BCWG February 18, 2020 Meeting Minutes

Next Meeting March 17 at 7 PM Wayne Rendell's Shop

45187 Blue Star Hwy Coloma, MI Topic: Guest Speaker, Tom Nania, Luthier

The February meeting was held at Mark McGrane's shop with a total of 30 members and guests in attendance. President Dennis Szymanski called the meeting to order. New member Tim Grove was welcomed to the Guild. Tom Holt introduced guest Renee McCreary, owner of “Remade by Renee” , a business which specializes in refurbishing common household items such as chairs, tables, etc...

Host Mark McGrane explained the construction of one of his current projects. The 5 foot diameter table is topped with 84 separate wedge-shaped pieces of ebony veneer arranged in intersecting geometric patterns. The substrate consists of ¾ inch baltic birch. The veneer was set through the use of a heated mechanical press and urea glue. The table edge is 1/8 inch thick band of cherry. The finish will ultimately be catalyzed polyurethane.

Dennis Szymanski gave a presentation where he described numerous useful shop tips. Among the suggestions was information on the use of threaded insert wood screws, using flux brushes for applying stains and finishes, proper alignment of hole drilling, the reuse of nytril gloves and the use of mineral oil to control the staining of edge grain. Announcements Lindsey Smith confirmed the Guild member discounts for 2020 at Hartville, Klingspor, Ace Hardware St. Joe, Fresh Decor and Johnson's Workbench. The discount for Johnson's is currently at their maximum #4 level of 35% for lumber. Jeff Starke mentioned that Krumrie Sawmill is now in operation at 113 S. Cleveland Ave. providing various lumber related services including custom sawing, kiln drying, flooring, doors, etc... They can be reached at 269-838-9060. The Andrew's University wood shop has now moved into its new building. Show & Tell Lindsey Smith Lindsey brought a large cherry mirror frame which had various geometric patterns routed and carved into the entire front surface. The relief was approximately ¼ inch deep.The piece is finished with wipe-on poly.

Al Fowler Al showed a guitar shaped artistic piece of walnut and maple, part of which was made with a scroll saw. In addition, Al brought a small cherry box with walnut keys on the corners. Its intended use is to hold the cremated remains of a friend's cat. Its kind of a different twist on the meaning of “cat box.” I would appreciate that no one mention this unique use of woodworking skills to my cat!

Bob Brown Bob Brown bought pictures of a maple dresser finished with oil and wax. Brian Carlson Brian detailed alterations he has made to a 7' by 9' entertainment center through the use of contact paper and LED lights.

Chris White Chris brought a pair of coat rack trees, one made of maple and the other quarter-sawn oak. They are sealed with dewaxed shellac and finished with General polyurethane. These items will be auctioned off this weekend at the Christian Reform Church in St. Joe.

Lee Davidson Lee showed an adjustable music stand made of maple. The main portion of it has a ¼ inch deep inlay of walnut which perfectly mimics a treble clef and stanza pattern. The finish is poly acrylic.

Anthony Sergio Anthony brought a pair of boxes. One was rectangular and made of walnut with keyed corners. The other was hexagonal and tapered towards its top with walnut splines between the sections.

Dennis Szymanski Dennis displayed a stool made of MDF covered with cedar slats and removable letters spelling out “POPPY”. Dennis tied in the construction of the stool nicely with his talk on shop tips.

Chris White won the “Sawdust in the Hat” drawing for a $25 Lowes gift certificate. Regards, Lindsey Smith