March 2020
Hello fellow woodworkers,
We hope you and your families are all well and safe. Unfortunately, we will be cancelling or postponing all April and May activities. Just when we were really getting going . . .
April Meeting: We will not be having a meeting in April. A fall meeting will be scheduled with a date to be determined.
April Lumber Run: The lumber run for April will be postponed for a later date in the summer or fall.
May Picnic: We are postponing our May picnic until the fall.
May Open Shop: We are postponing our May open shop.
VIRTUAL MEETING VIA FACEBOOK LIVE?
We are working toward having a virtual meeting. The easiest, free system for us to share live video without undue technical issues for members is via Facebook Live. We understand not everyone has or wants a Facebook account. We will try to share any video created here so anyone can see.
In the meantime, if you have a Facebook account, please join the new St. James Woodworkers Facebook Group found at www.facebook.com/groups/stjameswoodworkers/. This is a closed group so only woodworkers within St. James will be accepted.
A benefit will be an easy way for members to post pictures of projects, ask questions, list tools for sale/giveaway, etc. This Facebook Group will not be a replacement for our group website, but a nice supplement, particular in these disconnected times.
MARCH MEETING
We had a great March meeting; conversations were lively on many subjects and we ran out of time and were literally thrown out of the community center. We’ll work on tightening future agendas a bit.
Member George Ligon brought in an amazing array of hand tool sharpening machinery, jigs and rigs and gave a quick overview of what could be a very long discussion. Since the meeting, he’s written additional notes which are posted online. Check out his illustrated essay.
SUMMER OF SAWDUST
We do encourage members to stay in touch this summer by helping one another, sharing project information, and connecting in person when it’s considered safe for us to have an open shop. We’ll share that information as it evolves.
WEBSITE
We are continuing to work on the St. James Woodworkers website. Take a look; there are several new articles and posts. Visit the site at https://stjameswoodworkers.org.
On the website please post your picture along with your area(s) of interest if you have not already done so. If you have problems logging in to see the directory, don’t hesitate to reach out. There is a contact form on the website or email Fred at fredcwalters@gmail.com.
We also would like members to send in a photo or two of new projects along with a couple of paragraphs describing the project, goals, challents, etc. (send to fredcwalters@gmail.com). This is a way we can keep some continuity in our group and a chance to show off. It is also a way to let others see your work and know who to contact if they see something you can help with.
We can also stay connected by reaching out to other members via email and phone with woodworking questions.
MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
Since our last meeting in March we have had many new members and we now have about 50 woodworkers! The following woodworkers joined our group in March: Jim Murray, Bruce Williams, Jack Collins, John Matter, Tom Rotella, Jay Lipp and Robert Ryan. Welcome!
COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT
John Boughton and team are making great headway on the first group community service project of veterans flag display cases. They have been working diligently with the American Legion commander in designing and preparing to build these cases for families of lost veterans. The project has been progressing through additional prototyping, but recently put on hold for member health/safety. If you would like to know more about this community service project, please contact John at jorobo55@gmail.com..
Be well, stay safe and above all make some sawdust!
— newsletter contributions by Gary Mlynek, John Boughton, George Ligon, Fred Walters, David Campbell and Wayne Kruger