April, 2017 Newsletter

Our April 8 meeting was attended by 18 members and 7 guests  Un fortunately, I was not able to attend due to family commitments.  I understand that Betty Scarpino gave a great demonstration.    Her slide show at the end of her presentation which showed her trip to China for a Woodcarvers International Program was quite interesting as well.

A big Thank you to the Board Members and all others who helped with preparation for and cleanup after the program.  Also thanks to Tom Jones for hosting Betty and hosting a reception after the program

The president’s challenge for our May 13 meeting will be a full size segmented turning. 

Roger Meeker from the Detroit Area Woodturners will be doing a demonstration at our May 13 meeting.  Roger does bowls, platters, and vessels then adds color after.  He will share some of the tools and techniques he uses.  Here is his website:  http://www.woodturningsbyroger.com/index.html

Upcoming Woodworking shows:

• May 7 1^st Annual Great Lakes Woodworking festival at the Adrian Center for the Arts in Adrian, from 12PM – 6PM.
  • Robert Sobb emailed me that he has signed up for a booth. The booths are 10 x 10 and he only needs a 4 ft table.  If anyone from the club needs to get in a booth you are welcome to contact him about sharing his booth.
  • Jim Nickless wrote me: At the meeting today one of you said that if anyone was interested in doing demos at the Adrian Center for the Arts, to let you know.  I checked and I am available on May 7th.  I have two lathes that are portable enough to take to the festival.  I also have all the tables and stuff available from doing demos at Hidden Lake Gardens. At Hidden Lake, I normally mix turning gifts for kids, (whistles, tops, cup & ball games), with a demo or two on more adult items, such as ornaments, pens, etc. I try to talk to the kids, (of all ages) as much as I can to stir up interest in woodturning. 
    • Let Jim know if you have any interest
  • Erik Blom and Cletus Brooks will also have booths at the show

You’ll have the perfect chance to benefit from the collective know-how, innovation, and creative passion of turners from around the globe at   AAW’s 31st International Symposium, in Kansas City, Missouri, June 22-25, 2017.   I will be forwarding you some emails I receive from AAW

The Mid Atlantic Woodturneers Symposium is October 28 & 29 in Lancaster PA.  Here is a link to their website:  www.mawts.com

National Flag Day is June 14.  You still have time to turn flag bases that will be given to veterans at the VA Hospital in Ann Arbor.  Bring any you make to a meeting and give to Jim Nickless.  He will take them to the VA Hospital

Please consider joining AAW (The American Association of Woodturners).  This is a very valuable resource for woodturners.  Membership is $60/year and includes 6 bimonthly issues of American Woodturner. 

As I mentioned at the March meeting, AAW is offering an incentive program for new members.  During an exclusive sign up period from April 1 to June 30, new members can get their first year at the reduced rate of $30.  Go to this site to get that rate: http://tiny.cc/AAWNewGen  

I received this info recently from AAW:  Whether you are new to AAW or renewing for another year we thank you for your membership with AAW! We’d like to acquaint you with a few of the special features available to you as an AAW member.   

• •  AAW Video Source is an online tool that offers access to useful online woodturning videos prescreened by the AAW for quality content and safety. The videos are searchable by topic area and keywords, and users are invited to recommend videos for inclusion.
  •  AAW’s Video Library, offers an expanding online video collection to help to make the learning process more engaging. These videos have been pre-screened by the AAW for quality content and safety.
  • AAW’s Woodturning Calendar, offers a schedule of upcoming chapter and demonstrator events, exhibitions, classes, symposia, and more.

• The AAW Forum is a member-moderated online community ideal for sharing work and ideas, obtaining feedback, and connecting with other woodturning enthusiasts. Separate online registration is required.