NCWA member Jack McKee has done a lot of volunteer work and much of that has involved working with kids, teaching them woodworking and other hands on tasks. In the process, he has developed an amazing ability to get kids interested in making things. He has designed and built equipment used in children’s museums, schools and preschools that promote early development and get kids interested in working with their hands. He has written two books, Woodshop For Kids and Builder Boards. At our last two woodworking shows this year, Jack set up his custom kid’s workbench and had plenty of young customers working on various interesting projects. His presentation for our September 1st meeting will include projects that he has built for kids and talk about his approach to woodworking with kids age 4 to 12. Check out Jack’s website: woodshop4kids.com

On Saturday, August 8, we’ll gather at Val and Laura Matthews place from 1-5 PM for the annual picnic and tool auction. Our traditional combined Northwest Corner Woodworkers Association (NCWA) and Northwest Washington Woodturners (NWWWT) event takes the place of our normal monthly meeting. Val and Laura have ample parking and space for this, and all you have to do is show up with a side dish (salad, desert or whatever), something cool to drink, and a lawn chair or two. Normally, we eat about 3 PM and close the bidding for the auction at about 4-4:30 PM. Burgers, hotdogs, brats, fixings, soft drinks, water, paper plates, plastic ware and napkins are provided. This year, the Turners are cooking!

SILENT AUCTION

The annual silent auction is an excellent opportunity to sell tools, wood or just about anything related to your shop! The rules are pretty simple. The seller displays the item for sale with a sales sheet listing the item, a short description of the item condition (e.g. new, works good, needs repair, etc), seller’s name, minimum acceptable bid if the seller wishes to state one. Anyone interested in the item simply enters a bid and their name. Anyone else interested in the same item enters a higher bid on the next line. Normally, bids should advance by at least 10% over the previous bid. Check back often to see if you are still the highest bidder. When the cutoff time is announced, the highest bidder wins the item provided their bid exceeds the stated minimum bid. The bidder then pays the seller, so don’t forget to bring money or your checkbook! You never know what might show up for sale!

Jeff Miller, author of Foundations of Better Woodworking, will be teaching at the Port Townsend School of Woodworking the week of August 24th, and has accepted our invitation to do a special session for NCWA. It will be at the Anacortes Yacht Club on Saturday, August 22, at 10 am. Jeff plans to discuss how he built a curvy table (featured in the Dec 2011 issue of Popular Woodworking) and also do demonstrations of techniques featured in his Foundations book. After the presentation, Jeff will be available to autograph any of his books that you may own. To help cover Jeff’s speaking fee, there will be a $10 charge for admission to this presentation, but well worth it! PLEASE RSVP TO JERRY COUCHMAN if you plan to attend. sofa01@hotmail.com or (360)255-1984. To learn more about Jeff, see his web site: http://www.furnituremaking.com

Bring your best work using contrasting woods to our July 7th meeting at the Hillcrest Lodge. This meeting will focus on member projects that use contrasting woods to enhance the piece. It could be a nice box or anything you have built that you would like to bring that demonstrates contrast. Contrast is a design element that can be subtle or bold. Remember, this is not a competition, just a fun bring and brag session with a theme. Take Garrett Hack’s advice: “Using different woods, grain and color to add contrast is a great way to make your furniture stand out from the crowd. The trick is to do it effectively, understanding what type of contrast to use and where to use it. Overdo it and the effect will be garish; do it right, and you will take your work to another level.”