Tuesday, May 7th, 7:00pm

Tom McLaughlin will present on the concept of Grain Graphics, via his own Zoom-style platform. Grain Graphics explores various ways of handling and thinking about wood grain in order to enhance the visual impact of your projects.

Photo examples and technique demonstrations will be included while considering creative directions using solid wood, veneers, and several finish treatments. Tom has provided us with two other presentations which you can find at the link provided for the upcoming event. If you’ve yet to experience his teaching style, you’re in for a treat as he clearly delivers concepts for those at various levels of expertise to understand, with professional skill and a disarming humor. In addition, Tom is always glad to field questions throughout.

Click the link below to be taken to our own, NCWA section of Tom’s website. You can view
the previous two sessions Tom has done for the club in this manner. It’s a cool site! Check it
out! https://www.epicwoodworking.com/sss-ncwa/

Tuesday, April 2nd, 7:00pm
Mount Vernon Christian School
820 W Blackburn Rd, Mt Vernon, WA 98273

Our April in-person meeting will feature a panel discussion of three different sized shops. Loren Steele will speak to his small work space; David Shull to his medium sized shop; and Jerry Couchman to his large one.

The format will be a panel discussion, and hopefully include lots of interaction with club members on how we all have approached our various shop spaces.

Specifically, our discussion, along with a slide presentation, will center around, shop layout, wood storage, work benches, dust collection, and unique challenges Loren, David, and Jerry have encountered with their individual shop spaces.

Hope to see you all there, and I’m sure we’ll gain a trick or two to apply to our own shops

Tuesday, March 5th, 7:00pm
Hillcrest Lodge
1717 South 13th Street
Mount Vernon, WA 98274

Stewart Wurtz, custom furniture maker

“All I can hope for in making my furniture is to pay homage in some small way to the wonder and beauty of our natural environment. I strive for an economy of form in my work and like to use simple lines with spare detail to achieve this balance. My work is meant to be utilitarian, and I’d be honored to think that it will be enjoyed both today and well into the future.”

Tuesday, February 6th, 7:00pm
Hillcrest Lodge
1717 South 13th Street
Mount Vernon, WA 98274

Unlocking the Mystery of Japanese Tools

Dale began working in his field in 1978. He spent 6 1⁄2 years in traditional full-time apprenticeship with a well-known Japanese teahouse carpenter in the San Francisco Bay Area. This apprenticeship was dedicated to concentrated practice with traditional hand tools and learning refined joinery methods. Dale then spent 2 years as a “journeyman” in traditional residential construction in Nagano-Ken, Japan expanding his skills, studying building design and structural layout.

For the past 36 years, as a builder based in Seattle, he’s undertaken hundreds of projects ranging from detailed interior finishing, to furniture, to whole house construction, along with garden structures located in private and public gardens. As designer and consultant, his expertise in authentic Japanese Architectural Woodworking helps project teams achieve extraordinary results. Devoted to integrating this ancient craft into the culture of the Pacific Northwest, Dale also teaches classes annually at the Port Townsend School of Woodworking and often makes presentations at Japanese cultural festivals and woodworking venues in the Seattle area.

This meeting is a “do not miss” and takes place at the Hillcrest Lodge.