Mark's Musings
Mark Bronkalla
Spring Finishing:
For me, March is a transition month,finishing up several furniture projects
and planning the next boatbuilding projects. The longer, brighter, warmer
days often mean I can move a project outside my shop to stain or spray on
some finish (no more clouds in the basement). There is something about a
subzero blast of air coming into the shop that causes me to sometimes delay
mid-winter finishing. As a result, I often have two or three items that have
awaited final stage finishing until it warms up a bit. The warm days of March
and April also provide out-door finishing with no bugs getting stuck in the
finish.
Boat Building:
In April I will be updating the boat and refinishing. The entire hull will
get stripped and revarnished. I will also be some fiberglass repair, and
adding a swim platform and wakeboard pylon. Members are welcome to come over
and learn some of the fine points of working with epoxy as well as the special
April 1st spar varnish removal workshop.(April Fool!, Ed.) Progress can be
seen on my website: http://www.bronkalla.com
Boatbuilding is sort of a counterpoint to building many pieces of furniture.
Much of furniture building is precise rectilinear lines and right angle or
mitered joints. Multiple pieces are often cut in sequence to add accuracy
and save set up time. In contrast with the boat, virtually everything is
curved and if I can cut two pieces the same (mirror image pairs) that is
usually the limit of multiple cuts. Very few boat joints are at right angles
or 45 degrees, and most are actually compound angles and curves. Rather than
“cutting to plan”, pieces are “cut to fit”.
Even in gluing there is a contrast. With normal woodworking glues, a precise
glue line is needed and hundreds of pounds of clamping pressure are applied
to force the glue out into a microscopically thin layer. With epoxy as used
for boat building, the joint is fitted well, the thickened epoxy is applied
and the pieces are lightly clamped, screwed or even taped in place until
the epoxy hardens. If lots of pressure is applied, all of the epoxy squeezes
out of the joint, starving it and it will fall apart. With woodworking glues
“fast tack” and grip aid in aligning the pieces while clamping. Wet epoxy
has no tack and is actually a rather “nice” lubricant prior to hardening.
It adds to the fun of clamping curved and angled pieces.
March Meeting:
At the March meeting, Carl Widder provided an excellent and timely discussion
of deck construction and some of the pitfalls. As woodworkers, we are often
drafted to help our friends, neighbors and relatives with deck building and
other projects. Often in the process, you will see design concepts that just
don’t look quite right. Sometimes, we can provide guidance on how to correct
them. Carl’s discussion of the right way do it should provide guidance on
how to build attractive decks and other outdoor structures that will last
for many years to come.
April Meeting and Workshop:
This should be a very interesting session. Audrey Vincent’s sessions on finish
touch-up and repair should add a new dimension to our skills. I for one have
always been much more comfortable finishing or refinishing an entire piece
than in attempting to repair dents, dings and scratches.
Workshops:
Look over the upcoming meetings, workshops and classes. There is a nice variety
of topics to choose from.
Logfest:
Logfest is coming in September. We will be looking for log donations as well
as those you have to saw up for your selves. If you know of trees that will
be coming down, see if we can salvage the logs. Once we have log candidates
for the sawing, we will need to transport and store the logs. If anyone has
a trailer that we can borrow a few times for this, please let Ken Bahr, me
or any of the officers (red shirt guys) know. Preferably the trailer will
have 3000-5000 lb capacity and a winch or place to attach a winch or come-alongs.
The site is not yet announced, so we are not yet ready to start accepting
logs. We will also be providing minimum and maximum sizes that the sawmill
can handle. Based on last time, minimum length is likely to be 4 feet.
Volunteer Woodworking Opportunity:
The Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to
the education of children, is looking for woodworking help. They are currently
looking for carpentry and woodworking volunteers. They are in the process
of moving to a new building on their nature sanctuary grounds. They would
like help with construction of wood cabinetry and shelving as well as moving
existing cabinetry to the new facility. There is a group of retired artisans
who work every Tuesday from 9 am until 2 pm, a very fun bunch called the
Ray Team. Contact: Moxy Krieck 414-352-2880, ext. 225. For more info on the
nature center see their website at: http://www.schlitzauduboncenter.com/newbuild.htm
(Note: This is not an official Guild sponsored event! Ed..)
Board Briefs
Jeffrey M. Nebel
Secretary:
Minutes of the February board meeting were accepted as written.
