March 2016 Wooden Word - Washington Woodworkers Guild

Wooden Word
WashingtonWoodworkersGuild.org
March 2016
P2 / Presidents Note
A few words from
the Washington
Woodworkers
Guild President
P10 /Fixing A Broken
Hand Plane
Norm Brewer
repairs a Bailey 5 1/2
P16 / The American
School of French
Marquetry
Dave Heller gives
us his thoughts
on the school.
Volume 8
Issue 2
P23 / Classifieds
Things to Sell,
Things to Buy,
Things to Be Made
March 2016
Presidents Note
My computer has a cold or something, so I am using
this crappy little hand held thing. Good news for you
is that I will probably give up on this long before I
normally would. I have a few things to update you
on.
Speakers
Jeff Lefkowitz is all set to present to the guild this
month. He works part time as a graphic designer and
teaches chair making. He will demonstrate how he
bends wood, makes angled mortises and tenons, and
what goes in to making a chair that remains solid for
many years. Check out his web site at jefflefkowitzchairmaker.com. It is an interesting story.
Ship Building
Well, almost. Matt
Vibberts is scheduled to show us all
the curves and joinery that goes in to
making a small boat.
He made a kayak
and has pictures and
videos to show us
how it went.
Maker Fair
Norm Brewer has been working at NOVA Labs (a
Maker space) and teaching some classes there. He
asked if we could help them with a Maker Fair on
Sunday March 13th in Reston. They have someone
set up to demo turning, but they need two or three
more woodworkers to help him. I think that it would
be a good place for the guild to get some exposure,
and maybe pick up a member or two. Norm has been
a great guild member for years, and we need to have
a few people help him out. If you can participate,
contact Norm at nlbrewe@verizon.net.
Woodworkers Show
At the Woodworkers Show in Chantilly, both Festool and Powerhouse Tools and Supply offered to give
us a tour of their facilities in Maryland. We will be
working on this for a field trip in the spring.
Best Regards,
Jim McMichael
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 2
The
Safety Corner
There’s an old woodworking
maxim that goes something like
this: A sharp cutting tool is a safe
tool. Recently I had an unpleasant surprise; I found rust spots on
many of my hand tools. This included some paring chisels, three
of my hand planes, and one of fine
toothed trim saws. The rust was
superficial and not extensive but
when it was discovered I immediately went to work to remove it. Fortunately, only one
of the chisels had rust on its bevel and none of the plane
irons was effected. But, I asked myself, how did this
happen? After I use my tools I usually clean them up
and wipe them down with a light coat of camellia oil.
This apparently was not sufficient protection. I had
been away from the entire summer (I guess it was a
humid summer), taken a vacation in France in the fall,
and visited my daughter in Florida over Christmas.
March 2016
Bob Rogers
As a result very little woodworking was undertaken and what projects I did work on did not involve
hand tools. With the coming of the
new year (and after more than six
months of what was basically inactivity) I began working on a dresser that would have a natural edge
slab as the top. The slab required
flattening and that’s when the rust
was discovered. Coincidentally I
had just read an article in the most recent issue of
Woodsmith magazine, number 223,. The title of the
article was “Simple Solutions for Rust Free Tools.”
The article recommends several solutions. I settled
on several products from Lee Valley that emit vapor
phased corrosion inhibiters (VCIs or VpCIs) that coat
tools with a barrier that protects against moisture. In
particular, I purchased VCI infused clear plastic bags
in various sizes that are big enough to hold my chisels
and all but the longest hand planes. I also purchased
BORA’s Metalguard ($29.99 Woodcraft). When a
light coating of Metalguard is wiped on it forms a
clear 2 micron thick coating that resists moisture. My
strategy going forward is to continue to use camellia oil on frequently used tools and use Metalguard
on tools that are used less frequently. Once summer
comes and we migrate to Maine, I shall store all my
valuable hand tools in those VCI infused clear plastic
bags or in cabinets outfitted with VCI canisters.
Rust, if allowed to rampage through your expensive had tool collection, can do damage to those fine
cutting edges that you’ve worked so hard to maintain.
A little TLC is all that’s required to keep things in
good working order.
By the way, I’ll report on the effectiveness of my
rust prevention strategy in an article this fall. WWG
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 3
March 2016
Say Hello to Our
New Members
Welcome to our new members who have recently joined the Washington Woodworkers Guild. We are always looking to expand our membership with both experienced
woodworkers and those who are just beginSteven Cook
Washington, DC
ning the journey. We all learn from each
other on how to improve our skills and learn
new techniques. We get to work together on
various projects, visit members’ shops, and
participate in multiple outside activities. WWG
| Mark Gatanas
Springfield, VA
Guild Events 2016
Note: 1. Meetings are held at Goodwin House 3440 S Jefferson St, from 7:30-9:30pm on the 3rd Tuesday unless otherwise noted.
2. Monthly Meetings open to public for first time attendees so come check us out.
3rd Tuesday
Guest Speaker
February 5-7
l
February 16
Peter Kramer
March 12
l
l
March 15
Jeff Lefkowitz
April 8-10
l
February 19-21
April 19
Matt Vidders
l
May 15-16
May 17
Ron Novak
The Wood Working Show - Chantilly
www.thewoodworkingshows.com/webapp-shows/Chantilly
WWG Meeting
PATINA Tool Sale www.patinatools.org/auctioninfo.asp
WWG Meeting
www.philadelphiafurnitureshow.com
WWG Meeting
WWG Meeting
WWG Meeting
l
October 18
Don Williams
November 15
December 20
Tentative
g
g
Summer Break, No Meeting
WWG Super Show & Tell
October 15
Firm
g
Handworks 2016 www.handworks.co
July 19
September 20
g
Philadelphia Invitational Furniture Show
WWG Meeting
g
g
American Craft Council - Baltimore www.craftcouncil.org
June 21
August
Speaker
Confirmed?
Topic
g
TBD
Non-Standard Meeting Date
g
The Big Build
WWG Meeting
g
WWG Meeting
g
WWG Annual Holiday Party & Tool Swap (7:00pm)
Non-WWG Event
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 4
March 2016
Meeting Notes:
January 2016
Announcements
Safety Topic – Bob Rogers
• We had two first time attendees. Since 1988 Mark
Protecting your eyes and lungs while in the shop
should be a major concern of every woodworker.
