Michigan Woodworker August 2010 MICHIGAN WOODWORKERmiwoodguild.webs.com/AUGUST NEWSLETTER FOR...

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Michigan Woodworker August 2010 Michigan Woodworkers’ Guild (est. 1981) August 2010 Vol. 31 No.6 CALENDAR OF EVENTS MICHIGAN WOODWORKER AUGUST 8, 2010 (At the VFW Park in Royal Oak at Noon) ANNUAL PICNIC (RAIN OR SHINE) (see “WOOD CHIPS” on page 5 for details) SWAP MEET STARTS AT NOON FOOD AT 1:00 -- DRAWINGS AT 2:00 (No luncheon is scheduled for August) I-696 I-75 MAP TO ROYAL OAK VFW PARK Campbell Woodward VFW PARK Lincoln (10-1/2 mile) The September 12th meeting at the Royal Oak Senior Center will feature Tom Kearns demonstrating the use of routers. Tom has some new techniques to share with us along with a couple of surprises. The Sept. Luncheon will be at Jimi’s on the 23rd at 1:16 pm The October 10th meeting at the Livonia Senior Center will be our popular Jigs and Fixtures program featuring Guild member presentations. The Oct. Luncheon will be at Jimi’s on the 28th at 1:16 pm Bill Rigstad will coordinate a program on INLAYING at the November 14th meeting at the Royal Oak Senior Center. The presenters will be Bob Mills, John Sanchez, and Bill Rigstad. The Nov. Luncheon will be at Jimi’s on the 18th at 1:16 pm The Dec. Luncheon will be at Jimi’s on the 16th at 1:16 pm In December we will be at the Livonia Senior Center on the 12th for our annual competition (TOYS). Our Program will be a presentation of Lamp Building by Jack Secord and James Howard. www.miwoodguild.webs.com PICNIC 2009 -- SHARING FOOD, IDEAS, AND COMPANIONSHIP (MORE ON PAGE 8)

Transcript of Michigan Woodworker August 2010 MICHIGAN WOODWORKERmiwoodguild.webs.com/AUGUST NEWSLETTER FOR...

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Michigan Woodworker August 2010

Michigan Woodworkers’ Guild (est. 1981) August 2010 Vol. 31 No.6

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

MICHIGANWOODWORKER

AUGUST 8, 2010(At the VFW Park in Royal Oak at Noon)

ANNUAL PICNIC (RAIN OR SHINE)(see “WOOD CHIPS” on page 5 for details)

SWAP MEET STARTS AT NOONFOOD AT 1:00 -- DRAWINGS AT 2:00

(No luncheon is scheduled for August)

I-696

I-75

MAP TO ROYAL OAK VFW PARK

Cam

pbell

Woodw

ard

VFWPARK

Lincoln (10-1/2 mile)

The September 12thmeeting at the Royal OakSenior Center will featureTom Kearns demonstrating theuse of routers. Tom has somenew techniques to share withus along with a couple ofsurprises.

The Sept. Luncheon will be atJimi’s on the 23rd at 1:16 pm

The October 10th meetingat the Livonia SeniorCenter will be our popular Jigsand Fixtures program featuringGuild member presentations.

The Oct. Luncheon will be atJimi’s on the 28th at 1:16 pm

Bill Rigstad will coordinate aprogram on INLAYING at theNovember 14th meeting atthe Royal Oak SeniorCenter. The presenters will beBob Mills, John Sanchez, and BillRigstad.

The Nov. Luncheon will be atJimi’s on the 18th at 1:16 pm

The Dec. Luncheon will be atJimi’s on the 16th at 1:16 pm

In December we will be at theLivonia Senior Center onthe 12th for our annualcompetit ion (TOYS). OurProgram will be a presentation ofLamp Building by Jack Secord andJames Howard.

www.miwoodguild.webs.com

PICNIC 2009 -- SHARING FOOD, IDEAS, AND COMPANIONSHIP(MORE ON PAGE 8)

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Michigan Woodworker August 2010

