June 2020 Newsletter

Dedicated to the art of woodworking since 1984.

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Next Meeting:

NO MEETING IN JUNE

Meeting Location:

Oasis Room
Moolah Shrine Facility
12545 Fee Fee Road
 St. Louis, MO  63146

Faust Park Shop is Reopening in JULY
(See details below)

President’s Letter — June 2020

Things are starting to pick up and get a little more back to normal.
 
The shop will be opening on July 7th.  There will be some changes in shop usage imposed by the County.  Please be sure to read the complete information provided elsewhere in the newsletter.
 
Classes are being rescheduled and emails will go out to the members as they are firmed up.  Class size may be limited because of social distancing so sign up early.
 
On the 20th of June there will be a video class on veneering taught by Scott Grove.  Scott is a nationally known woodworker who teaches at Marc Adams, author of two books and winner of several prestigious awards.  Complete information can be found elsewhere in this newsletter and emails will be sent to all members as we get closer.
 
We are going to be able to start making some toy deliveries soon.  Please check out the toy report for further information.
 
Still have a long way to go to get back to normal.  Keep an eye on your emails from the Guild for updates as things change.
 
Until we can meet again in person, stay safe,

Wayne Humphrey

Faust Park Shop Is Reopening In July
In consultation with the Director of Faust Park, the Guild’s shop will be reopened beginning Tuesday, July 7th to our members. The Guild will be taking additional health precautions for those of you utilizing the shop.

First and foremost, if you feel unwell or were in contact with someone who feels unwell please do not use the shop until you have been cleared by a health professional.

Second, the number of people using the shop will be limited to four (in addition to the Shop Monitor) at all times. Shop usage will be on a “a first come, first served basis. A new phone number will be activated on July 1st, so that you may call ahead to ensure that the shop is below maximum capacity. The number is 314-348-3945. This number is only available during “open shop hours” It is not available at other hours.

Third, every person in the shop must wear a facemask at all times while indoors. Safety glasses must also be used at all times.

Fourth, everyone entering the shop must have their temperature taken by the Shop Monitor. Anyone with a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher will be denied entry. This is a St. Louis County health requirement for anyone using any building within Faust Park.

Fifth, each person entering the shop must use hand sanitizer before they start working in the shop. Hand sanitizer is available in the shop for your use. Sanitizer first, sign in second!

Sixth, the Shop Monitor will be enforcing “social distancing” to the extent possible within our space. He or she will assign appropriate workbenches as required to maintain the best separation among all users. 

Seventh, the Shop Monitors well be sanitizing the machine controls such as, on/off switches, adjustment knobs etc. on a regular basis.

I would also like to point out that the Shop Monitors have all volunteered to continue to serve the Guild during these trying times so please make their efforts easier by adhering to these health precautions. Doing this will ensure that we all can continue to enjoy one of the Guild’s greatest benefits.

Wayne Watson
Shop Manager

Veneering LIVE VIDEO Presentation

Since the Guild is currently not having monthly meetings, we have scheduled a live video presentation on Introduction to Veneering.
Date:         Saturday, June 20, 2020
Time:         9:30 AM Central Time (10:30 AM Eastern Time). 
Duration:   The presentation is expected to last about 90 minutes.
This program will be on Zoom and all members are invited to join in; details to follow later in an email to all members.  Watch your inbox!!
The presenter will be Scott Grove.  He is an art furniture maker, sculptor, and YouTube personality who selectively teaches and lectures, most notably at the Marc Adams School of woodworking.  He has 4 Veneer Tech Challenge Awards and has written 2 books: Advanced Veneering and Alternative Techniques and Edges and Inlays. He has also written for Fine Woodworking, Fine Homebuilding, Popular Woodworking and other magazines. 

At the end of his presentation, Scott will be available to answer questions.  You may want to check out Scott’s website to see the kinds of things he has done. It is http://Imaginegrove.com
You can also look him up on Youtube.  Be sure to search for “Scott Grove woodworking” since there is another Scott Grove who is a musician.

SHOW AND TELL

Editor’s Note:

Show and Tell in the Newsletter has been a success and we would like to continue this indefinitely.  While photos are great, videos can be even better.  Use your cellphone and shoot a short video of you describing your project.  This works really well on small items that can be rotated in your hands and large items that have moving or opening and closing parts.  These will go on our YouTube channel with links in the newsletter to get to them.

GV

Bob Brinkman writes:  My mother-in-law is nearly blind so when she decided to visit I needed to make a safety gate for the top of our stairwell to the basement, because on her last visit she nearly fell down the stairs. My wife didn’t want me to make it permanent or want it to be attached to the posts.
The pictures show the solution I came up with and the best part was that I built it for free from scraps left over from other projects. It just drops down over the newel posts and the lower cross bar just rests against the front of the posts.

