Mark's Musings

Mark Bronkalla

Wood Working Prime Time

For the amateur woodworker, winter is the high season for woodworking. Currently, I have several projects on-going in the shop. My primary personal interests in woodworking are furniture and boats. The boat interest also means that there is little time in the summer for woodworking as we spend much of our free time on the water.

Now is the time to prioritize the projects (my wife’s list is endless) and look for opportunities to learn or practice a new skill. With most projects I like to try something new. This may be out of necessity, due to being required for a project, or just to try out something I have read or heard at a Guild meeting.  Part of the prioritizing comes from my self imposed limit of no more than two new things per project (OK, the boat was an exception to the rule).  It is my belief that if there is too much new to learn on a project the chances of success diminish due to errors, dissatisfaction, or the project slowly moving to a dusty corner uncompleted. As mentioned last month, I often use the smaller projects to try out the more risky or technically challenging new techniques.

Looking at the Guild’s workshop schedule shows many opportunities both in the short term and through the year. The range of classes and workshops; from caning to veneering, outdoor stick furniture to Windsor chairs is enormous. A couple of the items on my project list are on hold until we find out what the “Bill Hull Veneering Workshop” project will be next October. After seeing the fantastic presentation at the latest Guild Meeting by Richard Judd on his (largely) veneered studio furniture, I am inspired to try some more veneering.

I highly recommend taking part in the workshops whether as a student or as an instructor (we all have knowledge to share). To me, the workshops and presentations are a big part of what the guild is all about. I previewed Jerry Tackes’ presentation for next month on segmented turning, it should prove to be a very interesting meeting. Many of you have seen his beautiful work that he has brought in to meetings and shown on the “Current Projects / Brag Table” in the back of the room.

Before I get beat up for my earlier comment about my wife’s “endless project list”, a little explanation may be in order. Over the years we have come to an agreement with: “Every project requires a tool”, being the guiding rule. In the early years, this was absolutely true, whether it was a table saw, hand plane, clamps, router, etc. Now it is an opportunity to fill out my shop or replace some of my earlier (cheaper or worn out) purchases with a better tool. A part of the negotiation for the next project, besides which furniture item we need next, is which tool will best help get the project done. We have extensively used “furniture financing” to fill out the workshop. Furniture financing is: Take the cost of the equivalent piece of good commercial furniture, subtract material cost, and the balance is the approximate tool budget for the project. A major reason we have the long project list is that we believe that we can build better furniture (strength, fit, finish, etc.) than we could buy for a rational price.

Current Project Help Sessions

At the board meeting we discussed a new topic for the monthly board meetings. This is a project help / Q&A session. The idea is to bring in partially completed projects or questions and solicit answers from the group. I would like to test this and gather comments over the next few meetings. We hope to be able to draw on the knowledge of the group without the questioner feeling intimidated. The initial test will use the time prior to the meeting start for an informal session.  Please bring projects, ideas, answers to the next meeting. Based on interest and time, we can then consider moving the help sessions to being a regular part of the monthly meetings.


Board Briefs

Jeffrey M. Nebel

Secretary:

Jeffrey Nebel that because of past events held in conjunction with the Milwaukee Art Museum and American Heritage Society, the Guild receives mailings from them.  Those events involving woodworking will be published in the R.I.P.S.A.W.

Treasurer:

Liz Rohde distributed a financial summary for 2002 showing a total income of $19,300.60 and expenses of $23,392.87. Reasons cited for the deficit were declining membership, increased rent, and lack of profitable workshops.

Programs/Workshops:

A list of events for 2003 was
distributed Several workshops will be added to the schedule.  One to be held on April 12 will be for those members who took the last Bill Hull workshop and have not completed their table. The logfest event will be restarted tentatively for September.  Bill Hull will be returning for an October workshop with the topic yet to be determined. Because of the slide in the treasury, the Guild will go back to making some money on workshops instead of the break-even philosophy of the recent past. A 20% or $25.00 minimum was proposed.

Workshop Registration:

Dick Yezek reported attendance at the 2002 Holiday Party was 83 with 82 paid. There have been no sign-ups so far for the Seat weaving workshop.

