DuPage Woodworkers Program Schedule - 2023
| Date | Topic | Presenter | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 16 | no meeting | ||
| February 20 | Making a Plate From a Board From an Inch Thick Board | Bruce Metzdorf | Rescheduled from January | March 20 | Presentation on General Finishes | Tom Monahan |
| April 17 | Show and Tell | ||
| May 15 | Norton Abrasives | Justin Joerger | |
| June 19 | Show and Tell - Part 2 | ||
| July 17 | Band Saw Box | Larry | |
| August 21 | |||
| September 16 | Turning a Peppermill using Easy Wood Tools | Mark Dreyer | |
| October 20 | |||
| November 20 | Greenwood Splitting and Shaving – Windsor Chairs | Bill Boyle | |
| December | no program - Holiday Party |
2021 Programs
The December meeting was replaced by our holiday party.
At our November Program, Jim Harvey demonstrated how to build the small, lightweight router table that we have been using at toy making days.
Many generous members brought toys to be added to the toys that we donate during the holidays.
Steve Latta did a presentation on “Carcasses.” Don't think slaughterhouse, think the structural framework of a piece of furniture. Steve focused more on bookcases and chests than on kitchen-type cabinets. Steve has more than 25 years' experience in woodworking and teaches at Thaddeus Stevens College in Lancaster, PA. He also teaches at woodworking schools around the US. He is a contributing editor for Fine Woodworking magazine. He zoomed the DuPage Woodworkers' July meeting and explained tips and techniques for making a table.
Whit Anderson demonstrated the Origin, a handheld but computer guided router from Shaper Tools. Origin is a portable CNC machine that can cut mortise and tenon joints, inlays, intricate parts of various sizes and other jobs demanding precision and repeatability. Whit has been using his device for almost a year, and has cut gears, dadoes, decorative shapes (some to be filled with epoxy) and other pieces. This is a chance to see this device up close, inperson or via Zoom.
The DuPage Woodworkers have a long history of making toys for underprivileged kids during the holidays, some years amassing more than 2,000 toys of all types.
The focus of the August meeting was toys, with special emphasis on alternatives to cars and trucks. Cars and trucks have been the mainstay of our toys program, but in recent years we’ve tried to diversify and create more toys for girls, including doll beds, puzzles and baby carriages.
Our panel of toymakers, DPWW members Bruce Kinney, Wally Schmidt, Jim Harvey and George Rodgers, provided ideas on their own special takes on toys, from cars to play furniture to keepsake boxes and puzzles and doll beds. Panelists answered questions and gave tips on design, materials and construction.
Jim Harvey has provided a list of links related to his presentation on keepsake boxes.
Our July presenter, Steve Latta has been a professional furniture and cabinet maker for about 30 years. He also teaches at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology. Steve is a contributing editor to Fine Woodworking magazine and has lectured and taught at museums and schools around the country. He worked with Lie-Nielsen to create modern inlay tools and instructional videos about inlay.
Have you been working on a project based on a set of plans only to find out things weren't going the way you had expected? Zoom in with Ron Herman as he provides information about the clamps, glues and fasteners project plans expect you to already know about before you follow their instructions, complete with demonstrations and show-and-tell items.
If you have wondered why pin nails won't hold well in end grain, why your glue didn't stick, or why your screw suddenly moved out of line when you tightened it, this is the topic for you. Ron will also discuss the proper uses of different kinds and gauges of nails and screws, what countersink to use and how they coordinate with your nails, which clamps are appropriate for your uses/different species of wood and how to protect your project when using them, which woods require pilot holes for screws, and more, to greatly improve the success of your project.
Forget whatever you learned about woodburning while a Cub Scout. Julie Bender is an artist who uses heat to create her art. Her pyrography uses mostly sepia tones to depict Western scenes. Much of her work features animals and outdoor life. An artist and pyrography teacher who offers both online and in-person workshops, Julie's presentation is one you won't want to miss.
Jim Heavey, famous for his contributions to Wood Magazine and from his tours with The Woodworking Shows, will be our April presenter. Jim prefers an open format with questions from the audience so be prepared to discuss problems and solutions.
Jim has graciously shared his handout on finishes with us.
Members will receive the usual invitation.
Watch how to make your own custom template for routing a sign. Mike Perry has to make 20 speed limit signs for a cottage compound in northern Michigan. Mike will show you how he uses Microsoft Word to create the content for the sign, then uses old-fashioned carbon paper to transfer the design to a piece of Masonite for the template. He then uses a scroll saw to cut the templates he needs for routing the sign. Finally, he routes and paints the letterforms in a 12” x 9” piece of cedar. Voila!
Members will receive the usual invitation.
Alex Snodgrass has been working with bandsaws for over 30 years and in that time has been recognized as an expert within the bandsaw industry. Companies including Powermatic and Carter Products have partnered with Alex in developing and implementing several of his bandsaw patents including the Carter Products Band Saw Stabilizer®, Quick Release® and the F.A.S.T. Fence Alignment System™.
Alex is the “face” of Powermatic when it comes to bandsaws and has developed many commercials, tutorials and seminars for the company.
Alex is best known for his bandsaw “Reindeer,” 3D cutting boards and other tips and techniques related to the setup and use of bandsaws. You can find Alex teaching at several large retail outlets as well as wood clubs and woodworking schools. He recently created his own YouTube channel and bandsawlife.com where you can follow him as he shares his latest projects and experiences.
We expect to have From Our Workshop at this meeting.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever taken the blade guard off your table saw.
Okay, we’ve all done it but sometimes it gets in the way. So how can you use your table saw safely and yet efficiently? January’s meeting will explore that question via Zoom.
We’ll start with a presentation by Greg Tamm, regional sales manager at Sawstop. He’ll discuss features of their table saws and show a short video on how the safety system works, as well as answer your questions. He’ll be followed by a more general presentation on saw safety, with tips and guidelines, and a panel of home-grown experts discussing these issues. Our panel will be Mike Kalscheur, Lee Nye and George Rodgers.
If any member has difficulty accessing our Zoom meetings, please feel free to call Mark Wieting at (630) 699-3332 or Jeff Kramer at (630) 926-3784, and he’ll be happy to guide you through the process of logging into our meetings.
We do not expect to have From Our Workshop at this meeting.