President’s Letter – April 2019
Last month Stephen Crouse told us how he built a lift for his basement stairway that he uses to move projects and materials to his shop. He built it for about $300 using many items from Harbor Freight. I hope that all who attended enjoyed the presentation.
This month our meeting is our annual Show-and-Tell and Silent Auction meeting. As usual if you would like to bring a snack or dessert to share, it would be appreciated by all. Also coming up this month is election of officers for the new fiscal year. And finally we will be presenting the budget for the new fiscal year and asking the membership to approve it.
Next month we are having a new type of meeting. We would like for you to bring your favorite tool to the meeting and tell why it is your favorite and how you use it in your shop. Also next month, we will have a new President to greet you. I know that he/she will provide the Guild with excellent leadership in the coming year. It has been my pleasure to be your President for the previous year and I would like to thank all of you for your support.
I hope you can attend our meeting on the 18th; I will see you there.
Bob |
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| DIY Material Lift
for the
Basement Stairs
by
Stephen Crouse |
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Stephen Crouse is President of the Cedar Valley Woodworkers Association and visited the St. Louis Woodworkers Guild to show a unique way that he devised to load heavy materials and equipment into and out of his basement shop that did not have an outside entrance.
Since the only way to his basement was down a set of stairs from his kitchen, he constructed a powered lift to move items up and down the stairwell. The lift consisted of a set of rails on which rode a trolley powered by a 120 V winch. The trolley platform was level with the main floor at the top so that he could roll equipment right onto the platform, activate the lift which moved the platform down to the basement floor, and roll the equipment off of the platform at the basement floor. The system worked in reverse to take items from the basement to the first floor. The trolley platform totally blocked the stairway when in use, but the platform floor was hinged so that it could be lifted up and out of the way when the system was not in use to provide clear access up and down the stairs.
One of the most interesting features of this was the cost, less than $300 with most of the parts coming from Harbor Freight, including the winch. |
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2019 Silent Auction Rules
Please review and follow the rules posted below
- To enter the auction you must pay a fee to the St. Louis Woodworkers Guild based upon the seller’s stated minimum bid. This must be paid in advance. There are no refunds if an item does not sell. The SLWG Treasurer will assign a lot number when all fees are paid. The fee schedule is as follows:
.01-$10.00–$1.00
$10.01-20.00–$2.00
$20.01-30.00–$3.00
$30.01-40.00–$4.00
$40.01-50.00–$5.00
Over $50.01—exact 10%
- Items must be in place by 7:00 pm. Doors will open at 6:00 pm. The bidding will end at 8:30 pm
- Once bidding has closed the buyer and seller are expected to finalize payment with each other. The SLWG treasurer can assist with change and credit card sales.
- The seller must remove all unsold items.
- All auction items must be woodworking related.
- No reserves may be set on auction items. The reserve is the minimum bid set by the seller for which the item will be sold.
- All bidding must be in $1.00 multiples.
- SLWG reserves the right to limit the number of auction items per member.
- The majority of auction items are (expected to be) used. The condition of items is as represented by the seller, and are sold “as is”. SLWG is not responsiblefor defects, hidden or otherwise.
- Large items (such as table saws etc.) should be left in your vehicle. A photo should be made available to stand in for the actual auction item. If one person can carry it, it should be okay.
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Dillon Holmes showed us his Eagle Scout Project which was to make bereavement boxes for the parents of children who passed away in hospitals. His project included directing several of his Boy Scout buddies to make 10 boxes for donation to Mercy Children’s Hospital. He has since been awarded the highest Boy Scout rank of Eagle Scout. |
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Dan Lender showed us his mortising jig with an extensive work surface and built-in storage on the back side. |
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Stephen Crouse, our presenter for the evening, brought a couple of projects he recently completed.
One is a cell phone holder in the shape of a moose that has a cord space built in for convenience.
The other is an ash sofa table with legs and feet that can slide up under the sofa so that it can be pulled up close. He used his Festool Domino tool in the construction of the top which has 40 pieces! It was liked so much that he is now completing his 4th one.
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COMMUNITY
St. Louis Woodworkers Guild contributions to the local community
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FAUST PARK TOY TRUCK ASSEMBLY DAY REDUX
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The Feb/Mar Toy Truck build was so successful that we are going to assemble another 50 trucks starting at 9:00 AM on Saturday, April 20, 2019.
If you are interested in helping, call Bill Schuchat at 314-406-1823 or
email him at wschuchat@gmail.com.