Exhibits:

Don Berger reported 38 have registered to work the booth at the upcoming Woodworking Show. The Guild will have a double booth with six tables. He also reported Woodcraft has agreed to match their contribution to the previous Lutheran College event for the upcoming event; the Guild will do likewise.

Publications:

Si  Farmer reported two new photographers for the committee. However, they are light on typesetters. The new workshop information will be added to the trifold and it will be printed in time for the Woodworking Show. The Membership Directory will be ready for distribution at the February meeting; the Calendar ready for the March meeting.  Brian Halligan is the Webmaster. The workshop updated information will be on the website in time for the Woodworking Show.  Mark asked about linking the Guild’s site to individual sites.

New Business:

Bruce Bogust circulated a sample shop apron and catalog of hats for possible sale with the Guild logo. Fifty khaki aprons and fifty khaki caps with a green bill will be purchased for sale to members at $28.00 for an apron and $15.00 for a cap. He will check into availability of embroidered patches with the Guild logo for people that wish to create their own clothing articles.

Future Board Meeting:

The next board meeting will be Thursday, February 13th at 7:00 p.m. at the same location.


Program

February Program

Decorative Bowl Turning

  Gerry Tackes, a fellow Guild member whose number is a single digit - has been turning wood for some twenty five years. His present interest in this hobby is segmented bowls. Some are made with several different types of wood to give intricate color designs. Others are CAD-designed with alternating wood and open segments, to give the bowls a lace-like appearance. Still others are enhanced with geometric router carvings to complement the turning.
  Gerry will show the techniques and tools he uses and some of the jigs and fixtures he developed over the years he has been turning.
  This has the makin’s of a very interesting, informative and entertaining program. Don’t miss it!

Guild Calender


Raffle

Alan Clapp

Bill Klug was the winner of the Rockler Flip Top Roller Stand in January.  Jerry Smaglik took home the consolation prize.  Yes, there will also be a consolation prize in February.
   Ron Hinderman has generously donated several woodworking clamps for the February raffle.  There are 12” clamps with a 2 1/2” throat depth and a set of three hardwood hand screw clamps.  Ron indicated that these clamps could be used for a variety of woodworking projects including toy making. 
 

W  W  G  Exhibit

May 30 - June 28, 2003

Wisconsin Lutheran College Art Gallery

8815 W. Wisconsin Avenue

Wauwatosa, WI

  All members are invited to participate. The Grand Opening is scheduled for Friday evening, May 30, 2003.
  Sign-up for the show will be available at the regular Guild meetings during January, February and March. Sign-up by mail will be accepted anytime before March 15th, 2003.
  Please send a photo of each piece to be submitted to Don Berger, N65 W35097 Road J, Oconomowoc, WI  53066. Photos must be received by April 1, 2003. The photos will be returned after the show.
  Show pieces should be delivered to the Gallery Building on Saturday, May 24th. The after-show pick-up date is Saturday, June 28th.
(Please indicate the monetary value of each piece that you submit so the College can arrange for proper insurance coverage for the show. Ed.)

