SLWG January 2026 Newsletter

Next Meeting:

6:45 PM Thursday, January 15

Moolah Shrine Center, Oasis Room (Lower Floor)
12545 Fee Fee Rd, St. Louis, MO 63146

President’s Letter

Happy New Year Woodworkers!

Well, it is January and it’s time to go back to Guild business. Yes, it’s that time of the year when we start looking for volunteers to fill spots for our executive board. We will be looking for volunteers to help Tom Tierney on the selection committee.

We are getting many new members that are asking for mentors. Well, we do not have enough mentors for everyone who needs one. Please, If you are willing please sign up as a mentor. You can send an email to mentorship@slwg.org

Mary and I are also thinking about coming up with a list of Subject Matter Experts in the Guild. You will not have to be a mentor but be willing to respond to questions and help if someone needs your type of help. We are now designing the subjects list and questionnaire to be sent out to the membership soon. When this is done, we will put the spreadsheet up on the website so it’s easy to access. We may be a month or so out on this, but we are working on it and looking for your comments on what you think about it.

Hope to see you at this month’s meeting.

Stay safe in the shop,

Brian Ellison

When choosing lumber, be it domestic or exotic hardwood, Visit Andrew and the team at U-Pick Hardwoods in St. Charles Mo.
U Pick hardwoods offers guild members a 10% Discount with your current membership card.

Beaver Industrial Supply has name-brand woodworking tools engineered to make your shop more productive. We carry a full range of products like high-end saws, planers, sanders, lathes, joiners, drills and dust extractors. Shop products from Axiom, Fein, Festool, Jet, Kreg, Powermatic, Laguna Tools, Skilsaw and more!

THIS MONTH’S PROGRAM
(In-Person and Livestreamed!)

Working with Small Parts

with

Brad Bernhard

If you can’t make it to this month’s meeting in-person, here is the LINK for streaming.

LAST MONTH’S PROGRAM

Saw Dust Party

with

All the Guild
Organized by Joe Turner

It was a great event with good attendance and fellowship for all.

Links to Photo slideshows:

Around the Room

Let the Games Begin

Vickie Berry and Joe Turner facilitated the evening in great style

AND THE WINNERS!!!

(See the “Let the Games Begin” Link above to see how they won)

AND THE PRIZES!!!

A big Thank you to Leo Weisman for taking all of the pictures at this event and other meetings!!

SALE—SALE—SALE

3 Items of Woodworking Equipment that are no longer needed in our shop are for sale at the ROCK BOTTOM PRICE OF $100 EACH. Buyer is responsible for picking them up at the park.

Contact David Gronefeld at (314) 479-5958

1. 16-32 Drum Sander

2. Bench Mortiser

3. Wood Lathe

SUPERSTAR WEEKEND:
The Art of Curved Furniture with Jeff Miller

Guild Members, join us for an exclusive all-day presentation featuring one of the country’s most respected furniture makers and educators for St. Louis Woodworkers Guild Members only.

Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Location: Moolah Shrine Center, 12545 Fee Fee Rd, St. Louis, MO 63146
Schedule:
- 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM: Coffee & Networking
- 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM: Presentation by Jeff Miller
Fee: $60 (includes lunch)

About the Speaker: Jeff Miller

Jeff Miller is a furniture designer, craftsman, teacher, and author based in Chicago. A former classical musician, Jeff brings a unique discipline and rhythm to his craft, having transitioned from the symphony orchestra to the woodshop.
His furniture has been exhibited in galleries nationwide and is featured in the Decorative Arts Collection of the Chicago History Museum. Jeff is a prolific writer whose books include The Foundations of Better Woodworking, Beds, and Chairmaking and Design, the latter of which won the Stanley Award for Best How-To Book. Known for his “multi-faceted” approach, Jeff combines traditional hand-tool skills with efficient machine techniques to create designs that are both contemporary and timeless.

Session Topic: Using Curved Wood in Furniture Construction

Breaking away from the straight line can be intimidating, but it is often the key to elevating furniture design. In this full-day session, Jeff will demystify the process of incorporating curves into your work.
Attendees will learn:

Bending Techniques: Methods for bent lamination to create strong, graceful curves.
Joinery for Curves: Practical advice on creating tight, durable joinery in curved and shaped furniture parts—often a source of worry for builders.
Design & Philosophy: How to conceptualize curved designs and the “why” behind the shape.

Also included be focus on the use of hand tools in the process and Jeff’s preferences for specific tasks. In addition to hand tools, he will show the how the use of jigs, clamps, and power tool strategies can make complex shapes manageable.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from a master craftsman! For more examples of Jeff’s work, visit www.furnituremaking.com

Registration will be open shortly on the SLWG Website HERE.

Donate to the St. Louis Woodworkers Guild HERE

SHOW AND TELL

Show & Tell returns next month!!!
Watch the slide shows of the Saw Dust Party and the below HSH Program Donations

Hal Donovan shared pictures of recent end tables that he made for the HSH program. These tables are his #82-85.

