Please remember, in your thoughts and prayers, all of the Military Troops serving our country.

This is a reminder of the Tennessee Valley Woodworkers Exhibit at the Manchester Arts Center during December 2004, and you are getting this either because you expressed an interest on the pass around sheet or you're one of those that I thought needed to know for some other reason.
 
The Pinocchio play will be playing from December 9 to December 19 at the Manchester Art center.  The actual show dates are 9-10-11-12 and 17-18-19.  Sunday show times are 2:00 PM.  All other days are 7:30 PM.
 
There will be a 20-minute intermission between the first and second acts.  Viewing in the exhibit area and lobby is before and after the show and during intermission.  A MAC monitor will be at the exhibit room door to ensure that an adult accompanies children.
 
Any wood item is welcome, but the hope is that members will provide some items related to the theme of the show; either Pinocchio figures or something in the line of toys.
 
Final arrangements will be announced as they develop.
 
The MAC staff is arranging publicity for the event.
 
Thanks for your interest in the exhibit.  If you have any questions, contact me at 931-728-9952.  Loyd

We had another good year at the Coffee County Fair.  The participitation of the club was about 25%.  That is great!  Along with the demonstrations, we conducted the turning bee with only one participitant this year.  He really got the attention.  The highlight of the week was Friday night when Russ and the band took center stage. There was a porch full of players and most of the instruments were hand made by club members.

Front Porch Jamming
Young woodworkers
Making Shavings
Display

Thanks to all the folks who contributed, see you next year.
 

The fair committee.

Loyd Ackerman displayed a walnut table with fluted legs. He discussed the special precautions he used for the wood movement. The finish was Deft oil, lacquer and auto polish.

Doyle McConnell brought a 26-inch diameter box elder bowl. He used epoxy to fill the voids and finished with lacquer.

Henry Davis displayed a beautiful Bombe design jewelry box made of walnut. The top panel was made from a walnut burl. The finish was satin varnish.

Ross Roepke brought two small boxes constructed using special decorative joints.

Maurice Ryan brought a large ship model that he had restored. He restored the ship for a family member, who had the ship for a very long time and much damage had occurred over time.

Bob Leonard showed a cutting board made from maple and cherry. The board was finished with mineral oil.

Jim Van Cleave had a relief carving of a Calla Lilly. The carving was in black walnut. Jim also discussed his storage box for wood chisels.

Ken Gould brought a “captive ring” tool he had made from a planer blade. He also had a hand-forged roughing gouge, made from an auto leaf spring.

Craftsman 10 inch Radial Arm Saw with leg set and new table top.      $350.00
 Henry Davis, 393-3191

 Brief History

Black cherry (Prunus serotina) was abundant when the first settlers came ashore in the New World. And, fortunately, the wide distribution of the seeds of its fruit by birds have always assured us of a supply.

Colonial furniture makers called cherry "New England Mahogany" because of its tendency to turn dark red-brown after exposure to sunlight, and used it side by side with the real thing.

Black cherry has a variety of nicknames--choke cherry, rum cherry, whiskey cherry, and wild cherry--all due to the use of its small, bitter, dark purple fruit as a flavoring in jellies, and drinks, such as the potent "cherry bounce." Extractions from its bark have long been an ingredient in medicines for bronchitis and coughs.
 
Wood identification
Of the many cherry species found in Europe, Asia, and the United States, only black cherry is commercially important.

Cherry wood has a straight, satiny grain, often with a ripple figure. Heavy and hard, stiff and strong, the wood resists knocks and other abuse.

When first cut, cherry looks a pale, pinkish brown, but it gradually darkens to a mahogany-like red. Often, the very light-colored sapwood, as well as resin or gum pockets, will be present in boards. FAS (firsts and seconds) grading standards accept their presence, but woodworkers shouldn't.

Cherry veneers, normally plain-sliced, feature straight grain, though you'll occasionally find gummy (with resin pockets) and a mild ripple figure available.
 
Working properties
While cherry shrinks considerably in the drying process, contraction and expansion are moderate after seasoning.

Cherry works well with all hand and machine tools, although it will burn if cutting edges aren't extremely sharp. Carvers and wood turners find that cherry adapts well to the knife and lathe, too. It takes a radiant finish, and its rich, natural color most often goes unstained.
 
Uses in woodworking
Because cherry withstands shock, compaction, and abuse, furnituremakers as a general rule love working with it. Choice cherry logs find their way into veneers for architectural paneling and into hardwood plywood for cabinets. And solid stock becomes fine furniture, musical instruments, carvings, and turnings.
 
Cost and availabilitly
Cherry-veneered hardwood plywood remains expensive, but the cost of cherry lumber approximates that of oak, depending on how far you live from the supply. Boards normally run to about 10" wide because cherry is a comparatively small tree. And lengths usually don't exceed 12'.

Black cherry grows from the Dakotas south to Texas, east to northern Florida, and north to Nova Scotia. The Appalachian mountain region of Pennsylvania and West Virginia have the largest stands.

Illustration: Steve Schindler
WOOD On-line

Donations to the club have been made by these companies.
Thanks,