Message from the President
As the snow and rain subside and we get back out to our shops and garages and focus on those projects we have been contemplating, please remember to be safe and take extra care around those rotating bits and spinning blades.
Our club is pursuing a non-profit status by planning an application for 501(c)3 designation. If any of our club members can help, or know someone that could help, please let me know. This will go a long way in seeking donors to help with our toy making efforts and other charitable endeavors.
I encourage all members to check out the club’s website and peruse the recent articles on our members’ activities and the things we have been up to and the things coming up. We have a great many members doing great things in our community. Bravo to you all.
The March 2023 meeting of the Inland Woodworkers was held on the 14th, and in spite of the torrential downpour, 11 participants were able to paddle their way to the meeting. Unfortunately, those on the high ground were snowed in, unable to toboggan down the hill. Mike Trejo called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm.
Treasurer’s Report
The first order of business was the treasurer’s report. Phyllis reported the account balance at $3126.82. There were no outstanding debts or requests for payment.
Mike T reported that the Inland Woodworkers club received a charitable donation of $2500 from Jacque Long of the Fontana Foundation of Hope (https://www.fontanahope.org/). Jacque’s father, Jack Long, won the California Powerball lottery in 2014. Jack made a promise to give back a portion of his $60 million winnings to his local community, and Jack honored that promise ever since. Sadly, Jack passed away on March 1st of this year. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. The Inland Woodworkers take great pride in becoming part of the Fontana Foundation of Hope community. We will honor Jack by using this donation to purchase materials needed to build the toys that we donate to charities each year for their annual holiday events.
501(c)3 Updates
The club is working on registering as a 501(c)3 tax-exempt charitable organization. We need help getting this going. If anyone has a contact familiar with this process, please let us know.
Toy Part Purchasing
Mike T brought up the topic of toy part purchasing for the club. IW currently requires a member to raise a request at a monthly club meeting to purchase toy parts. The request is then voted upon, and if passed, the member is allowed to make the stated purchase. Mike requested a change to the policy, such that if two officers of the club provide verbal approval in between club meetings, the parts could be purchased. Kenneth noted that the scroll saw club had a standing agreement whereby a club member could purchase toy parts, up to $500 monthly, without a formal vote of the club. As long as the purchase was no more than $500 in any given monthly period, purchases of parts (wheels, etc.) could be made without formal approval. Ken advised that purchases would not be required every month; he estimated quarterly replenishment. He also noted inventory was low, and he was ready to buy wheels for an upcoming batch of toys, an estimated a purchase of $300.
Mike T motioned that with the approval of 2 club officers, Ken could make a purchase of toy parts up to $500 in a month, and that these parts would be available to all club members for the purpose of making toys for the club’s toy drive. Ken made a new motion, that the person responsible for the toy parts inventory could spend up to $500 per month upon receiving verbal approval of 2 officers. Rick DuVall seconded the motion. However, further discussion ensued. If more parts were still needed in that quarter, the request must be raised at a monthly club meeting and approved by club members in a vote of the quorum. When one of the approving officers is not the club treasurer, the purchasing member must coordinate the purchase with the club treasurer. Again, further discussion ensued.
To simplify the process, Kenneth T was nominated as the Toy Parts Manager. A vote was held, and by show of hands, the motion was passed with unanimous consent.
The original motion was then amended to read, “The Toy Parts Manager could spend up to $500 per quarter on toy parts after receiving verbal approval of two officers, and which could be given outside of the monthly stated club meeting. Any further purchases in that quarter would require a vote of the quorum. If one of the officers was not the treasurer, the officers would first need assurance from the treasurer that funding was available. After making any purchase, the Toy Parts Manager must make a report to the club at the next monthly stated meeting.” The motion was seconded by RJ Monsima; there was no further discussion. Mike T put the vote before the club members, and by show of hands, the motion was passed with unanimous consent.
Toy Parts Inventory
Kenneth T brought in a display showing the current items in club inventory. He will provide inventory quantities at the next meeting. Regarding wheels: price gets more expensive as the wheel diameter increases. He recommends using wheels up to 1-1/2″ diameter or smaller. Small wheels cost 10₵ each, whereas larger wheels can cost more than $0.50 each. With 4 wheels per car, a toy can get expensive quickly.
RJ noted that he recently created a jig for making wheels. However, there is additional time required to turn out these parts. After further discussion, members agreed that the overall toy making effort was more productive by purchasing small parts like wheels and axels, and spending time on the larger parts, like car bodies, and assembling the finished products.
