Next Meeting on Nov 10th: at Los Altos site. Directions: Click here
President's message from late Sept:
I was vacillating last Saturday morning as to whether I should go to the Basic Skills Clinic on finishing or not. I knew I certainly could use the information, but it seems I rarely get anything to the stage where it can be finished. Nonetheless and undaunted, I packed up the video and still cameras, and made the quick drive up to Ken Clifford's residence in Los Altos Hills. I am glad I made the trip!
A dozen members had gathered to join Bill Johnston and David Vannier, the presenters, and Ken, the host. The session started pretty promptly at 9:00 and ran on time until just after noon. Curtis Vose was kind enough to run the video camera once I got it set up. I shall have the videos processed soon. I think I will try to edit them into short segments suitable for online presentation (e.g. YouTube), as well as producing a DVD.
Some photographs are available at this link. Ken's shop/garage was scrupulously clean, though he allowed that it took two or three days of preparation to get ready for the event. Carolyn Gannon brought some delicious coffee cake (thank you!) to augment the giant muffins and coffee.
Though we have had presentations on finishing in our general meeting, it was very worthwhile to have the opportunity to interact in a smaller context. Thanks to Bill Johnston for organizing these classes, and to all those who have participated in this and previous sessions.
Our
next general meeting -- Tuesday, 13 Oct 2009 -- will be at the Los Altos
Youth Center. The programme will be Bill Daniels, who will show us how to
photograph turned objects using the kind of equipment that we woodturners
might have (as compared with what a professional photographer might use).
The President's Challenge is a flared or multi-lobe rim form of the type
that Richard Winslow and Peter Pipe demonstrated at the last meeting.
Examples shown nearby.
The November meeting will be some hands-on demonstrations of ornament making. To help us pull this programme together, please contact me if you have a special type of ornament that you'd like to show the club how to do. For example, Tom Howard -- though we haven't seen him for a while -- is known to specialize in reverse turned ornaments. Furthermore, Jim Laflin has made lots of sea urchin shell ornaments, and we had a demonstration by Harvey Klein on the classic hollow sphere ornament. So please review your old copies of American Woodturner (or other), and find things that you'd like to know how to make, or things that you'd like to demonstrate. We will bring a bunch of mini lathes, so we can have some participation, but we'll need some mentors for each station or type.
Finally, the holiday season approacheth, and we should start thinking about the Holiday Party. We have reserved the LAYC again, but we need a coordinator. Gordon Rockhill had been the coordinator for many years, and most recently, I think Bud Trapp organized things. If you'd like to have the honor, please make yourself known.
Fortunately, there is a pretty good preparations list at this link. Events/Holiday Party/ so you can see what you're signing up for.
Lastly, at the end of the year we start collecting the annual dues. Also, remember to wear your TURNED badge!