GWA at the 20Fine 3 Woodworking Show

Every year the GWA attends and displays at "The Woodworking Shows" and this year was no exception. For 2013 the show moved to the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia (formerly it was at the North Atlanta Trade Center). Im not quite sure why but there seemed to be a heightened sense of excitement this year. I also got to attend a seminar by Paul Sellers (someone who Ive found quite interesting online - hes just as gracious and charming in person as he is in his popular videos). 

The GWA booth was near the center of the large room down the main entrance. We had many items on display and also had stations for lathe and scroll saw work with volunteers in attendance. For the first time Ricky Alexander and some others set up notebook computers and demonstrated the work the SketchUp SIG has been getting into. Weve found that doing these shows is a great way to meet new people, discuss new methods and garner potential members. Here are the photos I took at the show.

GWA Member Ted Baldwin doing a demonstration at the Woodworkers Guild Booth...

Ted Baldwin at the Woodworkers Guild Booth

Some of Ted Baldwins Work

In the main lobby area was this table for the "Show Off Showcase" - not many entries this year...

New signage at the GWA booth this year - normally were against the wall so this year we chose to do tall vertical banners...

Hans Meier at a scroll saw station...

 

Gerry Jones at a lathe....

 

A shot of one of the new banners...

Mickey Hudspeth demonstrates his skill at chip carving...

Steve Carmichaels fantastic "Kiss" weathervane...

Some puzzles by Karl Taylor...

Some of George Norths segmentation work if Im not mistaken...

Ricky Alexander doing magic in SketchUp...

GWA founder Ron Brown had his own booth this year...

Some beautiful club-made boxes (Rob Brokaw I believe, featuring a bit of marquetry)...

Some turned items by the Turners SIG...

A whimsical intarsia piece...

I spotted this chair in another booth and had to take a couple of stills...

And that wraps up the photos that I took...

-- John

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Black Decker NPP20Fine 8 Fine 8 Volt Cordless Electric Pole Chain Saw

Black & Decker NPP2018 18 Volt Cordless Pole Pruning SawBlack & Decker NPP2018 18 Volt Cordless Pole Pruning Saw Features:; Center Extension Allows For a Useable Length of 6.5 or 10, Provides Overhead Reach of Up to 14; 8" Cutting Bar & Chain Allows for a Maximum Cutting Diameter of 6"; 18 Volt NiCad Battery Provides Up to 100 Cuts of 1 1/2" Pine Branches Per Charge; 18 Volt Battery-Powered For Hassle Free Trigger StartingIn-Line Power-Head Allows Easy Maneuverability and Visability Between B

Lets you prune branches yourself to save time and moneyExtends to reach up to 14 feetPowerful motor wont get in the way of your viewMeasures 115 inches in length; weighs 7.6 pounds; 2-year warrantyIncludes one 18-volt battery #244760-00, one 18-volt battery charger, carrying bag, blade guard, oil bottle, and wrench

List Price: $ 251.18

Price: $ 105.76

Save money and time by tackling pruning projects yourself--instead of hiring someone else to do it--with this ultra-efficient 18-volt cordless pole chain saw from Black & Decker. Complete with an 8.0-inch extension bar that lets you reach up to 14 feet and cut high branches without having to climb up on a ladder, this battery powered saw is both lightweight and easy to handle...

Lightweight, easy-to-operate, and able to get into even the tightest areas with ease, this cordless electric chain saw from Black & Decker handles both soft and hard wood measuring up to eight inches in diameter...

No more balancing acts! No more expensive tree service bills! Just toss This Rope Saws safety weight over the branch you want to cut, then pull the 25ft. polypropylene ropes. Carbon steel blades can be sharpened...

Providing cutting-edge features to help you power through jobs both big and small, the Poulan Pro 400E 18-Inch 4.0 HP Electric Chain Saw arrives fully assembled, so its ready to go right out of the box...

Compatible with Black & Decker 18-volt cordless chain saw models NPP2018 and CS818, this replacement eight-inch saw chain provides longlasting performance. The RC800 effectively handles yard projects, like pruning and cutting wood...

