What's in your Wallet?

With sales from the Peters Valley gallery fresh in many folks minds, the answer to the title question is: extra cash!

We began the May meeting by realizing that the shop door was locked, and had to improvise or hold our meeting "al fresco".  Some quick thinking resolved our issues, and we will be getting proper access before the next meeting.

We began the meeting with member discussing the Open House and exhibition at the SDF Gallery.  As it turns out, many members have sold work through the exhibit.  There is certainly a rush when someone decides that they like your work enough to buy it, and we will hopefully have an opportunity to do this through Peters Valley again.

Our main topic of the evening was an extended "Show and Tell" with the added provision that we would also discuss influences on our current work.  If the late hour we closed down was any indication of the success, I'd guess that it was well received!  Members were instructed to bring their current projects and any influences, materials, or techniques that they have developed along the way to use in the new work.

Wil brought in a "story stick" of inlay materials that he uses to experiment with filling cracks and voids in some of his work.  He describe the various materials and techniques necessary to achieve the results, and where he might use the different processes to fill in bark voids or losses.

In our typical roundtable style, we continued around the table with Fred showing a very old faceplate with some walnut crotch mounted on it for a candlestand table.  Just a few more years, and that piece should be dry, Fred :-)

Not to be ignored, we also picked up a new member.  His name is Pete Thome, and he is pictured in the middle between Wil and Ed.  Someone will need to tell him that we all pose these pictures, and that he is not allowed to move when the camera is on him, but he has to look natural anyway :-)

In the foreground in front of Ed, you'll see his work.  Ed mentioned that he leaves the tenon in the middle of his bowls for extra support and to help with remounting.  A tip or two is always welcome during the meetings, guys!

As the meetings get more involved and conversational, I usually get too engrossed to keep taking pictures.  If anyone wanted to bring a camera, this blog would benefit from other people's pictures and viewpoints as well.  Please feel free to author content (I'll post it for now) or send me your images.

Ed Brannon and Don were deep in thought listening to something being said when I snapped this picture.  Ed had brought a bowl with some tool marks and we quickly discussed the use of a gooseneck cabinet scraper and some elbow grease as a remedy for them.  Ed spent a few minutes towards the end of the meeting scraping out those marks and I'm guessing is now the proud owner of his own set of cabinet scrapers.

Dan brought 2 items and discussed the possibility of carving a leaf motif on one.  Steve brought a prototype hollowform turned from a laminated material and another hollowform which was turned, carved and painted.  Patrick finished the night off by showing us a Windsor that was getting to the final stages of finishing (meaning he only had another 40 hours to go!)  When we ran out of things, it was 10PM- so it is a good thing that we ran out of things!

The topic for the next meeting was announced:  It will be a toolmaking session.  Steve will be showing some tools that can be made in a shop with minimal metalworking skills.  Many of these tools can be made for a fraction of the cost of commercial equivalents, so it will be an opportunity to save a few bucks.  Don't miss it.

Until next time, keep the curlies flyin'