Reflections

Studio Furniture
Nadine Halligan

    At the January 2003 Wisconsin Woodworkers Guild monthly meeting, the main presentation was made by Richard Judd on the topic of ’Studio Furniture’.  Mr. Judd is a professional woodworking with a studio in Bellville, WI.  During the course of the evening, he showed us many examples of his fine work, gave us some insights into selling furniture as a living, and exposed us to some of the interesting techniques that he uses to make his work distinctive.Richard Judd
    Studio furniture can be defined as furniture that functions on both the artistic level as well as the practical.  Although Mr. Judd was trained as an architect at UW Milwaukee, his interest in design and love of working with his hands led him to a career creating high-end artistic furniture.  He showed us one of his earliest pieces that was made as part of a design course and featured a highly polished hubcap as a key element.  As he progressed through the presentation, it was interesting to see his style mature and evolve.  He was influenced by different furniture styles, such as the Oriental influence of curved, tapered legs on tables, three way miter joints, and decorative brackets.  Many of his later pieces feature large sculptural curves and distinctive veneer marquetry and parquetry work.  Some of the more elaborate pieces have similarity to the drawings of M.C. Escher.    These bold patterns are accentuated by contrasting woods and careful positioning of the veneer to take advantage of the natural chatoyancy of the wood. Since many of these bold graphic designs have won him admission to juried shows while more subtle pieces have not, he speculates that strong visual statements impress the judges.screen
    Mr. Judd started making furniture of his own design for sale by taking advantage of a generous policy of his employer.  He was allowed to use the facilities of the shop during off hours to make whatever he liked.  This allowed him to explore designs and build a repertoire of furniture for sale while still keeping his day job.  This is a practice that he continues today with his own employees.  Mr. Judd related his experiences selling furniture on the art fair circuit.  He explained that it was important to carefully choose the furniture to stock in the standard 10’x10’ exhibition booth and to ensure that there were a selection of popular items in a range of prices.  Most of his work is now sold through art fairs and his studio.  He does some custom pieces, but most of his sales are of his stock designs.  Often a customer will want a similar piece in a different form, i.e. a entertainment center based on a cabinet design. 
    Veneering is one of the techniques that play a central role in many of Mr. Judd’s pieces.  Veneer allows the use of exotic woods that would be too expensive or too unstable to be used for large areas.  Most of his veneer work is done now with vacuum bag pressing.  He indicated that although there is number of commercial systems for vacuum bag pressing, thanks to the dairy industry, the local Farm and Fleet store has all the supplies that are required.  He uses different substrates for the veneer depending on role of the component in the final piece.  For example, for the sides of cabinets, he uses 3/4” birch plywood as a substrate for strength, but uses MDF as a substrate for drawer fronts, where flatness is more important.  An unusual element that he adds to many of his pieces is a thin black line.  To create this accent, he uses a hand held circular saw with a thin 1/32” kerfs blade.  Using this to score the piece and create 1/16” deep groves, he then glues a black stained wood veneer strip to create a crisp black line.  Many of the artistic pieces that he showed depended on the use of thin plywood to bend into graceful curves.  To do this, he first builds hollow forms with internal ribs for bracing and bends 1/4” luan plywood over the forms.  By pre-veneering the luan plywood when it is flat, he cantable settee cover large curved surfaces with veneer and not have to put them in the press.  While doing parquetry there are sometimes problems with adhesion to the substrate due to varying thicknesses of the different wood veneers.  To solve this problem, Mr. Judd uses 1/4” foam board to provide a resilient backer.  To finish his work, he first scrapes at 45° to the joints, block sands with 120 grit, orbit sands with 120 grit, block sands with 220 grit, and completes the sanding schedule with orbit sanding at 220 grit.  In order to limit his own chemical exposure, he now often subcontracts the spraying of his pieces with a conversion varnish.
    From Mr. Judd’s presentation, it is clear that one can make a living creating artistic furniture, but it takes skill, a keen sense of design and perseverance.

(Furniture photos by William Lemke, Wisconsin)


Richard Judd's Web site

Special Features

Wood Dust Can Cause Cancer ! !

so says the lead sentence in the Tenth Report on Carcinogens. The federal government’s list of compounds either ‘known’ or ‘reasonably anticipated’ to cause cancer in humans was updated on December 11, and now officially includes wood dust as a known carcinogen.
  This report was issued by the National Toxicology Program and stated that unprotected workers have a higher risk of cancers of the naval cavities and sinuses.
  As a woodworker, you don’t need to be told which activities lead to wood dust. We know some of the activities make more dust than others. Breathing in the dust causes it to deposit in the nose, throat, and other airways. Factors  that  influence influence the amount of dust deposited within the airways depend on the size, shape, and density of the dust particles and the strength (turbulence and velocity) of the airflow.       
  Particles with a diameter larger than 5 micron (“inspirable” particles) are deposited almost completely in the nose. Particles 0.5 micro to 5.0 micron (“respirable” particles) are deposited in the lower airways.
  The report states that as a general rule hardwoods are more hazardous to human health than softwoods. However, the note there are exceptions, i.e. Western red cedar, a softwood that is one of the most hazardous woods. The report states that the problem is with the wood itself and not wood preservatives, or formaldehyde.
  The OSHA Web site has links to safety and health guidelines, a wood dust exposure standard, lists of hazards and precautions, and a list of toxic woods. Their site can be found at  www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/wooddust. You can download the full seven page report  of the Tenth Report on Carcinogens from the National Toxicology Program’s Web site at http://ehp.neihs.nih.gov/roc/toc10.html.
  Read the above — digest it — and respond accordingly.
(Abstracted by Si Farmer)

e-RIPSAW Clarification

  If you are interested in receiving notice when the RIPSAW is put on the web page, please sign onto the web page and send an email to that effect. You will still get a hard copy (paper) RIPSAW.  This does not affect your dues. You will neither  pay more dues for this service, nor will you have your dues reduced. This service is being offered for the benefit of those who might live in outlying areas and get their RIPSAW late, or for those to wish to get a head start on the news. (Ed)

Click here to sign up today!

