Mark's Musings
Mark Bronkalla
July Meeting
The July meeting was a lot of fun. We had some great presentations on a
really wide range of topics. Everything from beautiful turnings, to a
picture mat cutter, to a standing table for a paraplegic to a Native
American flute (with performance). I was really amazed with the variety
and quality of the projects. It was also interesting that several of
the projects were done either as part what you could think of as a
service project or a gift to someone disadvantaged / disabled. There
are so many ways we can use our woodworking skills to give something
back to the community. So often we talk about furniture or toys as
being the predominate projects, but this meeting showed that there is
so much more.
The demonstrations showed off some of the breadth and variety of our
member’s interests. Through these varied projects, you can see that
through our collective experience, as a guild, we have a huge knowledge
and experience base. Think of this the next time you want to tackle a
new project or have a problem with a current one. It is almost
guaranteed that another member has something that they can contribute
from their experience. You can also see this, when we do our question
and answer sessions at the start of the meeting. So fare no one has
been able to “stump the guild” with a problem they have presented,
asking for help or advice.
In the shop
This is a light month for woodworking for me. No furniture or other
major indoor projects. The major project was spending a few days
extending a portion of the deck to make room for the grill and smoker.
Not quite fine woodworking, but a necessary and satisfying project none
the less. Our house is on a hill and the west winds cool everything
off, making cooking a bit unpredictable. While it is merely
inconvenient, changing serving times in the summer, the winds can make
winter grilling impossible. The new location is sheltered from the
prevailing winds and makes for steadier cooking temperatures. We tried
the approximate position last winter, but it left no room to maneuver.
I was basically standing in the patio door opening tending the grill
(not popular with everyone else when it was 10 below).
We built the deck 10 years ago with redwood planking and railings. When
I went to purchase more, I found out it is now very hard to come by.
This is really too bad as the redwood holds up very nicely. Other than
surface discoloring, all of the redwood was still perfectly sound. We
tried to recycle as much as we could. The new material used was western
red cedar. While cedar is a good decking choice, I have had problems in
the past with young squirrels chewing on the edges off the railing,
ripping off strips of the cedar. They don’t seem to like to do this
with the redwood.
One of the summer projects for the kids was sanding and refinishing the
deck. Lots of time was spent on their knees with a belt sander and
random orbit sander. While some of the boards were lifted to allow
framing for the addition, those planks were run through the Performax
drum sander. This quickly smoothed the surface and removed the old
finish. We are trying Penofin as the deck finish this time. I liked the
results I got on the Ipe deck chairs and boat swim platform. Lets see
how it works out on a softwood.
While testing the smoker out in its new location, I tried some cherry
scraps. This provides a nice flavor that is a little sweeter than the
nut woods. This is one more use for the woodworking scraps. The
cut-offs are not just for kindling any more. They make great smoker
fuel, and for a lot less money than the bags of chips at the home
center.
Program
For
current calendar information see:
http://wiscwoodworkersguild.org/cgi-bin/eventcalendar.cgi
Reflections
Reflections-Show & Tell
Si Farmer
Vern Eilers led off the evening with the display of a beautiful turned
segmented bowl made of contrasting woods and scalloped base. He said
that no simple explanation would describe how bowls of varying sizes
are made inasmuch as one must approach each bowl size differently.
Lee Weberg next demo1d the bucket bench composed of two (2) buckets
(up-side-down) and a 2 by 12 board of varying lengths. He demonstrated
the stability and steadiness of these units and showed how they could
be stored to save space.
Don Berger exhibited a 1/3 size model of a standing table that he had
constructed for a friend with spinal injury that was unable to stand.
Although these units are commercially available, they are cumbersome
and constructed for patients of varying sizes. Don made this unit to
his friend’s personal size, and it demonstrated fine craftsmanship.
Don’s friends could stand and look out his window the first time in six
months as the result of Don’s kindness and woodworking knowledge.
Walt Hadcock followed up with a thorough and voluminous discussion of
the construction a valance with crown moulding. His stick-to-it
approach and his experimentation finally paid off. His client was
satisfied with the finished product and were duly entertained.
Larry Jornt exhibited a variety of thing-a-ma-bobs, do-hickies and
doom-a-flaachees, better known as business card boxes, crosses, jewelry
and sanding jigs, among other things. Larry always impresses us with
his ingenuity and craftsmanship.
Gene McClellan both instructed and entertained us. He illustrated the
classic method of construction and tuning of the Classic American
Flute. He brought a ready-made one and was enamored with it, and then
decided to make one for himself. He thoroughly researched the
methodology and fabricated his own. Essentially, he made two halves and
then glued them together. The holes in the flute were burned-in, in
various diameters, to give the desired pitch. Gene serenaded us with
one of his original, tunes de-jour to the enjoyment of all present.
George Henderson makes flag display cases to present to individuals in
his area. Usually the flag has draped the casket of the deceased and
will be displayed in these cases. George1s units are made of walnut and
were very impressive.
Tom Schuppe made an angel for one of his kids/grandkids and that was
followed with many more request from those that were left-out for an
angel of their own. Tom did not explain the construction methods but he
showed its simplicity, ease of construction and beauty.
Dave Gillis shows us the utility and simplicity of his ho1made mat
cutter. He fabricated the unit from components he found around his
shop. He said that he “Saved a Bundle” as compared to cost of
commercial mat cutters. He also showed us how it worked, making a frame
for display of photos.
Ron Hinderman exhibited two items. The first was a dust collector unit
for his band saw. The unit is quite functional. The second item was a
dust filter composed of a box fan which was encased in fiber glass
filter material. He can move this unit around in his shop as he
pleases. This does not replace his dust collector and/or dust filter!
Klaus Zunker exhibited a beautiful set of stemmed wine glasses, each
from a different species of wood. He then turned a large goblet, and
finally a tray on which to display, or carry. the wine glasses.
Ken Bahr finished off the evening with a demonstration of a router-base
fixture fabricated from plastics, and a compass. The units looked
complicated, and one would need schematics to follow the fabrication
completely. Perhaps he will return the units to a future meeting for
all to view up-close.
Photos from the Meeting:
Raffle Column
Alan
Clapp
The August raffle items were donated by your fellow Guild members. Karl
Palme has donated several woodworking books including Fine Woodworking
Joinery and shop tips, Mark Duginske's Bandsaw Handbook and Patrick
Spielman's Making Wood Bowls. Larry Jornt has donated many full sheets
of sandpaper to help you smooth out your summer projects.
WANTED -- PEOPLE TO HELP WITH LOG FEST- 2004
In August we will start cutting up logs to make boards, therefore we
will need your help with the handling of the lumber, stacking,
stickering the lumber and painting the ends of the wood to help control
of the cracking that happens in drying process.
George & Ken Henderson of Union Grove, WI. will do the cutting for
us at George’s home at 3201 N. Britton Rd. Union Grove, WI. They can
cut wood starting at 2 P.M. during the week for 3 to 4 hours &
Saturdays & possibly Sundays.
WE NEED:
• old paint and brushes to paint the ends of boards
• lots and lots of sticking, 3/4" x 3/4" x 4 ft
minimal. We have about “90 logs “to cut into lumber
If you can help please contact:
Bill Smeaton
Ron Hinderman
Ken Bahr at
Jay Pilling at
Thank you kindly Ron Hinderman
Classified
Delta 16" bandsaw with extra blades and accessories. $225 Brian
Halligan