December 2008

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President's Corner

Fellow Members ---

We are moving towards the end of the year so we can all start to reflect back on what we have done in 2008 to progress our woodworking experience.

There have been several references in the papers over the last few months of the "10,000 hour rule" which some book has claimed is how long it takes anyone to become a true master of anything. I think from the view point of many crafts, including woodworking, 10,000 hours may allow you to become a very proficient at your craft but the key to becoming a real master is to never stop learning and progressing. There are always higher goals to aspire to: better designed kitchen cabinets, a more elegant looking box, a piece of furniture that has less "faults" than the last piece you built, etc.

You can "just do woodwork" but I think most of you became members of BAWA because you are an enthusiast; you want to keep expanding on your knowledge base and reaching new levels of achievement.

Looking back on 2008 we can all ask what did we learn, what did we achieve, how did we progress?

In this year's BAWA activities there have many examples of members achieving new levels. The SketchUp class in April was a great success where many members gave up their weekend to learn some very new skills. Similarly with the Yeung Chan's tool making class we had in October. At our meetings we learned many woodworking techniques from vacuum bag bending to how to sharpen plane irons. Members showed us many examples of their work from which we always learned a little bit more about joints or inlays or design etc. Many of our members also participated in the Toy Workshops where, working together as a team, we made wooden airplanes and other toys for underprivileged children in the Bay area. We visited a lumber yard where we learned a tremendous amount about different species of timber. We also visited a joinery shop that specialized in making Japanese style houses and structures. Overall the year has presented us all with a tremendous range of learning experiences.

Outside of our BAWA activities I hope you all progressed in with your own woodworking experiences, trying, learning and achieving while all the time enjoying.


Seasons Greetings to you all and may you reach even higher achievements next year
Frank Ramsay

Frankramsay8@aol.com or 408-823-2382