Siouxland Woodworkers Meeting, Nov 19, 2009

This months meeting was held at the shop of Chuck Dorn on South Martha Street in Sioux City.  It was a good turnout and attendees were treated to pulled pork sandwiches, pop, chips & cookies.

Terry called the meeting to order at shortly after 7:00 p.m.  He spoke of the time for decorating our Christmas tree at Terra which is Saturday, November 21^st between 2:00 and 5:00 p.m.  He advised that Lucy Dennison was going to demonstrate her skills at the scroll saw. 

Several members brought items for show and tell of which there was a diverse group of things.  In no particular order, Julias Hopp showed that he had taken the core piece of a bandsaw box given to him at a prior meeting and took it to the product he showed.  It was a nice job Julias, keep it up, you’re doing great.  I regret that by the time I got my camera, the box was no longer there and I apologize.  Julias, I think members who can’t regularly make it would like to see it so if you would bring it to the next meeting, I want to get a picture to post to our site.

Denny Luft has become a master at cranking out Tsuami bandsaw boxes and this evening, he showed everyone a walnut one he had made which he is donating to the tree.  Many people understand clearly how much work goes into the finished product and is normal with Dennis, he takes no shortcuts.  It’s a beautiful piece and the club appreciates the generous offer.

Allan Petersen showed his creation for this year.  In typical Allan style, he created a barn in the same vein as last years doll house.  The bright red barn sported walnut shingles and tight fitting hayloft doors.  Allan’s’ attention to detail and time necessary leaves little doubt that his bright creations sitting under the tree certainly aid in our always taking top honors (behind Chanel 9 and their Oprah tickets of course).

Dave Attrill showed some things he brought with one being an urn turning for the Precocious Angles.  It was done so well, that a few members (including myself) attempted to remove the top which of course couldn’t be done as it was an integral part of the urn.    He also made a couple of square ones that were very nice.  They were also conclusive evidence that Ron and Red haven’t completely taken him yet.  He also made a routed dish with laminated wood in the shape of a Christmas tree.  He put some chocolate pieces in it and set it out – it was very nice and a great holiday idea.

Ron Ericksen brought in some turnings of Christmas tree ornaments with incredibly finite finials.  As typical of Ron, they look paper thin and the finish is always immaculate.  There is little doubt that these will certainly draw attention on the tree. 

Ray Sturdevant brought two white oak end tables that he made.  They sported through mortises that were precisely cut and had beautiful veneers that accented the quartersawn solid pieces.  He advised that the design came from his head and this was impressive because the arcs were very graceful and transitioned well into the lower shelf and mortise areas.  I personally thought it was “Mission” and while Ray said it could easily be mistaken, it is actually Arts and Crafts.  He was probably just being nice, but the tables were beautiful and it took allot of effort to bring them in for show and tell.  Thanks Ray.

While not a finished product, Don Dorn has been working on a different method of hand cutting dovetails.  Very fine pins is the goal and he showed the group his attempts at achieving this.  The ultimate goal is a pin fine enough with the top of the pin being only wide enough to accommodate the saw kerf. 

Lucy Dennison brought some scroll saw angels for the tree and is normal for her work, has detail that immediately draws your eyes and your wonder of “how did she do that”?  In addition to the work, the paint work in these fine ornaments was very details and well done.  They also will quickly draw eyes to our tree.  Fortunately for us, Terry brought a scroll saw and Lucy cranked it up and showed us how she does her work.  It drew quite a crowd and she soon had produced very small Christmas trees and other items that showcased her ability to work with such fine detail.  She advised as to blades she commonly uses with a #5 being at the top of the list.  She said for extra fine work, she goes less than that.  She passed around a packet of blades that left a couple members wondering about their size as it appeared on the large size – until they discovered it was a packet of 12.  Lucy said that such blades are fine enough that to determine the direction of the teeth is sometimes accomplished only by feeling them.  It was a good demonstration – thank you Lucy.

The next meeting will be held at Pizza Ranch which is our Christmas party.  The time and date is forthcoming.  Please try to attend the Christmas tree decorating event at Terra if you can on Saturday the 21^st of November between 2:00 and 5:00 p.m..  It’s a fun time and a nice “get together”.

 Click on the picture to get the big picture.