NEWSLETTER Volume 33, Issue 3 March, 2015

Calendar of Events IN THIS ISSUE Calendar of Events – Page 1 March 2015 Date Time Event February Program Photos – Page 2 - 4 Mar 3 6:30PM Hand Tool SIG FVWWC Officers and Committees – Page 5 (Tues) Mar 3 6:30PM ShopSmith SIG Hand-Cut Dovetail Workshop – Page 6 (Tues) Workshop – Page 6 Mar 3 7:30PM FVWWC General Coopering Class– Page 7 (Tues) Meeting Shaving Horse Class – Page 8 Mar 18 9:00AM FVWWC Breakfast

Shop Tours – Page 9 - 10 (Wed) Club Red Apple Silent Auction – Page 10 Restaurant 414 S. Schmale Rd Library Notes – Page 11

President’s Message – Page 12 Howard’s Corner – Page 13 April 2015 Editor’s Woodfiller – Page 14 Date Time Event Show and Tell – Page 15 April 7 6:30PM Hand Tool SIG (Tues) For Sale – Page 16 - 17 April 7 6:30pm Scroll SIG Special Interest Groups – Page 18 (Tues) April 7 7:30PM FVWWC General (Tues) Meeting March 3 Program April 15 9:00AM FVWWC Breakfast Bowl from a Board (Wed) Club Red Apple David Bettinghaus Restaurant 414 S. Schmale Rd

Howard’s Corner rd 2015 March 3 Meeting FVWWC - PO BOX 1041 - BATAVIA, IL 60510-1041 1 http://www.fvwwc.org - [email protected] and other filing and sanding devices – see them demoed.

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February 3 Program

Our Hand Tool SIG organized a great demo night for hand tools. They had 10 demo areas set up and covered everything from sharpening to tool techniques, , and much more. Plenty of time for questions and sharing of ideas. Well done guys!

2015 FVWWC - PO BOX 1041 - BATAVIA, IL 60510-1041 2 http://www.fvwwc.org - [email protected]

February 3 Program Hand Tool Demos

2015 FVWWC - PO BOX 1041 - BATAVIA, IL 60510-1041 3 http://www.fvwwc.org - [email protected]

February 3 Program Hand Tool Demos

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FVWWC Officers & Staff FVWWC Special Interest Groups

President: Tom Sharp Shopsmith Dave Dockstader [email protected] SIG Chair: (630) 851-8118

Vice President: Mike Brady Scrollsaw Dave Dockstader [email protected] SIG Chair: (630) 851-8118

Treasurer: Doug Pfaff Hand Tool SIG Mike Brady [email protected] Chairmen: [email protected]

Mike Bridger Secretary: Steve Fox [email protected] [email protected]

Program Committee: Dave Burk [email protected] 2015 Membership Renewal Membership: Mike Nowak

Dues for 2015 can be paid as usual at the Director of Communication / general meetings – just see Mike Nowak at Webmaster: John Gesiakowski his table before the meeting or during break. [email protected] Dues are still $30 per individual which includes the whole family. Just a reminder - Resources Chair: Dave Dockstader our by-laws require payment of dues by [email protected] February 15. Members unpaid after that time

Show Chairman: Keith Rosche are removed from membership rolls and mailing lists.

Member-at-Large: Mike Madden It’s not too late to get back in good standing. If you are unable to pay in person, or forgot your checkbook, mail in your dues. Print out Newsletter Editor: Lee Nye the membership form from our website: [email protected]

Raffles: Gail Madden http://www.foxvalleywoodworkers.com/Docum Norm Musur ents/MemCard_11_Online.pdf

Photographer: Tyler Sondergaard Mail it in: FVWWC Membership Chair Show & Tell MC: Rich Russel PO Box 1041 Batavia, IL 60510-1041 Audio/Visual Tech: Dave Burk Make your checks payable to the Fox Shop Tour Chair Dan Jarodsky Valley Club. Host: Gail Madden

