This summary of our October 18th and 19th meeting is a little late in coming due to my involvement in the plans for the Bombe Chest.
We had an excellent meeting with about 22 members in attendance. I would first like to thank all the presenters for their efforts in making the meeting a success. This is the 3rd year of the Great Lakes Chapter.
Dale Ausherman had attended the mid-summer conference and gave an excellent report as to the activities at the meeting.
Greg Smith, who is a member of the Michigan Wood Turners, was invited to give a demonstration on spindle turning. He showed the techniques on turning a finial. Great presentation.
After lunch on Saturday, George Walker, who travelled from Ohio, gave a 2 hour presentation on proportions in traditional furniture. George has been involved with Lie Neilson in creating a DVD on the topic. I believe it will be released next year. We were fortunate enough to have George present the material. He is an excellent teacher and a great source of knowledge on the subject. We all learned much about proportions and how it was used extensively in building period furniture. This knowledge will help all of us in future projects.
Jim Scarella gave a presentation on constructing a knuckle joint. Jim showed how to layout the joint and by using hand tools how to construct the joint. This was Jim’s first presentation and he did an excellent job. Again we all learned from his techniques.
John Fitzpatrick and Dale Ausherman presented how to hand cut Mortise and Tenon joints. They showed the various forms of the joint, how to lay them out, and how to cut them out. They did a very thorough presentation. Thanks to their efforts we all learned a great deal and we are appreciative of their efforts.
After Saturday’s meeting about 22 members and their spouses went to Bennigans restaurant for dinner, we all had a wonderful meal and conversation.
On Sunday, October 19th, Ed Stuckey showed a video of Rich Eschebach’s furniture. This is an ongoing project of videotaping member’s furniture so members can appreciate the talent we have in the organization and to get inspiration and knowledge from viewing the video. Thanks to Rich and his wife Karen for allowing me to come into their home to video their wonderful period furniture. This is the second video in the series; the first was at the home of Steve Lash. I can say that many of the pieces are of such quality they could be in museums.
The final presentation was the group discussion, which we started last meeting. It was such a great success that we have continued the idea. Members who are contemplating building a piece of furniture discuss with the group how to approach the project, types of wood to use, construction techniques, etc. Other members provide information that will help those asking questions. It is a great resource for learning and has been very helpful to all.
Thanks, again to all the presenters for their time and effort they have donated in making the Great Lakes Chapter a success. We have also formed a social bond. This is just as important as the knowledge we gain in woodworking.
Ed Stuckey
We had an excellent meeting with about 22 members in attendance. I would first like to thank all the presenters for their efforts in making the meeting a success. This is the 3rd year of the Great Lakes Chapter.
Dale Ausherman had attended the mid-summer conference and gave an excellent report as to the activities at the meeting.
Greg Smith, who is a member of the Michigan Wood Turners, was invited to give a demonstration on spindle turning. He showed the techniques on turning a finial. Great presentation.
After lunch on Saturday, George Walker, who travelled from Ohio, gave a 2 hour presentation on proportions in traditional furniture. George has been involved with Lie Neilson in creating a DVD on the topic. I believe it will be released next year. We were fortunate enough to have George present the material. He is an excellent teacher and a great source of knowledge on the subject. We all learned much about proportions and how it was used extensively in building period furniture. This knowledge will help all of us in future projects.
Jim Scarella gave a presentation on constructing a knuckle joint. Jim showed how to layout the joint and by using hand tools how to construct the joint. This was Jim’s first presentation and he did an excellent job. Again we all learned from his techniques.
John Fitzpatrick and Dale Ausherman presented how to hand cut Mortise and Tenon joints. They showed the various forms of the joint, how to lay them out, and how to cut them out. They did a very thorough presentation. Thanks to their efforts we all learned a great deal and we are appreciative of their efforts.
After Saturday’s meeting about 22 members and their spouses went to Bennigans restaurant for dinner, we all had a wonderful meal and conversation.
On Sunday, October 19th, Ed Stuckey showed a video of Rich Eschebach’s furniture. This is an ongoing project of videotaping member’s furniture so members can appreciate the talent we have in the organization and to get inspiration and knowledge from viewing the video. Thanks to Rich and his wife Karen for allowing me to come into their home to video their wonderful period furniture. This is the second video in the series; the first was at the home of Steve Lash. I can say that many of the pieces are of such quality they could be in museums.
The final presentation was the group discussion, which we started last meeting. It was such a great success that we have continued the idea. Members who are contemplating building a piece of furniture discuss with the group how to approach the project, types of wood to use, construction techniques, etc. Other members provide information that will help those asking questions. It is a great resource for learning and has been very helpful to all.
Thanks, again to all the presenters for their time and effort they have donated in making the Great Lakes Chapter a success. We have also formed a social bond. This is just as important as the knowledge we gain in woodworking.
Ed Stuckey