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:          Matt Brothers
                                                                                      Secretary:          Bob Lowrance
                                                                                      Treasurer:          Jim Steadman
                                                                                       Publicity:          Larry Bowers
                                                                                       Newsletter Editor:  Chuck Taylor
                                                                                       Web-Master:          Richard Gulley

Thanks to the officers who served the club for the year 2006 and to all the members who helped and supported the club during the year. This past year was a great year for the club and we are looking forward to another great year with the above slate of officers for 2007.

Our programs for the new year are getting off to a great start. The January program will be presented by Tom Cowan. Tom's topic for the evening will be "Spindle Turning for Furniture Parts". The program will consist of both demonstrations and discussion.
 
 

TVW club dues are now due and payable. The yearly dues are $10.00 for a single membership, and $15.00 for a family membership (what a bargain).
Please pay Jim Steadman at the meeting or you can mail your dues check to Jim at his home address (702 Bluff Drive, Winchester, TN 37398).

The Executive Committee will meet on January 23rd. The general planning for 2007 events and the club calendar will be roughed out at this meeting.

The Splinter Carvers reported that they have advertised the “Totem Pole” on the “EBAY” website and are awaiting the bidding.

The group met at Jim Wright’s shop on January 6th. There were 8 members and one visitor (Scott James) present. All members worked on individual projects. Most worked on their totem project.

The next meeting will be February 3, 8:30 am to 3:00 pm at Jim Wright's again. A class project will be started at this meeting. Bring your lunch and $25.00 to cover the cost of wood and materials.

Jim will also start a class with the Stones River Club on January 20 which will meet on successive Saturdays. Call him if you are interested.

The carvers have decided to carve a Cigar Store Indian for their Dogwood Festival project. Photos from the last carving session are posted on the club web site in the gallery section under “carver’s events”.
 
 

Our name tags are made by K&S TROPHIES, 510 Country Club Drive, Tullahoma. They were about $5.00 including tax the last time we checked. When in Tullahoma you can go by and have one made, call them at 455-7359 or email them at kands@cafes.net. The tags are 1" x 3" with white letters on a blue background. Just tell the folks that you want a Tennessee Valley Woodworkers name tag.   If you are never in Tullahoma, contact Jim Steadman (931-962-2940) or Chuck Taylor (931-728-7086) and they will secure a tag for you.

We still have club business cards available. For those who have not heard about our cards they are free to members and contain information about the club.  The cards are designed so you can sign your name if you choose.   See Jim Steadman if you want a supply of cards or need to get some more.

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.
 
 

The "SHOW & TELL" was the entire program at out December meeting. Members brought some "really old" items and some new ones. A lot of good "stories" accompanied the presentations.

Chuck Taylor brought kitchen decor he made in the 5th grade, wooden fruit, a box elder hollow vase (unfinished) and a tart-maker.

Bob Leonard showed a bowl that he made and small walnut table.

Bob Reese brought and discussed a violin (#21) and a music stand. His wife treated the group by playing the violin.

Geoff Roehm brought a guitar he made years ago and discussed some of the difficulties he encountered. He also showed a video concerning the
techniques he uses for clamping the tops and backs of his guitars.

Henry Davis discussed a magazine rack he made during his high school career. He also told the story of how he was inspired to do woodworking by his shop teacher.

Ross Roepke explained a home-made jig for cutting dove tails with a table saw.

Dan Maher brought his old “marble roll” toy and his new version of the toy.

Ken Burgess showed some carving from pine knots and a bird’s nest that had been “interwoven” with tree bark.

Scott Short discussed a turned bowl with a carved rope pattern on the top edge, a 1988 baseball bat, pen and pencil set and a prototype pen press.

Ron Toney brought a small bowl and 1oz. cup.

Anthony Watts displayed a mahogany and walnut clock, a chain made by his great grandfather and some antique tools.

Dave Whyte showed his home-made dovetail jig (walnut) and a small “sculptured art” box.

Loyd Ackerman discussed a Dulcimer he made from a kit and played his instrument for the group.

Jim Parker brought a desk made from plans in an old issue of “Fine Woodworking” magazine.

Matt Brothers brought chair legs he was making for a set of chairs being made for a customer.

Louis Bryant brought a lidded box and a bowl.

Jim Acord discussed a cutting board he made in 1965 and two bowls he was having trouble turning.

Doug Dunlap displayed his storage box for whetstones and pens made from antlers.

Crocia Roberts showed her button collection and a unique “marble roll” toy.

Steve Shores displayed his completed “Eagle” relief carving and a small Santa carving.

Jim Wright brought a carving of a face on a post, which was one of his earliest works and a recent bust carving, on which he utilized a skin texturing technique.

Jim Van Cleave discussed a camera fixture he made and used to reproduce old photos and an ivory carving.

Paula Thielen brought and discussed the Windsor chair she had made.

Gary Runyon brought a series of hand planes and discussed planes he was currently completing.

Doyle McConnell discussed some techniques he used for making unique picture frame contours.

Joseph Maierbacker displayed a German candle holder and an incense smoker.

You need a small piece of thin stock for a project, but not enough to justify the cost of a planer. Or, maybe you have a planer, but the piece you need to plane down is just too short to run safely through the machine. Is re-sawing or hand-planing your only choices?

Put your router on the job with an easy-to-build elevated base, shown opposite. Bore a 2" hole through the center of a piece of clear acrylic plastic or plywood that's as wide as your router's base and about twice as long. Attach the router over the hole on top of the piece with the handles aligned lengthwise. On the bottom, attach a 3/4x3/4x12" cleat centered across each end.

Fasten the workpiece to a saw table or other flat, smooth surface with double-faced tape. Use plenty of tape, and tap the face of the wood lightly with a non-marring mallet to ensure a tight bond. Now, with a hinge-mortising bit in the router, adjust the depth of cut to skim off enough material to leave the thickness you need. If you need to remove a lot of material, take it off in small increments.