President’sCornerBy Ken Wolf

I trust that all members had an enjoyablesummer season and a break from your dailyroutines. The fall season is fast approachingwhich is a time that many of us start to focus onwoodworking projects again. Our Guild will beinitiating our regular monthly meetings to helpmembers learn new techniques and refresh thememories of some of us with summer brain fadeon how to accomplish certain woodworkingoperations. On September 12, we meet in theRoyal Oak Senior Center where Tom Kearns willdemonstrate router techniques. Tom is anexcellent demonstrator who always has somenew and unique approaches. I hope you can joinus then for our first meeting following oursummer break.Fall also is the traditional start for the Guild’sannual effort to build toys for Children’s Hospital.This year will present some added challenges asour toys must be in compliance with new federalguidelines to assure they contain no lead in thefinishes. We originally faced a requirement thateach unique toy design needed to be certifiedby a qualified test lab to be in compliance. Thelaw has recently been amended to allow finish/paint manufacturers to use a third partylaboratory to certify their product is incompliance with the revised law. We will thenneed to obtain data sheets from themanufacturer that demonstrate this complianceon finishes we use on our toys. This will requirediligence on our part to use only properlycertified finishes. This is a recent change so itmay be a while before the certification databecomes available. I plan to contact thesuppliers I use over the next month and willshare the outcome with you.I plan to bring some toy plans and example toysto the September meeting to help our toy

building volunteers get started for an earlyDecember delivery to the hospital. Members whowould be willing to host small toy buildingworkshops in their own shops would beappreciated (let a board member know if youwould be willing to host toy workshops). Youare free to establish the dates and times for theworkshops you host. Some members prefer tobuild toys by themselves which is also veryhelpful to our Guild. The hospital also has aneed for small wooden boxes with lids (nohinges) for their children’s personal treasures/mementos from their hospital stays. Our goal isto deliver over 300 toys and 50 boxes to thehospital about December 8. Support of ourmembers is essential to meet the goal.One of my summer highlights was a trip to Maineto spend several days enjoying the seacoast andAcadia National Park. The scenery was greatand we made several interesting stops along theway. One stop of interest to woodworkers was astop at Certainly Wood in East Aurora, New York.They are a major supplier of veneer towoodworkers in eastern USA and frequentlyreferenced in magazines and internet sites forgood service and variety of available veneers. Istopped in as a cold call and was given a royaltour of their facility. To say I was impressedwould be an understatement. They assignedDan Carroll from their sales staff to spend nearly2 hours showing me their facility and their vastassortment of veneers. They were happy to sellsingle sheets of a variety of veneers I liked andwrapped them in a roll for easy transport home.I bought some thick (1/16”) maple forlaminating, a couple of beautiful burls, somefigured veneer strips, and had a great time. Iwas surprised that Brazilian Rosewood veneeris still available from stock exported about 30years ago. I saw more beautiful wood in oneplace than I have over a lifetime of visiting woodstores and shows. It is a true candy store forwoodworkers, if you are in the Buffalo NY area.I hope to see you at the September meeting andat the August picnic.

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Michigan Woodworker August 2010 Page 3

By Will Stanford

ROUGHCUTS

As I am writing this it is the week of the AnnArbor Art Fairs. I passed again on doing theshow this year but I always think about what Iwould be doing if I was at the show. Things likesetting up sometime on Tuesday and thensweating for four long days and some nights. Ialways enjoyed that first coffee in the morningat my booth and also I enjoyed zipping up mycanopy and driving home in the night. There isalways anticipation on many levels, none anymore intense than the daily weather rollercoaster. You don’t need a daily weather reportto convince you that hot humid days are a primesource for summer storms. And storms can closeart shows or at the very least keep crowds awayand it follows that business is effectively closed.

A couple of years ago when I did the Ann Arborshow I limped along for three days doing justenough to stay afloat and leaving Saturday freefor the big purchases that would save me. Butthe weather gods would have none of it andSaturday was a complete rainout. An absenceof storms isn’t a sales guarantee but at leastyou get a shot. At another Ann Arbor show Iwas on life support for three days while theweather was hot and humid but relatively dry. It remained that way for the final day and inabout a three-hour period I had my show. Noneof the shows were great they were just OK ordefinitely not OK.

No exhibitor loves the rain but not all artists orcraftsmen are equally affected by bad weather. Many can still do business in the rain. Pottery,glass and many other items are not damaged byrain and therefore can still be sold in a rainstorm. Furniture makers are at a distinctdisadvantage with soft finishes and people with

wet dripping umbrellas. About the onlyoption is to zip up and protect your product. Still you can’t anticipate all the changes in theseextreme conditions. In the humidity and rainof a storm in Cleveland one year I swear I sawthe ends of a coffee table curl. Luckily by thetime I did Ann Arbor they had curled back. Another issue with furniture is to protect it notonly from the water above but the water below. Especially in heavy rains water rushes throughyour booth and certain areas can even flood. Iremember this happening one year at MadisonWI. Even a little water can damage a leg on apiece of furniture. Over the years I have builtplatforms to elevate my work and I haveperiodically raised them to protect against bothflooding and splashing. Also when you leave atnight and your work is still in the booth youhave to cover your pieces because all thehumidity will cause condensation to drip fromyour roof to your furniture. All bets are off ifyou have high winds.

