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THIS MONTH’S PROGRAM
(In-Person Presentation and Livestream)
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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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Christmas in July
with
Guild Members
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Pictures of Member Presentations at the
Christmas in July Meeting
Watch the video of the meeting on the link below for more details on these projects
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Bob Kastigar noted that he had lots of siblings, and therefore many of his gift type projects were made in bulk.
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He made the curved cut cutting board using contrasting colors simply by stacking and cutting the curves freehand, and then reassembling and recutting across. Other projects include the wooden noise-maker and nice little jewelry boxes out of contrasting species.
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Dan Sudkamp also has lots of siblings and for his niece he has made a jewelry box.
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Dan likes to match the top species with the splines and the handle with the base, in this case birds-eye maple and paduk, respectively.
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Joe Turner showed one of his puzzles that he made for the Faust Park Art Fair which would make an excellent gift at any time. This one is made from oak and walnut.
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Keith Lissant showed a tractor that is painted to look like a well-known brand.
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Hal Donovan presented several Christmas ornaments plus some other unique objects!!
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If you could not make it to last month’s meeting in-person, here is the LINK for streaming.
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SILENT AUCTION THIS MEETING
We recently had a woodworker donate us several items as he works to close out his shop. Items include hand planes (10-wood, 2-metal, a Starrett 12″ Bubble Level, a Drill Doctor, various Kreg Pocket Hole related items (all as one item), templates (triangles, french curves, ellipses), marking gage, marking knife, 50″ double-side straight edge clamps (set of 2), and a Rockler straight edge guide with router attachment for routing plywood sheets. If you’re interested in any of these items, you will need to be at the AUGUST meeting to bid on the item(s). Below are a few photos of examples of the hand planes.
In addition, we have a Shopsmith which will be available for bidding at the SEPTEMBER Meeting. Bob Danner, our resident Shopsmith expert, assessed the machine and has written up the following summary:
For auction is a very clean, well maintained Shopsmith 510 which has been donated to the Guild. The Shopsmith has been kept in a climate-controlled shop since purchase and is in excellent condition. The following are included:
* 510 main table, fence, and extension table
* Bandsaw with fence
* 12” sanding disc
* Lathe tool rest, live center, and faceplate
* Drill chuck
* Safety items: feather boards, push pads, etc.
This is the perfect system for a small basement or garage shop. All Shopsmith basic functions are possible: table saw, drill press, lathe, disk sander, horizontal boring (which no other tool can do). Set up and training, if needed, can be provided by Bob Danner. See Bob for details or call him at 314-365-1163.
If you are interested in bidding on the Shopsmith, but not able to attend the meeting, please call or text Joe Turner for assistance. He will explain the process to be used for this situation. Joe’s number is 314-495-5938.
NOTICE
The Guild has purchased a new Powermatic floor-mounted mortising machine to replace the existing one in the shop, which will be offered for bidding at a future meeting, probably September or October. More info to come via all-member email.
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A/V Tech Support Needed
The Guild is looking for 2-3 members proficient at Microsoft PowerPoint to help at the AV table during meetings. Additional IT experience a plus.
Contact Hal Donovan at hal.donovan@slwg.org.
IT Tech Support Needed
Looking for a member with database skills to help automate the Membership Coordinator tasks and improve the overall efficiency of the Role.
SQL skills a plus but any database skills would be sufficient for this effort. The IT team will lead the project to streamline the process. This is a limited need that is not expected to be permanent.
12-14 hrs. of time commitment over 3 – 6 months.
Contact Todd Martin @ todd.martin@slwg.org for details or questions.
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Save the Date
November Saw Dust Party
(Instead of the September Picnic)
Planning for the Saw Dust Party (Nov. 20th Meeting night) continues.
Information to pass on:
- We’re planning to make this party fun for both members and their spouses (one spouse per member). So, make sure she or he knows they’re invited.
- To properly plan the food (and activity supplies), you will need to register. We will be publishing an event registration (goal is sometime in September) on the website with additional details. So, more to come on this.
- As mentioned last month, we’re interested in shop-made projects provided by our members to use for various activity prizes. If you’re interested in providing a prize, let me know. The sooner the better to help us plan.
- And to go with our Saw Dust theme, we need your scrap wood (but not your dust). You may be wondering why…..well, you’ll find out at the party. Sizes of wood can be as small as 1″ cubes, though pieces 2″ – 6″ x whatever x 3/4″ – 2″ is the general ballpark. And if it’s bigger than needed, we’ll cut it down. All wood species welcome. Bringing the scraps to the monthly meetings is ideal, but if you can’t, give me a call.