President:
Mark Bonkalla related the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center is looking for some
woodworking volunteers. He will inform the Guild membership via his monthly
newsletter column. The observation was made that this could not be a Guild
Sponsored event because of the type of the Guild’s insurance coverage.
Treasurer:
Liz Rohde distributed a financial report for the period from 1/1/03 to 3/12/03.
The treasury balance was $8,060.57 on March 6th.
Programs/Workshops:
Dick Yezek distributed a detailed analysis of 2002 finances showing how many
Guild memberships were needed to support the administrative expenses and
free workshops. The free Jeff Jewitt workshop was a large financial expense
not likely to be repeated. He requested more details for the upcoming workshops.
The Senior Center is not available for the Friday, June 6th meeting featuring
Lon Schleining. Alternatives were discussed. Liz has also offered to address
several recent problems with Senior Center equipment and personnel. The status
of the Sylvan Studios building also remains uncertain. Ken Bahr also reported
the September meeting topic and presenter are still open. Logistics for the
September Logfest were discussed. Liz and Mary Anderson are contacted several
restaurants for the Holiday Party. She will check out Mykonos and then email
the board for an on line vote between Mykonos and the Pallas restaurant.
Exhibits:
Don Berger declared the recent Woodworking Show at State Fair Park a big
success. A few more exhibit items could have been used. The contract for
the upcoming Lutheran College Show is due. It will be held in conjunction
with a fine arts fair. It will run from Saturday, May 24th thru July 12th.
Thirty-eight members have committed to display 70 items. The Guild has committed
$750.00 for promoting this event. Don has a verbal commitment from Woodcraft
to cover $500.00 of that amount. Don has plenty of trifolds available now.
Publications:
Si Farmer reported he will be typesetting the next newsletter. He needs a
volunteer to write up the next workshop and take pictures. A supplement will
be issued for the 2003 Calendar to cover the January and February events.
Brian Halligan, the webmaster, has reported that the Guild website received
a spike in hits around the Woodworking Show. Si reported Guild membership
currently stands at 162. He plans to step down as chairman of the Publications
Committee by the end of the year, but will remain a member of the committee.
Board Meeting:
The next meeting of the Board of Directors will be on Thursday, April 10th,
7:00 pm. It will be in the library of Faith United Church of Christ, 4240
N 78th Street, Milwaukee. The library is located on the north side of the
building, next to the parking lot.
Program
Guild Calender
April Guild Events
Finish Touch-up and Spot Repair
Date: Friday, April 4, 2003
Event: Regular Monthly Guild Meeting
Topic: Finish Touch-up and Spot Repair
Presenter: Audrey Vincent
Location: Washington Park Senior Center
4420 W. Vliet St., Milwaukee
Time: 6:45 – 9:30 p.m.
Fee: None – First time guests welcome.
Remember that the April Guild Membership Meeting will be held on Friday
this month. It will feature Audrey Vincent who will present the topic Finish
Touch-up and Spot Repair.
Her twelve years of professional finishing experiences include her own
antique furniture restoration stores. She has taught finishing methods and
spot repair and structural repair at both Dakota County Technical College’s
Wood Finishing Technology Program and Red Wing Technical College’s Guitar
Repair and Construction Program. Audrey has also worked for three years as
a national instructor for Mohawk and Star Finishing Products.
Workshop: Saturday, April 5th, 2003
Date: Saturday, April 5, 2003
Event: Workshop
Topic: Finish Touch-up and Spot Repair
Presenter : Audrey Vincent
Location: Sylvan Studio
(address to be given to registrants)
Time: 9 am - 4 pm
Class Size: Limited to 20 Members only
Fee: $ 45
Every crafts person has something go wrong on occasion; the best ones
know how to make problems disappear. In this hands-on workshop you will learn
repair techniques, including burn-ins, polyester fills, chipped veneer repair,
faux graining, color matching, dent and scratch repairs and sheen adjustment.
Audrey would like everyone attending her workshop on Saturday to bring
a damaged finished piece with them to the workshop that needs finish touch
up or repair. She will show / help you repair scratches, nicks, dents and
veneer problems as part of the workshop. She would also like for you to bring
a small artists brush to use for faux graining. She will bring
some samples along for practice but it would be best if everyone brought
their own.
