In mid-January, work began on updating the Library catalog, and culling seldom used and outdated materials. This will make room for new materials.
Jerry Tackes has started compiling a list of possible book and dvd additions. If you have ideas of what you would like to see purchased, let a board member or our librarian know.
As mentioned at the January meeting, Jerry Kashmerick will be stepping down as our publicity coordinator after the Woodworker show in February. The primary function of this position is to coordinate the Woodworker show and other events that may arise.
Also, although Norman Lange was elected as a co-chair of the workshop/program committee in January, he has unexpectedly had to resign for personal reasons. The program/workshop committee is key to the success of the guild. We are in urgent need of a co-chair and active participants to ensure that we have a full slate of activities. Experience is not necessary, just enthusiasm and willingness to follow through on program/workshop event planning
Lastly, if anyone has questions of the board, or would like to examine the finances in detail, you are welcome to join us at the board meeting. We meet the Thursday of the week following the regular monthly meeting. Details of this and the other committee meetings can be found elsewhere in this ripsaw.
Attendees: John Johnson, Dick Yezek, Jerry Tackes, Liz Rohde, and Mary Anderson
Membership is at 115
Resignations: Norm Lange from the program/workshop committee, Jerry Kasmerick from the publicity committee.
A discussion of the Holiday Party indicated that there were 72 attendees and 2 no shows. The board indicated a desire to have the 2006 Holiday party again at Meyers. Liz Rohde is to contact Meyers to make arrangements for the 2006 party. Liz indicated that if the costs remain the same, the per person charge could be reduced to $18.
Liz Rohde is to send a letter to Bill Smeaton asking him to submit the speakers invoice for the rustic furniture workshop fees.
Liz Rohde is to reimburse Lee Webergs' family for the 2006 guild dues.
Liz Rohde is to send the church a check for $1,700 for the hall rental for the next 11Guild meetings, 12 Tuesday Programs meetings, and 12 Thursday board meetings.
Dick Yezek has purchased a projector for his business use and has offered its use to the guild for evaluation so that the Guild can delay its own purchase.
Jerry Tackes has agreed to gather and review book/video information and compare it against the current inventory lists and to provide recommendations at a future board meeting.
It was decided to try having soda in cans at the next guild meeting in order to allow more time for the servers to participate in the meeting, as well as to conserve soda.
Most of us revel at the thought of getting a good deal on tools, wood, supplies, or practically anything else for that matter. We will compare prices in local woodworking stores with those in a catalog, "big box" building supply centers and Sears Roebuck; some of us might shop on-line and perhaps even bid on eBay for "pre-owned" goods. The last place many of us visit in our quest for some item is the small, family owned local hardware store. If we end up buying the item at that local hardware store we lament: "If only I had more time I could have gotten a better deal." Recently I had the opportunity to buy top quality items for my shop at a 90% discount. Yes, I bought many items I will probably never use but it was a terrific deal, wasn't it? No, it wasn't; it was a terrible deal! Why? Because that deal was offered by a local hardware store that went out of business after 83 years of continuous family ownership.
I patronized Storck Ace Hardware, Ace store #29, a tiny hardware store by today's standards, for 30+ years. The store was long but very narrow - barely 30 feet across. Space was so limited many items were stored alongside the basement furnace or in nearby buildings. There was no loading area and the only parking was on the street but that didn't matter because the staff would load small purchases in your vehicle or deliver larger ones. At one time the area was industrial in nature so buried in the nooks and crannies of Storck Ace were top quality tools and supplies demanded by machinists and tradesmen, from 3 foot long adjustable wrenches used by railroads to tiny Starrett gauge blocks.
After 83 years in business the Storck owner, Bruce Sutherland, and his employees knew what was quality so when I needed something I always went to Storck first; only if it was closed or did not carry the item would I go elsewhere.
Under a rear counter Storck Ace had loose nails in large metal bins. The nails were raked out using a heavy metal fork, weighed on a scale, and bagged; you were not obliged to buy the fixed quantity forced by today's pre-packaged world. (When I was a child the general store in my home town handled flour, sugar, beans, etc. in the same way.) Other fasteners were sold the same way out of heavy wooden front metal drawers; I now own some of those drawers. Over the years Storck Ace delivered several Delta stationary power tools to my home, each one uncrated and inspected before delivery. If an item was not in stock, Storck Ace would either search Milwaukee for the item or order it for you, even though it was not listed in the ACE catalogue. There was never a shipping or handling charge and if the item was not to your liking you could opt not to buy it - without any restocking charge. Will any big box store do these things? How many clerks in big box stores even know what a clevis pin or woodruff key is, much less where to find one? Can you request a big box or on-line "store" to get you anything not on display or not in their product list?
Will the clerk in any store you frequent today tell you not to buy a tool on display because the quality is poor or will they mumble something about "intended" purpose?" Do you recall "green line" power tools marketed years ago by what is now Porter Cable? Bruce knew happy customers meant repeat business so Storck Ace told their customers the truth about the quality of items like those green line power tools he was forced to carry to maintain supplier business relationships. So, in 30+ years of shopping at Storck Ace I never returned anything I purchased. When it closed, Ace Store #29 still had parts for stove flues hung on the wall and a few boxes of 144 count fasteners from the time when a box held 12 dozen instead of 100. Stock Ace also offered store credit to loyal customers with no carrying charge. Can you get that at a big box store?
