May 20, 2023:
PAW General Meeting May 20th, 2023
Prescott Area Woodturners met at the YEI building, 6708 Corsair in the Prescott Airpark on Saturday May 20, 2023.
President Mark Oglesby called the meeting to order at 12:00 p.m. He welcomed all 38 members in attendance and 1 on Zoom. Those 38 in-person members consumed the whole box of cookies that Jay brought, and a pan and a half of Ginny O’Brien’s Sticky Buns. No promises about treats for our meetings, but it’s a good idea to show up, just in case…
Mark then called upon Membership Director Jay Loden, who announced that we now have 92 members. Jay introduced three guests in attendance today. Jay urged everyone to look at the website. A video of the last Chips & Grits Zoom meeting is now available on the website, as well as links to several topics of interest.
In the absence of Treasurer Dennis Egan, Oglesby reported on the cash balance in our account. Egan is still working on results of the May sale on Courthouse Square.
Safety Coordinator Dan Hall reported on a survey that found the bandsaw to be the most dangerous piece of equipment in your shop. He stressed wearing proper clothing and removing jewelry. Dan said he wears fingerless gloves, which protect his ring. Closed toe shoes are also important. Hands should be positioned on either side of, or behind, the blade. Also important is letting the motor get up to speed before beginning a cut.
Chuck Brown, Chairman of the Logo Committee reported on the results of the search for a new logo. He first thanked committee members Kathy Allen, John Armstrong, Walt Spencer and Dan Hall for their considerable work. He said the committee received over 20 designs, from which 3 plus the original logo were chosen. Ballots were mailed to the entire membership, and 71 ballots were returned. And the winner was…..The Original Logo! At the next Board meeting the Logo will need to be reinstated, because it was dropped early this year. The logo will need to be digitized.
Marge Hunt reported that the Woodettes continue to enjoy each other’s company at luncheons at various restaurants around our towns.
Vice President Ric Davis talked about the Tool Sale/Auction to be held at the July 22 General Meeting. He stressed the importance of completing the Entry Form recently sent via email, prior to arrival at the auction. Ric suggested taking the time now to look through your shop for items you might sell. He said there would be time on the day of the auction to preview the items for sale.
Show & Tell always brings out beautiful examples of the work our members do. Among those was a bowl created by Bruce Potter. He brought it mainly to remind us about the Empty Bowls event in September. Potter will accept bowls for this event at any meeting. Mark Oglesby announced that he has wood for the asking. Simply donate to the treasury whatever you feel is reasonable. HOWEVER, if you use the wood for Empty Bowls or Beads of Courage, there is no charge for the wood.
Bruce Peek, Coordinator for Beads of Courage, said that Phoenix Children’s Hospital is the only hospital in our area that is participating in Beads of Courage. He takes about 5 containers each quarter, and still has enough for the next six months. Bruce will let us know when he can accept more containers.
Program Director Bob Zimmerman introduced PAW member David Kohler, our demonstrator today. Kohler said it was his grandson that started him on wood turning. The grandson asked if they could make a pen, and the rest, as they say, is history. He said that he would be talking about the basics of segmented turning and would provide a handout for the “how”.
David likes segmenting because of the colors and designs. He often uses Spectra Ply, lengths of pre-glued veneer that is available in myriad colors. He showed examples of glue-ups and the jigs he uses. A CD by Ray Allen was an inspiration for him. That CD is available in the PAW Library. Woodturning is a hobby for Kohler, but he does sell his pieces, and the result is that the cost of his hobby never touches the household budget.
When asked how he determined the size of the rings, he showed a graph paper plan and distributed the handout mentioned earlier.
Kohler stressed the importance of sharp tools, particularly when turning open segments. David cuts all the segments for a project at once, then stores them in marked baggies.
Turning to the lathe, David had two halves of a vessel glued and attached to separate faceplates which he fastened to the tail stock and the head stock, then pressure fitted together. Turning them together in this manner established the profile on both halves. He could then turn the inside of each half before gluing them together as a finished vessel.
At the conclusion of his demonstration Kohler reminded folks that he would be at Ric Davis’ shop on Tuesday May 23 for a hands-on demonstration and an up-close look at this process.
The meeting adjourned at 2:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Marge Hunt, Secretary