Bob is ever vigilant scouring the marketplace for new
products that offer these protections. A while back
Bob had mentioned a new combination eye protection/respirator that he had purchased, the JSP FilterSpec Pro Goggle Mask. After a more protracted test
period Bob caveated his initial product review in that
for those who have to wear glasses (like himself) it
was difficult to get good contact/seal to your face allowing a possible entry way for unfiltered dust as well
as not making all that comfortable with the additional
pressure being applied to your glasses. If you don’t
wear glasses it probably isn’t an issue.
Bob also brought in a RespoRater Dust Filter. It
has a unique design in that it has a mouthpiece, snorkel like with tubing that route around to the back of
your head where the filters are attached. While an
interesting approach he could not give it his endorsement as it requires that you breathe through your
mouth which does take some getting used to but more
annoying was that with the mouth piece it’s hard to
swallow and he found that his excess saliva dripped
out on to the front of his shirt.
While these products didn’t get Bob’s thumbs up
he did emphasize the importance of always wearing
dust protection as even the most elaborate dust collection system is not 100% effective in capturing wood
dust at the source. Do yourself a favor and make sure
you wear yours whenever you’re in the shop creating
any dust.
Katarvis has doing furniture restoration work
part time and is looking to further his woodworking skills.
• Following on Dave Heller’s excellent presentation in November Jim McMichael asked if there
would be interest in having Dave return to do a
weekend marquetry workshop possibly at the
Goodwin House. If you’re interested let Jim know.
• Also in the same vein would be having a Hand
Tool Working Group. The Guild had had one
years ago under the tutelage of Oscar Wells.
During this one, the group decided to make a tool
cabinet using hand tools. If you are interested and
have suggestions for the project to take on again
get in touch with Jim McMichael.
• While it initially looked like the Guild was going
to be offered a booth at the Chantilly Woodworking Jim was notified by the show’s promoters that
because of space constraints in the shows area in
the Expo Center it may not be possible to accommodate all the area woodworking groups. Even if
that doesn’t happen NOVA Labs, a Reston maker space is holding a maker faire in March and
would be interested in having the Guild involved
with that event. As more information becomes
available members will be notified.
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 5
March 2016
Show & Tell
Ken Harrington brought in two workbench accessories that he made. The first was a riser bench that he
clamps to his existing bench top. Originally he made
it with only an end vise but he recently upgraded it
by adding a Moxon style face vise. The advantage of
using the riser is that it raises the working height to
where you are no longer stooped over when cutting
dovetails, doing inlay
work, or whatever and
end up having to stop
working because your
back is killing you. It
works so well for Ken
that it has a more or
less permanent home
on his bench. The
riser follows a design
that Steve Latta promotes and has proven
so popular that on occasion Steve offers a
class in its construction.
The second is called a Milkman’s Workbench. It
is a full featured portable mini workbench that can be
set up on any stable surface. It gives you that second
workbench that you need for some projects without
the space commitment that a full size bench requires.
The bench followed the design that Chris Schwarz
laid out in the June 2013 issue of Popular Woodworking (p. 31). Again a new addition to Ken’s shop that
he finds himself using more that he initially thought
he would. Ken has worked up Sketch-up designs for
both. If you’re interested in a copy contact him.
Our second Show & Tell presenter was Daniel
Burke. Dan brought in two boxes that are a bit of
a departure from those that he normally makes using some highly figured woods. These new boxes he
made out of poplar not generally recognized for its
fancy grain. So where he usually relies on the wood to
draw ones eye to his creation given the rather humble
appearance of the poplar he worked the surface and
used milk paint’s color to draw that second look. On
one box he used an 80 grit sanding disk in an angle
grinder to artistically gouge the top and with multiple
layers of paint the gouges cut into a lower levels contrasting color. The second box’s surfaces were contoured using an oscillating spindle sander producing
an undulating pattern
on the top and sides
which he then also finished with milk paint.
It’s rewarding to see
what stepping out of
one’s comfort zone
can result in.
Jim McMichael
brought in a product
that he has successfully tried - Stop Loss
Bags, www.stoplossbags.com. We have
all had the frustrating
and costly experience of getting ready to finish a project that had been working on for a while only to find
on prying the lid off the can that the partially used can
of finish to find that the contents had congealed into
an unusable solid mass. Forcing the purchase of another can of finish and probably what will be a repeat
of the cycle. While it might be good for the suppliers
and sellers of finish it’s not great for the woodworkers budget. With the Stop Loss Bags you transfer the
remaining finish into the bag, squeeze out the air, and
seal the bag. With no air to react with the finish stays
usable until used up. The bags are reusable although
rather than trying to clean them out best to keep one
dedicated to each of your favorite finishes. They are
suitable for all types of finishes and reasonably priced
certainly when you compare it to what a new can of
finish will cost you. WWG
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 6
March 2016
January Featured Presentation:
Mel Montemerlo’s Insights
On Woodworking, Bowls,
Boxes, & Carvings
by Bill Walmsley
Fellow member Mel Montemerlo was our January speaker. Mel has presented to us before, see May
2014 Wooden Word for the highlights of that presentation. This night Mel further enlightened us with his
mussing on his woodworking experiences.
Mel admits that he is not a tool guy. He has no
overwhelming interest in the tools or seeing other’s
shops and the tools they have. His interest in a tool
is what he can do with it not in the tool itself. He has
noticed that when hobbyist woodworkers get together
their conversations inevitably drift to talking about
tools yet when professional woodworkers get together they rarely do. While he worked at Woodcraft he
often took advantage of his employee discount and
bought a whole lot of tools but has since sold many
of them, most at our December Swap Meets. What
he has noticed is that not having all those tools has
not really reduced his capabilities in woodworking. If
anything, his abilities have improved because he has
gotten much better at using those fewer tools that he
has. With a lot of tools you are working with different
tools all the time and why not that’s why you bought
them (that’s if you get around to using them all). But
in doing this you never really master any of them you
are always on the uphill side of the learning curve.
Working with a consistent set of tools you really get
to know them, they become extensions of your hands.
You work more efficiently and to a higher level of
quality.
Being a hobbyist does not mean that the work that
you produce is not as good as a professional. Many
times it is actually better because you can spend as
much time as you like to get it perfect. The professional on the other hand is constantly facing the market and the fact that he has to make a living in a world
where he is up against the time = money equation. He
can’t afford to spend anymore time on fine tuning a
project than he built into his original budget and the
reality of the very competitive market in woodworking is that you usually can’t bid anything more than is
absolutely needed to finish the piece.
