The following people have agreed to serve as contacts for their particular skills.  If you have questions, suggestions for activities, or other comments relating to these skills, please call these folks.  Their interest is to help the club better serve their area of expertise.  Your participation with them will help them achieve that goal.

               Design:       Tom Cowan    967-4835                            Finishing:      Phil Bishop          967-4626
            Turning:        Tom Church   967-4460                           Carving:        Harry May           962-0215
            Sharpening:    Bob Reese     728-7974                            Joinery:        Ross Roepke       455-9140

                                                                                   President:               Tom Gillard, Jr.
                                                                                   V. President:          Anthony Watts
                                                                                   Secretary:               Karen Kerce Browning
                                                                                   Treasurer:              Jim Steadman
                                                                                   Publicity:               Louis Bryant
                                                                                   Newsletter Editor:    Chuck Taylor

Our December program is designed to involve everyone attending the meeting. It is a "once a year" opportunity to show and demonstrate your skills from “beginning to now”.
This is your yearly chance to SHOW and TELL IT ALL"”.

Here is how it works:
• No Rules
• Bring anything you can get through the door
• Pictures are acceptable (CD, Jump Drive, Hard Copy)
• Bring those things you didn't want anyone to see (you can even put someone else's name on it or slip it on the table when no one is looking)
• Bring your Successes and your Failures (OLD and NEW)

The Tennessee Valley Woodworker's Web Site is constantly being updated with the latest club news and happenings. If you want to know the latest club news, be sure to take a look and check it out!!!!!!!
 

Click "here" to view all the latest information concerning "TVW Upcoming Events" or "here" to view upcoming programs on our Web Site.

This completes the 2008 schedule of events. We are looking forward, with excitement, to the list of events lined up for next year. Lets all work together toward an outstanding club year in 2009.
 
 

The slate of 2009 officers was elected at the November meeting. Your officers for 2009 are as follows:

The annual Christmas party was held at the church of the Nazarene in Decherd on Friday December 5th. If you did not attend, you missed a really great party. A big thanks to Mary Cowan, chairperson, and her team for doing a wonderful job coordinating the dinner and decorating for the event. The food was great, the decorations were beautiful and the fellowship was special and the singing was fantastic. A good time was had by all attendees.

Your Newsletter editor was taken completely by surprise at the party. I was given an “Appreciation Award” by the club. It was totally unexpected, but very much appreciated. I can think of many “outstanding and more deserving” people in our club. I can honestly say that it is a real pleasure to be associated and to work with such a talented group of individuals as we have in the club. If you are like me, most of the woodworking skills you have learned over the years are a result of the many programs, seminars, workshops and one-on-one learning sessions within the club. We truly have a great club.

The 2009 Exhibition, "In the Spirit of Fine Woodworking", is scheduled for May 3 – 10 at the Tullahoma Fine Arts Center. If you entered items in the recent November Exhibition, you are requested to fill out new entry forms for your items to be entered in the May 2009 exhibition.

There is more display floor-space available at the Tullahoma Fine Arts Center and this will require more entries. If you did not show items in the recent Exhibition, pick up an application and enter the 2009 Exhibition.

Entry forms can be downloaded from the club web site or picked up at our monthly meetings.

Remember, the exhibition is for every club member one who would like to display their work.

If you would like to help with the 2009 Exhibition and have not yet volunteered, call Loyd (931-728-9952) or email him at [email protected].
 
 

The carvers met at Phil Bishop’s shop on December 6th, with about 12 members in attendance. A demonstration on “Intarsia” was presented by Kelton Garner. The scheduled January meeting will be a shallow relief carving class, led by Phil Bishop and the meeting location will be announced at our January meeting. looks like they have a "guest carver" at their meeting.

The next carver’s meeting location will be announced at our December meeting.

We had a good group of shop tours during the year.
The shops visited including the following:

Thanks to those hosting the 2008 tours for allowing us to invade their "space".
Also, thanks to our "Shop Tour" coordinator, Doyle McConnell for all his work in arranging the tours.

If you are interested in knowing more about sharpening techniques, especially turning gouges, this is you chance to learn from an "expert". Bob Reese will give you one-on-one training. All you have to do is contact Bob and set up a time for your training. You can contact Bob by phone (931-728-7974) or by email ([email protected]).

John Jordan, our October program presenter, donated his latest DVD to the club library.  This is a two DVD set titled, “The Aesthetics and Properties of Wood". If you would like to reserve this DVD or any selection in the library, contact Henry at [email protected] or call him at 393-3191 and leave a message.