Grady Vaughan completed a run of six tables which were delivered in December and then three more which are scheduled to be delivered in January. Most of these used reclaimed wood from church pews or table leaves. These tables are his #37-45.

TOOL RECALLS
and Other Videos

Check these links out if you have these items (some might be a little dated):

Leatherman Multitool Recall (7/31/25) LINK

ToolGuyd Recalls Website (Various) LINK

Grizzly Wood Lathes (11/2/23) LINK

Rigid Framing Nailers (7/31/25) LINK

COMMUNITY

St. Louis Woodworkers Guild contributions to the local community

Holiday Toy Build

We will start building toys at the shop on the first Friday in February for the 2026 holiday season. We will build on the first and third Friday of every month from 10 am to 2 pm and will finish up right before Thanksgiving.

The Guild donated about 1850 toys in 2025 and hope to be able to match that number again. Donations of good quality wood helps us keep the cost down. Almost any type of wood is welcome and we can always use pine or poplar 1 by’s’ and pine 2 by’s.

If you would like more information, contact me at 314-440-2173 or wehumphrey@hotmail.com.

Wayne Humphrey

Toy Committee Chair Bob Baird will be at the Toy Table to receive completed toys and distribute parts to those who request them. Please be sure to contact him ahead of the meeting if you need parts.

Toy Committee Update

If you need supplies (wood, dowels, wheels, pins, etc.) please don’t let that stand in your way of making toys 😊. Reach out to Bob or Wayne, and we will let you into the shed to look around for what you need.

We have lots of patterns for toys of every kind. Contact me, and I will share them with you. We hope to have them all up on the website soon.

Please contact a committee member with any comments or suggestions you may have for the program and thank you to all who have built toys and contributed to this important program.

Bob Baird
Toy Committee Chair

2025 Toy Report

Toy Tally

Collected
October/November — 274
December — 0
YTD — 1,826

Delivered
October/November — 425
December — 0
YTD — 1,882
Since 1994 — 94,864

2025 Toy Program Major Contributors

Over 100 Club
William Marsek — 418
Bill Meuth — 403
Paul Hellenbrand — 330
Linda Turner — 351
Dan Sudkamp — 153

Over 50 Club
Grady Vaughan –55

*** Our 2026 numbers will reset next month ***

NEW CONTRIBUTORS
None this month

2025 Target and Challenge

Target for Delivered Items: 4,000

47% ACHIEVED

10% Member Participation Target

(40 Members)

28% ACHIEVED
11 Members (through September)
(Total Guild Members 402)

Organizations that we currently donate toys to include:

BJC Children’s Hospital
Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital
Hawthorn Children’s Psych. Hosp.
LifeWise STL
Mercy Hospital North Pediatrics
Lambert St. Louis Airport USO
Arlington United Methodist Church

Peace Pantry Cedar Hill
RankenJordan Ped. Bridge Hospital
Rockwood School District
Shriners Hospitals for Children
Toys for Tots
Crisis Nursery Wentzville

Toy Committee

Bob Baird, Chair
Paul Bailey
Hal Donovan

Charles Schrock
Grady Vaughan

Please contact us with comments, suggestions or if you need to arrange pickup or delivery of toys. Individual contact info can be found on the Members Only section of the SLWG website HERE.

HSH Table Build Community Outreach

Tom will have wood to distribute at this month’s meeting

Twenty-six tables were delivered in December to bring our nine month total to 132 tables. This is 88% of our FY goal of 150. Sixteen small dinettes tables have been delivered since August and nine more are in the works. The dinette tables are in high demand by HSH clients.

One of the tables built by Doug LaRico was tagged by a client while sitting in the drop-off area. In addition to Doug, Alan Brown, Jim Hessbug and Jeff Pulls had donated dinette tables. Charles Schrock donated six beautifully finished coffee tables . The tops were made from HSH table leaves. Well done all! Thank you.

Zach Beyer of Arnold milled the wood piled in front of the shop for $100. Thank you to Dan Lender for hauling it down and back, and for helping to load and unload it.

We are planning a Shop Work Day on Friday, January 16, 2026 from 9:00 – Noon to process lumber into finished boards for small end table kits. It will be set up as an EVENT on our Calendar for registrations. An email with Scope of work and other pertinent information will go out soon.

The goal for January is to process and hand out much of the wood in our current inventory.

We plan on picking up the rough sawn lumber from Jay Noffsinger in early February. Another Shop Work Day will be scheduled for February to process Jay’s lumber.

Tom Tierney
(314) 412-1817
tmtierney@gmail.com

Tally to 12/31/25:

Current Month Current Year Program Total

Dining Tables 3 16 49
End Tables/Sofa Server 10 82 409
Coffee Tables 13 29 62
Night Stands 0 5 10

Total 26 132 530

Total Tables by Year

FY 2022-2023 102
FY 2023-2024 121
FY 2024-2025 175
FY 2025-2026 (9 months) 132

Grand Total for Program 530

FY 2025-2026 Target and Challenge

Target for Delivered Tables: 150

88% ACHIEVED

Table of Recognition

Below are the Members who have built five or more tables in the current FY.

