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

                    President:                 Loyd Ackerman
                    VP:                          Tom Cowan
                    Seceratary:               Chuck Taylor
                    Treasurer:                 Henry Davis
                    Publicity:                   Larry Bowers
                    Newsletter Editor:     Tom Gillard Jr.

If there are any other nominations, they can be voice at the meeting.

This is a reminder of the Tennessee Valley Woodworkers Exhibit at the Manchester Arts Center during December 2004.

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.

I talked to the director and found out that the play will cost $8 for adults and $5 for children.  At this point, the word is that exhibitors will have free access to the exhibit, but will have to pay if they want to attend the play.
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

Harry May displayed some of his excellent carvings. They included three wood spirits (carved from box elder) and a carving of 'Jiminy Cricket' (to be displayed at the Manchester Arts Center exhibit).

Tom McGill brought a cherry table leg that he had made. The leg had a beaded section and Tom did this process on his lathe, utilizing a router and fixture.

Joe Kuhn discussed a 'Bead-Lock' system that he had purchased for creating mortise/tendon joints. He explained the system and showed how to create the joints. He also brought a $900 'cleaning supply caddy' made from clear pine and put together with box joints. The reason for the great expense of the small project was that he used the project to justify the purchase of a new band saw.

Bob Leonard displayed a 'pig' knife that he had carved, after purchasing the first one. The knife was maple with cherry blades. He also discussed how he made a small piece of molding, utilizing a homemade scraper.

Chuck Taylor brought two small box elder bowls finished with two coats of lacquer. The bowls were 'identical' except for the 'differences'.

Doyle McConnell brought a red maple vase with a lacquer finish and his latest creation a 'Fibonacci' design created from a red maple closed vessel. The creation was displayed on an iron stand made by Ken Gould.

Geoff Roehm discussed a 'drop spindle' made from bodark and walnut burl. He used a metal cutting lathe to make the piece.

Tom Gillard showed two sail boats that he had made. The hulls were magnolia and sails were made from maple. Tom also brought sample panels the he was making for a second story railing, required to meet local building codes.
 

The United States has stands of Royal Paulownia all along it's Eastern Seaboard. The most beautiful of these are in New York City's Central Park. The older Paulownia in U.S. parks and botanical gardens look very different from trees planted by commercial growers who demand a straight, limbless trunk and fast growth.

Legend has it that Royal paulownia was named in honor of Princess Anna Pavlovna, daughter of Russia's Czar Paul I. Other names for the tree are empress tree, princess tree and karri. Paulownia was first introduced into the United States in packing material (seed pods) sent from China where the tree is a native species. Shortly after that the tree found its way into Central Park.

Facts About Planting, Growing and Marketing the Empress Tree

Paulownia tomentosa has marvelous press on the Internet. Several Australian and United States companies make claims of extraordinary growth, unbelievable wood values, magnificent beauty; Paulownia, they write, can shade an area in record time, resist insects, feed livestock, and improve the soil component.

Is this just hype, or is the plant truly a "supertree"? Let me introduce you to Royal Paulownia (other names are Empress Tree, princess tree, kawakami). You make up your own mind.

The Empress Tree

Right away you know the tree is very special. The plant's pedigreed and regal names include Empress Tree, Kiri Tree, Sapphire Princess, Royal Paulownia, Princess Tree, and Kawakami. The surrounding mythology abounds with several cultures claiming title to the plant's legends.

Probably the Chinese first linked a tradition with the tree. The oriental Paulownia is planted when a daughter is born. When she marries, the tree is harvested to create a musical instrument, clogs, fine furniture, and they live happily ever after. In actuality, it is a valued wood in the orient and top dollar is paid for its procurement.

Legend also insists that it was named Royal Paulownia in honor of Princess Anna Pavlovnia, daughter of Russia's Czar Paul I. Unlike Paul Harvey, I can't seem to find the rest of the story...

The United States has stands of these trees all along the Eastern Seaboard and through the midwestern states. Paulownia's range is said to have expanded because of the seed pods used in packing shipped cargo from China. Containers were emptied, winds scattered the tiny seeds and a "fast forest" developed.

The tree has been in America since the mid-1800s. It was first "discovered" as a profitable tree in the 1970s by a Japanese timber buyer. This sparked a multi-million dollar export market for the tree. One log is said to have sold for US$20,000.

The wood has been ignored by domestic companies in the United States but utilization studies (which I have not been able to find on the Internet) have been done by several universities, including Tennessee, Kentucky, Maryland, and Virginia. Planting the Paulownia tree, says Fred Wright, Carolina-Pacific International, Inc., is a reaction to the "failure of our domestic forests to meet a growing demand, coupled with man-made crises" which have led to declines of the spotted owl and the red-cockaded woodpecker.

Steve Nix,

--Arthur Conway, Biggera Waters, Queensland, Australia
Wood-Online

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