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President’s Letter — January 2020
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Our January meeting will be a recognition of the many members that contribute in so many ways to make things happen. There will be drawings for gift cards and plenty of cake and ice cream to go around.
Hope you had a good holiday season. If you didn’t attend the Guild’s holiday party you missed out on a good time and some good food. Several vendors had interesting items for sale that would make nice stocking stuffers.
Bob Kastigar has agreed to be our Media Coordinator. He will work closely with David Zemon to keep our website and other media up to date.
Our thanks to Bill Schuchat to coordinating the Rockler toy build and to all the staff at Rockler. It was a very busy morning and a slower afternoon as bad weather moved in. KMOV-TV covered the event on the 6 pm news that evening.
The first part of the year brings elections and new budget. If you have thoughts on either or would like to run for office, please let one of the officers know.
The first quarter of the year is a time when we get many new members and visitors to the meetings. When you see someone at a meeting with a handwritten nametag, say hello to them and introduce yourself. Make them feel welcome and show them what is going on around the meeting area. We all know what it was like to walk into a room full of strangers so let’s make it a little less intimidating. Folks at the membership table would like to know you are willing to show newcomers around so they can direct them to you when they show up.
As always, work safe. |
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| See you at the meeting on Thursday,
Wayne Humphrey |
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Building a River Table
with
Don Iverson |
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| Don Iverson gave an informative presentation on methods he uses for application of epoxy fillers in slab voids to solve appearance issues and create special features which enhance the final look of the project.
One of the projects he brought to the meeting was a table made of a salvaged piece of walnut with a gash that he filled in with epoxy and mounted on black iron pipe legs. The top was really striking and did look like a river ran through it.
Another project was a clock with blue epoxy filler poured in the voids, CNC-routed numbers and the clock mechanism routed into the back. (pictured below)
Don gave us a few suggestions for when other Members might want to tackle this technique:
- Maximum 60 oz. in a pour. More than this may cause premature set-up due to working time.
- Add mica powder for color, but just a small amount is all that is necessary. Colorant is the same as used when making soap. Check out online sources for colorants.
- Maximum pour of 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick layers. Any thicker can run into problems with improper curing.
And, best of all, on the 22nd and 23rd of February , a “River Table” Techniques workshop will be led by Don Iverson. This will be a “hands-on” continuation of his presentation this month.
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SLWG Holiday Party
The Guild had a holiday party for members and guests on Thursday, December 5th
at the Moolah Shrine. Great attendance and everyone had plenty to eat and enjoyable conversations.
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Dan Lender is building his prototype for side chairs to match his trestle table that he showed us at the last meeting. Both the table top and the chair seats have a hard maple surface with two cherry wood accent pieces. He used a table saw jig to scoop out the chair seats and plans to fit the chairs with cherry legs. |
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Bill Grimes brought his Mission Style Coat Tree made from European Beech and finished with polyurethane. |
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Steve Briner showed us an effective dust collection hood that he fabricated for his Ryobi thickness planer. |
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Bill Schuchat has been making boxes for the Box Build project and made 6 toddler rocking chair horses using 1x pine for the head and 3/4 plywood for the rest. |
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| Tom Tierney made 7 platters for family and friends from stock walnut and finished them with polyurethane. |
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Walter Henderson made this oak glider for his great granddaughter. |
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Donation to the Guild
The St Louis Woodworkers Guild has received an anonymous donation of $3,000. The donor made the following comments:
I love the work that the guild is doing for local children and I would like to help with the effort.
I would like the check to be broken down equally and given to 3 areas.
$1,000 to buy parts, tools and supplies for the general toy building effort.
$1,000 to buy parts, tools and supplies for the shop.
$1,000 to buy parts, tools and supplies for the foster kid’s box effort.
The Guild does a great job making items for the community and I’m glad to help.
The Guild is grateful for this donation and plans for the money include:
- New vises for the workbenches in the shop.
- Toy builders may turn in their expenses for wood to Bill Schuchat and be reimbursed for them.
- Box builders for the foster and adoptive children program may purchase their own wood and turn in their expenses to Bill Schuchat for reimbursement.