Mark Peterson’s quarantine projects include a Titanic Deck Chair
reproduction, cool end tables and a flock of birdhouses!

Grady Vaughan finally got around to completing a project to add doors to the upper storage areas over closets.  Due to the length of time between the planning and execution, he misplaced the six pairs of special-ordered knife hinges and had to reorder them.  About a week later he found the original order that is now looking for a project.

Tom Tierney has been making cherry wood caddies to hold paper plates, napkins and eating implements for parties and family get togethers.
Matt Conlon did a poplar cutout of Michigan with his scroll saw.

Mike Stoll writes:  I made this walnut table for my wife so she could bring home her architectural plans to work on if she were on deadline. She also likes to sew and draw.

Dan Vianello has really been busy with these projects:

Floating top, live edge table (original design)
Simple dice tray

 

Upgraded chisel rack

 

Dovetail pencil box (Paul Sellers style)
Coffee table (modification of a design from Reddit)
Simple box with planes

Dice tray with five face inlay
Funeral folding chair (Tom Fidgen design)

Mike Peery made this toy box for his granddaughter.
Made with Pecan, used 45 deg lock miters on front corners and Baltic Birch plywood for back and bottom.

Collin Preftakes writes:  Attached are a few photos of my most recent ‘quarantine project’. This hallway table has a book-matched walnut top and tapered legs made from hard maple. The back, sides, and drawer fronts were made out of curly maple from a board that I got from an estate sale for the late Kurt Herrmann. I did not have the chance to meet Kurt, but I can appreciate his eye for nice wood and I made this piece with him in mind.

With the Guild shop closed these days this entire project was made in my ‘spare bedroom workshop’ with hand tools only. Actually, the last thing I did before the shop closed was re-saw the walnut for the top, but everything else was done by hand, including the tapered legs and re-sawn drawer backs. The picture of me holding the iron shows a nice trick for removing the inevitable pre-finish dent with a damp paper towel. If you are interested in seeing more pictures and videos I have posted quite a few on my instagram page @cptakes.

Craig Noel sent in three projects that he has been working on:

This bowl is from an Ash log that was cut 5+ years ago. I started this with the idea of making a ‘Bird’s Mouth’ bowl or vase, it didn’t turn out that way.  The end grain checking was there from the beginning and did not get any worse.  I filled it with CA glue and finished it with 5 coats of Tung oil.  My wife uses it on her desk.
This outdoor table is from Western Cedar and finished with a semi-solid stain to match our little deck and rear steps.  Instead of mortise and tenon joinery I used pocket hole screws.  This was the first time I used pocket hole joinery for a project and liked how quick it is and the solid feel; we’ll see how it holds up to the elements.  The top is a granite 12” x 12” floor tile I had laying around.
This brown painted pine and plywood table is one of two bedside tables for our guest bedroom.  They are painted to match a dresser & wardrobe repaired and painted some years ago.  The apron is joined to the legs by mortise and tenon; the bottom shelf is laid in rabbets cut into the legs.  The plywood edges are hidden with ¼” x ¾” pine strips.  These are not the nicest pieces of furniture but match the existing furniture and are functional.

Bill Schuchat built a crane and some Rubberband Race Cars.  Unfortunately, the wheels just spin since they do not get enough traction.  He would like to hear from someone who might know a remedy.  Email Bill at  wschuchat@gmail.com

Bill Schuchat also responded to a request from a non-member to restore a couple of birdhouses.  Here are his comments and the finished project:

I repaired two bird houses for Stewart Hines.  The large one was the biggest bird house I have ever seen; over 3 feet tall.  It had doors and windows nailed to a barnwood front; the barnwood was rotted.  The bottom was actually rotted the worst and fell off when we moved it.  I replaced the front and bottom barnwood with oak flooring pieces that I glued together and sanded.  The pieces for the doors and windows were replaced after remaking the “shutters” which broke while being removed. He had purchased this bird house about 10 years ago from the maker near Caledonia, MO. He tried to contact this man for the repairs, but he had passed away about a year ago.

The small birdhouse was actually more difficult to repair since it had been previously repaired with construction adhesive.  It needed the entire back replaced and painted to match the original paint. I used gloss red with flat black used as a glaze. This bird house was a gift to Stu’s wife from a student when she was a teacher about 15 years ago; she was most appreciative for the restoration.
 