While Mel has an educational background (PhD in
Educational Psychology) for a number of reasons he
has not taken very many classes. He has also found
that very few pros take classes not only because they
have a direct out of pocket cost and an opportunity
cost - they take time away from making things but
also because pros are generally comfortable in drawing on their experience and capabilities to figure out a
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 7
March 2016
way to get the job done. Now the way they do it might
not be the same way as taught by the experts but that
doesn’t concern them in the least because if they have
learned anything in the years as a pro it’s that there
is more than one way to do something. Many of the
classes taught today the focus of the class is to make
sure the student leaves the class having made something not necessarily having really learned anything
and to sell the student on more classes. Mel sees it as
a teacher should be teaching you how to figure things
out not necessarily providing you with every step in
making the piece. Given the classes are time constrained much of the materials prep is already done
and everyone is following a prescribed set of steps.
You are not allowed to make mistakes there is no time
or extra materials for it. Mel says he learns using a
different approach - the discovery method, figuring
out how to do it as he goes along. Sure he makes mistakes ending up at a number of dead ends and ‘wastes’
material but he learns from that process and then figures out how to do it different/better. When others
ask him how to do things he takes this approach with
them. He doesn’t tell them what or how to do it rather
he guides them on a path of their own self discovery.
Another approach that works very well with the
above which he credits his brother with showing him
is that you should really be fearless in approaching
something new. Just because you haven’t done something before and really don’t have a clue about how to
go about it is a poor excuse and certainly no reason
not to try it. So what if you make a few mistakes if
you are thinking about what you are doing you are
learning and with persistence and determination you
will eventually get to where you want to be. Of course
that’s no reason not to do some preparatory research
including talking to those who have been there and
done that but still don’t use not having done it before
as a reason not to have a go at it.
Much of Mel’s woodworking is directed towards
making boxes or variations on boxes, i.e. cabinets are
fundamentally just a type of box. For a while many
of his boxes used box joints which he made using a
Dubby jig. The Dubby is a essentially a type of cross
cut sled that can be set up to very easily produce box
joints while minimizing the trial and error set up process. The jig allows you to focus more on the design
elements of your creation rather than the mechanics
of creating it. In his current designs he doesn’t use
box joints as much expanding his skills base with
other joinery. He finishes almost all of his boxes with
either polyurethane or shellac. Apply lots of coats
sanding with progressively finer grits between coats,
all the way down to automotive paint grade grits and
finishing off with a Beale system polishing to a mirror surface. He usually ends up giving away most of
his boxes as gifts. Often allowing the intended recipient to chose from amongst a number of boxes of the
similar design but with the variation being different
combinations of wood. He has found that their choice
of which box to select is most often dictated by that
combination they find most appealing regardless of
the design itself.
Applying the fearless approach Mel has tried a
number of different types of woodworking. At one of
the first Guild meetings he attended the presentation
was on chip carving. He started on an exploration
of this style of carving and after about six months of
practice he felt that he had gotten a pretty good handle
on it. For there he moved on to other forms of surface
decoration using a brush rather than a blade. Both
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 8
March 2016
Rosemaling, a traditional style of decorative painting originating in Norway and then on to try Bauernmalerie a similar surface painting style traditional to
Germany.
After chip carving Mel pursued other forms of
carving including tracery exampled by a piece that
evolved from a Chris Pye design. Chris was one that
exposed him to using gouges with a fingernail shape
to the cutting edge. He also tried carving traditional acanthus leaf designs through which he became
friends with Bob Yourberg and ended up submitting
some of his pieces in an annual competition in this
carving style. He did pass along one piece of advice
for those starting out in carving which he learned
from his own experience – don’t buy a set of carving
tools as you will inevitably find that a surprising number of them you will never use. You are much better
the pieces. Mel got an adz and proceeded to start
bowl carving. He found that while an adz might be
the traditional tool for this type of work it’s also a lot
of work and very time consuming. He found after a
fashion that using an angle grinder equipped with a
Lancelot cutter from King Arthur Tools is the way
to go if you want to make wooden bowls a whole lot
more efficiently. You use the adz for finishing the
piece imparting a hand wrought surface. He also
found that another bit of technological improvement
in the form of SuperJaws that was a big help. It is
a whole lot better way of holding your bowl blank
as you attack it with the grinder. It can exert a tremendous hold on your blank allowing you to use both
hands and focused attention on the grinder action.
Not all of his work has been in wood. When he
was just starting out he took a sculpture class at a lo-
off particularly given how expensive quality carving
tools are (they are the only kind worth buying) to figure out what types of carving you want to do and buy
the tools needed for that style, not all tool styles are
needed for all styles of carving. Some styles of carving really don’t need traditional carving tools at all.
After attending the Waterford Festival (a local
world class craft fair) one year Mel noticed a craftsman’s carved wooden bowls. In the course of conversation he found that the maker used an adz to fashion
cal community college and in that class tried his hand
at casting in fiberglass and aluminum. He brought in
two pieces from that era of his work.
In parting Mel wanted to emphasize that one of
traits that will serve you best in your woodworking is
confidence. Don’t be afraid or hesitate, try whatever
appeals to you. Figure out how by trial and error as
you go about learning as you go and you will be a
much better woodworker for it. WWG
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 9
March 2016
Fixing a Broken
Hand Plane
by Norm Brewer
O
ne of our WWG members asked me to try
to repair a Bailey 5 1/2 plane with a cracked
body. Normally I would not bother to fix a
plane like this because of the difficulty in getting a
good weld, but this plane had belonged to the owner’s
wife’s grandfather so it had sentimental value, and he
wanted to use it for his first plane. You can see the
large crack running along the left side of the plane in
the photo above.
In the past I have had mixed results repairing
planes. I practiced on some broken ones John Davis
gave me and was generally able to fix them but a lot
seems to depend on the composition of the original
casting. I found a special alloy called EZ Weld TIG
Wire that is supposed to work well for TIG welding
cast iron and thought I’d give it a try. The photo below shows my first attempt on the Bailey after gouging out the crack, TIG welding and grinding. You can
see the large inclusions that formed from something
in the original casting. I also found that after grinding the repair cracked where I couldn’t get at both
sides of it to weld it.
I ground out the weld and tried a second time,
leaving the weld bead in place to reinforce the original casting. The second weld had fewer inclusions
and seemed stronger. I decided to quit while I was
ahead and leave the bead in place. Cracking is a real
problem with cast iron.