5+
Alan Brown
Paul Deutsch
Paul Hellenbrand
Jim Hessburg
Doug LaRico

10+
Charles Schrock

20+
Hal Donovan
Grady Vaughan

30+
Tom Tierney

Current Year No. of 5+ Builders 9
Overall No. of 5+ Builders 17

Current Year No. of Builders 22
Overall No. of Builders 41

NEW HSH TOOL KIT PROJECT

Do you have extra hand tools that need a new home? The Guild has a solution for you!

We’ve selected HomeSweetHome as the perfect organization to benefit.

Vickie Berry will have a collection box and at every meeting.

See more details in the Forum on the SLWG Website at this LINK.

2026 Schedule of Presentations

DATE	PRESENTER	Subject
15-Jan-26	Brad Bernhard	Small Parts in Woodworking
19-Feb-26	John Ferreira	Turning Cracked Wood
19-Mar-26	Brian Killen	Dust Dog: Dust Collection Systems
16-Apr-26	None	This is a Full Business Meeting Night

Woodworking Classes

Held at Faust Park Workshop

See the Full Schedule on the SLWG Website HERE.

Faust Park Workshop Information

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. First time Safety Class is $20. Refresher attendance is FREE!
No one below the age of 16 is allowed in the shop

For Faust Park Shop “Open Hours” and the next Safety Class, click on this LINK for access to the website calendar.

Directions to the shop: Plug the following address into your GPS or phone:
1135 Henry Jackson Rd. Chesterfield, MO

Join or Renew your Guild

Membership Today!

Annual Dues Renewals

Grace Period

If a membership lapses, a former member can rejoin the guild within 12 months of expiration without having to retake the $20 Shop Safety Class. After 12 months have passed, the individual will be required to Renew membership and retake the $20 safety class.

Annual membership renewal is available online (click on button below) with any major credit card, or mail a check for the appropriate amount with member’s name in the memo line to

St. Louis Woodworkers Guild
P.O. Box 411766
St. Louis, MO 63141-9998

Current membership and completion of Safety Class status is required for classes and use of the Faust Park Shop.

CURRENT Annual Membership Dues:

Basic Membership $50
Full Shop Membership $120

A Basic Membership entitles the member to four (4) uses of the Guild Shop during the membership 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

See the SLWG Website for signing up!

Click here to pay dues online

WELCOME to NEW MEMBERS

Joseph King
Steve Dardas
Federico Salmoiraghi
Mark Brink
Michael Gegg

Brent Pollard
Brian Cudney
John Ponzillo
Rachele Moresi

If you are a current or retired Boeing employee you can 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 Brian Ellison at president@slwg.org and if I don’t know the answer, I will try to find it for you.

SLWG Officers, Board Members and Committee Leaders

President:
Brian Ellison
president@slwg.org

Vice President:
Corey Doner
vicepresident@slwg.org

Secretary:
Adam Conners
secretary@slwg.org

Treasurer:
Joe Turner
treasurer@slwg.org

Directors:
Hal Donovan (exp. 2026)
Grady Vaughan (exp. 2027)
Bob Kastigar (exp. 2028)
Bob Danner (exp. 2029)

Immediate Past President:
Jay Noffsinger

Membership Coordinator:
Brian Ellison – membership@slwg.org

IT/Sponsorship/Donations Coordinator:
Todd Martin – donations@slwg.org

IT Administrator:
it@slwg.org

IT Support Team
support@slwg.org
Todd Martin
Dave Schuster
Jim Becher
Nick Balogh
Steve Botkin

Librarian:
Al Carlson

Toy Committee Chair:
Bob Baird
toys @slwg.org

Photographer:
Leo Weisman

Shop Manager:
David Gronefeld

Newsletter Editor:
Grady Vaughan
newsletter@slwg.org

Classes and Workshops Coordinator:
Corey Doner

Program Coordinator:
Corey Doner

Contact a Guild Officer with Questions

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 Patronize our sponsors who support the guild and our mission to encourage and educate members and non-members to enjoy and enrich their woodworking skills and experiences.

Walnut Level Sponsor. Norrenberns Lumber & Hardware is a family owned and operated union shop with years of experience in the industry. We are a fully licensed and insured company with a wide variety of products in stock.

We are a full-service lumberyard and small hardware store, both fully stocked. In our lumberyard, we have all types of wood and a small selection of hardwoods. We are excited to be a walnut sponsor to support local woodworkers. Remember to tell us the guild sent you!

Pine Level Sponsor. Guild members will receive a 10% discount on saw sharpening at Quinn Saw.

Pine Level Sponsor. Learn the art of Traditional Woodcarving with professional woodcarver, Mary May!

Image Credits:

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St. Louis Woodworkers Guild · PO Box 411766 · Saint Louis, MO 63141-1766 · USA

January 2026 Newsletter

SUPERSTAR WEEKEND: The Art of Curved Furniture with Jeff Miller