When do we meet?
Our club meets on the 3nd Wednesday of the month at 7PM. Our normal meeting location is currently in Los Altos at the Bridge Church. The maps and directions are under Information on this website: Link.
How does our meeting operate?
Each meeting is started with a short biz meeting, where we cover officer reports, up coming events, and any open subjects that members may have. We follow this up with a President’s Challenge and Show and Tell. Following this is a short break, with coffee and cookies. Please drop a donation in the coffee can to help pay the expenses. After the break we have our main program.
How do I become a member? What do I need to do?
Joining is easy. Please ask any member to point you to the club treasurer and he will give you a short form to fill in. This will give us the information that we need to keep you informed of club activities. Dues are currently $30/calendar year. Joining in Oct-Dec will cover the following year. Please turn a badge. Badges are the easiest way for everyone to learn your name.
How do I get a newsletter?
Our electronic newsletter can be found on our club web site. Joining the yahoo group is important. Last minute notices, notice of the newsletter availability, and a complete membership roster are available in this password protected site. Join the group. Paper newsletters are mailed out to those without electronic access, but note that if you are not part of the Yahoo group, you will not be informed of some activities. You are automatically added to this group once you have paid your dues.
What is the President’s Challenge and Show and Tell?
Each month the president challenges members to demonstrate a different skill. All members are encouraged to participate. Examples of past challenges have been Christmas ornaments, finials, boxes, etc. The upcoming president’s challenge will be given in the newsletter. Show and Tell is an opportunity for members to share experiences with others in the club. This might include an unfortunate problem that we all have from time to time, some new piece of wood that you have turned, a new finish that you have tried, a new skill that you’ve developed or tried, a problem that you want advice on, or an experiment that you have been working on. Please sign in your piece when you place in on the table as either a president’s challenge or a show and tell piece. The president will then ask you to come up and say a few things about your entrée. Each member will receive a raffle ticket for participating. At the end, we will have a raffle for the president’s challenge and a raffle for show and tell.
Basic Skills Classes
What are the Basic Skills Classes?
The club is currently offering a series of classes to any of its members given by other members covering the basic skills required to turn. We focus on as much hands-on training as is possible given the number of members that attend in the time permitted. The classes provide an opportunity to ask questions about a particular problem that you might be having and to see up close a demonstration of how a tool, grind, chuck, etc are used. They do not replace other classes offered by full time instructors, and we encourage members to take advantage of any and all learning opportunities.
What classes have been offered?
We started these classes in 2006 and have offered 6 or 7 classes each year. Our series has included:
Chainsaw safety, How to cut a log into blanks, Wood drying effects, Tool sharpening, Mounting a block of wood, Skew tool work, Turning Eggs and Balls, Turning a Pen, Rough turning a bowl from green wood and drying, Finish turning a dry blank, Finishing the bottom of a bowl, Turning a Natural Edge Bowl, Home made tools for turning.
When, Where, How?
These classes are offered on the 3rd Saturday of the month starting at 9AM and running till roughly Noon. Due to schedule conflicts, they are not offered every month. Watch the newsletter for announcements of upcoming classes. Classes are offered at Jim Laflin’s shop, 18582 Allendale Av. Saratoga, CA 95070 (408)379-2347. In general there is no cost for these classes, except to refund the cost of materials used. No reservations are required. Bring your own eye protection, and hearing protection (for the chainsaw class). Bring your tools for feedback and better practice at home.
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