There are nearly 40 different selections available in the club library that can be checked out. For a complete list of all items in the Digital Library, see Henry Davis at the next club meeting.

Don’t forget to take advantage of the vast amount of learning material in our club library. There are 35 different selections available in the club library that can be checked out.

To view the complete list of all items in the Digital Library, please click here or see Henry Davis at the next club meeting.

The Tennessee Association of Woodturners (TAW) will be presenting their annual Symposium on Friday January 23 and Saturday, January 24, 2009  at the Radisson Opryland Hotel in Nashville. The Symposium features some of the world's leading woodturners including Jimmy Clewes, Cindy Drozda, Mike Mahoney, and Bob Rosand.
For more information, visit the TAW web site at: http://tnwoodturners.org/

Jim Roy displayed a cherry headboard for a bed, the posts were made in three parts. He brought a small mirror, clock and a bowl.

Bob Leonard showed pumpkins carved out a galled limb.

Maurice Ryan had one of a pair of lamps made from walnut, red oak and stained poplar.

Anthony Watts brought several of his shaker boxes, some of which will become Christmas presents.

Tom Cowan displayed a Craftsman’s style wooden tool chest, made of quarter-sawn oak.

Dick Wollam displayed a butternut carving of a loon.

Ross Roepke showed two of his jewelry boxes. He also commented it doesn’t take much time to build them!

Bob Addington had a large pine bowl that he had turned green and finished with five coats of wipe-on poly.

Felix Rees brought a lamp made using table legs and commented that the challenge was routing the wiring through the base.

Matt Brothers showed a small mission style table and said that he had also finished the walnut dining room table, which has a two leaf mid-table extension.

Newt Wright showed a bowl he turned at the turning bee.  He had dropped it and showed how he put it back together.

Sharron Wright showed the whimsical house she carved from cottonwood bark.  The cool thing was that she mounted the house in a frame and installed lights in the windows.

Allen Odell showed items that he had received as gifts.

Everyone loves FREE woodworking plans. And to give woodworkers more of exactly what they are looking for, WOOD magazine has created a free downloadable plans section within the WOOD Store with nine detailed plans. Current offerings include plans for a tambour bookcase, three lumber storage projects, planter, swinging dragon toy, salt and pepper shakers, turned floral display, and scroll saw and intarsia projects. To download these free plans simply click on the following link.

Also, check out the Wood magazine free video section on various woodworking techniques. You can access the videos by clicking here. Try them out. They change each month.

WOOD magazine now invite you to visit WOOD Online’s newest forum, Shop Showplace http://www.woodmagazine.com/shopforum , dedicated to shop lovers and their shops. Post questions on shop flooring, lighting, cabinetry, workbenches, organizers, tool chests, and other questions you may have to better outfit your workspace. And, we’re not limiting this to woodworking shops. Whether you’re a woodworker, mechanic, or a hobbyist who enjoys a shop, we invite you to participate. Not only is this forum for the asking and replying to shop-related questions, it is a place to show off your workspace through the posting of images. We look forward to learning and seeing what your shop is all about.

TOOL DEFINITIONS

VISE-GRIPS: Used to round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

WOODWORKING TIPS

"Satin or semi-gloss finishes contain dulling agents that can cloud your finish after you make the necessary multiple applications"

When you want a satin finish, try applying the same brand of gloss finish for the undercoats. The gloss finish doesn't cloud up as much, and will reveal flaws better. And, you can easily tell which areas have received less sanding than others. Finally, add a satin top coat.

We are trying to start a new service for club members. Your VP, Anthony Watts, has requested that we add some key local suppliers to the website to help members find items needed in the shop; for example: belts and pulleys.

To accomplish this, we've changed the table of contents at the left and top of the home page from LINKS to LINKS AND CONTACTS.  We will, from time to time, add information on the Links and Contacts page based on members inputs.  If you find a place to purchase something pertaining to woodworking and would like to share that information with others, send an email to Loyd Ackerman with the details for inclusion.  We're not trying to replace the Yellow Pages; this is just for those special items and special contacts.
Information needed is:  Name, address, phone #, and website (if they have one) of the business and what you found them.

We strive to always keep the club membership roster listing up-to-date. If you have address, email or phone number changes, please contact Chuck Taylor (931-728-7086) or Jim Steadman (931-962-2940) so that your information can be updated in our membership listings. We are making a concentrated effort to keep our membership information current.