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SPECIAL PROJECT
These potting benches were made for and donated to Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital by Guild Member Jim Arnold. He has made three of them so far, with a fourth one in production. |
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The benches are designed to be used for potting a variety of plants and will accommodate children either standing or in wheelchairs. Because they are on casters, they can be rolled outside in the summertime and then be stored or used inside during the winter.
What a great project!
Thank you, Jim!
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NEW ORGANIZATION TO BENEFIT FROM OUR TOY PROGRAM
The Guild is pleased to announce Foster and Adoption Care Coalition as the newest recipient of toys from our Toy Program. The mission of the Coalition is to create permanency in foster children’s lives by recruiting and supporting foster and adoptive families in the metropolitan St. Louis region. The nationally accredited organization is celebrating 30 years in St. Louis and has been winning awards since 2004 on their innovative approach to finding permanent homes for foster children.
Debbie Genung, from the Coalition, has identified keepsake boxes that their children can personalize and preserve prized possessions as their most needed item.
We encourage you learn more about this innovative group at https://www.foster-adopt.org/. If you’d like more information about the types and sizes of boxes they’ve requested, contact Bill Schuchat (314-406-1823) or wschuchat@gmail.com.
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TOY REQUEST
Ranken Jorden has requested that the Guild provide them with the following hardwood blocks for use in photographic picture taking of their patients:
- 2 rectangular blocks approx. 6″x 6″x 6″ with 5″ tall number on each side (0-9)
- 2 rectangular blocks approx. 6″x 6″x 6″ with 5″ tall number on each side (1-6)
- 2 rectangular blocks approx. 24″x 24″x 24″
- 4 rectangle blocks (8″ x 1″x 18-22″ wide) with 5″ high letters with “month”, “years”, “grade”, “weeks”
Examples of what they have in mind can be found at https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=photography+age+blocks&FORM=HDRSC2.
Thin wooden letters and numbers can be found at Michaels or Hobby Lobby; the toy committee will reimburse members for the cost of these materials. If you would like to participate in this or part thereof, call or email Bill Schuchat (314-406-1823) or wschuchat@gmail.com. |
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Collected
March — 1,113
YTD — 3,144
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Delivered
March — 621
YTD — 2,139
Since 1994 — 64,296!
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Over 500 Club
Bill Meuth – 650
Over 300 Club
Wayne Humphrey – 451
Rich Sanders – 391
Bill Love – 323
Over 100 Club
Dale Norman – 150
Bill Schuchat – 134
Bob Zahner – 129
Dan Sudkamp – 120
Charlie Goria – 109
Steve Briner – 105
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2019 Target and Challenge
Target for Delivered Items: 6,141 To Date: 29%
Well on our way!!
Target for Member Participation: 10% To Date: 18%
35 Members so far!
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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/toyplans.aspx |
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Hospitals that we currently donate toys to include:
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital
St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Mercy Children’s Hospital St. Louis
Shriners Hospitals for Children – St. Louis
Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital
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Bill Schuchat: (314) 406-1823
Vickie Berry: (972) 741-1944
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Bob Zahner: (314) 291-1878
Hal Donovan: (314) 570-6563
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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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Bring Me A Book Team News
BMABStL handed out 170 book boxes and 850 books so far this month. Events were held at Sister Thea Bowman School in East St. Louis, Unity Lutheran School in East St. Louis and Eagle Gravois Park School in St. Louis.
Please bring completed book boxes to the April 18 meeting. Kits will be available at the meeting.
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. Two-book box, flat-packed kits, will be available in or near the pickup truck as well.
Please make sure to tell Tom the number of book boxes you have returned.
Book Boxes delivered to BMABStl as of Mar. 31:
706
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Tom Tierney heads up this project for the Guild. About 35 Guild members have participated in the project so far. If you would like to participate in the project, please contact Tom. |
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Woodworking Classes
Held at Faust Park Workshop |
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Decorative Line Inlay (Part I)
(Sold out, get on the waiting list!)