Joe Turner
Joe.turner@slwg.org
314.495.5938
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SAVE THE DATE!
Annual Super Star Weekend
Saturday, April 11, 2026
Another great Guild weekend in store for Guild Members only!
Guild Super Star Weekend Coordinator Brad Bernhard has engaged Fine Woodworking Magazine‘s Roland Johnson for an all-day Saturday woodworking learning experience for only $60 per member.
More info will come in future Newsletters and on the SLWG website. Registration for this event will be available starting in November.
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SAVE THE DATE!
HomeSweetHome Facility Tour
Saturday, November 8th
A chance to see the facility that processes and distributes the goods that we build and donate. More info to come!
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Bob Kastigar mans the Cap and Apron sale table. Aprons are priced at $40 and Caps at $20.While cash is the preferred method of payment, checks or credit cards might be accepted if the Treasurer is present.
Crafted for durability, these items are ideal for daily use in the shop or when representing the Guild at events, such as the Faust Park events.
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John Ferreira brought in a curly camphor vase with lid, a wormy plum (like the fruit tree) vase with banksia pod top, and a mesquite bowl that he turned. Beautiful finish work.
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Leo Weisman brought in a battery-powered air duster that he found had many uses around the shop.
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Grady Vaughan brought in a cutting board made from walnut and white oak off-cuts taken from tapered table legs that he was making for the HomeSweetHome program. Grady likes to put 3/4″ half-sphere hardwood feet on his cutting boards to raise them off the counter and enables him to level the board with a little sanding of the feet. Finished with Walrus Cutting Board Oil. Destined for the Faust Park Art Fair.
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Alan Brown showed a walnut-top table with the round legs slightly angled. He found that if he used a couple of wedges under the table when drilling the leg holes on his drill press, he could get consistent angles for all legs.
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Pictures from around the room at the
July Meeting
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Brian Ellison set the example for the Hawaiian shirt theme for the meeting.
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Wayne Humphrey also embraced the Hawaiian shirt theme.
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We had a nice turn out for the July meeting.
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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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Safety Issue
We have been advised that while there is not a recall, several injuries and mishaps (think SawStop) have been reported with the use of metal tapering jigs on table saws, and the pros are recommending that if you have one of these, it should NEVER be used on the table saw. A non-metallic or sled-type tapering jig should be used instead. The Guild has removed the metal tapering jig that was in the Faust Park shop.
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COMMUNITY
St. Louis Woodworkers Guild contributions to the local community
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Holiday Toy Program
We have surpassed the 1,000 mark of toys in inventory for the holiday toy program. Many more units are in progress and it is looking like we may get to 1,500 units by the middle of November when we stop to distribute the toys.
Thanks to wood donations, we have had to purchase minimal quantities of wood this year. We could use 1/8 inch hardboard or Baltic Birch plywood for next year for lap boxes. These boxes have a sliding lid and hold papers, pencils, crayons, and other such school type supplies.
If you would like to donate to the Guild and are in the stores when they are discounting some school supplies, purchase some of these school items. We will make sure these items are in the batch of boxes we build in the next year. We built 20+ boxes this year and hope to be able to double this for next year.
If you want more information on what we are building, see Vickie Berry or Wayne Humphrey.
Wayne Humphrey
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Helicopter ready for painting!!
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The alphabet letters in the above picture were a special request by one of our hospital partners that Bob Baird made using his laser cutting machine. He also provided additional vowels and commonly used consonants so they could use them to spell out various words.
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.
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Toy Committee Update
We added Lambert St. Louis Airport USO and Crisis Nursery to our list of toy recipients this month.
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
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Collected
July — 152
YTD — 1026
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Delivered
July — 133
YTD — 437
Since 1994 — 90,349
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2025 Toy Program Major Contributors
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Over 100 Club
William Marsek — 277
Linda Turner — 273
Paul Hellenbrand — 213
Over 50 Club
Dan Sudkamp — 104
Bill Meuth — 79
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NEW CONTRIBUTORS
None this month
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2025 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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20% ACHIEVED
8 Members (through July)
(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
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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 NOT have wood to distribute at this month’s meeting
Talk to him at the meeting if you need wood for this program
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We have completed 4 months of our fiscal year with a total of 42 tables delivered so far. Our goal is to deliver 150 by March 31, 2026.
The donations of wood combined with Members’ time and talent have helped and will continue to help St. Louis area residents and families. Every table that Members have donated through the Guild has gone to someone in need.
Members Matt Wallace and Tim Boeddeker donated wood in July.
