new router tips.   And a big Guild “Thanks!” to Jay Hollingsworth for hosting the workshop.  Jay proved again that the size of his hospitality easily surpasses the size of his shop.

 And things aren't slowing down in June.  Jeff Jewitt makes his sophomore visit to our organization and it should be exciting.  On Friday evening Jeff will be sharing the secrets of tints, dyes, and stains.  Then on Saturday and Sunday Jeff will fulfill his reputation as a “finishing dynamo” as he guides us through six finishes in two days.  Seating is limited so don't hesitate to take advantage of this opportunity to learn from one today's master finishers.

Feel like sharing?  Our July program features one of the most popular evenings on the Guild calendar, “Show & Tell.”  Your Guild friends would like to know the woodworking secrets you have uncovered and see the fruits of your labors.   The sign-up sheet for Show & Tell night will be available at the June regular meeting, please make a point of adding your name to the list.  This is an opportunity for everyone to be the expert, and I know that no one will be disappointed.
 

Reflections

Gary Rogowski Program

 Gary Rogowski was met with a large turnout for his presentation to the Guild at the May program meeting and workshop. Gary did a bit of free-wheeling, on Friday evening. He shared his thoughts on the role that tools play in the making of many woodworkers - and the false impression that tools and jigs are be a panacea for imprecise woodworking. He pointed out that it takes time, power, patience and experience to achieve mastery.

"We're engineering the heck out of our woodworking".

 Gary has been building furniture for the past quarter-century. (He doesn't even like to use the word 'decade'). He takes private and public commissions for his pieces.
 Gary is a prolific writer; he joined Fine Woodworking in 1988 as  Contributing Editor. He shared with us the salient aspects of getting one's articles published. He warned us that the editors will rip up your prose - so don't write a story and submit it with the hopes or expectations of a publication. It's a waste of time. One should start with short 2-3 sentence proposal. Submit a sample outline with photos. Get a set of guidelines from the publisher. The publishes just wants an idea. If it's a project that you wish to write about, just expect that you will have to rebuild it again.
 He is also an educator. He has been teaching woodworking for the past twenty years or so, and started his own school, The Northwest Woodworking Studio about four years ago. In his mastery program he mentors private students in his school and in the student's shop. He stress the mastery of hand tools at the outset. He started with weekend classes (which is good for  cloudy Oregon winters) and how has  six-day long classes in the summer with notable woodworkers helping him.
 A large portion of the evening was spent viewing slides of project that he had made. Some of his pieces were made with the Asian flair. The pieces exhibited a full spectrum of woodworking, from boxes to elaborate furniture pieces, and displayed his versatility as an accomplished woodworker.
 As each piece was displayed, he commented on the wood species, type of construction, significant joinery and the kind of finish used. He specifically explained his thoughts on finishing cherry, in response to a query from the audience. In the 1980"s he used the Sam Maloof finish, consisting of 1/3 turpentine, 1/3 varnish and 1/3 linseed oil. He then migrated to a Watch® (old) -polyurethane spar varnish in a 50/50 mix and applied three coats. He has since chosen Pro-Fin from Daley's in Seattle. He applies it with a rag or brush. The coats are to be wiped off in 15-20 minutes, but the first coat is forgiving if it runs a bit longer. However, if the subsequent coats are not removed promptly one will end up with a sticky mess. He admonished us not to mix this product with anything else. Gary also cautioned us to not let the rag hit the last coat cross-grained or it will show up on the finished product.
There was a good Q & A session following.
 

 Gary Rogowski Router Workshop

 Jay Hollingsworth hosted the Rogowski Router Workshop on Saturday. Thirty-some Guild members attended the all-day affair. It was a fun and informative workshop. Gary demonstrated the versatility of the router, both in the hand-held and the router-table mode.
 Although Gary was not high on commercial jigs and fixtures, he does employ shop-made ones. He cautioned us that jigs and fixtures were not a panacea for poor woodworking but rather as an aid if used properly.
 He demo'd jigs for circle  and ellipse routing. Some of his hand-held routing employed templates (such as with the hand mirror). He used box construction to illustrate the rabbet, double rabbet, spline and keyed-miter and dado.
 Gary illustrated the proper techniques for string inlay, using the router and hand plane. A different pattern-transfer technique was used for other inlays. 
 There was a lot of good-natured banter between the 'master' and 'students' and Gary welcomed, and responded to all questions.
 It was a day well spent! Thanks to Gary for an enjoyable presentation and to Jay for his genuine hospitality.
 
 

Program

Guild Highlight for June

June 1, Friday (Note date change)
Event: Guild Meeting
Program: Secrets of
Using Dyes and Tints
Presenter:
Jeff Jewitt from Cleveland, Ohio
Location: Washington Park Senior Center
 4420 W Vliet St, Milwaukee
Time: 6:15 - 9:30 pm
 

Guild Sponsored Opportunities

June 1, Friday (Note date change)

Event: Guild Meeting
Program: Secrets of Using Dyes and Tints
Presenter: Jeff Jewitt from Cleveland, Ohio
Location: Washington Park Senior Center
 4420 W Vliet St, Milwaukee
Time: 6:15 - 9:30 pm
 

June 2 & 3, Saturday and Sunday

Event: Workshop / Seminar
Program: Six Finishes in Two Days
Presenter: Jeff Jewitt from Cleveland, Ohio
Location: Washington Park Senior Center
      4420 W. Vliet Street, Milwaukee
Time: 9 am - 4 pm
Fee: None for members. $40 for non-members.
 