2015 FVWWC - PO BOX 1041 - BATAVIA, IL 60510-1041 5 http://www.fvwwc.org - [email protected]

HAND-CUT DOVETAIL WORKSHOP The first workshop of the club’s education initiative will be accepting sign-ups at the March meeting. The full-day class will be Hand-cut Dovetails for the Beginning and Intermediate Student. The class will be held at member Mike Brady’s shop in Batavia in the March-April time frame, on an agreed-upon Saturday. Participation in this first class will be limited to three students due to the hands-on format. The assumption is that the student is serious about learning this important skill, and there will be a fee for the class and prerequisite tools. Mike will be available at 7pm before the March meeting with a detailed list of cost, tools required, and what you can expect from the class. If demand warrants, another session of the class can be scheduled.

Marquetry Workshop with Larry Ciesla

We have arranged for Larry Ciesla, who presented Italian Marquetry at the May General Meeting, to conduct a two day workshop for FVWWC. By the end of this workshop you’ll understand how to work with veneer, select veneer, create the cartoon, create a packet ready for scroll-sawing, cutout the packet, sand-shade the pieces to create a three dimensional effect, glue and press the image, and how to remove the veneer tape and prepare the work for final assembly into your project.

The workshop will be held at Larry’s workshop in Yorkville. It is scheduled to be held on Saturday, April 25 and Sunday April 26, 2015. Space requires a limit this to no more than six students; also we are asking that if possible you bring your with.

Details:

What: Beginning Marquetry Workshop

When: Saturday April 25 and Sunday April 26, 2015.

Where: Larry’s shop in Yorkville

Class Size: 6

Cost: $35.00 for materials, veneer, etc.

Full information will be provided at the meeting.

Sign up will be at the General Meetings, although the class is limited to 6, we will work with Larry to schedule another session if there is enough interest. You must be a paid up member to register.

2015 FVWWC - PO BOX 1041 - BATAVIA, IL 60510-1041 6 http://www.fvwwc.org - [email protected]

Coopering Class

COURSE DESCRIPTION: A is best known as a barrel maker, but the local 19th century cooper made household items like buckets, tubs, butter churns and other containers made of staves and hoops. This class will teach you the same hand woodworking skills as the coopers of the old world and revolutionary America. The students will learn and do all the steps of making a cedar bucket and go home with a completed bucket. No prior woodworking is necessary but it will be helpful.

Class Schedule: Thursday, April 23 – 6:00 to 9:00 pm Saturday, April 25 – 8:00 to Noon

Thursday, April 30 – 6:00 to 9:00 pm Saturday, May 2 – 8:00 to Noon

Class Fee: $179

Contact Arnold Bandstra (815) 481-1442 Class held in my fully equipped shop – Ottawa, IL

2015 FVWWC - PO BOX 1041 - BATAVIA, IL 60510-1041 7 http://www.fvwwc.org - [email protected]

Shaving Horse Class

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

The shaving horse is a basic “” for shaping with a draw knife or spoke shave. There are various styles and variations that are seen in illustrations of the 15th and 16th century. Students in this class will make the German/Swiss dumbhead style (German schnitzelbank). This design is adjustable to fit the individual woodworker. Shaving horses were used by various tradesmen including coopers, bodgers (chair makers) and bowyers (hunting bow makers). It is still a useful tool for the modern woodworker to work on pieces that otherwise are awkward to position in a vice. Woodworkers who have taken or will take a coopering or Windsor chair class will want to make their own shaving horse.

Class Schedule: Thursday, March 19 – 6:00 to 9:00 pm Saturday, March 21 – 8:00 to Noon

Thursday, March 26 – 6:00 to 9:00 pm Saturday, March 28 – 8:00 to Noon

Class Fee: $179

Contact Arnold Bandstra (815) 481-1442 Class held in my fully equipped shop – Ottawa, IL

2015 FVWWC - PO BOX 1041 - BATAVIA, IL 60510-1041 8 http://www.fvwwc.org - [email protected]

Shop Tours

Under Consideration for March 2015

 Milwaukee Woodworking Show

Date: March 13-15, 2015 (we would go on Sat. the 14th). Location: Wisconsin Expo Center Hall C 8200 West Greenfield Ave., West Allis, WI 53214 Transportation: The idea was to rent a bus, van or other and share the expense.