Ernie noted that he recently purchased 2 sheets of 1/4″ Baltic birch plywood and paid $140.
CNC Train the Trainers – Follow Up
Mike T received a letter of thanks for the club’s participation in manning a booth at the recent CNC Train the Trainers event; he will share it at the next meeting.
Show & Tell
Bin Wong shared some sample wood slabs that his company is importing from southeast Asia. The slabs are available in different sizes and can be used for coffee tables, shelves, and other furniture components.
Upcoming Events
The city of Highland will host its annual Highland Citrus Harvest Festival on the last Saturday of March. It will include vendors, an antique car show, live music and entertainment, a historic home tour, and a variety of food trucks. Details can be found at https://www.cityofhighland.org/341/Citrus-Harvest-Festival.
Day of the Child will be held on Wednesday, April 12, at the Jurupa Child and Family Services, 3924 Riverview Dr., Jurupa Valley. The Inland Woodworkers will have a booth at the event; volunteers are needed and asked to arrive at 11:30 am. The event will start at 1:00 pm. Contact Mike Trejo for details. Volunteers will assist with the Inland Woodworkers booth and support activities to entertain the kids while their parents visit the booth. Some suggested activities: puzzles or mini basketball games. Ernie volunteered to bring mini cornhole boards. RJ is working on a mini ballista that uses rubber darts. He will work on modifying it to shoot ping pong balls.
The Skills USA Regional Cabinet Making competition will be held at Chaffey High School (1245 North Euclid Avenue Ontario, CA 91762) on Saturday, April 15th. They are looking for volunteers to proctor the competition and to assist judges and event coordinators, primarily with safety enforcement and machine usage. Students will be building projects start to finish (blueprint reading, lumber layout, machining, and assembling. This is the California state-level competition; winners will go on to compete at the national level in Las Vegas. Plan to arrive before 8 am and spend the full day. Contact Mike Trejo for additional information.
This year’s Club Fund Raiser will be held on Mother’s Day 2023 (May 14) at a craft fair in the Blue Jay area of Big Bear. Volunteers are asked to make special crafts (for example, cutting boards, trivets, trinkets, charcuterie, scroll saw silhouettes, etc.) that can be sold to fund materials for the Inland Woodworkers toy drive. IW will have a booth. Mark the date – more details forthcoming.
The next Old Tool Swap Meet will be held at Anderson Plywood in Culver City on May 20th. Buyers should plan on arriving at 6:00 am to find the best bargains. More details can be found at: https://www.andersonplywood.com/old-tool-swap-meet/ .
The Oak Glen Retreat Farmer’s Market 2023 season will begin on the weekend of March 4/5th. This is a craft fair held on Saturday and Sunday at the Farmers Market. It will continue every 1st and 3rd weekend throughout the spring and summer. IW club members can rent a booth and sell their wood crafts. Each person must submit a registration application at https://form.jotform.com/230116576952155. A 10 X 10 booth will cost $50 for 1 day or $80 for the weekend. The Farmer’s Market is located at 38955 Oak Glen Rd., Yucaipa, CA. More information is available on the form. Some notes: the event grounds may not be entirely level, so bring shims to keep your display tables from wobbling; during the apple season (September and October), there may be as many as 10k visitors in attendance each day.
AWFS – the bi-annual woodworking show will be held this year in Las Vegas July 24-28. Additional details can be found at https://www.awfsfair.org/.
Miscellaneous
RJ found a good book on dinosaur designs at Amazon. He made some walking dinosaurs using poplar and found the wood to be too soft. The toys didn’t hold up, so now he is working with maple. His friend is a hardwood distributor in Las Vegas and might be a hardwood source for our toy making. He will investigate further and report back next month.
Kenneth T reported that the St. Louis Woodworker’s Guild maintains a set of toy patterns (https://slwg.org/community-involvement/toy-program/). The guild allows IW members to use the patterns to make toys for charity events. Please let us know if you use any of their patterns when making toys so that we can acknowledge them appropriately.
Mike T reported that Door Box Specialties can provide the club with offcuts from their manufacturing operations of cabinet drawers. The pieces are approximately 6″ x 6″ x 1/2″ thick maple, and possibly hickory or cherry. The wood is finished on both sides. Please coordinate with Mike.
John Hogancamp discussed his experience with padauk lumber. He is getting a white film that appears every few weeks. He tried coating the wood using a mix of mineral oil and beeswax, but the film still appears. It can be wiped off, but still returns. Any suggestions?
Raffle Winners
Congratulations to this month’s raffle winners:
