March Recap
March Meeting
A big thank you goes out to Dave Wesolowicz for showing us the ins and outs of scroll sawing. The intricate pieces that he creates with this delicate technique is impressive but he made it seem easy!
March Activity
Another huge thank you goes out to Sean and Kerry at Kevin-William Furniture! We had a blast look at how a professional cabinet/furniture shop operates. Kerry is an artist of the highest degree and the two brothers have a well oiled machine running their shop.
April Events
General Meeting - April 21st, 2025 - 7:00pm
The monthly general meeting will be held on Monday, April 21st, starting at 7:00 PM at St. James in Glen Ellyn.
Come early if you can help set up. Doors will be open by 6:30 PM.
Sawdust in your Coffee - April 5th, 2025 - 9:00am (zoom)
This informal meeting will take place on Saturday, April 5th at 9:00 AM. It's a great opportunity to bring up your woodworking questions or any workshop issues.
There are likely other members who can share their knowledge or put you in contact with others who could help. There’s always something new to learn during these informal meetings!
Please refer to the Zoom link sent to you via email.
APRIL ACTIVITY - Toy Workshop - Saturday, April 26 - 9:00am to 3:00pm
For those unable to make the workshop or wishing to contribute more to the toys program, George Rodgers will be making doll bed parts and cutting out toy blanks for the workshop. You are welcome to join George in his shop to help with this. This would be especially good for someone new to woodworking to learn more about the safe and appropriate use of the table saw, miter saw, bandsaw, router table and bench-top sanders. Please contact George if you have interest in helping prepare material for the toy workshop.
For those unable to make the workshop but still wanting to contribute toys, we have wheels and axles. We will have these available to pick up at the DPWW general meetings. You can also contact George directly if you need wheels or axles. We also have patterns and directions for making toys which are available at each general meeting and on our website: Toy making instructions
March Events
General Meeting - March 17, 2025
The monthly general meeting will be held on Monday, March 17th, starting at 7:00 PM at St. James in Glen Ellyn.
Come early if you can help set up. Doors will be open by 6:30 PM.
Tour of Kevin-William Furniture
Join us for an exclusive tour of Kevin-William Furniture, a custom cabinet and furniture shop owned by Kerry Moran.
Date: Saturday, March 22, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM - Noon
Location: 1433 West Fullerton, Suite J, Addison, IL 60101
Parking: Available in front, off Fullerton
Don't miss this chance to see a professional custom furniture shop in action and gain insights into fine woodworking techniques!
The signups are full. However to be put on the waitlist, please sign up using the following link: Sign Up Here.
February Events
Sawdust in Your Coffee - February 1, 2025
This informal meeting will take place on Saturday, February 1st at 10:00 AM. It's a great opportunity to bring up your woodworking questions or any workshop issues.
There are likely other members who can share their knowledge or put you in contact with others who could help. There’s always something new to learn during these informal meetings!
Please refer to the Zoom link sent to you via email.
RESCHEDULED: Tour a Woodshop and Machine Shop
Dear DuPage Woodworkers Members,
We’re thrilled to invite you to a special event this February! While we often get to tour woodshops, this event offers something truly unique: a chance to explore both a woodshop and a machine shop.
We will be touring the shops of Glenbard East High School on Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 6pm.
During the tour, you’ll get an inside look at the tools, equipment, and techniques used in these two impressive spaces. It’s a wonderful opportunity to broaden your knowledge, see how two educational shops operate, and engage with fellow woodworking enthusiasts.
To attend, please sign up using the link that was sent to you via email.
If you have any questions, please contact Vaibhav -- vkonanur at gmail dot com.
Warm regards,
Vaibhav Konanur
Activities Chair, DuPage Woodworkers Organization
General Meeting - February 17, 2025
The monthly general meeting will be held on Monday, February 17th, starting at 7:00 PM at St. James in Glen Ellyn.
John Zurales will be presenting about using MicroJig products to produce material holding jigs. Always fun to see how others figure out different ways to overcome a challenge.
Come early if you can help set up. Doors will be open by 6:30 PM.
January General Meeting: January 20th at 7:00 pm
January Meeting
Our January 2025 general meeting will be on the 20th at St. James in Glen Ellyn. Expect a presentation on making splined boxes from George Rodgers. There will be a From Our Workshop session. Please park in the South Lot.
We had our election in November and filled four positions. Congratulations to our new officers!
We are however still looking for a member to help with/take over the production of our newsletter. This is a very valuable asset to our organization. Jim Harvey is very willing to help you learn the ropes and make this transition seamless. Please let Jim or one of the other board members know if you can help with this
It's a Dupage Woodworkers tradition to make gifts for the Holiday Party. These are optional and are awarded to companions of the members who made the gifts. A number is drawn and the person with the matching number can pick their choice from the gift table. Check out the gifts here.
George Rodgers will present his methods and jigs for adding splines to the boxes he creates. Splines are an alternative to dovetails or box joints, they add strength to the structure and can be done in contrasting wood.
October General Meeting: October 21 at 7:00 pm
October Meeting
Next Monday (10/21) evening starting at 7PM is the monthly meeting held at St. James in Glen Ellyn. Doors will be open by 6:30 pm. Come early if you can help set up or have an FOW project to show.
Paul Pyrcik will talk about his methods for turning trees, bottle stoppers and other small items. Paul is bringing a lathe so this will be a live demonstration.
Don’t forget to check the “FREE table” in the same room. Items brought in are generally free or occasionally sold as a bargain. If you have brought in any items for the FREE table, and they are not gone by the end of meeting, please take them from the room.
This is also a hybrid meeting for those who prefer to attend virtually.
Because parking spaces are often limited in the north side lot, please park in the south side lot, unless you need to bring in equipment or large items to the meeting room.
If attending in person, please fill out a name tag at the meeting, which are available in the back of the meeting room. It helps members remember names.
We are planning a From Our Workshop. There will be a Zoom From Our Workshop as well as FOW in person, so please bring your projects to the meeting and continue to submit project photos via the Google Form .
September General Meeting: September 16 at 7:00 pm
September Meeting
Favorite Shop Tips and Jigs – September 2024 Meeting
The September 16th meeting presentation topic will be you, the members, showing your
favorite shop tip(s) and jig(s) that you use on a regular basis. You can have up to five
minutes to present your favorite(s).
Tips can be small or large things that you use in your own ship. They do not have to be your own original idea, as long as you give credit to the originator.
Do you have a jig to do a specific cut or operation and you use it on a regular basis? Maybe for your table saw or band saw or for your drill press? You can show photos of your tip or jig in use. If it is too big to bring in, take a few photos of it in use. Send the photos to brucethewoodworker@gmail.com.
We are planning a From Our Workshop. There will be a Zoom From Our Workshop as well as FOW in person, so please bring your projects to the meeting and continue to submit project photos via the Google Form .
August General Meeting: August 19 at 7:00 pm
August Meeting
For August we will have Dave Dockstader and Eric Springer from the Fox Valley Club talking about 3D printers. One of these can help with making jigs, with shop organization, and even making tools. If you own a 3D printer or are thinking about buying one, be sure to attend.
We are planning a From Our Workshop. There will be a Zoom From Our Workshop as well as FOW in person, so please bring your projects to the meeting and continue to submit project photos via the Google Form .
July General Meeting: July 15 at 7:00 pm - Picnic at 6:00 PM
July Meeting
Next Monday (7/15) evening starting at 7PM is the monthly meeting held at St. James in Glen Ellyn. The pre-meeting picnic officially starts at 6PM. Those who wish to help with the picnic setup can start at 5:30pm
Doors should be open to St. James building by 5:30 pm.
Because parking spaces are often limited in the north side lot, please park in the south side lot, unless you need to bring in equipment or large items to the meeting room.
This is also a hybrid meeting for those who prefer to attend virtually. The Picnic hour will NOT be on Zoom.
Details on what's happening at this meeting are given in the July newsletter, accessible on the DPWW website and in the following link.
This DPWW meeting will be at Saint James Church in Glen Ellyn. Please park in the South parking lot.
We are planning a From Our Workshop. There will be a Zoom From Our Workshop as well as FOW in person, so please bring your projects to the meeting and continue to submit project photos via the Google Form .