The Guild’s outreach programs have received several anonymous donations in the last couple of years that have benefited our outreach partners.
Just a reminder: The Guild is a 501c(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible. Keep us in mind as you plan your annual giving. |
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Surplus Woodworking Equipment SALE
The St. Louis Woodworkers Guild is beginning the process of auctioning several pieces of surplus tools and machinery. The auction will be in the silent format and open to Guild Members only. The items for this month will be:
Rockwell 14 inch Band Saw
Delta Belt and Disc Sander
Hand Made Router Table
Rigid Oscillating Spindle Sander
Shop Vac vacuum machine
Mobile base for equipment
Electrical Outlet strip
Each month we will post additional items for auction on the Website and in the Guild Newsletter. The website will have images and descriptions of each item. If you would like to inspect an item prior to bidding, please contact James Payne as noted below. Items are located at Faust Park.
All items appear to be in working order. However, no electricity is available where the items are being stored. Therefore, the Guild Board is offering a forty-five day warranty for refunds/returns. Warranty period begins at award of winning bid.
For any questions or to arrange to inspect an item, please contact James Payne at (314) 226 3924 or email: auctions@slwg.org
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COMMUNITY
St. Louis Woodworkers Guild contributions to the local community
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Keep those toys coming!!! We have lots of parts and materials available at no cost for members to build toys for the kids. See Bill Schuchat (he looks like the guy in the red sweater above).
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THANK YOU
As we close out the year, on behalf of the Toy Committee and the Board, we want to say thank you to all those members (and non-members) who made 2019 another record year. As such, we were able to add another organization, Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition to our list of recipients. Through the continued dedication and generosity of our organization, thousands of children know someone cares about them. So, thank you to all.
Remember, at our January meeting we’ll have our traditional cake and ice cream celebration for a job well done! Hope to see you all then.
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ROCKWOOD SCHOOLS TOY KITS
HUGE SUCCESS
Rockwood toy build classes are complete now with 46 students participated. Each student assembled a plane, train, truck or grader (assignments were made by the teacher) plus a racecar that they got to decorate and keep.
This project was made possible through the efforts of Steve Mettes, Don Turner, Terry Blevins and Keith Lissant. Kids learned to read/follow instructions and problem solve.
The project was very well received and the teacher has asked that we repeat the project this spring for a new group of students. We will need volunteers to help with toy kits in February and will send out a notice. The School District sent us an achievement award that has been posted to the website.
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Toy Build at Rockler
We had a Toy Build at the Rockler Store on January 11, 2020 to demonstrate woodworking skills for the public.
The event lasted from 10 AM to 4 PM. We had 2 shifts of volunteers with a total of 11 members participatating.
We demonstrated scroll saw operations, preparing race car parts for the Woodworking Show next month (drilling axle holes and rounding over the edges on a router table) and building small vehicles from prepared patterns (cutting out and installing wheels to make a finished product). Dave Windus took on the challenge of building the Model T pictured below.
Also, a news team from KMOV TV Channel 4 showed up and we got a little publicity.
Thanks to the volunteers for your support. We had 3 or 4 Rockler customers that were interested in the Guild whom we may see at the January or February meeting.
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Collected
November — 1,139
December — 80
YTD — 9,314
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Delivered
YTD — 7,705
Since 1994 — 69,862!
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2019 Toy Program Major Contributors
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Over 2000 Club
Bill Meuth – 2,262
Over 1500 Club
Wayne Humphrey – 1,826
Over 1000 Club
Rich Sanders – 1,274
Over 500 Club
Bill Schuchat – 644
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Over 300 Club
Bob Zahner* – 487
Dale Norman – 400
Bill Love – 323
Over 100 Club
Paul Bailey – 241
Keith Lissant – 220
Steve Briner – 207
Charlie Goria – 202
Dan Sudkamp – 167
Jerry Lammers – 106
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Marty Acosta
Bob Baird
Matt Conlon
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Mike Davidson
Alan Klein
Dave Eindus
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2019 Target and Challenge
Progress towards our 2019 targets:
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| Target for Delivered Items: 7,843 |
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FINAL: 98% ACHIEVED
WOW!!
