The Mid South Woodturners Guild was again asked to demonstrate at Arts in the Loop April 12-14th. This is the second year we have demonstrated this event. Although we could not sell product, we were able to demonstrate, support Pens for Troops, and accept donations for this important project. Eleven members participated in this event by setting up, turning, and helping teardown the booth. The weather was ideal, and it was a great time turning, socializing, and getting to know new members who were able to hone their pen-turning skills. Over 60 pens were turned supporting Pens for Troops. In addition, several tops and bottle stoppers were turned and given away. The club received some donations towards our service projects and the club earned a demonstrator fee from Art in the Loop. These funds will be used to purchase Pen for Troop supplies, and a demonstration tent for future outdoor venues such as Oktoberfest, Pink Palace, Art in the Loop, and club Turn-ins. One generous observer who visited out booth on Saturday returned on Sunday with a beautiful piece of bubinga that he donated to make additional blanks for Pens for Troops. There were several observers who inquired about woodturning classes and showed interest in joining the club. We were able to share our club policy of MENTORING members and thus no paid classes were necessary. We were asked by Art in the Loop asked to put this event on our 2025 calendar to demonstrate. Members that participated were Ken Burnett, Sam Dawson, Mark Manning, Larry Sefton, Everett Smith, Doug Woodard, Doc Shaw, Bob Wolfe, Rick Gillespie, Joseph Voda, and Roland Lee. If we missed you, please send an email to Bob Wolfe asking to be added to the list. Click on the photos below to see higher resolution images that can be downloaded.

The Woodwork Shop, Inc. hosted the Midsouth Woodturners Guild for a Learn-to-Turn-a-Pen” Hands-On Workshop on April 6. By the end of the day, both organizations declared it a successful joint venture! Fifteen students completed their first pens. One student in an email to MSWG stated the following: "Just to say thank you to all involved yesterday. The class was well organized, everyone made us feel at ease and the teaching was magnificent. Can’t wait for another! I know how much effort is involved in making something like that go smoothly and am very appreciative. PS. My wife loved her new birthday present—her new pen." The owner of The Wood Workshop stated in an email: "You guys and your Club did a great job Saturday!! Thank you for allowing the Woodwork Shop to participate in this special event. I look forward to planning the next one. Hope to see you soon." Rita See all the photos of the students turning their pens by clicking on the images below.

We had 40 in attendance at the meeting. The following photos can also be found on the MSWG website along with the makers' names: Photo Galleries Video of the MSWG Instant Gallery and President's Challenge Gallery Video by Don Farage Instant Gallery - MSWG General Meeting - March 23, 2024 President's Challenge - Platter - - MSWG General Meeting - March 23, 2024 Demonstrator(s):  - Tips and Tricks - - MSWG General Meeting - March 23, 2024

Come join the fun. Bring your woodturnings that you want to sell. We sold a lot of our woodturnings on Friday and could use more items. You do not need to work the booth to sell However, your help is welcomed. You can also come and demonstrate at one of our lathes. We have woodturners there to help you (reminder - you must wear safety glasses or a face shield when near or using our lathes). Or you can just come and hangout and scope things out so you can sell/volunteer next year. Audubon Park • Friday – Sunday, September 22 – 24 Friday: 10am – 6pm Saturday: 10am – 6pm Sunday: 10am – 5pm FREE PARKING off Cherry Road with shuttle service to event entrance. The following photos were taken Friday:

This year's Delta Fair is now open. MSWG demonstrated on Saturday, and we will be demonstrating again on Sunday and Wednesday (9/3 & 9/6). Come see us and better yet, if you are a member help by demonstrating. For more information on demonstrating contact Bob Wolfe by phone or text (901) 277-8622 email at mailto:president@mswg.club MSWG demonstration is located in the main building lower level in the craft and art area. The photo below shows the MSWG setup team early Friday afternoon. Revo Reeves, Edward Ayres, Sam Dawson, Bob Wolfe, Mike Stephens, and Larry Sefton (not in photo). Congratulations to Don Farage for a BEST OF SHOW Delta Fair 2023 award. The following is a photo of all the ribbon-winning woodturning entries for 2023. I am sure you will recognize many of the makers.

