Reminder: Tonight's meeting moved to next Wednesday

Just a quick note to remind folks that we've moved out the meeting date by a week to let some of the snow melt and give Peters Valley a chance to get Thunder Mountain Road cleared up to the shop. Unless you own a snow cat, you can't get to the shop.

See you 3/10 @7PM.

Let's Get Down to Business!

10 Members of the Water Gap Woodturners braved the cold, icy darkness that is Peters Valley in February. If you remember the 2009 meeting, frozen ground is much easier to drive on than thawed ground, and no one needed their car washed on Thursday.

Our meeting had a very different tone this time, as we realign for 2010. Elections were discussed, and it was communicated to the chapter that every elected official needs to be an AAW member to have the insurance protection at meetings and other WGW Events. Half of the members present at the meeting are AAW members, and the other half committed to signing up before March. We encourage all members to join the AAW, as it is an excellent resource for turners to learn from and grow.

As it stands right now, elections for the executive committee are open for nominations. At this writing, we have

Dan volunteering to act as President
Jim as Treasurer
Steve as Secretary and Program Coordinator.
Vice President (if someone would like to step up to be nominated)

Whether you have a title or not, all members are expected to contribute in some way to the vitality of the chapter. As a small group, it will not require an exhorbitant amount of your time in any role, but likely an hour or two per month.

As an example, and a very good segue into the next topic, the Water Gap Woodturners has been invited to exhibit in the Peters Valley store gallery. The is a tremendous opportunity to put your work out in a public setting, and learn more about "the professional side" of woodturning. Whether you have desires to be the next David Ellsworth or not, it is very good for your development as a woodturner to get feedback from someone who is not a woodturner! We all know too much about the process, the wood, the tools, and such to provide objectivity in evaluating others work. As one turner I know quips, "Besides, woodturner will never buy anything from you."

Everyone at every level is encouraged to bring work to the next meeting for the Show and Tell. I have invited Brienne from the gallery store to come by and start forming the direction for the show. Whether you bring one piece or twenty pieces, I would love to see EVERY MEMBER represented in the exhibit. We will discuss this in some detail in March, but the short version is to be prepared to leave your work for the gallery at the April meeting to minimize the number of people consuming Brienne's time.

Following the lengthy businees meeting (we promise to have it down to 10 minutes next month), we walked through Show and Tell. The good news is that we are starting to see almost everyone bring something to S&T, and discussions around techniques are lively. We had planned to spend some time turning after the business meeting, but we ran out of time because of the participation of the group. Way to go guys!

Here is your call to action for March:

1.) If you are not an AAW member, please join. It will make everything much easier on us. www.woodturner.org

2.) Dues ($20) will be due next month for 2010. Please bring a check or cash to the March meeting.

3.) Bring something for the Show and Tell. (a standing order!) Brienne probably doesn't know about the variety of woodturned object that are even possible, and it will help us organize the Exhibition if we know what you like to make.

4.) Be prepared to cast your ballot for the elections. I would love to see all members ratify our executive committee, not half. Half of winning is just showing up.

5.) Start thinking about any questions you might have for the Exhibition and other business topic. It will be an open forum, but we will try to limit discussions to the first 30 minutes. Show and Tell will follow, and then I promise that we will have a demonstration of one of two topics:

A) Build your own supported hollowing system ( a full dissection of the expensive systems out there and how you can build one for under $20)
B) Turn a sphere

(I will bring stuff for either and we will take a show of hands)

Safe spinning.

Steven

2010: A New Beginning

As you all well know, Steve Butler will be leaving the Water Gap Woodturners and returning to Massachussetts to get back to studio work. While things are settling down at Peters Valley, we are greatful to still have the best facility of any AAW Chapter in the US. We want to thank Steve for his tireless enthusiasm in getting our group off the ground, but now we must continue his efforts to keep the group viable and strong.

Steve had contacted us about his departure, so a few of us got together and decided to make our January meeting more of a party than a turning demo. A few of us kicked around a few ideas and brought in the case, soda, coffee, chips and a party was born. Tony made a great plaque for Steve to show our thanks, and I had suggested that we all sign it for Steve to take away. Wil was in charge of the cake, and I think he did a fine job decorating it, even if I couldn't read it (wink, wink, Wil!)

