Monthly Newsletter...
September 2007 President’s Message
The weather is finally enjoyable, as was our September meeting with Tim Wadley providing an excellent demonstration on Christmas tree ornaments. Tim explained his process in depth and fielded all questions. Thanks again Tim.
A special thanks to John Lea for providing his mini lathe while the club lathe was being refitted with a new controller and motor. John and Chuck LaRue have been working on restoring the club lathe, and it is my understanding they did a first rate job.
Speaking of the lathe, we will be looking for a new home for the lathe. Requirements for the keeper of the lathe are that it be kept indoors (garage works), and the club member is able to bring the lathe to each meeting. Care must be taken to ensure the new controller and motor are not damaged.
The annual club officer election will be held at the October meeting. The nominations for officers were made at the September meeting and are: President, Michael Holland; Vice President, Rick Drown; Treasurer, Collin Gibbons; and Secretary, David Walser. The election will be done by secret ballot, and there will be a space for write-ins. Anyone wanting to be considered to be a write-in candidate should inform the membership prior to the election.
Stuart Batty will be presenting an all day demonstration for the club on November 3, 2007, at the Bell Recreation Center in Sun City, AZ. The room we have reserved can hold over 100 people. The cost to everyone is $20.00. Anyone interested in attending should pay the fee as soon as possible. We will use any funds above Stuart’s fee to provide refreshments to the attendees. This is a fantastic opportunity to see one of the foremost turners in the world. For further information and directions, view the website.
Anyone interested in doing one of the monthly demonstrations in 2008 should contact Rick Drown. We had a really good calendar this year and I anticipate an equally good one next year.
Take a moment before you turn to make sure you are thinking shop safety!
Michael Holland
September 2007 Vice President’s Message
Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to Seattle I go. In my last newsletter, I said, “See you in September.” I forgot to check with my travel agent, AKA, “The Wife”, who reminded me of our trip to the Great Northwest. Even though I’ll miss the September meeting, I’ll be doing some serious woodturning business. Our 15-month-old grandson is learning to talk, so I need to help him with his vocabulary. Can you say lathe? Bowl gouge? How about negative rake scraper? OK, that one may be a little advanced. Shoot, that one’s a little advanced for me!
Also in my last musings, I raised the idea of trying to find a facility where we could have our meetings in a more “user friendly” environment--- like a place with a secure storage area for our “stuff” so no one has to drag equipment to the meetings. I really got my hopes up when a man I know who is part owner of an industrial complex in Mesa had a great idea. The warehouse type building his group owns is divided up into individual units of about 2,500 square feet each. The facility is climate controlled, has restrooms, and a huge parking lot. One businessman was renting two adjacent units. One wasn’t big enough, two was too much, so this businessman had extra floor space he wasn’t using, including a fenced off cage in one corner which would have been perfect for storing our “stuff”. My acquaintance talked to the businessman who apparently was amenable to letting us use the space for a nominal amount to cover power and utilities. Just as I was getting really excited and thinking about things like tables and chairs, guess whose business went south because of the housing industry downturn? I intend to keep beating the bushes and see if any other potential homes for our club pop up. If anyone has any suggestions, please contact me.
See you in October,
Rick
Web Site Information:
Our website
has some beneficial links. Some connect you to local
woodturners and businesses. Others, such as “Buy Tools” and “Arizona
Woodturner’s Merchandise” can benefit the club. When you buy a tool or an
article of clothing at the above mentioned links the club gets a percentage of
the purchase price. We are all looking for good deals on tools and clothes.
What could be better than getting a good item at a fair price and part of the
cost going to your woodturning club?
All pictures taken at our monthly meeting will be
placed in the photo album. Only pictures with a name on the bottom of the
turning and paid members will have pictures placed in the photo album. We can
save each months picture through out the month this way. To see the pictures,
click on the Photo Album link, and when that opens, click on the Gallery link.
These pictures will still be added to your personal photo album.
Our Buy Tools page is still working the same way. If
you are going to purchase a tool, and it is shown on our Buy Tools page. Going
through this area to purchase your tool helps out our club. We get a small
return on each purchase and so far it has been paying for our web site. Keep
up the good work.
Pictures in the Photo Gallery can be enlarged by clicking on them and then
clicking a second time to see the full size picture. Once a quarter, the older
pictures will be deleted to make room for the newer pictures. This helps keep
our web site speed at it's best quality.
You
can now purchase Arizona Woodturners logo items through our products link.
This includes, shirts, sweatshirts, caps and more.
Arizona Woodturners Merchandise
Arizona Woodturners Association © 2007 |