First weld attempt with ugly inclusions
Second Weld Attempt
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March 2016
Unfortunately, the welding process warped the bottom creating
a convex surface. In the photo
you can sort of see how the bottom near the throat is touching the
workbench but the left and right
ends are slightly raised up. After
a round of lapping, I got the bottom reasonably flat.
Next Up, Sharpening
The original plane blade is usable, but the back has some corrosion and could use some serious
flattening. I tried sharpening at
a 30 degree angle and found the
blade was prone to chipping, so
I sharpened it at 35 degrees and
it seemed to work better. The repaired plane is certainly usable,
and just needs to be re-painted inside.
Conclusions: A real welding shop where they can preheat the casting
could do a better job. Even so, I think the repaired plane will serve the
purpose, and with a new blade it would work even better. I wouldn’t try
to fix a valuable plane in this manner but for the garden variety garage
sale plane TIG welding worked well. WWG
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 11
March 2016
Meeting Notes:
February 2016
February Announcements
• Jim McMichael occasionally gets requests looking for someone interested in taking on a woodworking project. Lately he has someone wanting
to have a globe repaired. Apparently the countries are wood veneer and some have fallen off
the face of the earth and need to be rejoined to
the original place on the planet. The pieces are
all there they just need reattachment. Someone
else is looking to have a custom bookshelf made.
Contact Jim if either might be of interest.
• Barry Ingram wanted to remind all the tool
junkies that PATINA’s Tool Sale and Auction will
be taking place March 12, 2016 at the Damascus
Volunteer Fire House. If the weather is decent the
tailgaters will start to arrive before dawn. The
doors for the inside vendors open at 9 and remain
so until 2 when the auction starts. It is a not to be
missed event if you have even a passing interest
in tools of any type, not just woodworking. More
information, directions and pictures of the auction items can be found at patinatools.org
• There is still time to sign up to participate in the
Hand Tool Working Group. It’s just getting started so if you are interested to improving your hand
tools skills get in touch with Jim McMichael or
Josh.
Show & Tell
Harry Bishop brought in a small box and a remote
control caddy that he recently completed. Both were
made from boards Harry milled out of the holly log
that he had been given. Holly a normally white/ivory
by Bill Walmsley
colored wood should only be cut in the winter months
if cut in warm weather the wood is susceptible to
Blue Stain a fungi infestation that as the name implies
leaves patches of blue stain on the wood. Harry’s
was so infected but he has viewed it as a feature. He
was making the boxes to try out some techniques that
Matt Kenny from Fine Woodworking has used in his
quest to make 52 boxes in a year. On the remote caddy Harry tried to add a divider that had both parts cut
using a single router table setup with a V bit. It didn’t
work out quite so smoothly for Harry as the router
tore up the partition piece from cutting unsupported
cross grain. But in proving there is always more than
one way to do something Harry resorted to a hand
plane to complete the cuts. The caddy included an
octagon frame surrounding a decorative cross stitching his daughter made. The unique aspect of his octagon frame was rather than cutting eight individual
sides that needed to come together precisely he made
the frame in two pieces allowing a gap free connection without having to contend with multiple angled
pieces.
With the left over wood he made a small box featuring continuous grain running around the outside
of the box. The miters on the little box were secured
with keys where he cut the thinner slots using a band
saw rather than those cut more than a traditional table
saw. Of course it meant he had to work quickly to get
the keys glued into their slots before the moisture in
the glue swelled them and won’t let them fit.
Dave Agostini brought in his latest shop project.
Wanting some zero clearance blade inserts for his taWashington Woodworkers Guild | Page 12
March 2016
ble saw and being somewhat taken back by the price
and availability of the ones for his saw he decided to
explore making his own. He decided to use ½” MDF
as the core to which he adhered a piece of laminate
to both sides to bring it up to the required thickness
as well as providing a slick surface for the table top.
Then using one of his existing blade inserts as a template he rough cut the blank and then finished up with
a pattern bit in this router. He followed the original
insert with the bit’s bearing and produced an exact
copy with a finished edge. He then proceeded to do
the drilling for positioning the leveling set screws.
Once those were installed and working properly all
that remained was the cut out for blade. This could
be a little tricky since with no blade cutout the saw’s
blade cannot be dropped low enough to clear the new
insert. Dave’s way around this was simple but very
effective. He placed the original insert in position
and adjusted the leveling screws as low as possible.
On his saw there was then enough space to position the new insert on top of the old and still be held
in position by the saw’s table top. With the proper
blade installed he then merely had to turn the saw
on and raise the blade through the new insert cutting
an opening with zero clearance. Making the inserts
yourself drops the cost to the point where it is reasonable to have an insert for each blade and/or several for
various widths of our dado set. WWG
From the Shop Floor
Project Photos from Members & Friends
Norm Willis -- Several years ago I
made two pieces of 18th century
furniture reproduction. They’re
both John Goddard designs and
companions to the Goddard secretary which I did under the guidance of Allen Breed some years
ago via the Guild. Next month I’ll
share my tea table.
The tall clock started as a work
of Harland’s working with George
Slack’s carving classes. But my
wife didn’t want to use any ivory,
and my kids wanted a clock that
would “swing and sing” so I revised the design to incorporate a
glass door with a concave shell in
the waist and incorporated a more
pure Goddard hood. As you may
know, both these Goddard and
Harland clocks have solid doors.
The dimensions of the two designs
are basically the same. The movement is a long pendulum Hermle.
It keeps very accurate time. WWG
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 13
March 2016
Creative Legs
Featured Presentation: February
Peter Kramer was introduced to woodworking at
the age of five by a kindly neighbor who was willing
to mentor him. His first project was a foot stool. He
continued his interest hoping to advance his skills.
He was very surprised/disappointed when he got to
high school and found that while they had a vocational program since he was in a college preparatory
program shop classes were not open to him. He tried
a career in the commercial world but found that by
age 30 his heart was not in it so he started his woodworking business. He got off to a good start in using
a very direct approach he contacted Bloomingdale’s
and ended up making all the furniture for an in store
display room. Through perseverance, hard work and
a gifted sense of design he has managed to support his
family and those of his employees over the years. His
body of work has evolved over the years in response
to his market and his own growth as an artist/craftsman. One of his signature designs was something he
calls New England Primitive which he retailed from
Martha’s Vineyard to throughout New England. Now
he tends to focus on more modern contemporary styling that draws heavily on highly figured woods. Trees
are also one of his big design inspirations. He likes to
drive and it’s not unusual for his eye to be captivated
by the form of a tree that he passes that then ends up
taking form as a new piece.
