The Newsletter of the Lehigh Valley Woodworkers’ Guild

February  2005

Printed courtesy of HostwindowÔ 

 Please excuse this "Crass commercial announcement," but by the time you read this the Ides of March will be upon us and the remittance of dues which are payable in January is lagging behind previous years.  We are all very busy, and some things are often overlooked.   If you have not re-upped yet please try to do so this month

Guild Workbench: 

Andy Anderson has delivered the workbench to the Center and we will see the results of his handiwork at the meeting.  It features a Bally Block top on a set of Geoffrey Noden's Adjust-a-bench legs.  A vise will be added at a later date.   Thanks, Andy.

March Meeting:

 Fred Matlack will be throwing curves at the audience when he explains the layout and fabrication of segmented straight or tapered cylinders. Coopered panels will also be discussed.

 Fred Matlack…DaMan 

  February Drag-in & Brag-on:

 The only notable thing about this monthly segment that is usually well supported, is that no one brought anything in to brag on!  Are all you guys tired of having your  picture in the newsletter?

 Speaking of pictures:

 We have been discussing taking pictures of individual members for inclusion in a Guild album.  A short bio of each member could also be included.  As time passes and memories fade a resource like this could be very helpful.  Especially to this writer, who at times has had to ask, "Who is this guy?"

 February Highlights:

 The program for the evening was on Shop Safety, which is a topic that sometimes isn't given all the attention that it deserves. Whether you work wood as a hobbyist or as a professional it is important to be aware of correct procedures at all times.  The old  warning; "If it doesn't feel right, don't do it" certainly applies. 

Russ Reinhart, who is a licensed Electrician, started off by describing the difference in hook-ups for 110 volts & 220 volts.  He made it a point to say that the ground and common wires are connected differently and you should not attempt to do any wiring on your own if you are not qualified.

 Russ covered the correct selection of wire and circuit breakers for given loads, as well as switches and motor starters. Spend a little extra to get dust-proof boxes,

 or seal standard boxes with tape or silicone.  Most standard boxes are dust magnets.

 A good piece of safety equipment is a battery powered light that comes on when power fails. Have you ever thought of what you might do if your shop went pitch black and you had to stumble around in the dark?

 Russ had planned on using a prepared program that he could show on the TV, but the unit was not compatible with the laptop computer he had.

 Bob Tinsman, who is a Certified Fire Safety Instructor, talked of the necessity to practice good fire prevention.

Flammable solvents, such as Mineral Spirits and Alcohol, in limited quantities do not create much of a risk if stored properly.  On the other hand, solvent based Contact Cement or Gasoline are disasters waiting to happen and should not be used.

 Any vegetable oils such as Linseed or Tung oil will spontaneously combust if the rags or paper towels used to  apply them are not spread out to dry, are placed in a metal container or submerged in water.

 Although your eyes and nose are good detectors, when you are in the shop, better methods should be  used