 Lie Nielsen Event Date: March 20-21, 2015 (we would go on Sat. the 21st). Location: J Miller Handcrafted Furniture, 1774 W. Lunt Avenue, Chicago, IL 60626 Event Cost: None Transportation: The idea would be to car pool and share the expense. Lunch before program: TBD

Under Consideration for April 2015

 Old Tool Sales and Swap Meet Date: 8:00 am to Noon, Saturday, April 11, 2015. Location: TBD - Ref: Parking lot of a local hardware store or yard. Cost: None Transportation: None to be provided or organized by the FVWWC. Lunch afterwards: TBD

 Shaker furniture exhibit at Loyola University Suggestion my Mike Brady, E-mailed to me 12-17-14 Reference: http://www.luc.edu/luma/exhibitions/upcomingexhibitions/orderinallthingscommunityandidentityinshakerarchitecture.shtml Date: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday, April 11, 2015 (exhibition ends April 26, 2015) Location: Loyola University Museum of Art, 820 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611, Phone: 312.915.7600 Cost: General Admission: $8, Seniors (65 and over): $6 Transportation: None to be provided by the FVWWC. The idea would be to car pool and share the expense or take the train into Chicago. Lunch before program: TBD Note: If this is selected I will try to set up a tour for use.

Under Consideration for May 2015  Jeff’s Shop, Phone: 630-365-9488 Date: May 9, 2015 Location: Elburn, IL 60626 Event Cost: None Transportation: None to be provided or organized by the FVWWC. Lunch afterwards: TBD

2015 FVWWC - PO BOX 1041 - BATAVIA, IL 60510-1041 9 http://www.fvwwc.org - [email protected]

Under Consideration for June 2015  Frank Lloyd Wright’s facilities in Date: June 6, 2015 Location: Spring Green, WI Event Cost: TBD Transportation: The idea was to rent a bus, van or other and share the expense. Note: If this is selected I will try to set up a tour for use. Lunch afterwards: TBD

Under Consideration for July 2015  Train Museum Date: June 6, 2015 Location: Union, IL Event Cost: TBD Transportation: The idea was to rent a bus, van or other and share the expense. Note: If this is selected I will try to set up a tour for use. Lunch afterwards: TBD

Under Consideration for August or September 2015  Weekend Seminar – Mike Brady organizing Date: TBD Location: TBD Event Cost: TBD Transportation: None to be provided or organized by the FVWWC. Lunch: TBD

If you have any questions, tour request or if you would like to host a shop tour please let me know.

Dan Jarodsky, Shop Tours Coordinator 6N467 Barton Drive, St. Charles, IL 60175 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 630-803-7566

File: FVWWC-Tours-2015-141218

Silent Auction

One of the ways FVWWC raises funds for our programming and awards is via the items donated for the silent auction table. While many of us are notorious packrats, at some point you have to give in and clean out your stash of unneeded woodworking tools, wood, and other supplies. That way you can free up room to get more stuff! So, get on the ball and dig through your workshop shelves, toolboxes, and cabinets for items someone else might want. It’s a three way win – you get more space, the club gets some cash, and the buyer gets something he needs

Norm Musur and Gail Madden – Raffles and Silent Auction

2015 FVWWC - PO BOX 1041 - BATAVIA, IL 60510-1041 10 http://www.fvwwc.org - [email protected]

March is a good month for shop maintenance. The library can help you with that. For those of you who don’t know, the club owns a Doctor that can be used to sharpen drill bits. You can check it out just like you check out books or disks. The only caveat is that you have to reserve it a month in advance or coordinate with the librarian by phone so the he can remember to bring it to the meeting. If your drill battery goes dead trying to drill a ¼” hole through a 2X4, you might want to borrow this and sharpen up your bits. We also have a DVD in the library that shows you how to use it.