Storck Ace was a full service hardware store in every sense of the word. Storck Ace never sold patio stone, cement blocks, bricks, garden soil, or lumber but Bruce would help you find those things locally using his network of business associates. After 83 years in business his network was reliable with no referral fees, a valuable asset to his customers!
Now some of might think: "Well, you got that 90% discount this year but it was paid for by 29 years of premium prices." Not so! For 30 years my "discount" at Stork Ace was far better than the 10% offered Guild members by our preferred suppliers. Ace Store #29 was a viable business; the crime rate in the local area was the deciding factor in the decision to close. Bruce's style of full service is irreplaceable. For me the closure of Ace Store #29 was the death of an American icon; it was a terrible sight to witness. When your local family owned hardware store is gone, who will order that unusual item for you
Mike started the presentation by asking "Why would anyone want to make their own tools?" He said that by doing that you can create custom tools that work for specific applications such as knives, scrapers, molding head cutters or plane blades for your own planes.
And besides, Mike said, "Its fun!"
Mike explained the process for making a hardened tool. It begins by shaping the tool to near-final form while steel is in its softest state. Then you must normalize it to reduce stresses, then you have to harden the tool by heating to an orange glow and then quickly cooling (quenching). The next step is to temper the tool by gentle heating to increase toughness, and finally you have to do the final polishing of working surfaces.
Before explaining the process in greater detail Mike told more about steel and metallurgy so we could understand WHY we would do a particular step. Mike explained that there are many different kinds of steels, each formulated for a particular purpose, and therefore there is not one (perfect) kind of steel. But he said there are several steels we can use to make knives. And in his experience the one steel particularly suited for knife making is type O-1 tool steel, which is what he used to do his demonstration slides.
Various things are added to iron to make steel. Carbon is the main ingredient added to iron to make steel and, depending on the amount added it makes a difference in the hardness and tensile strength of the steel. A minimum of approximate. 0.45% is needed for adequate hardness for edge tools. Adding Molybdenum improves the hardenability and high temperature strength. Adding Chrome (11% is added for stainless steel) improves deep hardenability on large cross sections. Many other things are added depending on what end result is desired.
Steel has many codes used to let buyers know what is in it. The most important for those who wish to make tools are:
There are many others, the above are often found in the wood shop. Edges can be made acceptable with 1045, good with 1060, nice with 1084, and excellent with 1095, W-1 or W-2. "W" tools are shallow hardening (low hardenability) - OK for wood chisels because the back is flat.
Mike said that people often asked about making knives with old files. He said that it does not necessarily work the best because the center is often soft. He said that if you want consistency in a tool you make, it is best to make it from a known material that you get when you buy the proper steel.
Mike starts making a knife by laying out the cuts he plans to make, the same as you would do with any project. Then he cuts the bevel edge by putting a notch where he will begin cutting with the hacksaw. A hint: a little oil improves the cut and increases the life of the saw blade. Finally Mike smoothes the saw cuts with a file if it is a straight cut and with a right angle grinder to smooth and contour. Mike covers the surface of the knife with a marker, swipes it with a file or a stone and then checks for shiny spots where ink is removed. He repeats until his surface is smooth. Mike says a belt sander is probably the most efficient way to dress these straight edges. A quick dunk in water will keep the blade cool when your fingers start to feel uncomfortable. When you finish forming the tool you will be ready to move on to heat treating.
The first step is to heat the tool to an orange heat and keep it there for a minute or two. Then take the tool out and let it air cool. This step is called normalizing, and reduces any stresses in the steel. The next step is to harden the steel. To do this you need a torch that will be able to heat the tool to 1500 degrees. This means the torch needs to heat at a minimum of 4780 degrees to be able to get the metal to 1500 degrees. You must be able to hold the metal at 1500 degrees for 5 minutes. If it is heated hotter and longer it will reduce the toughness of the metal. Mike says that steel ceases to be magnetic at that temperature. So you can simply heat the metal until a magnet is no longer attracted to it then quench in oil. Mike says you can buy quenching oils or you can use used motor oil to quench his tool. And Mike stresses that this part of the process needs to be done outdoors because of the fumes and high temperatures. To quench in oil you need to plunge it in straight down and move rapidly in a figure 8 pattern.
The next step is to temper the steel again. Mike does this part of the process in a small toaster oven. Of course, with his wife's permission. And then he moves on to shaping and adding a handle. That is done with a wood of your choice.
Mike gets his steel at:
Speedy Metals
16655 W Victor Rd
New Berlin, WI
(262) 784-4140
They stock O-1 steel and others. Call first, if they don't have the size you want they can get it in a day.
There are inherent dangers including, but not limited to: harmful gases, harmful fumes, multiple sources of heat that can cause severe burns, sharp edges, multiple risks of fire. It is a dangerous process and you must follow heat treating rules if you choose to attempt it.
The Museum covered all of their expenses and was very kind in their expression of appreciation for their efforts. Don and Ron received a very nice letter from the Museum, along with a copy of a letter to the editor of the Oshkosh Northwestern, which thanked the Museum for their program including the Guilds display and for what the Guild does to help the various shelters for battered women.
Great job Don and Ron in representing the Guild.
Bring your turning project to the store at 845 N. Mayfair Road for display during the contest period, and complete a contest entry form.
Winners will be announced on March 25th, with prizes for the first, second and third places.