Marketing is tough and seems to be getting harder.
It’s a constant battle to find work. He has tried many
things all work equally well or poorly. He has a website but doesn’t see where it has generated work. He
has occasionally worked with interior designers but
has not found them to result in much additional work.
He has done the better craft shows, e.g. ACC and the
Smithsonian and while they have resulted in work but
not enough to offset the true cost of participating in
them. He is fortunate in that over the years he has
now an established client base that wants his work,
e.g. The Inn at Little Washington. He has been doing
this long enough to where he is now getting orders
from the next generation of his clients. He has had
instances where his pieces have been passed along, a
chair going to one the table to another and then both
siblings seeking him out to have the missing complementing piece made.
The business has had its ups and downs over the
years. Currently he has two employees. Most have
had some woodworking experience but more at carpentry end of the spectrum and he has trained them
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 14
March 2016
for fine woodworking. A number of former employees are now out on their own and still in the area and
at least one still working in his style. While they are
now competing with him he chooses to see it as a
legacy.
Peter brought in over a dozen of his leg designs
that he has developed over the years. They form a
physical catalog that his clients can use to aid in their
decision making process as they work with Peter in
his design of a piece for them. Typically either the
customer chooses a leg style and the species of wood
or Peter works up a preliminary design and suggests a
based on a blank that is temporarily built with a layer
of thick paper separating each segment. The piece is
then turned on a lathe. Once the turning is finished
the turning is split along the paper seams and then
reassembled with the pieces in a different orientation.
Peter has spent considerable time in a trial and error
process to finalize these configurations, see his Empty Inside Out Turned Leg and Core Filled Inside Out
Turned Leg. Other designs incorporate variations on
glue ups include his Center Step Staggered & End
Stepped Staggered Legs, Proud Knee Queen Ann Leg,
Wishbone and Pinwheel. The Pinwheel is one of his
leg style that he sees working best.
newer designs that he is still refinPeter
H.
Kramer,
LLC
With either approach ending up in
ing. He works with a diagram when
Address: 311 Gay Street
a two way discussion of what will
gluing up since it’s very easy to get
PO Box 232
be the final design. In examining
the pieces assembled incorrectly.
Washington, VA 22747
Phone:
(540)
675-3625
the samples that he brought one
More examples of his work can be
Website: peterkramer.com
could see how some of the designs
seen in person by treating yourself
evolved and/or are derivative from
to a meal at the Inn at Little Washeach other. Although Peter did admit that a number
ington or check out his website, www.peterkramer.
were developed from what were actually production
com .
mistakes in the original design that were able to stand
Peter offered insight into the life of a professional
on their own providing a new direction in form and
woodworker. Along that journey he has found woodlook.
A number of his leg designs incorporate split turn- working fun but not necessarily the best way to afford
ing to achieve their unique look. A split turning is
a comfortable lifestyle. WWG
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 15
March 2016
American School
of
F r e n c h M arquetry
b y Dave Heller
The American School
of French Marquetry is
located in San Diego,
California and offers
classes focusing in the
traditional French 18th
century marquetry technique as well as in the
newest methods for contemporary designs.
All students at the
American School of
French Marquetry are
taught on the “chevalet de
marqueterie” (Marquetry Easel for Painting in
Wood), or cutting horse.
It was the tool used by
the Parisian “ébéniste”
and “marqueteur” and
was unique to the French
trade, which was very secretive. The chevalet allows the worker to cut out very delicate patterns in
exotic woods and other materials with a high degree
of accuracy.
The school, run by Patrick Edwards and Patrice
Lejeune are both outstanding masters in marquetry.
Patrick left his career in High Energy Physics in 1973
to repair and restore furniture in his native San Diego. With his avowedly pre-industrial perspective
he became involved in museum quality restorations
early on working with J. Paul Getty Museum and
others. There he met a French conservator who gave
him hints of the depth of
knowledge still available
in France.
Patrick became aware
of the chevalet, a tool developed in Paris before
1780 that allows very
controlled cutting of veneer. After years of learning from books, a contact
at the Getty arranged for
him to meet Dr. Pierre
Ramond who, in addition
to writing the seminal
text “Marquetry”, Pierre
was the chief marquetry
instructor at the Ecole
Boulle, the Harvard of
French technical colleges. He invited Patrick
to attend the school in
1992, which he did for a
three month term. He was
then invited back for the three subsequent years. In
2000, with Pierre’s blessing, he founded the American School of French Marquetry. The school teaches
technique using Etudes (studies), the same approach
as the Ecole Boulle.
Patrick’s partner in the business is Patrice Lejeune.
Patrice has two degrees from the Ecole Boulle. His
technical training is broad and very deep. Both of
these men are extremely talented craftsmen, passionate about their work, and first rate teachers. They constantly disagree about details while being completely
Chevalet de Marqueterie
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 16
March 2016
aligned on big picture views.
Stage One: Boulle Work
This is also known as packet cutting, and is the
basic way of making a marquetry picture. A stack of
veneers is trapped between two thin backer boards.
The pattern is glued to the front board. A hole is
drilled in the packet, and the fretsaw blade inserted.
The packet is cut into the constituent pieces, which
are carefully organized. Some combination of pieces
is inserted into each background piece, and multiple
copies of the picture are produced.
Any marquetry teacher would teach you those
things. What is unique about ASFM is that both of
the instructors have made 6000 piece panels this way.
There are tools, approaches and organizing techniques to make this happen.
The heart of the system is the Chevalet. It is a sophisticated hand-powered scroll saw. The jaw system
allows you to hold the packet so that very small and
complex pieces can be cut accurately without the veneer shattering. The precision possible is far beyond any scroll saw I
have experienced. I now have about
40 hours of experience using the
chevalet at the school, but have spent
$700 on parts and plans to make my
own. This tool is unique and I believe worth the floor space, time,
and money to construct. At its heart
this is a hand tool and requires dexterity and practice to master. Decent
vision is also handy, though an Optivizer helps a lot.
Week one consists of three studies. The objectives are to practice
using the chevalet and learn to deal
with different tricky issues. Some
drawing skills are also taught by
Kristen, Patrick’s wife and a former art teacher. Keeping parts organized, fixing mistakes, assembly
boards, mastic, glueups, hide glue
technology, and pad polishing are also covered.