I hear the weather report of severe stormspossible high winds, possible thunderstorms,and possible tornadoes. And more stormspossible on Saturday. After the shows onSunday it is supposed to be a nice day with lowhumidity, sunny, and 80’s. As I said this time ofyear I think about doing Ann Arbor.

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Michigan Woodworker August 2010

WoodTypes

By Ed Stuckey

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ALBIZIAGrowth: Albizia is found in both West Africaand East Africa. East African Albizia is sold asred or white Nongo according to color. The treesgrow to an average height of about 120ft (37m)or more, with a diameter of about 3ft (1 m). Thewood is known as Okuro in Ghana, Ayinre inNigeria, and Sifou in Zaire.Appearance: The sapwood is clearly demarcatedfrom the heartwood and is pale yellow to strawin color and about 1in (5cm) wide. The valuableheartwood color varies from red-brown tochocolate-brown, often with a purplish tinge. Thegrain is irregular and often interlocked andvariable in direction, with a coarse texture.Properties: This dense wood weighs on average441b/ft3 (700kg/m3) when seasoned. Kilndrying must be carried out very slowly to avoidchecking or twisting, but there is smallmovement in service. It has a medium bendingstrength, low stiffness, and very low shockresistance, but a high crushing strength and amoderate steam-bending classification. Thewood requires care in machining, and fine dustcan cause nasal irritation. It has a moderateblunting effect on tools, and irregular graintends to pick up when planing or molding onquartered surfaces. A reduced cutter angle isrecommended in this case. It also tends to breakout when machining across the grain, whenrecessing, or on arrises. Pre-boring is requiredfor nailing. The grain must be filled before thesurface can be brought to a good finish. Thesapwood is liable to powder post beetle attack.The heartwood is very durable and extremelyresistant to preservative treatment, but thesapwood is permeable.Uses: Heavy Albizia is used for marineconstruction and piling. The lighter species are

used for utility and general joinery, domesticflooring, general carpentry, and vehiclebodywork. Selected logs are sliced for veneers.Where it grows: The genus Albizia includesmore than 30 species in Africa, many from thesavannah forests. Commercial timbers comefrom the high forests and occur from SierraLeone through central and east Africa down toZimbabwe.

By Bill Rigstad

FYI

Corner Clamp for Thick StockThick stock is no problem with this quickdamping setup. Cut the notches so they line upwith the center of the miter. This helps the jointcome together evenly and reduces joint slippagewhen the hand-screw clamp is tightened. A pieceof folded sandpaper (180 or 220 grit) placedbetween the clamping boards and work piecesalso helps.

Below the Lines: Only in America……do weleave cars worth thousands of dollars in thedriveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

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Michigan Woodworker August 2010 Page 5

MemberNews

By Bill GaydeAs of July 24, 2010 our membership is 358. Wehave 2 new members. Please welcome:Harry Liogghio ----------------------------- NorthvilleMichael Slupinski --------------------------- Warren

GREEN REPORTWood working is not always about BostonHighboys and Mission style tables. Sometimesit is about more mundane activities such asgardening.

I have always tried to have a modest vegetablegarden, but as of several years ago I was thwartedby voracious beasts that came in the night and

By Bill Gayde

Wood Chips

Just a reminder about the details of the picnic:The Guild provides the meat (fried chicken andhot dogs), corn on the cob, drinks, paperproducts, plastic ware, and condiments.Members should bring a dish to pass. A coupleof folding tables and chairs would help.Remember, this is a family affair, so look for funand games including our annual horseshoetournament. There is also our regular raffle anda drawing for door prizes (a couple of great onesthis year!!)

For membership information contact BillGayde at 25575 York; Royal Oak, MI48067 or by phone at 248-543-3487 ore-mail at: [email protected].

Tips &TechniquesBy Russ Smith

devoured my seedlings to the ground. Being ofstubborn stock I tried a wire fence around thegarden but my wife found it imposed animpenetrable barrier to weeding. I, of course,prefer the French Intensive Method of gardeningwhich means you plant the seeds and let thevegetables and weeds fight it out amongstthemselves.

The next year I tried big pots as I had read thatrabbits, the prime suspects, would not jump intoany container up at least 18 inches. Dang if itdidn’t work. That year I had green beans for thefirst time in three years.

So where does woodworking come in you mayask? Last year I built three bins out of 2X8pressure treated lumber. The bins were 3X8feet stacked up double for a height of about 15inches, quite sufficient to keep out maraudingrabbits. I got a great crop of beans, tomatoes,lettuce, cucumbers and peppers. I am going tobuild several more this spring.