It is always wonderful when you are told a story that makes you feel good. What is even better is when something unexpected happens that topped the story. As a MSWG club member and woodturner I hope you get the same feeling after reading the following. On the first day of the 50th anniversary of the Pink Place Craft Fair (2022) a young lady and her mother approached Joseph Voda and me. We were both involved in making wood tops for the public. We noticed that Chesney was watching intently and then she spoke up. Her story went something like this: You guys have been doing this for years and I think it is great. I have been coming for years and you have always been here, and it makes such a difference. Then she continued. I got a top each year I came, and they are special to me. I have them in a collection at home. Her mother spoke up telling us how as a child Chesney would wait patiently for her top and how she looked forward to getting her top during their yearly visit to the Pink Place Craft Fair. We must have talked for 10 minutes. What a great story. The next day the unexpected happened. I was at the table for tops and who shows up but Chesney. She made a special trip back to show us her top collection. I was speechless as she pulled one after another out of her purse. She had a total of 7 and stated she thought she had lost a couple of the very first ones. I just had to ask her if she would please spin them for us. Chesney got to decorate her top this year - something she had never gotten to do in the past. I hope this story inspires you the same way it did me to keep volunteering to be part of the tops demonstration at the Pink Palace Craft Fair.

My 15 plus year old chainsaw table needed to be replaced. I decided today was the day. Why today? Well, I had room in the trash container for the old table and one thing led to the next. What surprised me was that the time from my decision to trash the old one to the 100% completion of the new one was just under three hours. This time included: Demoing the old one and moving it to the curb for trash day. Designing the new one Going to Home Dept and getting everything Building the new table I even put everything away and cleaned up :-) There are many log cutting stands and table designs. My old one served me well, so I made the same design again with only a few modifications. If you are interested here is my project sketch. (Click on photo to enlarge) If you copy this design, make sure to position the screws on the lower half of the top. That way when your saw cuts into the table you do not hit a screw (voice of experience at work - on my old one I hit a screw and had to replace the chain). Process photos. Another surprise was how little material I had left over. Three screws, 4 end pieces about 1/4" long, and saw dust. And the project's total cost was under budget with a cost of $37.19.

For over 30 years I have cooked with cast iron dutch ovens. When placing the hot oven on a table for serving, I have used a commercial white plastic cutting board. This challenge made me think. I am a woodturner - why not a wood serving tray that I made on my own lathe? This service tray was finished with Milk Paint brand Cutting Board Oil. In my view the two best cutting board oils are John Boos MYSB Mystery Butcher Block Oil (or cream) or Milk Paint's Cutting Board Oil. Something I did not foresee was the discoloration that is seen in the photo below after the first use. Can you guess the cause? The discoloration was from moisture and the warm/hot lid affecting the oil and the wood. To me this is a positive effect (badge of courage).

Many MSWG club members over the past months have asked about the photo on my wig stand bases. It is not a photo; it is one manufactured sheet of material designed for decoupage. The trade name is Prima Re-Design Decoupage Decor Tissue Paper purchased from Amazon https://a.co/d/5pnHA2S. It comes in 100s of designs. I use this paper because it works great for this application. I am sure there are other papers and material that might also work. Do a web search and you will find there are many other suppliers of Prima Re-Design Decoupage Decor Tissue Paper. I was told that a vendor is selling this paper locally near Wolfchase at Painted Tree Boutiques at 8045 Giacosa Pl, Memphis, TN 38133 (I have not confirmed this). You may want to watch this video Redesign with Prima The Wiki definition of decoupage is the art of decorating an object by gluing colored paper cutouts onto it in combination with special paint effects, gold leaf, and other decorative elements. Commonly, an object like a small box or an item of furniture is covered by cutouts from magazines or from purpose-manufactured papers. Each layer is sealed with varnishes (often multiple coats) until the "stuck on" appearance disappears and the result looks like painting or inlay work. The traditional technique used 30 to 40 layers of varnish which were then sanded to a polished finish. Following is my general process: Turn the base. Sand the base to 320. Put one or more coats of paint or clear finish to seal the wood. I use General Finishes High Performance Water Based Topcoat, Flat. I will sand if needed between coats. Cut a circle of Prima Re-Design Decoupage Decor Tissue Paper (paper) just a little larger than the base. Put one coat of High Performance on top surface patterned paper to act as the adhesive (must be wet) Put one coat of High Performance on bottom surface of patterned paper to act as the adhesive (must be wet). Attached the prepared paper to the base and smooth. Wipe off excess adhesive. What is nice about this paper is that you can reposition it and because it is porous you do not get bubbles. (You will find that there is a lot of hype about Mod Podge Gloss Waterbase Sealer, Glue. Bottom line is that you can use your favorite clear top coat finish. Let dry overnight. Finish the edge by mounting on the base on the lathe and very lightly turning away the excess paper. I typically lightly sand the raw edge. Remove from the lathe and add two or three topcoats of finish (with very light sanding between coats). If you want to see the complete process as a club demonstration, please contact Rick Gillespie (901) 619-6308 - he is in charge of MSWG meeting demonstration scheduling.

