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THIS MONTH’S PROGRAM
(In-Person and Livestream)
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Hand Planes
with
Mike Stoll
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This month, resident hand plane fanatic Mike Stoll will demonstrate how a manageable arsenal of hand planes can effectively, precisely, quietly, and — most importantly — safely tackle the vast majority of shop tasks: straightening, flattening, and smoothing a board; finessing a tight mortise for a dining table; cutting tongue and groove joints for a cabinet back; and perfecting edge joints for panel glue-ups.
We’re in the midst of a hand plane renaissance. The number of boutique makers churning out beautiful, well-crafted planes continues to grow, as does the number of woodworkers who want to incorporate them into their work flow. Once you see what a sharp, well-tuned plane can do, you just might want one (or three) for yourself.
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If you can’t make it to this month’s meeting in-person, here is the LINK for streaming.
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Monthly Tool Sale
We will be trying a Sale Area at the next few Guild meetings. A $5 fee gives you table space to sell up to 3 of your un-needed shop items that are still in usable condition; $10 for up to 6, in the time before the main meeting starts. From there on, you handle the sale with fellow members. Setup as early as 6 pm. Please see Tom Tierney or Joe Turner to get set up.
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Faust Park Art Fair
The Guild will be participating again this year in the Faust Park Art Fair September 5 and 6. Be thinking about what you might contribute. Funds raised support the Guild’s outreach programs.
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Hal Donovan sent in pics of end table numbers 93, 94, and 95, that he made for the HomeSweetHome program made from white oak, maple, and walnut wood that has been donated to the Guild for the program.
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Nice End Table built by Guild Member Jack McKay, also for the HSH program
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SLWG Hats & Aprons
If you need a Guild Hat or Apron, see Bob Kastigar at any meeting and he will fix you up for a nominal charge.
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TOOL RECALLS
and Other Videos
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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
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COMMUNITY
St. Louis Woodworkers Guild contributions to the local community
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Toy building for the holidays continues. Total toys in inventory is now 1152.
27 lap boxes were built in a special Friday session. These will be filled with pencils, crayons, paper and other school activity items. These were all built with donated wood. Sides were church pews and the tops and bottoms were plywood with a walnut veneer.
Builders were Wayne Humphrey, Vickie Berry, Paul Hellenbrand, Dan Sudkamp and Alan Brown.
If you would like more information, contact me at 314-440-2173 or wehumphrey@hotmail.com.
Wayne Humphrey
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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. Link to Toy Program on our website which includes toy patterns.
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
(636) 484-3950
Toy Committee Chair
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Collected
April — 170
YTD — 770
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Delivered
April — 100
YTD — 527
Since 1994 — 91,447
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2026 Toy Program Major Contributors
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Over 100 Club
Paul Hellenbrand — 278
William Marsek — 209
Linda Turner — 156
Over 50 Club
Dan Sudkamp — 65
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2026 Target and Challenge
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Target for Delivered Items: 4,000
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10% Member Participation Target
(40 Members)
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15% ACHIEVED
6 Members (through January)
(Total Guild Members 402)
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Organizations that we currently donate toys to include:
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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
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Peace Pantry Cedar Hill
RankenJordan Ped. Bridge Hospital
Rockwood School District
Shriners Hospitals for Children
Toys for Tots
Crisis Nursery Wentzville
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Bob Baird, Chair
Paul Bailey
Hal Donovan
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Charles Schrock
Grady Vaughan
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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.
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HSH Table Build Community Outreach
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Tom will have wood and Table Kits to distribute at this month’s meeting
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First month of the new year for table making!
We plan to schedule a small table making class aimed at increasing member participation, especially among less experienced woodworkers. Look for the announcement soon.
As reported previously, members processed rough sawn red oak donated by Jay Noffsinger to make 25 small table kits for distribution to our members. Sixteen kits remain as of today, May 9th. Kits will be available at the May 21st General Meeting.
We plan to pick up another load from Jay later this month
Thank you to all who participate in the program.
Please continue to contribute to the Guild, especially the Outreach Programs.
Get involved. I promise you, you will be amazed at the knowledge, character, and goodness of your fellow Members.
Tom Tierney
(314) 412-1817
tmtierney@gmail.com
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Wood from Jay Noffsinger ready to be processed into table making materials
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FY 2026-2027 Target and Challenge
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Target for Delivered Tables: 165
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Tally to 4/30/26:
Current Month Current Year Program Total
Dining Tables 1 1 68
End Tables/Sofa Server 3 3 432
Coffee Tables 3 3 65
Night Stands 0 8 13
Total 5 173 571
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Total Tables by Year
FY 2022-2023 102
FY 2023-2024 121
FY 2024-2025 175
FY 2025-2026 173
FY 2026-2027 (1 month) 7
Grand Total for Program 578
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Table of Recognition
Below are the Members who have built five or more tables.
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Name Current Year Level Grand Total
Alan Brown 0 30+
John Chapman 0 5+
Paul Deutsch 0 20+
Hal Donovan 0 100+
Paul Hellenbrand 0 15+
Jim Hessburg 0 10+
Bob Jones 0 5+
Doug LaRico 0 10+
Charles Schrock 0 75+
Tom Tierney 0 100+
Don Turner 0 10+
Grady Vaughan 0 45+
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Current Year No. of 5+ Builders 0
Overall No. of 5+ Builders 18
Current Year No. of Builders 4
Overall No. of Builders 41
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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.
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| 2026 Upcoming Meeting Presentations |
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| Date |
Presenter |
Subject |
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| May 21 |
Mike Stoll |
Hand Planes |
| June 18 |
Jim Clarkin |
Cabinetry |
| July 16 |
Any SLWG Member |
Christmas Ideas in July |
| August 20 |
Jay Noffsinger |
String Inlays |
| September 17 |
Corey Doner |
Making Waves with Wood |
| October 15 |
Bob Baird |
Wooden Boatmaking – Kayaks |
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Woodworking Classes
Held at Faust Park Workshop
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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. First time Safety Class is $20. Refresher attendance is FREE!
- No one below the age of 16 is allowed in the shop
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For Faust Park Shop “Open Hours” and the next Safety Class, click on this LINK for access to the website calendar.
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Directions to the shop: Plug the following address into your GPS or phone:
1135 Henry Jackson Rd. Chesterfield, MO
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Join or Renew your Guild
Membership Today!
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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!
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Jeff Browning
Emmett Granada-Hayslett
Noah Houghton
Joy Kumbera
Graham Matthew
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Josh Owens
Adam Pinilla
Paul Smith
Eric Walter
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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 Bob Coulter at president@slwg.org and if I don’t know the answer, I will try to find it for you.
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SLWG Officers, Board Members and Committee Leaders
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President:
Bob Coulter
president@slwg.org
Vice President:
Denny Webb
vicepresident@slwg.org
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Secretary:
Adam Conners
secretary@slwg.org
Treasurer:
Joe Turner
treasurer@slwg.org
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Directors:
Grady Vaughan (exp. 2027)
Bob Kastigar (exp. 2028)
Bob Danner (exp. 2029)
John Vincini (exp. 2030)
Immediate Past President:
Brian Ellison
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
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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:
Denny Webb
Program Coordinator:
Bob Ryan
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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 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.
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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!
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Pine Level Sponsor. Guild members will receive a 10% discount on saw sharpening at Quinn Saw.
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Pine Level Sponsor. Learn the art of Traditional Woodcarving with professional woodcarver, Mary May!
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