Barnesville Woodturners
MEETINGS: Our Regular meetings are the Second Tuesday of each month. We meet at
The First Methodist Church of Barnesville
375 Thomaston Street
Barnesville, GA 30204
Access to the basement is from the left side of the Church (Library side). Occasionally we will have a special meeting at a different time and location, but this is rare and is always announced well in advance.
Our meetings start at 6:30 p.m., but we encourage members to come early and have a short meet and greet before the meeting. This gives us the chance to get better acquainted, talk turning and swap lies.
CLUB RAFFLE: We have a drawing every meeting unless otherwise announced. The way this works is a member brings a piece of wood, or any other item, to donate to the Raffle. Tickets for the raffle are $1.00 each or six for $5.00. If you donate an item(s) you will be given one FREE ticket. When your number is drawn you select the item you want. The numbers of pieces you can win are only limited by the number of tickets you have. Proceeds from the raffle help fund our Club Demonstration Program.
SHOW & TELL: We have a Show & Tell every meeting unless otherwise announced. Members bring items to show that other members maybe interested in. Normally this is a woodturning, however it is not restricted to that. It could be a tool, a jig, or anything else that they feel might be of interest to the others. Your turnings do not have to be your best work. The item you bring could be a piece in progress that you want to share, or maybe apiece you need help with. If in doubt, bring it — share it. We will not offer a critique unless you ask us to.
SHOW & TELL RAFFLE: Each member that participates in the Show & Tell will have their name automatically entered into the Show & Tell Raffle. A name will be drawn and a prize will be awarded to the winner. This will normally be a Gift Certificate.
CLUB WORKSHOPS: The purpose of our workshops is to share with and learn from each other. We will try and have several Workshops a year. Our workshops have no official leader per se, instead all of our workshops have a theme of focus and we gather together as a group to explore it. Members will share their techniques, procedures or designs. We alternate a Tuesday Workshop with a Saturday Workshop in an effort to accommodate all members. Tuesday Workshops, when announced, are from 3 to 5 p.m. on the day of our regular meetings and Saturday Workshops are from 9 a.m. to 12, when announced. Workshops are normally held at Fred’s Shop.
PRO HANDS ON WORKSHOPS: Several times a year we try to schedule ALL DAY WORKHOPS with a World Class Turner. Names like: Jimmy Clewes, David Ellsworth, Joe Rminski. Johannes Michelsen, Binh Pho, Mike Mahoney, Al Stirt, Andi Wolfe and many more have been scheduled in the past. These workshops are limited as to the number that can attend and the cost of the workshop is shared among the attendees.
CLUB CHALLENGES; In the club challenge you are ask to try turning something that you might not normally turn, like an egg, a yoyo, an ornament, etc. It’s a leaning opportunity designed to help us improve our skills. Your project will not be judged; this is not a competition, there are no awards, no losers — just winners. All that participate, however, will have their names automatically placed in a drawing for a Gift Certificate.
TURNING EXCHANGE: The Turning Exchange gives us the opportunity to collect the work of other members. We will try and have 3 – 4 a year. To participate you will bring a piece of your work in an unmarked package to the meeting. Each participant will be given a ticket. When your number is drawn you will pick a package from the table. What to bring? Well, it should be something that represents your style. If you turn mostly bowl, then a bowl would be a good choice. If you turn ornaments, then ornaments would be a good choice. If you are a beginner, all the better, we can track you progress over time. Down the road, we can look back at your work and say look how old Joe Blow has grown — who would have thought?
MENTOR PROGRAM: Our mentor program is a list of members by city who are willing to help new turners get off to a good start. Their help could be as simple as answering a question to bring a new turner into their shop for an all day hands-on workshop. It’s where a new member can turn for help.
CLUB LIBRARY: Our Club Library has over 130 DVDs that members can sign out FREE of charge for one month at a time. There will be a $2 late fee for overdue DVDs. The Library is located in Fred’s Shop and is open before and after the regular meeting. Ron Biffle is the Librarian.
COMMITTEES: Committees give members the opportunity to participate in the decision making process of the club. We currently have an Activity Committee that plans the activities for the club i.e. Workshop themes, Challenges, etc; a Membership Committee that works to increase the clubs rolls; and a Library Committee that recommends new DVD purchases. All members are encouraged to join a committee – no experience necessary.
TURNING DEMO EVERY MEETING: We have a turning demonstration at every meeting. Several times a year we will feature a World Class Wood turner. In the past we have had names like: Jimmy Clewes, Mike Mahoney, Joe Rominski, Johannes Micheisen, Cliff Lounsberry, Binh Pho, Al Stirt, David Ellsworth and many others. We also have Master Turners from other local clubs as well as our own.
PARTICIPATION REWARD PROGRAM: The purpose of this program is to reward members for their participation in Club activities. Points will be awarded for each Club Sponsored activity that a member participates in. When you arrive at the meeting the first thing you do is look for your name on the sheet and put a check mark next to it (1 Point). If you wear your nametag or a shirt with your name on it, check that column and you get another point. If you brought an item for Show & Tell, check that column and you’ll get 2 points. If you brought something for the raffle, check that column and you’ll get 3 points. And, if you are doing the demo or participating in the demo that night, check that column and you will receive 5 points. Points will be awarded for all Club sponsored activities, i.e., Workshops, challenges, club exhibits and other special events. Excluded are programs that are restricted as to the number of members that can attend and/or require a fee, i.e., Hands On Workshops. At the end of the year the member with the most points will be recognized and rewarded with a special gift. In addition, there will be a quarterly reward for the member(s) with the most points. The Wood Yard in Griffin is sponsoring this program. The rewards may differ from Quarter to Quarter, but since The Wood Yard sells the kinds of stuff we all use in our shops, they should all be worth striving for.
CHRISTMAS PARTY: Each December we have our Christmas Party. Members and their families bring a covered dish (normally finger food), we exchanges gifts following the procedures we use in our Turning Exchange and share the festive occasion with our friends.
LAMAR ARTS: The Barnesville Woodturners Club is a member of the Lamar Arts. As such, each member of the club enjoys the benefits. We occasionally have Turning Exhibits at the Center where we can show and sell out art. As a member we can, also sell our craft, through out the year, in the Gift Shop.
CLUB OFFICERS:
CLUB OFFICERS:
Steve Mellott – President
Joe Patterson – Vice President
Ron Biffle – Secretary/ Treasurer
Keith Petersen – Member at Large
Larry Parks – Member at Large
Rodney Ellington – Member at Large
Appointed
Charles Jackson, Web Master
Mel Williams, Audio/Visual
Ron Biffle, Librarian
Joe Patterson, Raffle Master
Don Yost, Advisor