July, 2003 – Channel Islands Woodturners

Meeting Information: Saturday, July 12th

from 9:00 am to Noon

Discuss AAW Symposium and future club events

at Russ Babbitt‘s

(see below for more details about the meeting)

Over 50% of our own members attended the AAW Symposium the last weekend of June. Our participation began Thursday evening with the two lathes set up in the registration area from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. In addition to making tops and balls to be given to the L.A. Children’s Hospital, we had several novice turners getting their feet “wet” (at least full of chips) and one TV Journalist spent time with Sam Turner learning to turn. Sam was scheduled to be interviewed on camera Friday. Photos from the registration area are included at the bottom of this page. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were filled with exciting demos with so many topics to choose from that it was difficult to decide what to see. Many of our members assisted with the video cameras during the demonstrations and got ringside seats. The instant gallery was outstanding and the wood and equipment vendors were doing a very brisk business. We certainly did our part to keep the economy expanding. Sunday after the symposium closed we pitched in and helped clean up the sawdust and woodchips that had accumulated over 3 days. As Al Geller promised this only took about 45 minutes.

Our entry in the Club Challenge was a trebuchet (catapult with a sling attached). We unofficially came in second place in the technical category (only two clubs entered this category) behind the superb entry from the Glendale Woodturners Guild which also took best in show. Our work was very respectable particularly for the first ever entry from a small club. Our July 12th meeting will feature photos and discussion of highlights from the symposium.

Topics for the July 12th meeting:

1) AAW Symposium:

What did you like or dislike? What could be done differently. We will be giving feed-back to the AAW. Which demonstrators would you like to see us bring to our local meetings? Bring photos that you took (or your digital camera to connect to the TV). And for show-n-tell bring work that you have done since the symposium (even if not finished) that illustrates something that you learned or that changed your technique.

2) Ventura County Fair:

As mentioned in the June 2003 newsletter we have our own Woodturning Division (#343) this year with 9 classes. Details can be found under the Home Arts Department at the Fair’s web page. Sam Turner will bring us up to date on the preparations and the volunteers we will need to provide for registration on July 18-20. (If you will be out of town ask another member to enter your work for you!) We also need to sign up for the lathe rotations for our booth with the woodcarvers during the Fair from July 30 to August 10. Dan Hogan, Vice-President of the Glendale Woodturners Guild, has agreed to be the judge for the woodturning division. Bring your calendar and sign up to give us a hand at the fair. You do not need to be an expert and it is a lot of fun; plus you get free entry to the fair on the day(s) you are working. Note that according to our bylaws you do need to be a member of AAW to demonstrate on the lathe at the Fair.

3) Future goals for Channel Islands Woodturners:

As we grow do we need a permanent venue for meetings? How large do we want to get? Should we formalize a Mentoring Program for beginning turners? Consider who should be on the nominating committee for selecting next year’s officers. Yes it is time to begin the process. This year’s program chair, Paul Myhre, did us a big favor by having the program for 2003 already lined up with two professional demonstrators by December 2002.

4) Door Prizes:

Wood left over from the symposium and an unfinished natural-edge bowl from David Ellsworth’s demonstration.

Photos from the 2003 AAW