The club also owns a Work Sharp 3000 that is available. This won’t sharpen your drill bits, but it does an amazing job on , blades, and lathe tools. You can’t do a fingernail grind on your bowl gouges, but you can sharpen everything else. Just like the Drill Doctor, you either have to reserve it a month in advance or coordinate with the librarian to bring it to the meeting. No one has checked this out yet, so we have a DVD that shows you how to unbox it as well as set it up and use it.

FYI – the librarian’s phone number is (630) 851-8118.

The one caveat with these tools is that they can only be checked out for one month. Unlike books and DVDs, the librarian will haunt you if they are not returned on time.

Dave Dockstader 630-851-8118 [email protected]

2015 FVWWC - PO BOX 1041 - BATAVIA, IL 60510-1041 11 http://www.fvwwc.org - [email protected]

President’s Tom Sharp, President FVWWC The editorial musings of your president which maybe serious, funny, technical, or philosophical, but hopefully always entertaining.

Mini-Workshops are on their way!

I’m excited! I think one of our newest board members, Dan Jarodsky, has given us a great idea to cultivate and grow. The idea is to have mini-workshops. They give us the opportunity to learn a new skill, to get to know our fellow club members better, and to share some expertise we may have with others. What could be better?

At the upcoming meeting, there will be more information. There are already ideas for courses and persons to provide them. Currently these topics include making puzzles, doing mortise and tenons with a and mortiser, sharpening, hand cut dovetails, CNC routing, and finishing. You will be asked what other topics you would like to attend if they were provided as well. This is the perfect opportunity to get that little skill you always wanted but didn’t have yet, can I say (cliché intended), added to your tool box.

I believe there is no better way to learn a woodworking skill than to have someone that is enthused about the craft teaching you in a small group. Having the tools right there, seeing the task actually performed while it is being explained, and being able to then do it yourself is a time honored method of learning. Even if you know how to do it, you are bound to come away with a little tip or secret you didn’t know before.

Another great benefit is being able to hang out with fellow members. It is worth repeating that the camaraderie and friendship we have and can develop is a key reason to belong to our club. There are so many club members that I want to know better. These mini-workshops give me the opportunity to do just that.

A lot of us like to share our knowledge. Wanting to give information that we have on a subject is a natural human desire. Being the instructor for a mini-workshop is the perfect outlet. Having the experience and skill that many of our members have channeled to those that are eager to learn is a balanced equation for these events being a success. Everybody wins.

Did I mention that I think these are going to be fun? No need to travel to a distant wood school and pay a big tuition. These workshops are going to be in our back yard, involve people we already know, and allow us to get some sawdust on our clothes (unless they are at Bill Schwartz’s shop – see last newsletter).

So, get ready. Think of what you would like to participate in so you can tell us at the next meeting. Also put some thought into what topic you may present. For this to work we need instructors as well as participants. I can’t wait to see how the list of offerings will grow. Involving ourselves in these mini-workshops is going to make all of us better woodworkers. (See Page 6 for information on our first planned mini-workshop.)

2015 FVWWC - PO BOX 1041 - BATAVIA, IL 60510-1041 12 http://www.fvwwc.org - [email protected]

Howard's Corner with Howard Van Valzah Aka: The Woodorker

This week I delivered the unique table I built for our church. It was on display at a club meeting a few months ago and I received no favorable or unfavorable comments from club members. Last Sunday at church at least twenty people commented how nice it looked. What was the difference? After the club meeting I started to rework the shellac finish that I had put on quickly the night before showing it. It was not smooth to touch and not uniform in application and all our woodworkers were unable to see anything good about it, and I don't blame them. And they were kind enough not to point it out because I'm sure they knew I could do better.

I tried to "do over" the shellac finish and soon learned it was not going to work. The clear water based finish I chose to use exposed all the weaknesses in the shellac coloring. I had rubbed out seven coats of the water based finish before I could see there was no hope for it to hide the result even though it felt very good to the touch. Out came the sanders and started over. The seven coat finish seemed to burn itself into the and built up enough hard scuzz to stop the paper from doing its job. I trashed about twenty 6" discs before I was through.