This course is an amazing introduction to marquetry. If you were to take it without any background,
you would know how to do basic marquetry (using a
chevalet) at the end of the week. However, it is a much
better class if you already know how to do it.
If you were to attend a Cordon Bleu cooking school
with no background, you would learn to make an omelet. If you were already a reasonably accomplished
cook, you could learn to make fabulous food. Patrick
and Patrice can do either, so it’s up to you which you’d
like to learn from them.
This class is taught in a very specific way for very
specific reasons. The key impediment to this method
is the chevalet. It is large and expensive. A scroll saw
or a deep throated fret saw is sufficient for simple
marquetry of up to 200 pieces. A chevalet is more precise and opens up other possibilities, which you can
best appreciate when you’ve done marquetry some
other way. For real precision hand work, the chevalet
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 17
March 2016
is quite the tool. Yes, a laser could do even better, but
I don’t consider that relevant. I make things with a
chevalet, I’m just feeding a machine with a laser.
ASFM teaches classes four times a year in two
week chunks. Patrick also teaches for two weeks each
year at Marc Adams’ school in Indianapolis. That is
much closer, but San Diego in February is pretty nice.
If the topic appeals to you this is the best training available in the US. I would suggest that you
read up and practice ahead of time so that you can
learn at a higher level. To be honest, these guys are
wasted teaching at this level, but there aren’t many
other teachers prepping for them. They also exhibit
no frustration at teaching basic material – their enthusiasm for their subject is genuine and deep. They
do offer higher level classes to graduates of the initial
two classes- there was one student there working at a
much higher level than the rest of us. WWG
American School of French Marquetry
Address:
Phone:
Website: 3815 Utah St, San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 298-0864
americanschooloffrenchmarquetry.com
Patrick’s Blog: wpatrickedwards.blogspot.com
Patrice’s Blog: patricelejeune.blogspot.com
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 18
March 2016
Woodworking Shows
the Baltimore & Chantilly
by Barry Ingram
The Baltimore Show
As usual, I needed to attend the Baltimore show
this year. It always has a good draw from this area,
even though it is over an hour away. And, the large
space allows for a lot of vendors and seminars. So,
on Saturday morning, Rich Tilghman and I took off
for the Maryland State Fairgrounds, with a quick stop
at McDonalds for some fine breakfast fare and a big
coffee. We got to the Fairgrounds well before the
event opened and early enough to get a close-in parking spot, so we left our heavy coats in the car. Good
move, since it is usually pretty warm in the exhibit
hall with all the crowd and the demos going on.
Neither of us really needed any new tools, but
you never know what you may find that becomes a
“needed" tool. I can almost always find some small
items to restock or try out, but my main goal was to
sit though some of the seminars and learn from the
experts. I always learn something from Jim Heavey
or Roland Johnson, and I knew I would have to sit
through Alex Snodgrass's demo on the bandsaw, especially since I had just purchased a new bandsaw
about three months ago. I believe I have seen his exact same demo at least 5 times before at other wood
shows, but I learn another fine point each time. This
time, however, Alex introduced us to his method of
making 3D cutting boards. These were impressive.
You learn something every time you sit through
a seminar by Roland Johnson, and this time was no
exception. Roland’s topic this time was wipe-on finishes, one of my favorites. Roland broke the finish-
ing process into several steps. I hope I have captured
them correctly.
1. Prep work – use mineral spirits to highlight
glue spots and then white vinegar can be
used to remove Titebond Original spots and
splotches. He described the method, but I’ll
make you wait until you see it to learn the secret.
2. Plane or scrape as needed to remove rough
areas
3. Use a tack cloth to remove dust – but do not
press down and wipe it, just pull across the
surface very lightly.
4. Start applying the finish – start with Sealcoat
dewaxed shellac to seal the wood pores.
5. Sand, using a sanding block. He glues sandpaper to small wooden blocks to ensure a flat
surface.
6. Apply 3-4 coats of finish, allowing 2 hours
between coats. Roland primarily uses high
gloss Waterlox.
7. Finish by rubbing the surface down with 0000
steel wool to give a fine sheen. He has also
mentioned that Liberon steel wool is his preferred brand because of it texture and fine
strands. More expensive, but worth it.
8. Finally, apply a good paste wax, preferably
one with carnauba wax in it.
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 19
March 2016
My next stop was a session with Jim Heavey,
where he discussed flat-panel glue ups. I did not take
any notes in this session, since I was so engrossed in
his discussion, but he also mentioned that he had done
a session in a prior year of jigs, which I had also seen.
If you want to get a copy of his jig plans, go to www.
woodmagazine.com/jimsjigs.
OK, so we did see a few supplies that we needed
and I also bought a dust capturing attachment for my
drill press. More on that later. Peachtree always has
a good selection of shop accessories to pick from.
Also, seeing the Dubby demo for the umpteenth time
reminded me that I need to order a new base, since
my Grizzly tablesaw has a longer distance from the
left miter slot to the blade than my previous Jet.
The Chantilly Show
We had received an announcement in late January that the Detroit show had been cancelled and it
was being moved to the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly. This was a long awaited return, since the show
had left here in 2011. We had enjoyed the opportunity
until that time to have one or more booths there and
demonstrate some hand tool techniques, talk about
the Guild, exhibit some of our completed projects and
hopefully attract some new members. Of course, we
also liked just having to drive about 15 minutes to
get to the show. Anyway, the Guild had decided that
we would like to once again get some space at the
show. However, long story short, the show was to be
held in the North Hall, which only has about 30,000
square feet. This means that the Woodshow had to
fit an 80,000 sq. ft. show into about 1/3 the normal
space. This also meant there was no room for guilds,
clubs and educational groups - a big disappointment.
I decided to go on Friday and Saturday, which later also included Sunday. What the heck, its only 15
minutes from home. I was pleasantly surprised at the
show. Of course, the first person I saw at the show
was our own John Davis, selling some of his excel-
lent old tools. After wandering around for a while
gaping at the many neat tools at Lee Valley and some
of the supplies at Peachtree, I attended Bob Settich’s
seminar on wipe-on poly and oil finishes. A lot of
really good information here. Bob focused on Watco
Danish oil finish, good for a thin protective coat, and
Minwax Wipe-on Poly, very good for a protective
coat with resistance to water spotting, but it shows
scratches and you cannot do spot repairs. Besides
discussing the pros and cons of these finishes, Bob
also discussed the proper uses of an orbital sander,
making and using a pad to apply finishes and the use
of fillers on wood.