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| 10% Member Participation Target |
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Toy Pattern Library is Growing
Keep checking the website for new patterns throughout the year as well as the schedule for donating seasonal items. We’ll continue to add new and interesting patterns for all levels of woodcrafters so check back often.
Find patterns at: https://slwg.org/community-involvement/toy-program/ |
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BEHIND THE SCENES
The updated Toy Patterns have all been uploaded on the new Guild website. If you have a toy pattern that you want included on the website, please get with Bill Schuchat (314-406-1823) or wschuchat@gmail.com and he will get it taken care of.
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Organizations that we currently donate toys to include:
Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition
Mercy Children’s Hospital St. Louis
Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital
Shriners Hospitals for Children – St. Louis
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital
St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Rockwood School District
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WOOD PAYMENTS
Beginning January 1, 2020, the Toy Committee will Pay for Wood that members use to make donations. This will include toys and boxes donated for the area Hospitals and the Foster kids. The committee will have a form for submitting expenses and payments to members will be made on a quarterly basis. Please keep the requests reasonable and proportional to the donations made.
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Bill Schuchat: (314) 406-1823
Vickie Berry: (972) 741-1944
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Hal Donovan: (314) 570-6563
Steve Mettes: (901) 237-4483
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| Please contact us with comments, suggestions or if you need to arrange pickup or delivery of toys. |
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Woodworking Show
The St Louis Woodworking Show is February 7, 8, 9, 2020 in Collinsville, IL. The schedule for move-in is different this year. Move-in will be Thursday afternoon.
A signup sheet for all work periods will be available at the meeting on Thursday.
We need 6 people for each of two shifts Friday afternoon. 6 people for each of three shifts Saturday, and 6 people for each of two shifts on Sunday. The second shift on Sunday is also teardown.
See http://www.thewoodworkingshows.com/st.-louis.html for more information.
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RACE CAR PREP FOR WOODWORKING SHOW
Race Car Prep is scheduled for Saturday, January 18, 2020 at 10 AM at the Guild Shop. We will be drilling axle holes, rounding over the edges of the cars and cutting axles to length. We plan to have 400 cars and 800 axles ready for the Show.
Volunteers needed. |
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Bring Me A Book Team News
A total of fifty-three book boxes were given to children in December. Thirty went to kids living in Lemay and twenty-three went to kids in Raytown in Kansa City. Both are affiliated with the Horizon Housing Foundation. HHF is a nonprofit organization that provides support for low income families. BMABStL provides five, age appropriate books and a book box to each child in HHF sponsored housing.
BMABStL continues to work down its inventory of book boxes. It has a request for one hundred book boxes for a grade school in East St. Louis. BMABStL is getting close to needing more book boxes to be built.
The Guild produced it’s 1,000thBook Box in December. Congratulations to the Guild and a sincere Thank You to all of the members who have contributed their time and labor to make it happen. A commemorative book box to celebrate this achievement will be given to Michael Shipley, Executive Director of BMABStL, at the January SLWG Meeting.
Though your efforts, BMABStL has been able to distribute over 750 book boxes and 3,500 books to underserved children. Book boxes have gone to children in St. Louis City, East St. Louis, and St. Louis, St. Charles, Jefferson, and Franklin counties and now Kansas City. The book boxes give the children a place to store their books and other treasures and also provides them a chair to sit to read their books and a desk to write on to do their homework.
Thank you to the members who have supported the BMAB program by building boxes.
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For those Guild Members who are delivering completed boxes, please set your boxes in or near the White Ford F150 parked at the rear entrance on the lower level.
Please make sure to tell Tom Tierney the number of book boxes you have returned.