When it was all done with seven rubbed down clear coats everyone who touched it, and everyone does, now thought it was a fine work of art. They noticed the wood and commented on the walnut and silver and interestingly one person was surprised some of it was walnut because it was so light colored. The answer to that is that walnut new growth is very white and the point where old and new join all around the tree the colors mix a bit before they draw a clear demarcation line, and that's what this person saw.

The Moral of the Story is that a poor finish can destroy a lot of hard work. Expensive wood can't save it but will glorify the project when finished properly. I often say that you can't spend too much money on fine wood. It will always give you your money's worth as long as you finish it well. The finish I use is from General Finishes and is called Pre-cat Urethane. Don't look for it in stores because it has been dropped from their product line. It is primarily a spray finish but I put it on this time with brush and it worked OK. I needed another quart but could not locate it anywhere. I called the factory and talked to the lady who gave a talk at the club not too long ago and she found a quart in their stock room and sent it to me no charge. How about that!

2015 FVWWC - PO BOX 1041 - BATAVIA, IL 60510-1041 13 http://www.fvwwc.org - [email protected]

Leaded or Unleaded?

My current furniture project is an Arts and Crafts style cabinet intended to be a sideboard in our kitchen eating area. The piece was designed by Michael Pekovich and published in a Fine Woodworking Magazine article (March – April 2010). While my wife is not a woodworker, she peruses FWW mags to find projects she likes and she chose this one a few years ago. I have finally gotten around to it. It is a not an original Stickley design, but looks like it could have been – quartersawn white , exposed though joinery, stained brown finish, and the rustic hardware. But the feature that really caught Marcia’s eye was the leaded-glass doors. The woodworking part of the project looked to be fun and not too big of a challenge. I admit, however, the leaded-glass doors had me worried. I have never done leaded-glass and have had very mixed results just cutting glass. So, I was pleased to see a FWW video with Pekovich demonstrating the steps in making the glass doors. But my anxiety increased even more after watching the video. The process seems to be pretty involved to me – cutting 16 pieces of glass to fairly precise dimensions, stretching the lead channels (kind of like pulling taffy), cutting and soldering the lead, and smearing on some kind of cement to solidify the whole assembly. Another problem was the fragility of the whole leaded-glass structure – thin 1/8 inch window glass held together with somewhat flexible lead channels. I started imagining my 1 ½ year old granddaughter running up to the doors, breaking the glass and getting injured. Even if I paid an artisan to fabricate the leaded-glass, I would not be satisfied.

I began to look for alternative solutions on the internet, where else? I found one blog about simulating a lead glass window in a home using adhesive strips that give a leaded-glass effect. The article suggested that craft stores might carry such a product. Unfortunately, Hobby Lobby’s product was simple thin dark tape – it might be decorative on glass, but it did not look very authentic to me. More searching on the web led to a product called Vitrail. This is real lead strip about ¼ inch wide and about 1/16th thick with an adhesive backing. A local art supply store called Blicks carried it. I purchased some stronger ¼ inch thick glass (one single pane per door) and gave it a try. I think the result looks pretty good and I am not worried about it being a hazard to the small children or large dogs that frequently visit our house. Lee

2015 FVWWC - PO BOX 1041 - BATAVIA, IL 60510-1041 14 http://www.fvwwc.org - [email protected]

SHOW AND TELL

Mike Madden

Arnie Bandstra

Don Carkhuff

Jeff Smith

Party Photos by Tyler Sondergaard

2015 FVWWC - PO BOX 1041 - BATAVIA, IL 60510-1041 15 http://www.fvwwc.org - [email protected]

FOR SALE

FVWWC.ORG Website Classified Ads

Just a reminder that anyone can visit our website and view classified ads of your woodworking items for sale. Members can post ads to the website by emailing the text to our webmaster at [email protected] Feel free to include a digital photo or two of the item(s). Once the ad is posted, members who login to the website can edit or delete their classified ads. If you have posted an ad in the past for an item that has been sold, please login and delete the old item. In an effort to keep the Classified Ads current, John Gesiakowski will be emailing everyone who has something listed in the classifieds. Please review the item(s) you have listed and email back letting him know if the item is available or sold. If he does not hear back from you by 2/27/2015, he will remove the ad.