Toys   Toys   Toys

Ron Hinderman

 From The Toy Man


  Now that the holidays are out of the way (and there is still cold weather) let’s get started on working on some toys for 2003. If you need any plans, wheels, wood, advice, call me. If you are interested in helping out with a toy making party at my home, or someone else’s home, give me a call, too.
  My work shop is receptive to having some toy makin’ get-togethers. Just ask some of the guys — we have a good time, and good food to boot!
  I would welcome any of you to serve on the Toy Committee!
Thanks
                Ronald P. Hinderman, Sr.

Notes of Thanks

Dear Mr. Hinderman and Friends,
  Thank you for your recent in-kind gift of wooden toys, dolls, teddy bears and other stuffed animals valued at $4000 to The Women’s Center. As you know, our organization relies on you to continue our work. Your donation will go a long way in helping us continue our mission to provide safety and support to women and their families and to facilitate their development.
  2002 marks The Women’s Center 25th year of service to women and their families. This year also marks the Women’s Center $3.2 million Tell the Story; Build the Dream capital campaign to build a new facility that will house a public shelter, transitional living apartments, and counseling services. We are proud of our accomplishments and excited about the changes to come.
  Our goal is to continue to provide high-quality programs and services with a strong emphasis on prevention and breaking the cycle of violence, until violence is no longer in our society. With your gift we are able to continue this important work.
  Again, on behalf of the Board of Directors, volunteers, staff, and especially the clients of The Women’s Center, thank you for your donation and dedication to our mission.
Gratefully yours,
Marie F Kingsbury
Executive Director
The Women’s Center, Waukesha

Dear Wisconsin Woodworkers Guild
  Thank you for your donation of toys and games. Your generosity provides practical support to our programs and to the families participating in our services.
  Every day, we provide confidential supportive services to area families affected by domestic violence and sexual assault. Because of the generous support of our community, we can offer these services at a cost to those who depend on our expertise.
 Through efforts of people in the community, such as you, and through our programs, we can break the silence that protects abusers. Together, we can prevent and eliminate domestic abuse.
  With deep appreciation for the gifts you share with us,
Kathy Kuhn
Resource Development Coordinator
Friends of Abuses Families, Inc
Washington County

Wisconsin Woodworkers
 I would like to thank you all for your generous donation of wooden toys this holiday season. We were able to distribute all the items before Christmas as the need this year was great.    
  I hope your holidays were joyous and thanks again for helping to bring peace to the home of the families we serve.
Sincerely,
Gen Krahn Reed, Transitional Housing Coordinator
The Association for the Prevention of Family Violence
Elkhorn, WI

Wanted


  The Publications Committee cordially invites you to join them if you have the desire and are capable of typesetting. This would mean that you would also need your own computer system, including publishing or typesetting program.
   The committee meets on the Monday following the Guild Regular Meeting to made decisions and accept assignments. The typesetting would be done in your own environment. Depending upon availability of typesetters, one’s assignment would be once every three or four months.  If interested, please see Si Farmer at the next Guild meeting, or email him at <sfarmer1@wi.rr.com>.

Classified

For Sale

Woodworking Lathe, Jet 1236; Two years old, used for bowl turning, this lathe is in very good shape.  Some accessories included.  Price $375.
         Tom Lemke 


Bowling Alley, 6 feet long, hard rock maple, $50
Scroll Saw. Delta 15 inch, with stand; light; extra Hegner blade holders; holding device for changing blades; anti-vibration pad. $110
        Ron Hinderman

Small Cyclone with 1 hp Daytaon Model 4C108 Blower with
controls. $450
Wood:  Aromatic Cedar and Oak. $1.25 bdft.
        Dale Lagerman