When: April 27th 2019
Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Cost: $25
Materials: A material list will be included in the tool list
Tool List: Available upon sign-up
Class Size: 4 Students
Instructor: Don Snyder
Decorative Line Inlay (Part II)
When: April 28th 2019
Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Cost: $25
Materials: Provided with the cost of the class
Tool List: Available upon sign-up
Class Size: 4 Students
Instructor: Don Snyder
Note: Decorative Line Inlay Part I is a prerequisite class
Decorative Inlay (Fans, Berries, Flowers, & Other Shapes)
When: May 25th 2019
Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Cost: $25
Materials: A material list will be included in the tool list
Tool List: Available upon sign-up
Class Size: 4 Students
Instructor: Don Snyder
Note: Decorative Line Inlay Part I is a prerequisite class
Basic Router Jigs & Fixtures
(Sold out, get on the waiting list!)
When: June 29th & 30th 2019
Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Cost: $50
Materials: A material list will be included in the tool list
Tool List: Available upon sign-up
Class Size: 6 Students
Instructor: Mike Sistek
Other classes in the works are for making a Diamond Stone, Cutting Board, a Shop Mallet and we will have a Christmas Ornament class. We are just working on dates to have the classes. If you have a class you would like to instruct or a class idea that you would like to have the guild offer, please contact Eric Oman or one of the Executive Board members.
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Payment for the above 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 June!
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 has the answers. A new class is starting in June, which is tailored for new woodworkers.
The class will meet once a month for ten 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 following 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 through finishing will also be covered. Joinery techniques from mortise and tenons to hand cut dovetails will be taught.
Throughout the course, lectures 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 $35.00 per session), or an upfront, onetime charge of $300.00 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 June 23rdand will continue on the fourth Sunday of each month for the next ten months.
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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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May Shop Hours
May 4 & 5, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
May 7 & 8, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
May 11 & 12, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
May 14 & 15, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
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Next Shop Safety Class
When:
Thursday, May 2, 2019
6:30 PM
Where:
Faust Park Workshop
Duration:
Plan for 3 Hours
Cost:
$20 for Current Members |
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The Guild is looking for new Shop space
We find ourselves in need of additional Shop space to accommodate our growing membership and equipment wants and needs.
We are asking all members to help us locate a facility that has the following:
- Location: within a 10 mile radius of Hwy 40/64 and Hwy 270
- Square Footage: 3,000 to 5,000 sf
- Floor: Minimum 3” thick concrete slab
- Ceiling Height: 8 to 12 feet
- Electric: 400 amp Single Phase (3-Phase a plus but not required)
- Lighting: adequate fixtures in place for manufacturing
- Plumbing: Restroom(s) and kitchen sink
- HVAC: Heated and air conditioned
- Parking: 20-50 spaces
- Garage Door: at least one 8 foot wide drive-in door
- Dock: Optional – Standard truck height
Please contact Tom Tierney (314) 412-1817 if you have any questions or comments.
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2019 GUILD MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
Annual membership renewal period is now open and you can renew online with PayPal (preferred, as this speeds up the check-in process at the meeting) or at the meeting when you sign in. 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 2019)
Full Shop Membership $75 (Unlimited use of the Guild Shop during 2019)
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.
The Guild accepts cash, check, credit cards or PayPal for dues payment.
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2019 Officers and Executive Board Member Election this Month
Nominating Committee Report
The Guild Nominating Committee presents its slate of candidates below for this year’s Officers and Executive Board Members for the election to be held at the April meeting. Nominations may also be made from the floor at the meeting.
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Wayne Humphrey, candidate for President |
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Wayne Watson, candidate for Vice President. |
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Tom Tupper, candidate for Secretary |
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Tom Tierney, candidate for Treasurer |
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| Don Turner, candidate for Director |
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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 Mike Sistek 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 Mike Sistek at president@slwg.org . |
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Member Benefits Include:
> Discounts at Guild sponsors
> Access to the Guild Shop & 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, or credit cards accepted. |
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SLWG Officers, Board Members and Committee Leaders
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President:
Bob Brinkmann – 314.378.1893
Vice President:
Wayne Watson – 314.541.3047 |
Secretary:
Keith Lissant – 314.962.1907
Treasurer:
Tom Tierney – 314.412.1817 |
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Directors:
Grant Black (exp. 2020)
John Bronson (exp. 2019)
Violet Oman (exp. 2022)
Vickie Berry (exp. 2021)
Marketing & Membership Chairman:
Wayne Watson
Membership Secretary:
Mark Zupec
Woodworking Show Committee:
Wayne Watson
Charitable Requests Coordinator:
Mike Sistek |
Newsletter Editor:
Grady Vaughan
Librarian:
Al Carlson
Toy Committee:
Bill Schuchat
Class Coordinator:
Eric Oman
Webmaster:
Cecil Robertson |
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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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