Our April meeting in Don Braden's shop in Oakland began with a reminder from Craig to renew your membership. Contact Mark Rand to pay your dues. Other announcements were that Harold Patterson will be making temporary nametags. Those who have not renewed their membership will find that their nametags are a special color (special does not mean good in this case). It was suggested that we have a nametag contest. (Read the President's Message).

The next toy workshop will be May 22nd at Bill Henzel's shop in San Mateo where articulating toys will be made. We are trying to have one toy workshop per month. The last toy workshop was at Per Madsen's shop where more block sets as well as toy cars were made. We currently have 47 sets of blocks and boxes. Twelve block sets were given to the handicap center as well as 2 to 3 to each of several local libraries. We will continue to make block sets all year.

Bill Henzel is heading the Rebuilding Together day which will be on Saturday April 24th at Florence Crittenton Services in San Francisco. The goal of the event will be to install drywall, build approximately 300 linear feet of stand alone and wall mounted shelving, install pegboard walls, make cabinets, build a workbench, and make chair-storage stanchions. This is a lot of work for a single day, even though there is an early start in the morning. Tony Fanning will be sending out a list of tools needed at the event as well as maps.

There was one guest who was invited by Yeung Chan. Steve Wasserman who lives in Mountain View introduced himself as attending BAWA for the first time. Steve started woodworking in college when he took a furniture building class. He also took woodworking classes at College of the Redwoods.

A reminder that Saturday, April 17th, is the machine joinery class offered by Yeung Chan at Per Madsen's shop. The class will begin at 9AM and will continue until approximately 4PM. The class will not be hands on but will consist of lecture and demonstrations by Yeung.

Stan Booker reminded BAWA members that the raffle was continuing for the piece of Flamed Oak and not Plain Maple as described by Mark Rand in last month's newsletter (gotta change them batteries in the hearing aids). Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5.

Arnie Champagne announced that he has a plane class starting soon. See his class schedule in the Classifieds.

Box Contest

The annual box contest saw thirteen superb entries this year. Entries included:

• A shoe storage cabinet of recycled Redwood by Tony Fanning. Although it looked suspiciously like a table, Tony assured us it was a box.
• A zebrawood band sawn jewelry box by Fred Reicher.
• A slide viewing box made from Macore by Yeung Chan.
• A walnut and walnut burl veneer box for holding flies (the fishing kind) by Harold Patterson.
• Three turned and threaded boxes by Obie Gilkerson made from Catalina Ironwood, Loquat and Beefwood (can you eat it, Obie?) with African Blackwood.
• A locked miter box made from ¼" thin birch plywood and a puzzle box of oak ply by Per Madsen.
• A box for tea packets from Arnie Champagne made of Walnut and other woods.

• An inlayed box of many woods on a pedestal by Mark Rand..
• ....and... making a grand late entrance carrying something that barely fit through the door and looking like a bug with giant legs was Mike Bray carrying a laminated "Shaker" (meaning vibrating and not to be confused with the well known furniture makers of Pennsylvania) style box. This box was made of Walnut, Mahogany and Kamarere. The giant legs were of pounded flat copper tubing which made the box vibrate. Congratulations Mike you are onto your first million when Toy's R Us orders 6 million of them for you to make.

The judging was by the members present and the box makers all got a Certificate. Since all the boxes were superb there was no Best of Show so the prize of a seat on the next flight to Mars will be held over until next year.

Show and Tell

Linda Salter showed us a stunning segmented woodturned bowl. She is beginning to teach classes and has an opening in a class next month. She has also demonstrated at the American Association of Woodturners symposium in Pasadena last year and will also do this at the annual symposium in Provo, Utah this year plus invites to some other woodturning events.

At the break members partook of delicious Krispy Kreme donuts and coffee arranged by Fred Reicher. Thank you Fred. We were fortunate to have Mike Yoder volunteer for May and Nick Korens for June. Now we need others to volunteer for the rest of the year. Members-Step right up and volunteer.

Main Program

Our main program this month consisted of Don Braden speaking to BAWA members about his work and showing his shop in Oakland. Don has hosted BAWA at least twice in the past. Don started his fascination with wood when he restored a 1927 Chevrolet that had a frame and undercarriage of wood. While at San Francisco State University he developed the fever for woodworking after looking at several books with pieces from master woodworkers. He graduated from SFSU in Industrial Arts in 1974 and apprenticed through the Baulines Crafts Guild with Art Espenet Carpenter in March to May of that year. He started out working in his garage and rented various spaces until purchasing his current shop in 1981. He is now in his 8th year of teaching high school wood shop and drafting and works in his shop on weekends and during the summers. Teaching allows him to currently make personal pieces and carefully selected commissions. He works almost exclusively in solid hardwoods on projects of his own design.

Don gave us a slide presentation of some of his many projects. Also displayed were numerous books that had inspired him. Some woodworkers that have been important to Don during his career include Sam Maloof, Art Espenet Carpenter, Wendell Castle, and Gary Knox Bennett. Don's shop has many vintage tools. His most prized tool is a Philco refrigerator that was purchased by his family in the early 50s. It has the unique capability that the door hinges and opens on both sides.

One experience Don shared with us that had a lasting impression on him was when he observed a blind student come through the woodshop at SFSU. He watched this student as they touched and felt the furniture that was in the shop. Don realized how important it is to experience a piece of wooden furniture not only by looking at it but also by touching and feeling it. This has driven his designs away from rectangular pieces with square edges to pieces with sloped sides and faces, round pulls, and rounded edges.

The meeting ended with the door prizes which was a turning blank of Black Acacia won by Fred Reicher. Larry Berger won a bottle of Titebond III. Stan our Rafflemeister said that not enough tickets were sold for the Maple so it will probably be raffled off next month.

Another great evening came to an end

Bruce Woods & Mark Rand