Once again, I sat through two of Jim Heavey’s discussions and two by Roland Johnson. These were
different seminars than the ones they did in Baltimore
and I actually sat through the same presentations two
times on different days. It was interesting to hear Jim
and Roland discuss their views on different glues that
they use. Both speakers focused on TiteBond, but also
mentioned that these were just example brands and
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 20
March 2016
that there were others with similar properties. Jim
had, over time, migrated to primarily Titebond III,
with its water resistance and longer set time. Roland,
on the other hand, primarily used Titebond I Original
because of its solubility with water and the ease of
removing glue spots and stains with white vinegar.
Each also mentioned glue line color, strength and other factors, but both primarily had selected one type
to use and were sticking to that one. Of course, that
didn’t rule out the use of other adhesives for special
cases, such as CA glue and hide glue.
Roland also did a seminar on scrapers that I found
very informative. Hand scraper are one of my favor-
ite tools, because of their ability to smooth and put a
fine finish on surfaces. Roland presented an excellent sharpening method for each type of scraper and I
have since tried the process. It worked very well and
only takes about 1 ½ minutes to completely sharpen
a scraper.
All in all, I thought both the Baltimore and the
Chantilly shows were well worth the time to attend. I
do hope that next year, the Chantilly show will have
more space so that we can participate. I spoke briefly
with the Woodworking Shows and he said he was
planning on being back here next year. WWG
I have also asked some of the other members
who attended the show to add their comments.
Dave Heller
I haven’t been to one in several years but they
sure haven’t changed much. There seemed to be good
deals on offer, and it was nice to be able to check out
some tools in person. The classes were well attended. I’m not sure what I was hoping to see that wasn’t
there, but after two hours I was ready to leave. We
went over to Dunlap afterwards and Daniel gave a
very nice tour to the guys from Charlottesville that I
was with.
Myra Haley
• I always attend the Jim Heavy lectures (from
Wood Magazine). He covers basic woodworking
topics (different topics every year). He's amusing and a bit of an iconoclast about some of the
sacred cows of woodworking which I get a kick
out of. Always interesting and worthwhile.
• Also I always stop by the Lee Valley booth mostly to drool. The guys there are friendly and
let me play with their (very expensive) toys. I've
bought several of their tools (lower price range)
and am thinking about a dovetail saw. Still not
sure I deserve one of their planes.
• And another ritual of mine is to go to the
Peachtree booths. It's a great place to stock up
on basics (sandpaper, glues, etc.) and not have to
pay shipping.
• The Woodworking Show has be to the best value
in all of woodworking. The number and quality
of the lectures alone are worth way more than the
cost of admission.
• Fingers crossed that they will be back again next
year in Chantilly.
Jim McMichael
I thought the Baltimore show was vastly better
than the Chantilly show, and I think it was because
of the limited space in Chantilly. Both had good educational opportunities from nationally known woodworkers. I was amazed at the huge number of middle
aged men strolling around the Chantilly show, and
wonder why they don't belong to the guild. I thought
the Chantilly show was on the border of being a flea
market. The vendors in the back that took up all that
space with their junk should be kept in the corner
with a curtain around them. Both shows had value,
but the Baltimore show was way better in terms of
exhibitors. Maybe the junk dealers were less obvious
there.
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 21
March 2016
Tool
Review
StopLossBag
Jim McMichael -- A couple of meetings ago, I
brought in a couple of StopLoss Bags to show, and
to share my experience using them. I just love these
things. All I do is pour in up to a quart of finish into a
bag, squeeze the air out, and put on the cap. I have had
some varnish, shellac, water based finish and paint in
these bags, and have had fresh material every time I
need it. All I do is pour out what I need and put the
cap back.
The bags cost about $4.50 each, less if you buy
multiples, but I think that they pay for themselves
the first time you open a can of finish and see some
Tool:
Street Price:
Website:
Stop Loss Bags
$4.50 (02/23/16)
stoplossbags.com
skinned over liquid. Another plus is that you can see
what settles out of solution, and if needs mixing, just
shake or kneed the bag.
One downside is that you may lose the label from
the can since some of the labels are actually printed
on the can, but you can write on the bag with a Sharpie. Since I showed these at the meeting, I noticed that
the company published updated stability data at 18
months Oil-based polyurethane 99.84% of original
composition. Salad bowl finish (oil-based) 99.63% of
original composition. WWG
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 22
March 2016
The Classifieds
For Sale: Drafting Table
Contact:
Phone:
Email:
used to decorate the top - the pattern is from a Mondrian painting.
The desk is finished with Danish oil. There are four
book shelves on the right side: two face the front, two
face the side. The bottom shelves are 15.5” tall, sized
to accommodate unusually tall and wide architecture
or art books. The top shelves are 11” and 12.25” tall.
In 2010 I added a translucent sheet of Vyco to the
desk top to protect it, and a 42” Mayline (a parallel
edge used for drafting). These can be left on the desk
or removed (leaving six small screw holes), whichever you prefer. Measurements: 30” front to back at
the widest point, 39” tall at the front edge, 50” tall at
the back edge, 42” wide at the legs. Desk surface is
31” tall, measured on the angle x 43.5” across. More
photos are available on request.
Eileen Murphy
(443) 626-7203
emurphy.5@gmail.com
2008
Asking:
$1000.00 obo
I built this drafting desk in late 2008 during my
final year in a furniture concentration at the University of Notre Dame’s School of Architecture. It has
served me well, but I’m preparing for a move and I
need to part with it. The desk is in lightly used condition. The photo is from when it was first built and the
cherry elements (legs, cross-supports, desk top frame
and pencil catch) have darkened nicely over the years.
The desk surface is fixed in an angled position - it
is not adjustable. Walnut inlay and aniline dye were
2016
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 23
March 2016
For Sale: Various Tools
Contact:
Phone:
Email:
Rick Wall
(703) 915-2985
flwall@yahoo.com
I have been a wood worker for more than 40 years. I am not giving it up but the time has come to downsize the
collection of the tools that I have accumulated over the years. These are the ones I am starting with…I have
many more. Please email me for additional pictures or information and if you would like to be notified concerning tools that I will be selling in the near future.
• Lion Trimmer (Vintage) $125.00
Universal trimmer No. 4-Lion Machine Co.