The following is a list of resources Sam provided from his demonstration. As a reminder there are many resources for these products and the following are examples. If you need more information contact Sam Dawson by phone or not email: (901) 734-9157 Game Call Parts for all your duck call building needs! Mandrels, Duck Call Bands, Pins, Drill Bits, Duck & Goose Call Inserts for your hand turned barrels. Vacuum Pump Vacuum Chamber Pressure Pot Parts to build your own vacuum chamber TurnTex, LLC! Stabilizing Resin - Cactus Juice Alumilite casting resin

Skip Wilbur is at the AAW 2023 Symposium and has shared 70 outstanding photographs from the huge array of pieces in the instant gallery. Thank you, Skip! Below is just a sampling of Skip's photos - click on the button above to see all of them.

This is a reminder to make any woodturning with a lid for the President's Challenge for June 24, 2023. This can even be a cricket cage that has a top to open it. Below are several collage photos of lidded turnings previously made by MSWG club members. Click on the photo to enlarge. Alternatives if you cannot attend the June monthly meeting: Send your President's Challenge to the meeting with a friend or some other person. Send a photo of the item by email to photos@mswg.club along with any special notes. If you need to print a tag for your instant gallery item, you can use this one below.

I think everyone is agreement that Trent Bosch's IRD on his Mountain Bowl was excellent. For those who want to watch his demo again, he will be sending a link that will be shared with the membership in a separate Blog when we get the link from Trent. Instant Gallery and President's Challenge - Click on the image to enlarge. May 20, 2023, General Meeting Notes We had one guest - Arliss Thomas Pearson As of 4/22/2023, we have 86 Paid or Lifetime Members. We had 38 attendees. We sold $80 in raffle tickets (helping to pay for our refreshments) 11 Members participated in the Instant Gallery. 14 Members participated in the President's Challenge: 4 Members participated the Wig Stand Program (4 wig stands donated). Trent Bosch did a great demo - holding everyone’s attention and no one left early. I hope members thank Bill Siller for taking great photos. He missed most of the IRD and thank goodness he will be able to view it on the replay. You may have noticed that Bill was using our new Angler Port-a-Cube LED Light Tent with Dimmer II (Large, 27"). NOTE: For those members who want to make their instant gallery tags before coming to the meeting you can download the printable pdf below.

As a refresher, the sharpening systems on display were: Slow speed grinder with Norton 3X - 8 Inch Grinding Wheels and a Wolverine Tool Sharpening System. Large belt sander/grinder (Shop Fox) used for sharpening knives, tools, and general grinding adapted for sharpening woodturning tools. Robert Sorby ProEdge Sharpening System Work Sharp - WS3000 Wood Tool Sharpener Not shown but discussed were CBN woodturning grinding wheels. Below are the club members that led the Sharpening panel discussion. This is the video that we watched as part of the panel discussion. Below are some great resource links that you may want to download and save. Some of these in my opinion are a must to save and read regarding woodturning tool sharpening. Sharpening Turning Tools Book.pdf (woodturner.org) Sharpening Systems Oct2012 AAW Journal DIYBeltSharpeningSystem_Dec2012 AAW Journal Lathe Tool Sharpening Basics by the New Mexico Woodturners Some Basics for Sharpening by the New Mexico Woodturners Adjustable Jig Settings for an Ellsworth grind by the West Bay Woodturners One of the best videos on sharpening is by Glen Lucus - Mastering Woodturning Series: No. 3 Sharpening Techniques - Glenn Lucas Master Woodturner (glennlucaswoodturning.com)

This type of demonstrating is NOT the same as club meetings to other woodturners. The following webpage link by Hilton Handcraft of the Ozarks should be read by each woodturner doing a public demonstration. Tips for Club Demonstrations (hiltonhandcraft.com) You will also find a link to this on the home page of the MSWG website at the bottom of the page. Here are "The Cliff Notes" Be prepared Dress appropriately - wear logo gear if possible Don't bring too much stuff Practice what you are going to do Slow down Where are your viewers? School is NOT in session - There's a fine line between demonstrating, educating, and explaining what you are doing vs. turning things into a turning class. This isn't your club meeting DON'T show me the money Freebies make the world go around Make the most of your host Make some noise Variety Is key Know your audience Use the 15-Minute rule Have a good front person Promote your organization Have a sign-up sheet to be contacted for more information! Have a sign-up sheet to subscribe to your club's upcoming events e-mails!

