SPLINTERS

Tennessee Valley Woodworkers
   Vol. 21/ Issue 1              January 2006                Editor: Chuck Taylor 

Meeting Notice:
The next meeting of the TN Valley Woodworkers
Will be held, January 17th at 7:00 p.m. in the
 Duck River Electric Building, Decherd, TN
All interested woodworkers are invited!


Please remember, in your thoughts and prayers, all our Troops around the world and those on the way home.

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
Maurice Ryan  962-1555   Health and Safety

List of Club Officers

                                                                                                President:          Loyd Ackerman
                                                                                                V. President:       Tom Cowan
                                                                                                Secretary:          Bob Lowrance
                                                                                                Treasurer:          Henry Davis
                                                                                                 Publicity:          Larry Bowers
                                                                                                 Newsletter Editor: Chuck Taylor
                                                                                                Web-Master:  Richard Gulley

MEMBER INFORMATION

Club Dues
Club Dues are payable in January. Our Dues are $10.00 for a single membership, and $15.00 for a family membership.  If you can't attend a meeting soon you can mail your dues check to  Henry Davis, 247 Delight Lane, Tullahoma, TN 37388.

MEMBER INFORMATION CHANGES
We strive to always keep the club membership roster up to date. If you have changes to your home address, phone number or email address please let us know so we can update our membership list.  Contact Henry Davis at 931-393-3191 or hdavis@cafes.net

WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS
Wayne Beam, Tullahoma
David and Yolanda Lacy, Winchester

THANKS
Thanks to Tom Gillard for his diligent efforts in publishing the TVW Newsletter for the past eight years. He has done an outstanding job and a great service to the club and members.

A special thanks to all the people who worked on the 20-year Anniversary Celebration Dinner, making it a tremendous success for club members and guests. The grand door prizes ($150 Woodcraft certificates) were won by Ross Roepke and Dan Maher.
 
 


SHOW AND TELL:

Loyd Ackerman showed a video presentation of a Grandfather clock made for his mother-in-law. The video showed various views and stages of completion during the making of the clock case.
Tom Gillard brought two Sailboats, one mounted to a natural edge base.
Ken Gould brought and discussed some very old detail trim planes used by his father.
Henry Davis showed a spalted maple bowl, finished with sanding sealer and minwax.
Ross Roepke showed and discussed a solid mahogany table with curved legs. The drawer slides were made of poplar and the drawers had “secret compartments” hidden in the back. Ross discussed the difficulties encountered in some of the manufacturing techniques. He also brought samples of crosses he made for a church fundraiser.
Jim Acord brought and discussed a brochure from U-Bild, a supplier of woodworking plans. Their web site is u-bild.com. He also brought and distributed a booklet, “The Tree Book”.
Dick Wollam displayed a basswood carving of flowers, a walking stick with very detailed carvings and an owl carved from western cedar.
Jack Rowe showed a small cherry table, finished with Danish oil and coats of polyurethane on the top surface.
Mary Ellen Lindsay displayed her carving of a cup, made of walnut.
Fred Heltsley brought and discussed a small pipe rack with clay pipes.
Bob Lowrance brought a “Santa” carving he had carved while attending the John C. Campbell School.
Billy May brought a basswood bull he carved for a friend.
Bob Leonard showed items he had made over the years. They included a knife, carvings of a dog, ax & stump and cowboy boots. He also discussed two books for beginning carvers.
Wayne Beam brought two pedestal stands. One was the first one he built and the other was the last one he finished.
Jim Van Cleave discussed his experience in cutting wax candles on his bandsaw. The job left a major buildup of wax on the blade and the saw would not run. He also discussed the accident he had during the cleaning of the blade and the guide bearings (cut his finger).
 
 


Basswood

Among the most important of America's nectar-producing trees, the basswood makes itself at home along city streets as well as in the forest. In cityscapes, nurserymen call the hardy, decorative tree American linden. But in the woods, it's basswood, beetree, lime, or whitewood. Regardless of its name, basswood has proven its value. Indians of New York state's Iroquois nation carved ceremonial masks from the sapwood of living basswood trees, then split the green-wood masks from the trunk. The gummy inner bark provided bandages. And from its dried fibers they wove rope.
Beekeepers even today appreciate the quality of basswood-derived honey. In summer, the tree's fragrant flower clusters provide a strong-flavored nectar. Basswood stock also becomes the very boxes in which the honeycombs are stored and shipped.

Carvers prefer basswood because it holds detail well, doesn't split, has straight-grain, and carves easily. They usually prefer air-dried, slow-grown northern stock. Basswood also can become drawer stock, hidden furniture parts, and painted items. In industry, it plays a role as boxes and food containers. As veneer, it can underlie fine cabinet woods in plywood. This light, versatile wood also works for picture frames, toys, and millwork such as window sashes. It even makes fine turning wood.
It would be hard to find a wood more perfect for carving. A sharp knife or gouge slides through it as if cutting butter. And the finish of a clean cut looks lustrous.
· Because basswood takes fine detail, it's great
for relief, figure, and chip carving.
· Basswood requires control or your carving tool may go further along a stroke than planned.

Additional information about basswood:
· Basswood's low-hardness rating makes it ideal for hand tools.
· Power planing basswood poses no problems. You'll find jointing effortless, too.
· Because the wood is dense, ripping requires a rip-set blade with 24 teeth or less to avoid burning. In crosscutting, it won't tear out or chip.
· Use sharp bits and don't rush the router when shaping basswood, as its tight grain and density does tend to burn (although burns easily sand off).
· Unlike some other lightweight, straight-grained woods (such as redwood), basswood fastens well with nails or screws. And it's not necessary to predrill.
Sanding basswood proves to be a soothing, smoothing task. But when it comes to staining, blotching can result. If uneven staining appears on a test piece, apply wood conditioner before staining. Remember, though, even wood conditioner won't subdue discolored streaks in the wood.

Wood-Online



 
 


Shop Tip of the Day

A piece of pipe makes button sanding a cinch.
Wooden buttons often need to be sanded before use. But it's sure tempting to stick them into place without sanding because they're so hard to hang on to. Push the stem of the button into the end of a piece of copper or plastic pipe about 12" long to give yourself a better grip. Try different sizes of pipe and tubing for various buttons.
   --From the WOOD magazine shop
 



 
 


Web Sites of interest.

Wood Central


See you on the 17th.


click on the image to go to these sites
Special contributors to Club functions