Grand Rapids Mich.” Clean, complete and in
working condition.
• Emmert pattern makers vise
$450.00
Emmert K-1 patternmakers vise. Great working
condition w/bench bracket.
• Stanley 45 Plane
$200.00
A complete vintage combination plane with
original box. The box reflects its age but all parts
are in good condition.
• Hardwood Veneer
$0.20sqft
I also have a large quantity of hardwood veneer
(not paper backed). Cherry, figured maple,
mahogany and more that I will sell for $0.20 sqft.
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 24
March 2016
For Sale: Incra Tools
Contact:
Phone:
Email:
Gretchen Stanton
(202) 550-2413
smetchbud@gmail.com
I know they are a bit older than what is available
today but the items are all new in their boxes.
• Incra Shop Stop
• Incra TS III
$325
Table Saw Fence Includes: 92” rails, base
mounting unit, legs, extension table mounting kit,
Ultra 32 Wonder Fence
$25.00
• Incra TS2821 RT/FB with inserts
$125
YouTube Videos
Video: Frank Klausz Using His
Monster Molding Plane
Link:
bit.ly/1oxSCfz
Submitted By: Joel Jacobson
Video: Toddler Names Over 75 Shop Tools
Link:
bit.ly/1PSVBZf
Submitted By: Joel Jacobson
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 25
March 2016
Editors Note: We’ve been recieving emails from people in the community looking for help/design/fabrication of something
they want made. There has been enough traffic that we’ve decided to add a new section to our newsletter, Works 4 Hire. The
potential clients were asked to describe thier project inorder to give you an understanding of what they are looking for. If thier
project is something in your wheelhouse please contact them directly. Afterwards please let us know about yor experience and
if this is something we should continue to post. Thank you and have a great day, Eric Carr
Works 4 Hire: Mobile Pegboard Crafts Cabinet
Contact:
Phone:
Email:
Rachelle Hardy
(202) 746-2405
rachelle.hardy@gmail.com
Type of Project
First choice of cabinet is in a screen layout with four
panels ( \/\/ ). Second choice is a four-panel book layout ( \\// ). Each panel would be framed by wood and
have casters at the bottom of the 2’ side. When closed
there would be 2-3 fasteners that would keep the cabinet from opening up when being moved. Preferably at
least one fastener would be padlock-able.
Specify Size
Each pegboard/panel is 2’ x 4’. If in the screen format,
the length would be over 8’ when unfolded.
Describe the Materials
I have already purchased the four pegboards. The
framing materials can be oak/oak veneer or another
sturdy light colored wood. The thickness of the framing wood could be 1/2” to 1”. The framing would
2-3” wide so that materials hanging on the pegboard
would not be crushed when folding the panels together.
Materials: Oak framing (thicker on bottom for attaching casters) clear finish on frame only, four pegboards (provided), eight panel casters, 8-12 hinges to
attach panels together, two Fasteners to secure panels
in closed position, one locking fastener that can be
padlocked.
Budget Range
From: $100.00 - To: $400.00
Other Information you think would be helpful:
I have six craft cabinets whose contents will be moved
to the mobile cabinet. I would be happy to make these
available for a discount toward project expenses. The
link is a similar unit but not exactly the same. They
were also purchased at the Container store. I have
both black and white craft cabinets. Four have 60
drawers, two have 31 drawers.
Works 4 Hire: Cabinets & Other Pieces
Contact: George at R-Home Furniture
Email:
rhomefurniture@gmail.com
Website: www.r-homefurniture.com
George is occasionaly approached by clients who want a piece of furniture that requires some custom work. He
is looking for some woodworkers who would be interested in making a cabinet or other piece. George will also
have live edge slabs of Asian hardwoods available in the near future.
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 26
Washington Woodworkers Guild Officers
Meeting Address
Goodwin House
3440 S Jefferson St,
Bailey’s Crossroads, VA 22041
Click Here for Directions
President
Jim McMichael
Vice President
Bob Kinsel
Treasurer Myra Haley
Historian
Bill Walmsley
Membership DB Admin
Barry Ingram
Wooden Word EditorEric Carr
DVD/Tape Librarian
Tim O’Hearn
Name Tag CoordinatorRichard Tilghman
Web Master
Ken Harrington
Master Craftsman Coord. Jay Christian
Projects Coordinator
Mel Montemerlo
Safety Coordinator
Bob Rogers
At-Large DirectorStu Crick
At-Large Director
Bob Kinsel
At-Large Director
Dave Heller
jcmcmichael@aol.com
kinselbob@msn.co
treasurer@washingtonwoodworkersguild.org
bwalmsley@gosps.com
barryi@ingram-us.com
editor@washingtonwoodworkersguild.org
ohearnt@verizon.net
richtilghman@msn.com
tails1st@gmail.com
jaychristian@cox.net
montemerlo@gmail.com
bobandcarolyn1@cox.net
stu@stuswoodworks.com
kinselbob@msn.com
dave@hellerandhellerfurniture.com
Program Chair, Communications Chair are Open
About the WWG
Our Members
Meetings
Since its founding in 1980 the
The Guild has over 130 active
Meetings are normally held on the
Washington Woodworkers’ Guild’s
members, eighty percent of whom
third Tuesday of the month (except
are hobbyists, with the remainder
August) at 7:30 pm at the Good-
primary goals have been the education of its members in all aspects
making a living from the craft. win House Bailey’s Crossroads in
Member skill levels vary from
Falls Church. A typical meeting
novice to professional. Member
consists of a business portion to
interests cover all types of wood-
discuss the status of the club, up-
working: furniture (modern, an-
coming events, group book & tool
tique reproduction or restoration);
purchases, and other Guild activi-
turning; carving; box making; toy
ties. The business portion of the
and model making; marquetry;
meeting is then followed by a ‘Spe-
nars by nationally known experts;
gilding; musical instrument mak-
cial Program’ highlighting some
exhibitions of members’ work;
ing; antique tool collecting; and
new aspect of woodworking for
maintenance of a woodworking
environmental health and safety.
skill enhancement and education.
of woodworking and the promotion
of interest in woodworking in the
Washington metropolitan area. Efforts toward these goals have taken
various forms: demonstrations at
monthly meetings; technical semi-
videotape library; book and tool
purchasing programs; and the publication of a semi-monthly newsletter - ‘The Wooden Word’.
Washington Woodworkers Guild
Next Meeting: March 15th
Washington Woodworkers Guild | Page 27