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As of December 31, 2019
Unassembled Box Kits ready for members to pick up 0
Book Boxes in process of assembly 0
Book Boxes in QC 1
Book Boxes Completed and Delivered to BMABStl
since beginning of program in April 2018 1002
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Book Box Program Major Contributors
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Over 100 Club
Hal Donovan – 112
Greg Kuklinski – 105
Over 50 Club
Charles Schrock – 76
Dan Sudkamp – 73
Bob Meyer – 66
Steve Mettes – 50
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Over 25 Club
Jack McKay – 49
Joe Turner – 49
John Vicini – 42
Steve Briner – 39
Tom Tierney – 38
Don Turner – 34
Leo Weisman – 30
Craig Noel – 30
Bill Schuchat – 28
Willie Blue – 25
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Tom Tierney: (314) 412-1817
Jack McKay: (314) 435-2232
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Charles Schrock: (314) 822-3709
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Check out the Events Calendar on the SLWG website HERE. |
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SAVE THE DATE
WEEKEND WOODWORKING SEMINAR
with
GEORGE WALKER, Furniture Designer
April 17-19, 2020
George has written numerous articles for Popular Woodworking Magazine over the years. Stay tuned for more information about this Spring weekend event. |
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Woodworking Classes
Held at Faust Park Workshop |
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Upcoming Classes
(See Fundamentals and Opportunities to Learn articles below)
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Payment for classes:
-Payment in advance is required to be registered
– By check, mailed to Guild’s PO Box
– Pay online Guild web page through PayPal
– Pay at the meeting to Eric Oman
Please note that registration closes by the 5th of the month in which the class is scheduled. For example, for a class held in July, registration is due by July 5.
Registration or Questions?
Contact Eric Oman at eric.oman@yahoo.com or 636-248-0069 |
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Fundamentals of Woodworking Class
Beginning in February 2020!
Learning the Essential Skills of Good Craftsmanship
Are you new to woodworking? Wondering how to get started? What tools to buy and when?
If you answered yes to these questions, the St. Louis Woodworkers Guild can provide the answers. A new class tailored for new woodworkers is starting in February 2020. The class will meet once a month for ten to eleven total sessions. The class will cover the essentials needed to start you on your woodworking journey. For example in Lesson One you will learn about wood, its properties, how to select it and how to buy it. Each lesson will build on the previous class throughout the course.
Succeeding lessons will introduce you to hand tools and their proper use, woodworking machinery, and the safe use of both stationary and portable power tools. How to plan a project and purchase the materials required, from beginning through the finishing process will be covered. Joinery techniques from mortise and tenons to hand-cut dovetails will be taught.
Throughout the course, short lessons will be followed by practical hands-on exercises that will build your skills and provide the knowledge required to become an accomplished and safe woodworker. The course will wrap up with the construction of two projects which will challenge you and put your new knowledge into play.
Some “homework” will be required between sessions. While not required, it is highly recommended, that class members attend the Guild’s Safety Class so that they may utilize the Faust Park shop between classes.
The class size will be limited so don’t put off signing up! You can pay for the class one of two ways: either monthly (at $30.00 per month for ten months), or an upfront, onetime charge of $250.00 for the total course. The cost of materials is extra and you should plan on acquiring some basic hand tools along the way.
The first class is scheduled for Sunday, February 16th and will continue on the THIRD Sunday of each month for the duration of the class.
You may enroll and pay on the website. You must be a Guild Member to take this course. For questions contact Wayne Watson at workswood@earthlink.net or 314-541-3047.
Links for enrolling and paying on the website:
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Recent Board Activities
A lot goes on that sometimes the general membership doesn’t hear about. We will try to publish some bullet points every month to let you know about these items.
- The Guild has agreed to donate $500 to Bring Me A Book St Louis for book box materials for a large program that will be taking place later in the first quarter.
- We are working up a budget for additional audio visual equipment that would allow a live presentation to be projected onto the big screen for better viewing.
- With the end of the fiscal year coming up there are budgets to be developed and candidates for elections to be chosen.
- Revisions are being made to the website to allow better membership management. We hope to streamline meeting check in, joining and renewing memberships.
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Faust Park Workshop Information
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- To participate in the Workshop Safety Class or use the shop, you must have paid the current year Guild dues and have your current membership card with appropriate marking.
- To use the Guild Workshop during open hours, you must have passed a Workshop Safety Class.
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February Shop Hours
Feb 4 & 5, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Feb 8 & 9, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Feb 11 & 12, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Feb 15 & 16, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Feb 22, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Make Checks for Safety Class payable to SLWG and attendees must bring their current Guild membership card.
Link to Safety Class Signup and Directions to the shop on the SLWG website HERE.
