Message from the President
A big thank you to our toy makers. Together you made 1737 toys this year, and they were great. These toys will make a huge difference to a lot of families this Christmas. Great work!
As we begin the holiday season, I wish you all great memories with family and friends. May you all enjoy good food, good times, and get that much needed relaxation. We will get together again next year in January. Don’t forget – we vote for club officers at our next Woodworking Meeting January 9th so come ready to vote. And if you would like to be an officer, please throw your hat in the ring. It’s a rewarding experience. I have been very proud and honored to lead your club and will be honored to continue if you desire.
Have a wonderful holiday season, stay safe, and look forward to many great times in the new year. The best of all things to you all.
Treasurer’s Report
Club treasurer Phyllis Minert presented the treasurer’s report. All transactions have been reconciled.
Club Business
501(c)3 update – the accountant assigned to complete our application recently left the firm; the firm is working on reassigning a new person to finish our application.
Toy Drive will be on Saturday, November 18th. Due to the rain forecast, the venue has been moved to Mira Loma. Check your email for time and location details, and check the Inland Woodworkers website for a special report on the toy drive. The Fontana Unified Police Officers are looking for unwrapped toys and gift cards for their holiday give-away event; contact Mike Trejo for details.
Show & Tell
Chuck Petrovich made puzzles for the toy drive. This was a design he found on Facebook.
Chuck was commissioned to build a drop leaf table for a small mountain cabin. He also built a lazy Susan using the same Indian Rosewood material. The lumber for the table was $600, which he purchased at Street Tree Revival.
Nathan Lindsey is looking for options to laser burn his butcher blocks. A portable device would be most desirable.
Club Secretary Michael Miller showed off his rocking chairs that he is building for the IW toy drive.
Club Vice-President Rick DuVall brought in some butcher blocks, cutting boards, and coasters. He recently replaced the cutter in his planer with a helical head cutter and the quality of the cut surfaces has increased significantly. His parts now require minimal sanding. Rick also announced his recent purchase of a 4×4 CNC machine, which he is still assembling in his shop.
Vendor Presentation
Tonight’s feature presenter was Hung Nguyen, the Technical Director & Product Specialist for Harvey Industries International and Bridge City Tools. Hung started at Harvey in the shipping department and eventually transitioned into product marketing. He shared some history on Bridge City Tools and Harvey Industries, beginning with the founder of Bridge City Tools, John Economaki. John is the nephew of the legendary motorsports’ commentator and journalist Chris Economaki. John is a woodworker and teacher who, after developing allergies to wood dust, began designing hand tools that would not generate dust. His focus was on tool functionality and accuracy, as he felt that tools should look as great as they perform.
His first tool creation was a tri-square. Hung shared a story about marketing the tri-square: the phone number on his advertising was off by one digit, so no orders were received. John invested all of his time and money in this tool, and since all of his tools were hand built and assembled, frustration ensued. Once the problem was rectified, the orders began flowing in!
In 1983, he established Bridge City Tools, a nickname symbolizing the city of Portland where he was residing. John has designed several tools, all known for their beauty and accuracy. In 2018, Bridge City Tools was acquired by Harvey Industries. The acquisition greatly increased the ability to produce more tools, thereby allowing more woodworkers to own these high-quality products.
Harvey Industries was established in 1999 by Jack Xu. Harvey built OEM tools for several labels, including Laguna, Jet, Grizzley, and Saw Stop. After many years of research, they designed and built their first Harvey labeled machine in 2015, a dust collector. The Gyro Air Woodworking Dust processor uses axial centrifugation technology to provide shops with a clean and safe working environment. In 2018, Harvey established Harvey Industries International. The business is located at 10832 Ada Ave, Montclair, California, 91763, https://www.harveywoodworking.com.
In 2015, Economaki worked with Xu to create the Chopstick Master, enabling woodworkers to build chopsticks using any type of wood. Hung brought in the latest version of the tool, and demonstrated the operating principles that make it work.
Hung talked about some of the other Harvey tools, including the kerf maker, the Joint Maker Pro, and the hand planes. Hung brought several planes for club members to inspect, including the new HP-10 shoulder plane. The plane body can be used with optional kits for cove cutting, crown cutting, shoulder cutting, and rabbet cutting. Economaki’s concept for planes is one body, multiple kits, allowing woodworkers to use one tool for multiple applications. This eliminates the need to purchase individual, dedicated tools.
Hung brought copies of the Bridge City Tool Works catalog and copies of John Economaki’s book, Quality is Contagious: 36 Years through the lens of Joe Felzman. This book is filled with high-quality photos showing the various tools created by John, along with commentary on each tool, and motivational quotes. Every woodworker’s shop should have a copy of this inspirational text! Inland Woodworker members can receive a 5% discount on Harvey orders, and 10% off Bridge City orders by using the discount code inlandwoodworkers.
Saying Farewell to Woodworker West
Back in 1987, Ron Goldman launched The Southern California Woodworker magazine. He set out copies at the Woodworking Show in Pomona (remember this?), which generated several new subscriptions. Over time, his coverage increased, and the magazine was renamed to Woodworker West. After 36 years, increased postal costs, decreasing advertising budgets, and reduced woodworking activity on the west coast, the magazine decided to call it quits. Another blow to the hobbyist woodworker. Inland Woodworkers would like to thank Pam and Ron for keeping us informed on the latest woodworking information and events; we wish them the best in their future endeavors.
Next Meeting: there will be no meeting in December. The Inland Woodworkers will reconvene on the 2nd Tuesday in January (the 9th). Officer elections will be conducted.