In the future classified ads will be deleted after 90 days unless you request an extension.

John Gesiakowski Director of Communications / Webmaster

GIVE KIDS AN EDUCATION, YOU GET A DRUM SANDER. Mark Miller a Glen Ellyn based furniture/cabinet maker and a generous friend to greater Chicago woodworking clubs is selling a Performax 22-44 drum sander with very few hours of use. The machine is in great condition and Mark hopes to sell it for $1000.

THE BEST PART OF THE STORY. Mark travels to Montana every year to volunteer at the De La Salle Blackfeet School - http://www.dlsbs.org/ - volunteering to share his skills with interested students to further woodworking as well as provide some of these students with education that can lead toward opportunity in the trades.

THE GREAT PART OF THE STORY. Every penny of the sale will go to the De La Salle Blackfeet School! So if you’ve been warming up to a drum sander (great and very useful tool, I have that model myself) help Mark help these kids and add a great tool to your shop. Bill Hochmuth

If there are any questions, offers or comments Mark can be reached at [email protected] or (630) 363-6430

2015 FVWWC - PO BOX 1041 - BATAVIA, IL 60510-1041 16 http://www.fvwwc.org - [email protected]

FOR SALE

1 X 12 available

I have about 1000 board feet of 1 x 12, Ponderosa Pine. Lengths from 46.5” to 96”. Used for shelving in basement of retail business. Absolutely clean & dry. From early 1960s. Price is $1.25 board foot. A great price.

John Blum 224-558-7189 cell In Elgin off Randall

2015 FVWWC - PO BOX 1041 - BATAVIA, IL 60510-1041 17 http://www.fvwwc.org - [email protected]

FVWWC ShopSmith SIG March 3, 2015

The ShopSmith SIG normally meets every third month, our next meeting will be March 3rd, 2015 at 6:30pm in Room M111 of the Ministry Center. Dave will be showing off his new infeed/outfeed table as originally designed and built by Al Johns. If you own or are interested in learning about the ShopSmith, please stop in. Join us and share your ShopSmith experience and find out what the rest of us have been up to with our machines.

Dave Dockstader

Hand Tool SIG Scroll Saw SIG March 3, 2015 April 7, 2015

The Hand Tool SIG meets, January through The next Scroll Saw SIG November, at 6:30 pm, before meeting will be Tuesday, April the regular meeting at Bethany 7th, 2015, at 6:30pm prior to Lutheran in the lower conference room. Anyone interested in the the club meeting in Room use of hand tools is welcome to M111 of the Ministry Center. join us for discussion of this fascinating area of Due to the snow and lack of woodworking. We will learn by sharing the attendees in February, the program has been experiences of using and caring for traditional delayed and we will be talking about making hand tools. woven baskets on the scroll saw. Get your

degree in basic basketry on the scroll saw. See

you there. Hope to see you there!

Mike Brady Dave Dockstader [email protected] 630-851-8118 Mike Bridger [email protected] [email protected]

2015 FVWWC - PO BOX 1041 - BATAVIA, IL 60510-1041 18 http://www.fvwwc.org - [email protected]

Fox Valley Woodworkers Club General Meetings held at: Bethany Lutheran Church 8 S Lincoln St. - Batavia, IL On the 1st Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm Doors Open at 6:30 p.m. Visitors Always Welcome!

FVWWC Website http://www.fvwwc.org

Next Meeting – March 3, 2015 Bowl from a Board David Bettinghaus

2015 FVWWC - PO BOX 1041 - BATAVIA, IL 60510-1041 19 http://www.fvwwc.org - [email protected]