SPL INTERS

Issue 13, Jan. 12, 1987 HAPPY NEW YEAR

It’s a new year for the Tennessee Valley Woodworkers. Our second year as a club and we enter it with a group of outstanding new officers and a whole lot of resolutions. Hope everyone has a safe, prosperous 1987 and we look forward to each member continuing their enthusiastic support of the meetings.

Our new club president, Tom Church passes on these comments on hopes for the coming year:

Our programs will continue to be of broad interest but we’ll hope to introduce some new topics and techniques to help each of us see some other aspects of this wonderful hobby. A pressing need is feedback from all of our members. Each member has a say in how the club grows and the programs and projects we become involved in, don’t keep your thoughts to yourself—let us know what you would like to see. On the subject of projects, last year our club was active in Olde Timey Days and the Toys for Tots programs carried on by Winchester and Tullahoma. Both had great member participation and were lots of fun. I think those who made toys had as much fun as those who received them! What would you like to do this year? More of the same or something new? How about craft shows, displays in the malls, contests, tours of the Stanley plant in Shelbyville and commercial wood suppliers in the area? As you can see, the agenda is wide open. Pass on your thoughts.

I hope we can keep up the outstanding “•show and tells” which have become such an interesting part of out meetings. It’s a great way to show off tools, techniques, and projects to a very interested and appreciative bunch of people.

“Thank you to all the outgoing officers and founders. Our first year was a very successful one. I personally feel that it is rare for any organization to develop the kind of “chemistry” that has evolved in our membership over the last year. Thank you to the membership. Pat yourselves on the back or belly if you can’t reach!”

CHRISTMAS MEETING

Thanks to Susan and Tom Church for hosting the December meeting in their home. It was a real Christmas celebration with loads of toys to play with! For those who missed it, many members brought their “Toys For Tots” projects to the meeting:

tractors, teddy bears, trucks, train whistles, Lincoln Logs, cars, elephants, cradles, carriages, airplanes, dolls, and many other super presents. It was even more fun to hear the members describe the joy they had making them. We had a wonderful time. Tom and Susan, thanks for getting us all in the holiday spirit.

I also pass on the thanks of Terry Penn and myself to all who were able to help with the toys project. Over 125 gifts were passed on to needy children through your efforts.

JANUARY MEETING

If your workshop is like most, the only heat in it is that which you make as you flap your arms and shiver violently when you try to get warm! What a great time of the year to come to a Tennessee Valley Woodworkers meeting! Tuesday, January 20th at the DREMEC meeting In Decherd is where it’s happening!

Tom Baskin, our new Vice President and Program Chairman has jigs and fixtures on the schedule for our enjoyment. Tom will demonstrate some used for making finger joints with a table saw and two others he has devised to make this hobby a little easier and a bit more precise. Now it’s your turn to help. Almost everyone has a jig or a fixture they use to fix, blend, sharpen, cut, ream, drill, or sand. Bring it to the meeting and share it with us — some of us need all the help we can get. It doesn’t matter if the jig is store bought or home—made, works or doesn’t work —bring it anyway. It’s as informative to see something someone has tried that didn’t work, you learn before you try the same thing!

MEET OUR OFFICERS

Our new President, Tom Church has been an active woodworker for a number of years. For those who were able to attend our meetings last fall, you’ll remember Tom and his wife Susan describing and showing the largest of their woodworking endeavors -- building their own home in the northwest. Since that time Tom has scaled down his ambitions and settled for rebuilding a 2 stall livestock barn on their homestead in Belvidere, building a woodworking shop, and working with Sverdrup in Tullahoma for lots of hours each week. Sounds like a guy who needs some horses to fill up that barn and take up a little more of his time!

Tom’s real preference in woodworking is furniture. He’s built tables, desks, cabinets, a European style workbench, and has taken a shot at a Windsor chair. He’s a man of action — he’s

setting up a lathe he bought just five years ago and will use it to renew his attack on the somewhat wobbly Windsor chair! Tom tried his hand at carving on the chair seat and found carving to be enjoyable and not quite as difficult as it might appear. Torn credits a book by Michael Dunbar with his carving success (along with a bit of help from Susie I suspect).

When I asked Tom about finishing, he noted there are a lot of projects he doesn’t finish. After explaining our members knew all about that type of not finishing, he said he preferred an oil finish to a hard varnish or poly finish since the oil hardened the wood and not just the top. Ask Tom about his new workbench— he took the best from two sets of plans and made up a great design.

DUES ARE DUES

It’s time to pay our annual dues or face the prospect of being publicly branded as a non-payer and ceasing to receive this award winning newsletter! A more horrible fate can’t be imagined.

Your payment of dues will also let you meet one of the new officers who will gladly direct you to the new secretary or treasurer. They, in turn will make your pocket lighter by $10 for a regular membership or $15 for a family membership.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING

All old and new officers are asked to stay for a while after the January meeting for an executive meeting. One of the topics will be transition of the duties and records to the new officers and a brief discussion of the new year’s programs.

Also on the docket is a wrap up of the changes to the constitution and by—laws which were read at the November meeting.

TYPEWRITER PROBLEM

My typewriter hxs x problem. It hxs xbout xs mxny keys xs the woodworking club hxs members but one of the keys doesn’t join in with the rest. Since I don’t use the key very often I just keep putting off getting it fixed. Thxt’s the wxy it is with the woodworking club too, sometimes it’s just exsier to not join in xnd let the others do the show xnd tel I xnd work on committees. I guess if I xm ever going to get much good out of this typewriter I better get it fixed befxre xny xther kxy stxrts tx fx I

It takes all of us pulling together to make the club a success. A hearty THANKS to everyone from the outgoing officers. All members worked hard and made the first year of the Tennessee Valley Woodworkers a great success. We now look forward to another grext year!!

TENNESSEE VALLEY WOODWORKERS

JANUARY 20 TH AT 7:00 PM

DREMEC MEETING ROOM

DECHERD ,TENNESSEE

BRING A FRIEND AND YOUR 1987 DUES