April General Meeting: April 15 at 7:00 pm
April Meeting
Chainsaw carving with Bud Hainzinger. Bud will talk about the process he goes through to make a chainsaw carving. Bud Hainzinger ( woodenmattercarving.com) will talk about his chainsaw carvings. His carvings can be viewed at Starved Rock State Park and Lewis University, among other locations.
This DPWW meeting will be at Saint James Church in Glen Ellyn. Please park in the South parking lot.
We are planning a From Our Workshop. There will be a Zoom From Our Workshop as well as FOW in person, so please bring your projects to the meeting and continue to submit project photos via the Google Form .
March General Meeting: March 18 at 7:00 pm
March Meeting
Milescraft representatives will talk about and show some of the newest woodworking products that they make. Maybe even show us some in the pipeline.
Milescraft is headquartered in Elgin.
This DPWW meeting will be at Saint James Church in Glen Ellyn. Please park in the South parking lot.
We are planning a From Our Workshop. There will be a Zoom From Our Workshop as well as FOW in person, so please bring your projects to the meeting and continue to submit project photos via the Google Form .
February General Meeting: February 19 at 7:00 pm
February Meeting
The featured speaker for February is Jason Marosi, Vice President BVV Jason will talk about and demonstrate the BVV stabilization system, a new approach to wood stabilizing ith pressures up to 1500 psi, completing parts fully stabilized in as little as 20 min for mall scale parts. BVV is headquartered on Frontenac Rd. in Naperville. They sell commercial vacuum extraction machines. https://shopbvv.com/
This DPWW meeting will be at Saint James Church in Glen Ellyn. Please park in the South parking lot.
We are planning a From Our Workshop. There will be a Zoom From Our Workshop as well as FOW in person, so please bring your projects to the meeting and continue to submit project photos via the Google Form .
January General Meeting: January 15 at 7:00 pm
January Meeting
The January meeting has been changed to virtual only. Zoom information will be sent out before the meeting.
We will have a few minutes club business followed by the presentation and finishing with FOW.
The featured speaker for January is Bill Boyle. Bill makes many styles of Windsor chairs. His workshop is in Belvidere and he offers a limited number of classes. The booth below is at the Naperville art show in 2022.
This DPWW meeting will be online - virtual only via Zoom.
We are planning a From Our Workshop. Please submit FOW projects using the web form.
November General Meeting: November 20 at 7:00 pm
November Meeting
On November 20th, 2023, We will have the Annual Toy Drive Collection. Make sure and bring any toys you have been working on for donation to local charities.
We will also have the Election of Officers for 2024 and details on the 2023 Holiday Party.
This DPWW meeting will be at Saint James Church in Glen Ellyn. Please park in the South parking lot.
Because of the toy collection we are NOT planning a From Our Workshop.
October General Meeting: October 16 at 7:00 pm
October Meeting
On October 16th, 2023, Mark Dreyer will be presenting on Easy Wood Tools for turning.
The Demo will likely include:
- Basic Turning – Not just the tools but the techniques and overview of proper turning
- Easy Wood Tools® line of cutting tools
- Live Turning – Acrylic and Wood
- The Easy Wood Tools® Easy Chuck and the line of jaws and configurations
- Yorkshire Grit
- Turning End Grain / Hollowing/li>
- New Advancements
- BeadingTool
This DPWW meeting will be at Saint James Church in Glen Ellyn. Please park in the South parking lot.
We are planning a From Our Workshop. There will be a Zoom From Our Workshop as well as FOW in person, so please bring your projects to the meeting and continue to submit project photos via the Google Form .
September General Meeting: September 18 at 7:00 pm
September Meeting
On Sept 18, 2023, Tom Olson will be have a PowerPoint presentation on how to make band saw boxes.
A simple box will be illustrated step by step. An artistic band saw box will also be illustrated step by step. Finally a simple heart shaped puzzle box with a heart shaped key will be demonstrated if time permits.
This DPWW meeting will be at Saint James Church in Glen Ellyn. Please park in the South parking lot.
We are planning a From Our Workshop. There will be a Zoom From Our Workshop as well as FOW in person, so please bring your projects to the meeting and continue to submit project photos via the Google Form .