After Bill completed and returned the bird houses, SLWG received the following email from the Owner:

Thank you for forwarding my email requesting repair of my birdhouse to your membership.  I was very pleased when I received two encouraging responses.

I followed up with Guild member Bill Schuchat.  When I spoke with him on the phone, he offered to come to my house to take a look at the large birdhouse and pick it up.  When I moved it from the base, I realized how rotten the bottom had become. I wondered how he could get it into his workshop without it falling apart.  Nevertheless, Bill insisted that he could repair it.  I also gave him a small bird house that was in bad need of repair.

My wife and I were thrilled when Bill delivered both birdhouses beautifully restored after about 10 days. Since Bill again insisted that he would not take any payment, I am mailing the Guild a check for $100 in Bill’s name to use for the benefit of the Guild.       

Thanks for your help.     

SLWG Guild member Ethan Sincox is featured on the front cover of the
English woodworking magazine Quercus.
(Oak, for you Colonists)

SELECTED VIDEOS

Shop Electrical Wiring

Here is an article on efficient shop wiring including 240 V circuits  submitted by Don Snyder LINK

Workshop Upgrades

This is what Jerre Baynes has been doing in his shop during the lockdown.  LINK

TOOL RECALLS

 Here is a link to a site that lists safety recall notices for woodworking tools.  LINK

Surplus Woodworking Equipment SALE
 
Two more items are posted for sale in June 2020 

1.    Rockwell Bench Top Router Table  
Table is approximately 16×18 inches
Model Number 696  Serial Number 027709  
¼ inch collet  
No collet wrench

2.    Delta 12 Inch Variable Speed Wood Lathe
Model 46-700  
4 & 12 inch straight tool rest  
12 inch S shaped tool rest  
52 inch long bed  
No turning tools included 

See this LINK to the SLWG website for more details about bidding on these tools.  Link will be active starting on 6/16/20.


COMMUNITY

St. Louis Woodworkers Guild contributions to the local community
 

SLWG Toy Inventory warehouse doubles as a garage.

YOU ASKED…
 We know we have many creative woodworkers who design their own toys – as such, we’d love it if you’d share your creativity.  It’s now possible for members (from the Members Only section of the website) to upload their own patterns. To ensure consistency in instructions and patterns, detailed instructions were developed and are on the website.
 

  Toy Committee Update

Recently, the Toy committee reached out to our partners to inquire to when they would be able to start receiving our shop made toys again.  Both Mercy Children’s Hospital and Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital has said they would like to start receiving toys nowSteve Mettes has been busy with Mercy and Ranken coordinating and working to new, safe delivery procedures.  Our other partners have indicated that they still need more time and will let us know.

During this downtime, the Toy Committee has been busy making an inventory of what we do have.  From your generous donations we have plenty of toys on the shelves for the next few months, so we still are not accepting any new toys.

We have been asked the questions of what toys do we need or what would we like to distribute.   Perhaps if your time and talents allow, consider making birdhouses, coin boxes or toolboxes/totes.  Our partners have requested that we deliver fewer flat cut-out type toys.   Please consider toys which may be considered gender neutral.

If you would like to contribute in a different way, consider making a more complex larger toy for the Toys-for-Tots St. Louis Program.  You are encouraged to finish these toys with bright colors for the holidays.  The Committee will be collecting the toys for this program mid-October/November 2020.

Dan Lender
Toy Committee Chair

Toy Tally

Collected
May — 0
YTD — 3,533

Delivered
YTD — 1,475

Since 1994 — 71,337!*
*No Deliveries in March, April or May

2020 Toy Program Major Contributors

Over 1000 Club
Wayne Humphrey -1,142

Over 750 Club
Bill Meuth – 801

Over 100 Club
Rich Sanders – 254
Vickie Berry – 208
Keith Lissant – 166
Bob Baird – 154
Bill Schuchat – 141

FIRST-TIME CONTRIBUTORS

None this month

2020 Target and Challenge

Progress towards our 2020 targets:

Target for Delivered Items:  7,138

21% ACHIEVED
A Good Start but having to reset due to the pandemic

22% Member Participation Target

11% ACHIEVED
24 Members so far

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/

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
 

Toy Committee

Dan Lender
Paul Bailey
Vickie Berry
Hal Donovan

Steve Mettes
Bill Schuchat
Rick Weitzman

Please contact us with comments, suggestions or if you need to arrange pickup or delivery of toys.

Bring Me A Book Team News
 
Forty-two boxed were delivered to BMABStL in May.

Fourteen completed book boxes were picked up in early June. The remaining eight boxes will be picked up directly from the Members who are working to complete them.
 
No additional kits will be available until later this year.  