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Review Show 3 – Hand Finishing and Rubbing Out

Title: Hand Finishing and Rubbing Out with Hendrik Varju
Run Time: 9 Hrs 52 Min
Production Date: 2010
Produced By: Passion For Wood
Price: $94.95 CDN (Buy Now)
Marc’s Score: 4.3 Grape Sodas out of 5
Matt”s Score: 3.5 Grape Sodas out of 5

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“Full outline of finish types and characteristics. Step-by-step demonstration of hand finishing techniques. Learn the lost art of rubbing out the perfect finish. Steps to achieve the perfect polyurethane finish. Real time project finishing demonstration.”

Matt: Hendrik Varju is an amazing woodworker and artisan with a reputation for building prized pieces for his clients and paying an amazing amount of detail to his work. As a teacher and instructor he brings a vast amount of information to his students and it shows in the extent of detail he dives into to make sure every topic is covered, no matter how big or small the detail is. It’s a great title for anyone who breaks out in a sweat when they think of hand finishing their projects. I’d recommend this to woodworkers all of levels of experience, but especially those for who spray finishing just isn’t an option and you want to be able to use a wide variety of finish types. But if you’re looking for a quick fix to your woodworking habit, or even just a refresher to a topic you already feel comfortable with or even if hand finishing isn’t your thing and you’re all about spray finishing, this title is not for you.

Marc: The best way to describe this DVD set is: a weekend seminar in a box. With nearly 10 hrs of footage, it really is like sitting in on a long seminar. That’s both good and bad. Hendrik delivers the information with the confidence of a college professor. And like most of the lectures I sat through in college, I was checking my eyelids for holes after about 20 minutes. Now I realize this is firmly in the realm of personal taste. But with all the presentation and visualization options available to us in the world of video, I hoped for a little less marker on the flip chart. All that said, this is an absolute treasure trove of finishing information. When new woodworkers ask me where they should start with finishing, I usually recommend one of the well-known books that grace most of our shelves. But from now on, I think I’ll be recommending this DVD set. Its a little pricey, but this is a resource you’ll be dipping back into repeatedly.

Entertainment Value: Marc 1.5/5 | Matt 2/5
Production Quality: Marc 3/5 | Matt 2.5/5
Information Quality: Marc 5/5 | Matt 5/5
Overall Value: Marc 5/5 | Matt 2.5/5
Keeps Its Promise: Marc 5/5 | Matt 4/5
Final Score: Marc 4.3/5 | Matt 3.5/5

And congratulations to last show’s DVD winners: Matt Meers, Matt O’Connell, and Jack Wilson.

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Butterfly tables by Michael Fortune

Works with any base. The table in the magazine had a standard base, but this table has one thats definitely non-standard. Still, the same technique for making the leaf was used.
Photo: Michael Fortune
I have one of the best jobs in the world, at least if you love furniture making. And one of my favorite parts of the job is working with our authors, like Michael Fortune. His design chops are first rate, but Im even more impressed by his technical skill in the shop. He is a true master of the craft. Thats why his article in FWW #220, "Finest Way to Expand a Table," is such a wonderful contribution to furniture making. Not only is the tables aesthetic design elegant, its technical design is exquisite, too. He has taken something which could be a nightmare to figure out and presented it in a way that all of us can understand. Before this, the butterfly table was something only the most advanced furniture makers could execute. Hoewever, its now something that just about all of us can do, because he has clarified and simplified the most complicated part: figuring out where to put the pivots. And even if you cant do it now, its certainly within your reach not too far down the road.
The reason Michael is able to present the technique in a clear and easy to understand manner is that hes done all the hard work, making a lot of butterfly tables and learning his lessons. Id thought it would be nice to show you some of his other work. Enjoy.
(By the way, Ive always found that the truly gifted people are those who can take complicated material and present it in a way that makes it seem easy. Thank goodness for Michael Fortune and all of the other wonderful authors writing for FWW! Id be a worse furniture maker without them and the craft would be far less healthy.)
posted in: blogs, michael fortune, butterfly table
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