May
May 7, Wednesday, Membership Meeting
Program: Tree Farming
Presenter: Woody Barton
Location: Washington Park Senior Center
First Time Guests Welcome
May 17, Saturday, Workshop
Topic: Correcting Mistakes, Errors and Defects in New and Old Furniture Pieces
Presenter: Doug Kreitzman
Location: Sylvan Studio
Restrictions: Members Only, limit 15
Fee: $25
Raffle
Alan Clapp
Jack Grothaus was the winner of the Rockler miter gauge at the March meeting.
The raffle prize to be awarded Friday April 4 has been donated by The
Woodworker’s Choice. Woodworking Show manager, Robert Jones, donated a 15
piece, 1/2” shank carbide tip router bit set during the Milwaukee show. The
Woodworker’s Choice offers a great selection of woodworking tools and accessories.
Contact information:
The Woodworker’s Choice
2 The Professional Drive
West Jefferson, NC 28694
www.thewoodworkerschoice.com
800-892-4866
Reflections
Deck Building, Materials & Finishing
Dick Butula
At our March meeting we had one of our own members, Carl Widder give a
presentation on Decks. This was a very timely topic as we approach the time
of the year when the members are considering their own project.
Carl works for a company called Cecco Trading Inc. They import hardwood
lumber for decking. He works with lumber wholesalers and deck builders around
the country and has become very knowledgeable about all aspects of decks.
His presentation covered decks from start to finish, i.e. 1) Design; 2) Construction;
3) Materials; and 4) Finishing.
Before talking about decks he had to talk about safety. Many of the materials
are very heavy and you need to be knowledgeable about proper lifting practices.
Also, treated lumber can be a problem and you should be sure to wash your
hands before eating.
Design. Carl suggested looking at the many books & magazines that are
available on deck design before you start a project. He showed slides of
the various degrees of decks from basic (under $5 k), midrange ($5k to $15
k) to upper range (over $15k). If you want to enhance the value of your home,
Carl suggested the mid to upper range would be better than the basic since
they provide additional living space. 
Carl showed some free standing decks and pointed out that they must have
ventilation underneath, otherwise you are going to have moisture that will
cause mold and rotting problems. A two level deck creates a more interesting
design but does not necessarily need railings. Railings tend to block the
views from anyone that is sitting down. If they are needed, they should be
located to avoid such view obstructions.
Small changes in the design can provide big improvements. For example
having some curves, octagon shapes, benches, planting boxes, or made symmetrical
to the house, if attached. Be sure to look at where you are going to place
furniture and maybe a hot tub. Do not put them in traffic paths and leave
room for people to walk behind chairs. The deck needs to be large enough
to be enjoyable.
A second story deck especially needs to be large enough to make the construction
worthwhile. One of his slides was of a deck that barely had room for a table
and chairs. He also showed a second story deck with a room built below. This
is asking for many problems because of drainage. Also if you build a deck
over an existing room, you need to know the load capability of the buildings
footings.
Before you build, make sure that you are complying with all of the building
codes including design loads, railings, footing depths, yard setbacks, and
any other unique codes to the area.
Construction. Builders may not be designers and designers may not be builders.
Be sure that you see examples of their work before you select either.
For a deck that will not be attached to the house you don’t have to have
footings, but if they are put in they must be at least 42” below grade (in
this area). For free standing decks you can also use pre-cast blocks. If
you do want footings,
consider contracting to have the holes dug by someone with a commercial auger.
Digging by hand or even with a rented power auger is a tough job.
Footings are usually formed with cardboard Sonotubes or if the soil is
clay, forms may not be necessary. The top of the footing must be level for
a good job and will hold the post anchors. One bad footing (too shallow)
can heave an entire deck.
Ledger boards are attached to the house with lag screws every 16”. They
should have flashing above them to keep water from getting behind and causing
problems. The holes for the bolts should be treated and caulked before installing
them. Joist hangers are then installed on the ledger board with nails.Carl
showed some slides of deck failures that were caused by bad ledger board
installations.
Framing involves the installation of joists. Keeping your deck pattern
in mind, the joists need to be installed so that they will be perpendicular
to the deck boards. The spacing of the joists will depend on the strength
of the decking material. Under a deck there should be something to keep
weeds from growing. Either stones or fabric are good choices. When framing
second story decks, bracing will also be required. They need to be of adequate
strength to do the job. The fasteners (bolts) also need to be beefy. Make
sure to provide for proper drainage, especially under the deck. If a deck
is placed over a existing patio, also make sure to raise it off of the concrete
with shims and that it drains properly.