August General Meeting: August 21 at 7:00 pm
August Meeting
Our August program will feature Karl Scogin from the Woodridge Woodcraft store presenting on “Hand Plane Basics.” He will cover basic plane types, their uses, setting them up, and how to sharpen the blades. This will be quite an interesting program for everyone as he has presented at DPWW before and in other venues he has received many favorable comments.
This DPWW meeting will be at Saint James Church in Glen Ellyn. Please park in the South parking lot.
We are planning a From Our Workshop. There will be a Zoom From Our Workshop as well as FOW in person, so please bring your projects to the meeting and continue to submit project photos via the Google Form .
June General Meeting: June 19 at 7:00 pm
June Meeting
After the successful show and tell in April we will be having another Show and Tell this month.
Your presentation does not have to be long – use five minutes as a guide. You can send pictures or use PowerPoint even if it is only one or two slides, but it is not required. If you have pictures or use PowerPoint, please send the file to Jeff Kramer (Kramer123@hotmail.com) and he will collate them for the meeting.
Here are some thoughts/questions on what you may present:
- What is the one key thing I have learned from woodworking?
- What is my favorite tool?
- What is my favorite jig?
- Any specific tip or trick to pass on?
- What is the biggest mistake I have made?
Please feel free to bring any jigs, tools, or anything else that would illustrate your presentation to the members.
This DPWW meeting will be at Saint James Church in Glen Ellyn. Please park in the South parking lot.
We are planning a From Our Workshop. There will be a Zoom From Our Workshop as well as FOW in person, so please bring your projects to the meeting and continue to submit project photos via the Google Form .
February General Meeting: February 20 at 7:00 pm
February Meeting
This will be a busy meeting for the club.
- Announcing a vote on minor changes to the DPWW constitution at the February meeting.
- Bandsaw dust collection
- Starting a Special Interest Group for beginning woodworkers
- From Our Workshop, projects from October to February.
There are still Board and committee positions open for 2023. Please consider contributing to DPWW by helping out with management. Talk to George Rodgers if you are interested in a position.
This DPWW meeting will be at Saint James Church in Glen Ellyn. Please park in the South parking lot.
We are planning a From Our Workshop. There will be a Zoom From Our Workshop as well as FOW in person, so please bring your winter projects to the meeting and continue to submit project photos via the Google Form .
November General Meeting: November 21 at 7:00 pm
November Program : Jeff Kramer - Marc Adams School of Woodworking
The November program will feature a short presentation by Jeff Kramer about his experience attending his first class at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking. He will discuss the course he took (Fundamentals of Woodworking with Steve Latta) and the things that he learned about woodworking and Marc Adams.
The remainder of the November meeting will feature our annual DPWW toy distribution.
This DPWW meeting will be at Saint James Church in Glen Ellyn. Please park in the South parking lot.
We are not planning a From Our Workshop.
October General Meeting: October 17 at 7:00 pm
October Program : Chad Montgomery - Constructing a Ukulele
Chad Montgomery one of our members, will be the featured presenter at our meeting on October 17. He will talk about constructing a ukulele and will give a presentation on how you can construct one yourself. This will include:
- An overview of his progression in instrument building. (He started with a kit build, and moved on to designing and building them from scratch while adding more features with each build)
- A walk through the steps in building a ukulele, including discussions of some of the jigs for key steps: side bending, fretting, carving the neck, etc.
- Options for materials and parts
This DPWW meeting will be at Saint James Church in Glen Ellyn. Please park in the South parking lot.
We are planning a From Our Workshop.
September General Meeting: September 19 at 7:00 pm
September Program : Marty Detmer - Creating Tapered Polygon Box Lids
This month we have DPWW member Marty Dettmer presenting a method for constructing a hexagonal box top that rises up in the center. A flat lid is a two dimensional construction. When you add a peak, it becomes a three dimensional problem that requires more thought and the glue up gets complicated.
This DPWW meeting will be at Saint James Church in Glen Ellyn. Please park in the South parking lot.
Masks are recommended but not required.
We are planning a From Our Workshop.
August General Meeting: August 15 at 7:00 pm
August Program : Laser Machining – John Zurales
John Zurales has been using a laser for about a year and a half to make a projects that combine woodworking, software, and laser in a wide variety of materials. His laser journey began with a weekend laser class at Marc Adams two years ago, followed by a full week class this year where he made the Blackhawks laser marquetry piece as well as many other items.