We discussed the future of the club, and Steve Butler reiterated that Peters Valley wants to continue to host our club, as well as encourage the use of its fine facility. Since Steve is going to be stepping down, we began discussing what positions the club will nominate for the Board and it appears that we will have a President, Secretary, and Treasurer as formal titles with Program Director being an informal title. As an AAW Chapter, all Board members need to also be AAW members. we discussed (at length) the benefits of being an AAW member, and highly encourage joining the AAW if you want to advance you knowledge and skills as a woodturner. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO NOMINATE YOURSELF FOR ANY OF THE ROLES.

During the business meeting, Steve B. also mentioned that he had gotten us an Exhibition at the Peters Valley Store Gallery. I am working on the details, but all members are encouraged to create work to be displayed as part of the exhibition. A seperate e-mail will be going out to the club and we will likely have Brienne from the Gallery at our March meeting to talk to the group.

Of course, we had a Show and Tell, with a twist this time. Prior to the meeting I had sent out a note to the membership that encouraged folks to present Steve Butler with something they made. Most everyone that brought items for the show and tell left empty handed. steve Butler did not, and I believe that he is still looking for boxes to pack everything out. I know he had an ornament, a mallet, a hollow vessel, a natural edge bowl, and probably a few more that I didn't even see in his possession at the end of the day.

By far our best attended meeting in a long time. We shouldn't have to lose a member to get this kind of turn out. I'd like to see everyone again in February, and please do remember to bring something to the Show and Tell! I'll be announcing the session topic later this month, but expect to make some shavings...

The Other Steve

Happy Accidents

The Water Gap Woodturners met On October 7th in the Peters Valley woodshop. The prior month's demo had been provided by Steven Antonucci, who had turned a long stem goblet from the world's worst piece of punky maple. The meeting went immediately into redemption, as Steve showed another long stem goblet he turned the following day without snapping the head off of it!

During the Show and Tell, the meeting attendees began discussing "pricing work" and how some pieces might be affected by the market they were exhibited. While it was not a planned discussion, the topic did take on a life of it's own and carry throughout the meeting. People carried on for almost an hour trying to find the magic formula of inches x species x time spend and in the end, I think we agreed that there was no such formula that fit every situation.

Our presentation for the night was lead by Dan Moore, who had planned on turning a burl cap, but prior topics continued to come into play instead. Dan brought his crates filled with burls and such, and the topic became more focused around "what would you do with this piece" and "how much should someone charge for this type of object?" Dan admitted that he somehow felt like he had cheated us out of actually turning one, but in the end, I believe that it was our best meeting ever.

Next up on deck, we are looking for someone to volunteer for November's meeting before I have to nominate you...

Safe spinning.

Why Is Everyone Standing Around?

On Wednesday, July 1, that was the question? The Water Gap Woodturners welcomed back Peter Galbert, as our guest presenter for the evening. The meeting was attended by our usual quorum of 12 or so members, as many folks had scheduled vacations for the long holiday weekend. Steve Butler was sidelined with a bad case of Lyme's, reminding us all to check for ticks after you get back home. We wish for his speedy recovery.

The business portion of the meeting was quick with one major announcement. Wil invited members to a "cutting party" in Hamburg, NJ on Friday AM and several of us went there to load our trucks with free cherry, cedar and mulberry. There were lots of prizes that we hope to see at future show and tells.

The Show and Tell had some very interesting work from the membership, and unfortunately, some pretty poor photography to go with it. There were Wil's natural edge pieces, and some pyrography pieces by Tony. Ed brought a hollow vessel that had been made in two pieces, and defied anyone to find a glue line. There was also a Longworth chuck which was made by a member who's name I can't recall (note, will edit it in when someone tells me!) Keep bringing your work to the meetings- as you can see, it's great for getting ideas and giving them too!

Our main topic for the night was Peter Galbert, a well know chair maker from NY State. Peter began his presentation by talking a little bit about the history of the Windsor and what attracted him to making them. Much of the work is done without the use of electrons with very simple hand tools. Peter opened up his tool box to show us some tapered reamers and "tools of the trade".

The presentation went from being somewhat theoretical to practical pretty quickly. Peter's got about 200 chairs to his credit, so he's worked out a bunch of the kinks and how-to's to be able to figure out how to get things done.

One of the things that needs to be done on every chair is you need to turn 4 legs. I suppose that's a good thing when you are talking to a woodturning group, since it peaks everyone's interest to watch the shavings fly!

Peter spent some time discussing layouts and his methods for "getting it right". When you need 4 legs to looks basically the same, it's important to do the same things well over and over, so Peter always works with the same process doing the steps in the same order. It's very interesting to watch a spindle turner who has probably worked on 800 of the "same parts" to see how effiiciently they work, and before we knew it, Peter has made a pretty sweet leg from a billet of maple.