The pattern of the deck boards also needs to be considered. You can use
a random, alternating or a grouped pattern. Consider using 4” wide decking.
It can make a small deck look bigger, and makes a big deck look better by
not having long thin boards. When you have a butt joint, rounding over the
end with a router will hide any problems and dress up the deck. All the screw
holes should be lined up.
When steps are installed, they should be made of 2”X6” boards for better
drainage. Post attachments need to be very adequate to support railings.
Railings are available in many styles and materials. They can be made of
wood, aluminum tubes, steel (stainless) cable, or even glass (tends to get
dirty but makes for better views). Make sure that railings are well built
because people will be leaning against and sitting on them.
Materials. For the framing, treated lumber should be used. It can be made
from southern yellow pine, hemlock or fir. Treatments can be either CCA
(contains arsenic, is non-toxic and does not leach), ACQ (contains no arsenic
or chromium but does have copper and ammonium and can leach). If you use
ACQ be sure to seal cut ends of 4”X4”s. Carl suggests that treated lumber
be obtained from lumber companies rather than from big box stores because
of better quality of the treatments.
For decks, available materials include cedar, redwood, hardwoods and composites.
The cedar most commonly available is western red. Alaskan yellow and port
orford are less common. Redwood is not as readily in Wisconsin any more,
and can be expensive to obtain. Hardwoods mentioned included ipe, jarrah,
macaranduba, cambara and meranti. Most of them are expensive and hard to
find, but if you can get it, ipe gets Carl’s endorsement. You will have a
high end, quality deck if you use it.
Composite materials are made from hardwood fibers and plastic resins. Brand
names include: Trex, GeoDeck, Evergrain, Weatherbest, TimberTech, Choice
Deck, Boardwalk, E-ZDeck, BrockDock and EverNew. There are over 40 different
brands available.
Fasteners can be either galvanized, coated or stainless steel. Screws
are the best choice. There are also hidden fasteners available, but they
make any future board replacements difficult.
Finishing. Materials are water and wax based (poor, $10/gal.), semi-transparent
(better, $15/gal), trans-oxide (best, $25/gal.). Semi-transparent is good
for treated lumber and cedar. The materials are best applied by brushing
and should be applied when the deck is dry. Spraying can also be done but
be sure to protect any plants.
For restoring older decks be sure to use a full family of one brand of
products. The process includes cleaning, brightening and finishing. Be sure
to wait (at least 24 hours) for each procedure to dry before moving to the
next. For heavy duty cleaning use a power washer but with much care.
Special Features
W W G Exhibit
May 30 - June 28, 2003
Wisconsin Lutheran College Art Gallery
8815 W. Wisconsin Avenue
Wauwatosa, WI
There is still time to get your art work into the exhibit. However, you must
move quickly. Don Berger reports that he must have the following by April
1, 2003 (and that’s no April Fool’s joke!).
For each piece to be exhibited, he must have the Artists name, Title of
Piece, Materials used, For Sale (price) or Not For Sale, (all sales pay a
35% Commission to the College) Photo, and Insurance Value. Photos may be
used for Invitation/Promotion of Exhibit.
The revised schedule is as follows:
Bring Show Items on Sunday May 18th, 1 - 4 pm.
Opening Reception on Saturday, May 24, 7 -8:30 pm
Pick up Date: Saturday, July 12, 1 - 4 pm
Note: A Fine Arts Fair is scheduled at the College on Saturday, July
5th.’hundreds of art minded people will be on campus”. The Arts Department
has requested our exhibit to remain open as a major attraction for this Fair.
Classified
For Sale
Small Cyclone with 1 hp Dayton Model 4C108 Blower with
controls. $450
Wood: Aromatic Cedar, Oak and 50 bf Hickory . $1.25 bd ft.
Dale Lagerman
Planer, Dewalt DW733, 12 1/2in., heavy duty, with Dust Hood, DW7336, unopened,
original carton. $300
Radial Arm Saw, Craftsman, 10 in., with retrofit guard kit (not installed),
Model 113.29460, with stand, manual. $100
Bernard Schlaefer