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Next Shop Safety Class
When:
Thursday, February 6
6:30 PM
Where:
Faust Park Workshop
Duration:
Plan for 3 Hours
Cost:
$20 for Current Members
To attend Safety Class, must RSVP by Jan. 31 to vicepresident@slwg.org
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GUILD MEMBERSHIP
Annual Dues Renewals for 2020 are NOW OPEN
Annual membership renewal is available online with PayPal (preferred, as this speeds up the check-in process at the meeting) or at the meeting when you sign in.
If you are coming to the meeting and want to avoid a long line, put your funds in an envelope with your name on it and what you are paying for. You can just drop it at the table and not have to wait in line.
Current membership status is required for use of the Faust Park Shop.
Annual Membership Dues:
Basic Membership $40 (4 uses of the Guild Shop during 2020)
Full Shop Membership $75 (Unlimited use of the Guild Shop during 2020)
A basic membership entitles the member to four uses of the Guild Shop during the year. A shop membership entitles the member to unlimited use of the shop during open shop hours.
Member benefits also include:
> Discounts at Guild sponsors
> Access to Project Workshops
> Access to a local community of woodworkers
> Access to the secure portion of the website
Just Complete & Return This Application!
Or, bring the completed form to the next meeting and Join right there!!! Cash, checks, PayPal or credit cards accepted. |
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If you are a current or retired Boeing employee you can now contribute to the St. Louis Woodworker’s guild through the Boeing Gift Match program. The guild is now an approved charitable organization with the Boeing program. As an employee participant, your donation of $25.00 USD or more or the equivalent volunteer hours of 25 hours or more will be matched 1:1 by Boeing. The maximum individual contribution is $6,000.00 or 6,000 volunteer hours. Your contribution is tax deductible as long as you follow three simple steps:
Step 1: Eligible Boeing employees or retirees first make a contribution directly to the guild
Step 2: After making your donation go to Total Access and click on My Community Giving – GIVE – Gift Match on the Boeing Gift Match page.
Step 3: Register your donation whether it’s monetary or volunteer hours and select The St. Louis Woodworker’s Guild and enter the total amount and the date of the contribution.
It’s that easy, you get a great tax break and it benefits the guild directly. If you have any questions, please email Wayne Humphrey at president@slwg.org and if I don’t know the answer, I will try to find it for you. |
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The St. Louis Woodworker’s Guild is now listed with Amazon Smile.
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite woodworker’s guild every time you shop at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to the St. Louis Woodworker’s Guild.
Simply go to smile.amazon.com and select the St. Louis Woodworker’s Guild as your organization that you want to receive donations from your eligible purchases. The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases. You don’t make the donation, Amazon Smile does. It truly is at no cost to you. Just make sure you go to smile.amazon.com instead of amazon.com. If you have any questions on how the program works, just send an email to Wayne Humphrey at president@slwg.org . |
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SLWG Officers, Board Members and Committee Leaders |
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President:
Wayne Humphrey – 314-440-2173
Vice President:
Wayne Watson – 314-541-3047 |
Secretary:
Tom Tupper – 636-236-3313
Treasurer:
Tom Tierney – 314-412-1817 |
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Directors:
Grant Black (exp. 2020)
Vickie Berry (exp. 2021)
Violet Oman (exp. 2022)
Don Turner (exp. 2023)
Immediate Past President:
Bob Brinkmann
Marketing & Membership Chair:
Wayne Watson
Membership Coordinator:
Michael Graber
Woodworking Show Coordinator:
Wayne Watson
Book Box Committee Chair:
Tom Tierney
Outreach Coordinator:
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Newsletter Editor:
Grady Vaughan
Librarian:
Al Carlson
Toy Committee Chair:
Bill Schuchat
Shop Manager:
Wayne Watson
Classes and Workshops Coordinator:
Eric Oman
Web Master:
David Zemon
Media Coordinator:
Bob Kastigar
Legal Counsel:
Bill Hobson |
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Our Sponsors
The St. Louis Woodworkers Guild relies heavily on sponsorship to execute on our mission statement of education, community service, and local development. Please support our sponsors.
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(In-store only)
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