BMABStL has suspended operations until further notice. We will have a better idea in late June or July as to when they will restart their programs for 2020. 
 
Thank you to all of the members who built boxes. 

Tom Tierney

Book Box Tally

As of April 30, 2020
 

Unassembled Box Kits ready for members to pick up      0

Undistributed Book Boxes on Hand                                8

    Book Boxes Collected and in QC                                 14

Book Boxes Completed and Delivered  to BMABStl    
    since beginning of program in April 2018                 1045

Book Box Program Major Contributors

We will be posting major contributors for 2020 as the program moves forward. 

Book Box Committee

Tom Tierney: (314) 412-1817
Jack McKay: (314) 435-2232

Charles Schrock: (314) 822-3709
 

Check out the Events Calendar on the SLWG website HERE.

SketchUp Class

The Guild held it’s first class in several months on June 4.  Matt and Wayne Meglan (canoe Wayne) presented “Introduction to SketchUp” and covered subjects that included Basic Navigation and Basic Tools.  SketchUp is a 3D modeling program that has gained popularity with woodworkers for its flexibility and power that allows handling of various components of a project with great precision and makes changes very easily.  SketchUp is available as a free program that currently operates on the web.  Older versions, if you have one, were a free download.  A not-free Pro version is available for a fee.  Participants in the class expressed an interest in follow-on classes and/or a SketchUp group to allow members to benefit from others experiences with the software. 

The class has 6 participants and Bill Schuchat hosted the class at SSC Engineering where we had space to social distance.  Some in the group were novices and some had some experience. 

I  have a 2016 version that was self taught.  I used it for 2 projects and became frustrated and quit.  Following this class I have watched 25 videos presented by Robert Lang from Popular Woodworking and am in the process of reading SketchUp- A Design Guild For Woodworkers by Joe Zeh.  I now have a much better understanding of how to organize a project in SketchUp and hope to be able to get past my previous frustrations. 
The Guild is looking for an experienced SketchUp user to assist in a more advanced class presentation or to assist in setting up a SketchUp users group.  If you or someone you know can help with this, call or email Bill Schuchat (314-406-1823 or vicepresident@slwg.org)

Woodworking Classes

Held at Faust Park Workshop

Upcoming Classes

To Be Announced by Email — Join the Guild to be  able to take classes!!!
 

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 Bill Schuchat
 
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 Bill Schuchat  at   wschuchat@gmail.com   or    (314) 406-1823

Shop News
 
We have installed several new vises and each bench should have a minimum of two operating face vises for use.

Faust Park Workshop Information

SEE SHOP MANAGER’S LETTER ABOVE FOR SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS DUE TO THE PANDEMIC

  • 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. 

July Shop Hours
July 7 & 8           10 am – 2 pm
July 11 & 12        9 am – 5 pm
July 14 & 15       10 am – 2 pm
July 18 & 19        9 am – 5 pm
July 25                9 am – 5 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. Limit of 4 per class.

Next Shop Safety Class

When:
       Probably in August, Will Advise
Where:
           Faust Park Workshop
Duration:
           Plan for 3 Hours
Cost:
         $20 for Current Members

To attend Safety Class, must RSVP by Monday prior to vicepresident@slwg.org
 

Join The Guild Today!

GUILD MEMBERSHIP

Annual Dues Renewals
 

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.

Click here to pay dues online

WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS

Nicholas Hart

Joe Jackson


Terry Russell
 

Amazon Smile

Thanks to your participation buying through Amazon Smile, the Guild has received a contribution of $32.13 last quarter.  Thank you for participating in this program.

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.

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 .

SLWG Officers, Board Members and Committee Leaders

President:
Wayne Humphrey – 314-440-2173

Vice President:
Bill Schuchat – 314-406-1823

Secretary:
Adam Connors – 314-495-1772

Treasurer:
Tom Tierney – 314-412-1817

Directors:
Jay Noffsinger  (exp. 2024)
Vickie Berry (exp. 2021)
Dan Sudkamp (exp. 2022)
Don Turner (exp. 2023)

Immediate Past President:
Bob Brinkmann

Marketing & Membership Chair:
Wayne Watson

Membership Coordinator:
David Schindler

Woodworking Show Coordinator:
Wayne Watson

Book Box Committee Chair:
Tom Tierney

Outreach Coordinator:
Open

Newsletter Editor:
Grady Vaughan

Librarian:
Al Carlson

Toy Committee Chair:
Dan Lender

Shop Manager:
Wayne Watson

Classes and Workshops Coordinator:
Bill Schuchat

Web Master:
David Zemon

Media Coordinator:
Open

Legal Counsel:
Bill Hobson


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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