Newsletter Editor: Keith Zimmerman   Website: CentralIllinoisWoodturners.com   October 2007   Volume 10, number 10

The October meeting of the Central Illinois Woodturners was held at Woodcraft in Peoria on Monday, October 8th, 2007. There were 31 members in attendance this month. We want to welcome Al Kerley and Hod Bailey to the club as new members.

The next meeting will be November 12th at Millworks in Bloomington. There will be a demo on color and high gloss finishing by Dwight Crane. The President's Challenge for November is a thin bowl, if the bowl is 6" or less, the thicknes should be 1/16" or less.

Terry Quiram reviewed the income & expenses for the month. He also reported that we now haave 62 paid members. Anyone wanting to pay dues can mail them to Terry Quiram, POB 168, Roanoke IL, 61561.

A new club membership officer was proposed and approved. Duties will include maintaining a membership list with dues information, a sign in sheet for guests/visitors, etc. An election for the position will be held at the November meeting.

Dick Coers brought up that November 10th is “Freedom Pen Day” and suggested that we should bring any donation pens to the Turning Saturday event.

Jerry Rhoads will send out an email with a Craft Supplies close out list. Items may not be listed on the Craft Supplies web site so you will have to call if you are interested in any items. The list can be seen here.

Jerry will also send out information about a discount program being offered by Hartville tools. This is a discount program of up to 20% for club members and a 3% return to the club. Your name must be on their list for you to qualify. Please let Jerry know if you want to participate by sending him your address. At least 20 names are needed. Hartville promises not to give your contact information to anyone. The information can be read here.

Jerry Sievers reports that Roy Underhill will be at the upcoming Grand Detour festival near Dixon, Illinois.

Turning Saturday – Dennis Belcher reminded everyone that Turning Saturday is Saturday November 10th at Woodcraft in Peoria. Day begins with introductory remarks at 8:45 and runs until 5:00. Should be a day packed with wood shavings and a great deal of education.

Paid registrations are now at 45. At this point the number of people has exceeded our original estimate of 40 attendees. The difference appears to be turners who are not club members and are new to turning. While the club as a whole is about 15% new turners, the registration for Turning Saturday is running about 33% newbie sessions. This has resulted in some of the class sizes being a little larger than anticipated. Our intent is to recruit additional assistants for those sessions where the instructors are clearly indicating that help is needed.

Additional assistants are most need in; Introduction to Turning, Turn a Bowl, Hollow Vessels, Christmas Ornaments and Skew. Please contact Dennis Belcher at DennisM@Mtco.com or 444-5492 if you are able to help in any of these sessions.

We have also adjusted to the number of registrations by adding an Open Lathe session at 3:30. This session is for individuals that would like a little more one on one time. Again we could use an additional assistant for this session.

As a reminder, paid registratants prior to November 1 will receive a Turning Saturday Tee-Shirt. Registrants after November 1 will not. Lots going on November 10th. Not to mention the prizes to be given away.

See the current session schedule here.

Apple and Pork Festival – Jerry Sievers reported that he, Roger Alexander and Bob Adam demonstrated Saturday and he was there on Sunday. Attendance at the festival was in the range of 50K to 70K this year. Security was very good at night. The shed was locked and there was roving security.

At he end of his discussion, Jerry showed some photos he took of a “great wheel lathe” he saw at the Lincoln Log Cabin festival. It looks to be an amazing piece of old-time machinery.

CIW logo T-shirts - There are nine XL T-shirts available for $10. They are left over from the fall 2006. Contact Dave Kraft if you are interested in one.

Anchor seal is available to club members at $10 per gallon. Contact Terry Quiram in you need some.

In this month's raffles, Dave Lee won a gift certificate from Craft Supplies, Jack O’Byran won a large maple blank, and Tom Tonozzi won a thin parting tool made by Terry Quiram.

Sugar Grove Nature Center The Fall festival is Oct. 20, 2007. They definitely want us to demo again this year. There may be an issue with being under the shelter. Jerry Rhoads will be talking to the festival coordinator. Contact Jerry if you are interested in participating.

Woodcraft has confirmed December 8 as the date for the Top-a-ton - Start turning tops for the top-a-thon in December. Other items for the children’s home Christmastime gifts can be brought to the Top-a-thon for drop off.

Dave Kraft reports that Jimmy Clewes is not available for next year. He did state that Duane Leach from the Central Indiana Chapter of the American Association of Woodturners will be our educational event scheduled for April 26th, 2008.

Committee Members: (Dave Kraft – Chair, Mary Fairfield, Mike Haskell)

Dec. 8 Top-a-thon at Woodcraft in Peoria
Jan. 14 Meeting at Millworks in Bloomington - Program: Tool and material swap & sale
Feb. 11 Meeting at Woodcraft in Peoria - Program: Roger Buss will tell us about his trip to Peru
Mar. 10 Meeting at Millworks in Bloomington - Program: Keith Zimmerman will demo a mini vase
Apr. 14 Meeting at Woodcraft in Peoria - Program: Dave Lee will give a demonstration on inlace

The 2008 AAW Symposium will be in Richmond, VA and will run June 20 - 22.

  

This month's demo was done by Bob Adam, who did a dry run of his presentation he was going to do at the Ohio Valley Woodturner’s symposium the following weekend. His subject was about making bottlestoppers and jewelry. Bob talked about his methods for using both silicon and stainless steel stoppers, enhancing the blanks by laminating contrasting woods to the blank, and insetting small disks of contrasting wood into the top of the blank. He discussed sources and showed us a few techniques. He also discussed and demonstrated turning pendants with contrasting inset disks. Here is an accompanying document Bob supplied about some of the topics he discussed.