The laser is a versatile tool that uses similar XY and Z axis principles as CNC routing, to cut, score and engrave projects. John has used his laser on wood, veneer, slate tile, glass, acrylic, coffee mugs, leatherette, paper and other materials.
He is still on his exploration journey and will provide an overview of the laser process, share lessons learned, examples of his work, and answer questions. John is also donating some laser made items to the door prize raffle for members that are attending in person.
This DPWW meeting will be at Saint James Church in Glen Ellyn. Please park in the South parking lot.
Masks are recommended but not required.
We are planning a From Our Workshop.
June General Meeting: June 20 at 7:00 pm
June Program : Carving with – John Henderson
John will be presenting in person and bringing in a number of his works along with tools he uses. He will discuss the tools, how to carve, his ideas, some of his works, and take Q&A. He carves animals, body's, and abstract figures. And has won numerous awards for his works. John has been carving for 35 years year's but said he started whittling at age 12. His past life John was in the Vietnan war, a paramedic, and then a firefighter.
This DPWW meeting will be at Saint James Church in Glen Ellyn. Please park in the South parking lot.
Masks are recommended but not required.
We are planning a From Our Workshop.
April General Meeting: April 18 at 7:00 pm
April Program : Building a Kayak – Gary Davis
Amateur woodworker Gary Davis has had a dream for many years of making his own canoe. Well, life throws a twist sometimes and he made a kayak instead. It was a three-summer project that he documented the entire time. Using a combination of hand and power tools with three different wood species he'll present his project from inception to completion. You can find a blog of his experience at Strip Built Kayak
Good news again - this DPWW meeting will be second in a row in person meeting at Saint James Church in Glen Ellyn. We will also broadcast the meeting via Zoom. If you drive to St. James, please park in the South parking lot.
Masks are recommended but not required.
We are planning a From Our Workshop.
Door prizes are back! Come to the meeting and try your luck!!
March General Meeting: March 21 at 7:00 pm
March Program : Jim Snyder on teaching high school woodshop
Jim Snyder will be discussing his 30 years as a woodshop teacher at Glenbard South High School. He will talk about what he taught on safety, the equipment they used, the projects his students made, and other items related to woodworking.
Good news (again) this DPWW meeting will be in person at Saint James Church in Glen Ellyn. We will also broadcast the meeting via Zoom. If you drive to St. James, please park in the South parking lot.
Masks are recommended but not required.
We are planning a From Our Workshop.
February General Meeting: February 21 at 7:00 pm
February Program : Ron Herman will present on Woodworking Joints
Our February program is professional woodworker Ron Herman. Since his presentation will be via Zoom and Omicron is still in the air the board decided that we will conduct our general meeting in February via Zoom, no inperson meeting. The Zoom meeting information will be distributed to members the week before the meeting.
Ron will be presenting on woodworking joint making.
He will try to cover:
- Types of joints
- Benefits of each
- Pluses and minuses
- Tips for doing each one
January General Meeting: January 17 at 7:00 pm
January Program to Feature a Panel on Woodworking Schools
Our January 17th program will provide you with the opportunity to learn about several of the woodworking schools where some of our members have taken woodworking courses. Our presenters will provide an overview of their experience and answer questions. We’ve recruited Don Johnson and Dick Sing from the Windy City Woodturners to fill out the program. The schools and their presenters are:
- Don Pellegrini - Chicago School of Woodworking (Chicago)
- Mark McCleary - Mark Adams School of Woodworking (Franklin, IN)
- Don Johnson - The Clearing Folk School (Ellison Bay (Door County, WI)
- Dick Sing - John C Campbell School Folk School (Brasstown, NC)
- Mark McCleary - Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts (Gatlinburg, TN)
- Tom Olson - The Woodwright’ s School (Pittsboro, NC)
ReTool and ReStore Field Trip: November 13, 2021
Our November activity was a trip to Rockford to visit ReTool (used tools) and Restore (used tools and more).
From Our Workshop
Roy Galbreath showed this lovely excavator at our October meeting.
The DuPage Woodworkers is dedicated to increasing the enjoyment of woodworking. Woodworkers of all skill levels, in every area of woodworking, are welcome.
