This and That
I sit here at the computer and I seem to be communicating out into the "great void." Other than some of the Officers sending me reports, I rarely hear from the members.
Send me things such as a good idea you have involving woodworking, an interesting article you may have read, or meeting that you may have attended. You have QUESTIONS or NEED SOME HELP with a project? Display it here.
Mark
Here are articles contributed by Terry O'Donnell and Bill Henzel. Thanks, Terry and Bill for sharing.
Furniture Society Conference; Tempe Arizona, March 14-17, 2001.
I attended the Furniture Society's Furniture 2000 Conference in Tempe, Arizona, which attracted practicing furniture makers, teachers, gallery owners, furniture collectors and historians. Furniture in all media was addressed, including the use of metals, plastics, glass, fabric, wood, and other materials.
The keynote speech was by Sam Maloof, talking about his life's work and the amazing house he built as a showcase for his work and that of the many craft items he's collected. His house, and its contents, were truly incredible, with many hand-crafted details that showed what a consummate artist he is. The rest of the conference consisted of a combination of presentations and practical demonstrations. There were presentations about, or by, specific furniture makers, as well as panel discussions on topics like developing your own style, obtaining better training in the craft, evaluating furniture design and aesthetics, marketing your work, using the web, and a variety of related topics.
The demonstrations included forging furniture elements, forging your own tools, a variety of techniques for finishing and surface decoration, hand tools and related techniques, upholstery, veneering, photographing furniture, drawing, carving, bronze casting, turning, and so on. The conference also included three exhibitions: one for those presenting at the conference; one for members; and one for students, as well as an evening trip to local galleries featuring local and international furniture makers. Late each evening the annual "Slide Wars" were held, where attendees show slides of their work.
The conference was truly an overload of inspiration, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in that type of experience. The next two are in Wisconsin and Pennsylvannia, but even if you can't attend one, I would recommend joining the Furniture Society, or at least check out the resources they offer on their web site (http://www.furnituresociety.org/) where you can find out about their juried exhibitions, a book they're preparing; their list of educational opportunities; and a schedule and pictures from the conference. They are also sponsoring a new interactive online forum to exchange ideas and information about furniture.
Terry O'Donnell
Toy Workshop Saturday December 15
Our toy workshop participants were Peter Wronsky, Gene Wagg, Per Madsen, Craig Mineweaser and Bill Henzel. We meet at Peter Wronsky's shop in Marin. It was a beautiful crisp fall day and many trees still had bright red and orange leaves. We saw evidence of spring with yellow daffodils that were in bloom. We made a version of the Jinga stacking blocks toy. This toy consist of rectangular blocks which are stacked 3 together in layers that are perpendicular to each other. Each player takes a turn pulling out a block until the remaining blocks fall. The object is to remove a block and keep the rest of the blocks standing. Per Madsen generously donated random lengths of 1X3 inch oak that was rounded and sanded. We proceeded to cut the blocks to length using a chop saw and table saw. A short while later we finished with enough blocks for 8 complete sets. We then decided to build wooden boxes to hold the blocks. All members present contributed to the design. After some discussion, we ended up with a rectangular box consisting of 1/8 inch maple plywood for the sides, bottom and top, 3/4 inch plywood for the ends and two 1/2 X 1/2 inch rectangular pieces made of popular that were used as bottom supports. The box was finished by drilling 2 finger holes in the top that slid in groves that were in the sides of 3/4 inch plywood on the ends of box. We celebrated our accomplishments by enjoying a gourmet lunch at a local restaurant.
Bill Henzel
On Another Note
Jim Voos has a COMPLETE set of New Yankee Workshop videos --- a lifetime worth of viewing. He is willing to lend them out. Call him at 650/508-9384 or email at chesterdad@mac.com.