Already this year we have 4 Members who have built and donated 5 or more tables. More table builders are needed. Especially after the May tornadoes hit the St. Louis region.
Information about our HSH table program and sample table measured drawings can be found on our website under the Community Service tab, HomeSweetHome. LINK HERE
Just to make sure everyone understands how the program works here is what is involved:
- Donated wood (specific to the program) is sourced, collected, and processed into useable form
- The wood is then made available to Members who wish to participate in the program
- Members volunteer their time and talent to build and finish small tables
- Completed tables are returned to the Guild for donation to HomeSweetHome (HSH).
- A “Hand Made for You – St. Louis Woodworkers Guild” label is attached to the bottom of every table we donate
It is important to note – though the wood is donated to the Guild, it is by no means FREE. Much time and effort is required by your fellow members to get us to Step 2 in the process.
It is important to be mindful – to have wood available to provide as many tables as possible for donation to HSH none of the donated wood is to be used for personal projects.
We would like you to join in on this effort. Please consider getting more involved in the Guild Outreach programs be it through HSH or Toys or both.
Your involvement will help make the programs, the Guild, and our community even better.
Please contact me at the meeting or call, text, or email me if you are interested in building a table(s).
Tom Tierney
(314) 412-1817
tmtierney@gmail.com
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Talley to 8/11/25:
Current Month Current Year Program Total
Dining Tables 0 1 34
End Tables/Sofa Server 11 29 356
Coffee Tables 3 7 40
Night Stands 0 5 10
Total 14 42 440
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Total Tables by Year
FY 2022-2023 102
FY 2023-2024 121
FY 2024-2025 175
FY 2025-2026 (3 months) 42
Grand Total for Program 440
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FY 2025-2026 Target and Challenge
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Target for Delivered Tables: 150
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Table of Recognition
Below are the Members who have built five or more tables in the current FY.
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5 +
Charles Schrock
Tom Tierney
Grady Vaughan
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Current Year No. of 5+ Builders 4
Overall No. of 5+ Builders 17
Current Year No. of Builders 9
Overall No. of Builders 38
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Hal Donovan sent in pics of his latest 3 tables for the HomeSweetHome program. These custom tables look like they came right out of a high-end furniture boutique.
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Tom Tierney made the below side table with drawer for the HSH program.
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The white oak was donated by Tim Broderick. Legs donated by Mark Koritz. Drawer front is spalted maple.
Shallow mortise in legs to locate apron pieces. Glue and pocket screws to fasten apron to legs. Drawer box made using 1/4, 1/4, 1/4 method.
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UPCOMING MEETING PRESENTATIONS
September 18 Mary May Mary May’s School of
Traditional Woodcarving
October 16 Brian Ellison About the Scroll Saw
November 20 Guild Panel Stump the Chump
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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.
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September “Open Shop” Hours
Tue/Wed, Sept 2,3 10 am – 2 pm
Sun, Sept 7 9 am – 5 pm
Tue/Wed, Sept 9,10 10 am – 2 pm
Sat/Sun, Sept 13,14 9 am – 5 pm
Mon/Tue, Sept 15,16 10 am – 2 pm
Sat, Sept 20 9 am – 5 pm
Sat, Sept 27 9 am – 5 pm
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Next Shop Safety Class
When:
Thursday, September 4, 6:30 pm
Where:
Faust Park Workshop
Duration:
Plan for 3 Hours
Cost:
$20 for Current Members
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Safety Class attendees must register online and bring their current Guild membership card.
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Directions: 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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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.
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SLWG Officers, Board Members and Committee Leaders
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President:
Brian Ellison
president@slwg.org
Vice President:
Corey Doner
vicepresident@slwg.org
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Secretary:
Adam Conners
secretary@slwg.org
Treasurer:
Joe Turner
treasurer@slwg.org
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Directors:
Hal Donovan (exp. 2026)
TBD (exp. 2027)
Bob Kastigar (exp. 2028)
Bob Danner (exp. 2029)
Immediate Past President:
Jay Noffsinger
Membership Coordinator:
Brian Ellison (Temp) – 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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Newsletter Editor:
Grady Vaughan
newsletter@slwg.org
Librarian:
Al Carlson
Toy Committee Chair:
Bob Baird
toys@slwg.org
Photographer:
Leo Weisman
Shop Manager:
David Gronefeld
Classes and Workshops Coordinator:
Corey Doner
Program Coordinator:
Corey Doner
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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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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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Image Credits:
Turned Wood Box Collection Photo by Violet Oman
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