From there, we shifted gears to assembling a complex arm without measuring and without any complex math. It looked like smke and mirrors, and if you were present, you know that's at least half true :-)

Peter's method for assembly was largely based upon his experience in 200+ chairs and knowing how they fit together. His use of tapered tenons and stepped tenons is very simple to comprehend, and he made it look very easy to replicate. If you've ever tried building something, you know that the truth is it's somewhere between voodoo and a Rubik's Cube, with a touch of juggling thrown in to boot! The arm assembly demonstration was very interesting to watch how each operation dictated the layout for the next operation. In about 30 minutes, Peter had mocked up the entire arm assembly used in his rocking chair below.

In the end, Peter displayed a couple of the techniques he uses in his workshops on building a Windsor chair. The techniques, like so many other things in woodturning, were shared openly and freely with the membership. It is probably our greatest resource- knowledge, and the willingness to share it- that keeps woodturning moving forward at the

breakneck pace it is!

Until the next time, keep the pointy side of the gouge in the wood and the round part in your hands...

Better Late than Never

Sorry for the delay in posting, but with the May meeting being canceled and June already 2 weeks back, I guess it's kind of important to get back in the habit.

The June meeting was attended at the Peters Valley woodshop by about a dozen WGW members (before monsoon season...but I digress). There was an announcement that PV scholarships are still available to anyone wanting to take advantage of the discount, and lots of great sessions are still available. Show and Tell was brief, and unfortunately, I forgot my camera. About half of the members in attendance brought something for the S&T, which means we just need to get the other half going now...

The topic for the day was a methods of work talk by Harvey Fein. Harvey is well known in the woodturning world for his router wizardry and machine work. Harevy brought some of his gadgets that he designed and showed us all how they interact with the lathe and create a variety of patterns in the platters he is known for.

Harvey's work is exceptionally detailed, and he shared his methods openly. I would dare say that he is one of a kind, and it would be difficult if not impossible to produce the work he does, even if he was to lend you his shop and tell you how! Harvey is a one-off original... and the Water Gap Woodturners appreciate his participation in our program.

Next meeting is July 1 if I read my calendar right. There will be a reminder for folks to BRING SOMETHING TO THE SHOW AND TELL! The group only gets stronger if we all particpate. Our guest lecturer will be Peter Galbert, who is a chairmaker and a spindle turner by default. Peter presented his new caliper last year, and I am told he will be offering to club members for purchase at the meeting again in July.

See you in July.

(Apologies for the substandard photography, but it was 1MP cell phone or nothing...)

Oh, Chef of the future-can it core a bowl?

The Water Gap Woodturners met on April 1 at the Peters Valley woodshop. Business was quickly covered and there was a mention of working in the Man Tent at the NJ state fair, formerly know as the Sussex County Fair for those of us locals. We will be informed about the requirements for this event at a future meeting.

From the business meeting, we dove into the Show and Tell. Unfortunately, no one took any pictures of the items, so you'll have to recall the 2500 piece segmented chinese ball from memory. How it was every turned on 512 axises is beyond me, especially since it was done on a foot powered treadle lathe using tools made from old Altoid tins.

April Fools. (The Altoid tins were new.)

The main topic for the evening was coring bowls to preserve wood and make more than one bowl per blank. Members got to try out the McNaughton system an the Steussy BowlSaw. There was an ornery block of dry cherry that refused to be cored, and a few tense moments when the big Oneway wouldn't power up, but eventually, the chips started flying. Steven Antonucci demonstrated the McNaughton, and then encouraged others to try it for themselves. Maurice Cohen from the NJ Woodturners was one of the intrepid souls who found out that coring isn't very difficult with a little bit of knowledge.

Also demonstrated was the BowlSaw from Richard Steussy. Dick sent the Water Gap Woodturners both the small and large version for us to review at no cost. While not as versatile as the McNaughton, it sells about 1/8th the cost of the McNaughton and has almost no learning curve. You can contact Dick at http://www.bowlsaw.com/ for more info.






Overall, we had 3-4 members core 3-4 bowl blanks and see two systems in action. At the end of the meeting, the clean-up was contained to one small shovelful of shavings because of the use of the coring systems. If you are a bowl turner and want to up your production while decreasing the waste, coring is an excellent way to achieve both goals.


Our next meeting date is in early May, and the topic is TOP SECRET. It will be announced in the next blog entry after all of the details have been planned out, but I can assure you that if you only go to one meeting this year, make it the May meeting. It will be a once in a lifetime event...