July 11, Wednesday (Note date change)

Event: Guild Meeting
Program: Show and Tell
Presenters: Guild Members
Location: Washington Park Senior Center
  4420 W. Vliet St. Milwaukee
 
 

Workshop News

Jeff Jewitt is Coming to Town

 In addition to running a full-time restoration and refinishing company, Jeff finds time to write, lecture, teach and consult on a variety of topics. A frequent contributor to Fine Woodworking Magazine, he has also written for Woodshop News, American Woodworker, Popular Woodworking and Professional Refinishing Magazine.
 He is the author of 2 books - Hand-Applied Finishes (Taunton 1997) and Great Wood Finishes (Taunton 2000). He has done 2 full-length feature videos - Coloring Wood (Taunton 1997) and Applying Top Coats (Taunton 1997). Shorter length video excerpted from these were released as Brushing Varnishes, (Taunton 2000) and French Polishing (Taunton 2000).
 Jeff teaches and speaks all over the country for various clubs, guilds and woodworking stores.
 On Friday, June 1st, Jeff will give a meeting program on the subject of Secrets of Using Dyes and Tints.
 On Saturday and Sunday, June 2 & 3, he will give a Seminar/Workshop on the subject of Hand Applied Finishes, Six Finishes in Two days. The seminar/workshop outline is below.
 

Hand Applied Finishes

2 DAY COURSE

Jeff writes:
 "Let's face it - we all have to finish and if you think that the secret to a flawless finish is spraying or some arcane process - you're wrong. Finishes have been produced for hundreds of years using simple tools like brushes and pads. In this seminar you'll learn the techniques necessary for hand application of popular finishes - oils and oil based varnishes, shellac and solvent and water-based
lacquer. Physical and protective differences between the various finishes will be discussed. A demonstration of French Polishing will be provided."
 "The seminar will begin with the steps and tools necessary for proper surface preparation. Next we'll look at the various stains used to color wood and attention will be paid to mixing and using aniline dyes. Paste wood fillers and glazing will be covered. After different application techniques are demonstrated, rubbing out finishes will be covered. This seminar is a must for all woodworkers - regardless of skill."
 All students are encouraged to bring in a project or problem to discuss (within time limits)
 

Day One

   1. Surface Prep
 a. Planes
 b. Scrapers
 c. Sandpaper
 d. Defects
   2. Coloring
 a. Pigment stains
 b. Dye stains
 c. Combo stains
 d. Color theory
 e. Glazes
   3. Filling Pores
 a. Demo oil vs. water
   4. Introduction to Finishes and Solvents

Day Two

   1. Shellac Finishes
 a. French Polishing
    2. Lacquer - solvent based
    3. Oil finishes
 

RAFFLE COLUMN

 Alan Clapp

John Breckenridge, Jim Fenske and Ray Terry were the winners of the May raffle.
 The Friday June 1st raffle prizes have been donated by Steve Bevers, District Manager, for S-B Power Tools.
 S-B Power Tool Company manufactures Bosch, Skil and Dremel power tools.  Swiss made Bosch jigsaw blade packs and sanding belts will be awarded.  Bosch was founded in 1886 in Stuttgart, Germany, when Robert Bosch opened a workshop for precision and electrical engineering. The company introduced the world's first electro-pneumatic hammer in 1932 and the first portable electrical jigsaw in 1946.
 
 
 
 

Woodworking Events

Woodworking Opportunities at WoodCraft

June
 2. Saturday, 9 am - 5 pm. Advanced Scroll Saw with Rich Radtke
  4. Monday, 6 - 9 pm, Principles of Design  with Christopher Thomas.
  5. Tuesday, 6 - 9 pm, Turn a Thin Wall Vessel with Christopher Thomas.
  7. Thursday, 6 - 9 pm, Basic Pen Turning with Liz Rohde
  9. & 16,  Saturdays, 9 am - 3 pm, Intarsia: Trout with Rich Radtke
 11.& 18 Mondays, 6 - 9 pm, Full Figure Carving: Winged Dragon, with Greg Young.
 12. Tuesday, 6 - 9 pm,  Sharpening by Hand with Christopher Thomas.
 14. Thursday, 6 - 9 pm, Basic Scroll Sawing with Rich Radtke
 19 & 26, Tuesdays, 6 - 9 pm, Segmented Bowl Turning  with Jerry Veenendaal.
 21.Thursday, 6 - 9 pm,  Basic Router Techniques with Jim Miller.
 23. Saturday, 9 am - 1 pm, Framing Basics with Doug Habbegger.
 25. Monday, 6 - 9 pm, Spindle Turning with Christopher Thomas.
 28. Thursday, 6 - 9 pm, Advanced Router Techniques with Jim Miller.
 30. Saturday, 9 am - 4 pm, Dovetails & Box Joints by Hand with Bill Boyd.
 

Please call WoodCraft at 414/607-6164 for class sizes and fees.

Special Features

TOYS

 As  the result of appeals made through the RIPSAW and personal contacts made by Ron Hinderman, Jerry Veenendaal, and several other Guild Members, we have received a significant amount of wood for toy-makin'. At the present time it is filling up Ron's garage, and he hopes the Guild members will do something about it.
 Ron, and his committee, encourages members to set up toy making workshops, or decide which toys you plan to make yourself. Let Ron know what the wood requirements are for your planned Guild Toy Makin' and make arrangements with him to secure the needed wood.
 It must be remembered, and honored, this wood has been specifically donated for the Guild Toy Making Project only, not for friends of the family, and not  a source of free wood for our pet projects.
 Last year, you made about 600 toys for the kids in shelters for battered families throughout southeastern Wisconsin. We plan to include northern Illinois this year. Now is the time to plan your toy making workshops and projects.
    If you need plans, please see or call Ron.

A Little Known Fact

You can get good shellac from this site:
http://www.shellac.net