The meeting was called to order by President Frank Ramsay.
Announcements:
Bruce Powell has been working on the BAWA member gallery and he showed the much improved web pages.
If you have not already done so, send him photos of the projects you have completed, with written descriptions, so he can add them to the Gallery section of the BAWA website.
Jon Kaplan stated that we have 41 members who have paid membership dues for 2022.
Paul Krenitsky talked about Yeung Chen's chisel making class at the Palo Alto High School.
Harry Filer and Jon Kaplan showed the chisels they made at the class.
Calendar
Tati Detro has agreed to be our speaker for May. He'll talk about his furniture, but as a recent grad from the Krenov school
We hope to tour Berkeley Mills May 21 at 10:00am.
In June we hope to hold a sharpening class at the Palo Alto High School.
A hand cut dovetail making class is likely to be held in the fall.
Paul talked about possibly having Scott Wynn teach a class on how to make the tool chest he carries with him. It would be a four day class.
In August we wild have our 2nd Annual BAWA Picnic in Belmont.
Dominique Charmot
My Journey in woodworking
From Chapo, via Thos Moser to Hector Guimard
As Bruce Powell stated: "Dominique Charmot, serial startup founder in the polymeric drug field and avid woodworker, was our guest speaker.
He discussed making furniture in the Art Nouveau style of France, where, in Paris, he came to appreciate the fluidity of the curves, sculptures and incredible craftsmanship of such furniture.
He now lives in Napa, having retired in 2015.
Dominique arrive at woodworking from a PhD in polymer Science and a biologist through the chemical industry in France to material and life science in Silicon Valley.
He cofounded two companies to retiring early and settling Napa.
Since then he has created 48 projects, plus a number of jewel boxes, marquetry, etc...
Dominiqe showed slides of the cantilevered chairs he has made, and the dining room set with 6 chairs and table. The chairs had laminated backs of curly maple. He showed inlaid boxes where he used the double bevel method.
Guimard Majorelle was one of his design influences. If you look at the Art Nouveau entrance to the metro in France, you will see the some of the beautiful
curves that inspired Dominique.
One of the slides he presented showed a desk and chair made of Cherry and leather, with ivory accents.
Dominique discussed the design and construction of this Art Deco Showcase
It uses carved and bent wood
with thermoformed Plexiglas curved panels
Some of Dominique's other work
Various iterations of cantilever armchairs
Box with Art Nouveau inspired marquetry.
Shown at the virtual Artistry in Wood exhibition at the Sonoma County museum in 2020.
The monolith.
Black acacia, lacewood and other species.
Awarded "Best Box" at the Artistry In Wood exhibition at the Sonoma County Museum in 2021.
Dominique brought in a chair he made using Maple and Sapele. It was finished with two coats of diluted tung oil, then wet sanded with 400, 600, and 1500 grit paper, then multiple coats of thinned PU.
He showed many of the scrapers he uses to shape the curved pieces.
He will grind a custom curve on the scraper if needed. He decided to upholster the seat himself, and was happy with the result.
Before
After
Start of the hangings
Max showed the hanging cleats he has installed on his garage wall to hold his tools etc.
They provide a very efficient and flexile storage system.
Now that he has converted all of the usable wall space he needs more tools.
Jamie Buxton
Jamie's substantial, solid, White Oak, sideboard
Plywood guide for the router bushing
Thick plywood biscuits
Leg clamped to top while glueing
The clamps stretch to the end of the top and base of the leg
Wave set into the top
The sideboard is 6-1/2 feet long with waterfall ends and 3 drawers.
He bought the wood at Moore Newton in San Leandro.
The top and sides are joined with 45 degree bevels and plywood splines are hidden in the joints.
There is an inlaid curved vein running along the top and continuing down the sides.
Laura Rhodes
Laura showed the 3 legged stool she painted with red, then black milk paint.
Then she put Danish oil on it and finally a special blend of wax and varnish.
Lloyd Worthington-Levy
Lloyd brought in the clock he made to frame his wife's grandmother's cross stitch image of a clock.
He added a battery powered clock movement to it and 3D printed a frame to keep the clock movement from rotating.
He finished the piece with water based urethane and wax.
The cloth image of the clock face is over 85 years old and very fragile.
It is glued to a cardboard backing, also 85 years old.
Claude Godcharles
Claude showed a beautiful turned Redwood Burl bowel
He also brought in another tall vase he turned on the lathe.
and showed us how he came up with the shape.
He hung a beaded metal chain to form a catenary curve and traced it on a cardboard template.
and then measured the radius at numerous steps along the length of the template and made
corresponding cuts on the wood piece using the parting tool.
He used a large piece of Camphor and topped it with Blackwood that he hollowed it out to a depth of 15"
through a small opening - wow.
Frank announced the new rules for the silent auction.
Members on the Zoom call can bid by using the Chat feature during the call or by email to Frank with bid..
The auction ends at midnight on Monday, the day after the meeting, to give members not at the in-person meeting time to submit bids.
Stan Booker donated a pair of old Bailey #5 and #6 planes, and a Wilton woodworking vise.
Also on the auction table were a new Rockler Drawer Slide Jig and Drawer Front Installing Clamp Set from Lloyd
Plus a plank of Redwood from Mike Bray that had spent many years as a vat used for storing red wine.
Minutes by Burt Rosensweig
