THE SECOND ANNUAL PICNIC

For those of you who missed it..... it was a feast. Just like a picnic is supposed to be, Us folks that did make it to the picnic can be clearly recognized by a distinctive “tirelike” protrusion about the mid—section. Anyone that went away hunqry had no one to blame but herself. We all enjoyed the fellowship and food as well. I’m sure a Third Annual Picnic will be on next year’s schedule.

Several well deserved Thank Yous are in order:

TOM BASKIN——for rounding up supplies. He really took us seriously when we told him that the picnic was just another program.

TERRY PENN——for his: TLC at the Hamburger Grill,

SPOUSES OR COOKS——for all those delicious dishes and goodies

MARTHA MAIERBACHER——for encouraging us all to have just one more serving.

THE FIRST ANNUAL CONTEST

Everybody enjoyed the contest -- probably more for an opportunity to admire the work, discuss ideas and techniques, and “touch the merchandise’. Our judge, John Lovett., (owner operator and janitor of the Falls Mill—Mill) had his work cut out for him ( No pun intended ) He had some fine entries to judge. The result follows:

SMALL PROJECT 6ROUF’

1st P1ace——Susan Church for devilishly clever four layer puzzle. I think she bribed the iudqe.

2nd Place——Henry Davis for his handsome walnut box, He just didn’t bribe the judge.

3rd Place-—Bill Knight for his turned chalice. Bill wasn’t with us for the picnic because he was over at the Arrowmont School in Gatlinburg. I’m sure he’11 have lots of good things to share with us.

LARGE PROGECT GROUP

1^ST PLACE——Tom Cowan for his adjustable candle scounce/table, I’m pretty sure it‘s an authentic reproduction.

2nd Place-——Joe Pawiick for his fine coffee table. All of this time I thought he made nothing but airplanes,

3rd Place—— Tom Baskin for his pair of end tables. They didn’t look like decoys to me.

Other entries included:

JOSEF MAIEPBACHER’S scale model of glider. from which he based construction of the real thing.

MARTHA MAIEPBACHEP’S turned plates/plateholders—that’s some pretty tough competition Josef.

JACK TOWNSEND’ S sub-miniture crank phone- he’ll make his second million with them,

TOM CHURCH’ S very handsome three legged stool. I can’t say enough about it.

THANK YOU—HENRY DAVIS for all our efforts in organizing the contest. Thank you participants for sharing the fruits of your labor.

THIS MONTH’ S PROGRAM

This month’s program should be a special treat. Jack Townsend and Tom Baskin have invited Paul Pyle to give a program on Dulcimer construction. Hopefully with some musical accompaniment.. Paul has been at the dulcimer “business” for about 50 years now and has written about the finer points of the craft. He is still actively making his instruments for individuals all across the country. Middle Tennessee history is another one of Paul’s interest.

Bring a friend or neighbor——this program promises to be another prize. TUESDAY, AUGUST 15. DUCK RIVER COMMUNITY ROOM, 7:00 F.M.

OTHER BUSINESS

1 . Decherd Arts and Crafts Fair • September 19&20 (Sat.. and Sun). Jack Townsend has made arrangements for us to have two spaces at the craft show, All members are welcome to participate, Jack has adready paid $30 for the a places, August meeting would be a fine opportunity to reimburse Jack fro the treasury. We’ll also discuss and sign up for staffing our spaces.

2. Several members have mentioned considering show and tell as a part of the regular meeting format. Let’s discuss this next meeting, I think “failure” night would be a good one—--I’ve pot plenty of failures to show and tell about. We’d have to hold it in early fall before wood heat season. That’s one value in woodworking failures -- they still make for successful fires.

Jack Townsend has a wood heater -for sale ‘$100’--two years old—---with wood. Dora’s back is progressing slowly.

4. Don’ t forget this August meeting will also be our BIG logo-business card design contest. Bring your entry. We’ll use one of those applause meters.

Comment

THE BEGINNER’S LAMENT BY Ross LOWELL

We are all beginners, at one time or another, in one area or another. I’m a beginner with wood. If woodworking is anything like my profession, the initial state of enthusiastic bliss is bound to be followed by a series of setbacks, frustrations and challenges. It’s the inevitable result of exchanging innocence for semi-knowledge.

Some of the difficulties are genuine dilemmas, and those of us just starting out in this craft face our fair share of them. Experienced craftsmen offer apparently contradictory advice, leaving me wondering whether to dowel or not to dowel, whether to buy a lot of hand tools or a few stationary machines or a single all-purpose contraption, whether to hollow-grind or flat grind, whether to work solid wood or plywood.

Part of the trouble is that we inundate ourselves with so much information from so many sources, hoping to find the one perfect way to do the job, that we are liable to be paralyzed with possibilities. The problem becomes less confusing and more fascinating as we gradually discover that there are a lot of good ways to skin a cabinet, that excellence has more to do with integrity, experience and talent than with any particular set of techniques. All those various approaches are tributes to human imagination and resourcefulness.

One particular conundrum that we novices face contains a bizarre irony, a form of frustration that separates the dedicated from the temporarily infatuated. It’s this: Many of those ingenious jigs that fill the columns of Fine Woodworking need only one thing to construct them properly—the completed jig. Since a shooting board is required to plane precise right angles, and since the shooting board itself needs smooth, 90 degree angles in its construction, how do we make it without a shooting board? It’s like needing the missing eyeglasses to find the eyeglasses. But, that’s only half of it. The significant part of this jig dilemma was underscored by my 9-year-old son when he said, “Dad. you’re spending all this time making things to make things. Suppose, afterward, you decide not to make anything?”

Perhaps it’s only rationalization, but the whole getting-ready process feels like a necessary stage not unlike warm-rip exercises. After all, tools are not the only things that need to be sharpened. In the case of us beginners, our skills and our design sense tend to be pretty dull. What better way to hone and polish them than to make a series of potentially useful jigs? And if the truth be known, a few freeform and jointless objects have meanwhile emerged from the piles of sawdust and shavings. It’s positively amazing what can be done with a primitive drawknife, and no jigs.

There is a final dilemma. One purpose of woodworking for us amateurs is to create beautiful and occasionally even useful objects for our families and friends. Yet the process of fabrication is both time-consuming and solitary. This ultimately sociable craft seems to our families (and even sometimes to us) to be a very selfish, unsociable activity. But deep down we know that beautiful objects created with our own hands, in quiet moments, are the stuff of happiness and sanity. II

In his other life. Ross Lowe/ /shoots movies, and invents and manufactures lighting systems for location photography.