I was talking to the other day with members of Tri-State Woodcrafters and was surprised at how many people do not know about Crosstown Arts Shared Art Making and Woodshop. I have been there, and it is a class act. For example, the bandsaw in the background in the photo is setup with a carbide blade and decanted to resawing. The room with the glass window houses a CNC machine, Bottom line: if you do not have the equipment or space for your project and do not want to infringe on a friend's shop this may be an alternative for you. They also have an experienced woodshop manager on staff. 1350 CONCOURSE AVE • MEMPHIS, TN • 38104 • 901.203.8300 Crosstown Arts Shared Art Making is a workspace that provides anyone — from professionals to hobbyists — common access to art-making facilities and equipment in digital arts, music, woodworking, printmaking, photography, and more. Encouraging creative exchange and collaborative projects across traditional, social, and professional boundaries, Shared Art Making memberships are open to everyone at any level of expertise or experience. HOURS: Monday-Friday: 10am-5:00pm WEBSITE: https://crosstownarts.org/shared-art-making/about Equipment, Spaces, & Resources | Crosstown Arts LOCATION: EAST ATRIUM • L1 | 177

Suzanne writes the following to the MSWG members. I hope that guild members will invite family and friends into their shops to decorate eggs in the coming weeks. This is a super fun and fast activity for adults and children to enjoy together. Here is the list I promised for egg decorating supplies: White Wooden Eggs were purchased from Amazon “SallyFashion 24 PCS White Wooden Eggs” (Amazon also sells natural wood finished eggs ready to decorate. Warning, they sell plastic eggs made by the same company!) Crayon Eggs: Crayola Crayons Paper Towel (for buffing) Bold Colored Eggs: Alcohol Marker Set (double tipped chisel and fine) Note: I suggest that you do not add glitter coat or other sealants to alcohol marker decorated eggs as the chemicals can react and cause the colors to bleed. Sharpie Glitter Eggs: Sharpie Markers Folk Art Extreme Glitter Acrylic Glitter Finish Paint in “Hologram” Note: Paint a thin coat of glitter finish while lathe is on a slow speed and dry with a hairdryer on a low setting. Acrylic Painted Eggs: Liquitex or Folk Art Acrylic Paints (thin with water as needed for desired viscosity) Brushes Mixing Tray or Paper Plate Note: Dry well with a hairdryer on a low setting between color changes or paint layers. Optional Finish: Folk Art Extreme Glitter Acrylic Glitter Finish Paint Wonky Eggs: Experiment with offset turning using caution and low speed settings. Alcohol markers and Sharpies work best for decorating wonky eggs. We experimented with many ways to hold the egg on the lathe, a rubber stopper modified to cradle both sides of the egg or a drilled out golf ball worked the best. Egg ends can be painted or decorated with a marker when removed from the lathe. This works best when the egg is perched in an egg carton, on a drying tray, or on a “bed of nails” home-made drying rack. Examples of why you want to let a child color eggs on your lathe. Above: Lucy and David Marrero Above: Larry Sefton's 6-year-old grandson, Connor. No lathe not problem, just buy one of these.

Saturday March 11, 2023, we had a workshop at Rick Stone's shop. The topic was embellishing wood using various techniques to cause a relief in the wood that was filled with layers of milk paint then sanded, burnished and finished to enhance the effect. We started by turning a spindle from polar or cottonwood. We then used several texturing techniques on the spindles such as wire brush, knurling, screwdriver with a hammer, and more. We added multi coats of milk paint, sanded, and steel wooled the painting. Then applied wax or other finishing topcoat, This was completed before noon (see photo below). Click on photos to enlarge and/or download. Afternoon Candle Stick Project After lunch was the candle stick project. We applied all the learned techniques from the morning to make our candle stick. Above - Top row left to right: Masanori Igarashi, Mark Manning, and Sam Dawson, Bottom row right to left: Ken Burnette and Mark Baxter. Below are members hard at work!

The other day a MSWG member stated that he wanted to learn hand sharpening since he could no longer use his sharpening jig because the tool was too short. I had the same problem and here is my solution. When I buy a gouge, I consider: Flat Milled Gouges: Meaning there is a flat milled on the top and you can use your sharpening jig all the way down to the end. Standard size shanks that will fit my tool handles. Making or buying a handle that allows me to remove the gouge for easier sharpening (so the handle does not get in the way). The last two gouges I purchased were from Robust Tools and I love them. Why may you ask? They have a flat milled on the top and that makes them work great in my DIY handles that use setscrews. They have a shank turned to a diameter that works for me. They have performed outstandingly well for me. No, I am not marketing for Robust Tools! Turning Tools – New – Gouges – Skews – Scrapers – Robust Tools (turnrobust.com)

I have had questions about how I did the following in the photo below during a past demonstration on making wig stands. The question was how did I mount the plywood backer to the tailstock? Sorry, I have been doing this for so long it never occurred to me to explain the setup. The photos below should make this more explanatory. The thread adapter is typically called a "Chuck Reversing Adapter." I purchased my adapter well over 10 years ago. If you click on the button below, you will find the same adapter currently sold by Klingspor: or sold by www.packardwoodworks.com Search for "CHUCK TAILSTOCK ADAPTER" If you still have questions, please let me know.