Should you inquire, I will tell you that I filledthe bottom half with mulch supplied by the Cityof Birmingham for free. The mulch consists ofground up trees and bushes. The top half I filledwith, again free, compost provided by SOCRA.SOCRA is South Oakland County RecoveryAuthority but I picked it up from Birmingham.

In case you object to using pressurize lumber Ican tell you studies conducted by severaluniversities show that there is no leaching ofchemicals from the lumber to the vegetables.

If any more information is required regardingSOCRA please email me [email protected]

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Michigan Woodworker August 2010 Page 6

By Dale Ausherman

MEETINGREVIEW

Mentoring 16 May 2010The May program showered attendees with awide variety of tools and techniques across thewoodworking spectrum. In a continuation of theGuild’s mentoring series three mentoringrotation sessions were arranged by Bob Mills:Larry Last discussed the construction of multi-pane double-hung windows; John Sanchezdemonstrated inlaying techniques; and ClayBolduc presented a variety of scroll saw methodsand projects.Larry began the window construction sessionwith a bit of history regarding windows,indicating that the word derives from the notionof a wall opening for getting breezes inside adwelling, with “wind hole” evolving into the word“window.” Double hung window designapparently began in the colonial period. Heindicated that older windows have smaller panesdue to the glass manufacturing process of thetime. Those Larry were making (as a volunteerfor restoration of a building in the NorthvilleMillrace Village) measure about 9 in X 12 in,consistent with a date of about 1870. Heindicated that the “little sticks” which runvertically between panes are called mullions andthose which run horizontally are muntins.(Some would say that ALL the little sticks in amulti-pane window are muntins and thatmullions only apply to vertical load-bearingelements which divide windows and doorways,but to argue such a fine point here would be areal pane. ☺) Counterweights inside the sashesdid not come about until after 1880.Larry used 2 in. by 8 ft. stock milled to 1¼ in. tomake the components. He used a router tableto shape the profiles on the parts, andrecommends two router table set ups withseparate fixtures for the differing profiles to savetime. Larry had MANY widows to make and hadto be concerned with efficiency. He used bridlejoints for the frame corners in part for thisreason. He indicated that it was critical toproduce frames with precisely 90deg angles, and

indicated the best construction order for gluingthe window together. Larry recommended thebook Make Your Own Handcrafted Doors andWindows by John Birchard as a good referencesource.John Sanchez showed methods he used to inlaybloodwood stringing into a cherry table top. Thepattern he used was one of intertwined oscillatingstrings (a bit like a profile of DNA). This was acomplex pattern requiring careful layout andcutting of the groove for the inlay. John firsttried to use a small router with a guide templatebut found this unreliable, so he switched to handcutting the groves using an Exacto knife. Hemade several repetitive parallel stokes (about 7/64th wide) to sufficiently score the wood, andthen removed the interior of the groove by handpicking. He learned that the bloodwood inlaywas not sufficiently pliable to fit his curves, sohe ended up laminating the inlay strings.Sounds to me like a labor of love that only adedicated model ship builder could have thefortitude to complete! John’s final table top wasbeautiful (as are his model ships)!Clay Bolduc provided the third mentoringrotation with an in-depth discussion of variousscroll saw techniques. He showed some amazingprojects which were hard to believe could bemade by a scroll saw. For example he mademulti-layer bowls which had the appearance ofhaving been turned as segmented bowls on alathe. Clay recommended that for pleasurablesuccess to not scrimp when purchasing the saw,and to get a dead man switch with a saw whichtakes pinless blades. This is so that you caninsert the blades through tiny holes made tostart interior cuts. Larry likes the Olson brandof blades and also Flying Dutchman.Larry discussed a variety of ways to get ideasand instruction on scroll sawing, ranging fromwebsites to reference books. He alsorecommends joining the Motor City Scrollers,which meets the third Thursday of each month,7-9 pm at the Taylor Senior Center (partbusiness meeting) and also sponsors sessionsat member’s homes on various Saturdays.(http://www.motorcityscrollers.org/)We all thank these members for sharing theirskills and knowledge to produce anothersuccessful MWG mentoring meeting. I for oneam going to start looking for a better scroll saw.

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Michigan Woodworker August 2010 Page 7

Sale 19999Sale 13499

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Sale 17999 Sale 24999

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Michigan Woodworker August 2010

Michigan Woodworkers’ Guild25575 York RoadRoyal Oak, Michigan 48067

The Picture GalleryMORE 2009

PICNIC PHOTOS

ANNUAL HORSESHOETOURNAMENT

CHOW TIME

SWAP MEET -BRINGYOUR ‘STUFF’ ANDSELL IT SO YOU CANBUY SOMEBODYELSE’S ‘STUFF’