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Eastern Massachussetts Guild of Woodworkers

Upcoming Guild Events

February 08, 2025 9:00 AM • Needham Furniture Makers (590 Hillside Ave, Needham, MA 02494) and virtual on Zoom
March 08, 2025 9:00 AM • Walpole Woodcraft
April 12, 2025 9:00 AM • Walpole Woodcraft 3 Walpole Park S, Walpole, MA 02081

Tribute to John George and the EMGW Mentor Program

Member Joe Frank lives in Somerset, MA, a short drive to southern Rhode Island.  Joe joined several years ago as a novice.  He needed a mentor and found one.  John George stepped up.

Joe works full-time so his availability with John was limited.  With a couple years lost due to Covid, John mentored Joe for almost four years, one evening a week at John's workshop in Hopkinton, MA.  As Joe's craftsmanship progressed they continued their mentorship program building other pieces.  Joe was elated to be mentored by John.  But like all of us, Joe was surprised when John died suddenly died last fall.  Joe felt the need to extol his mentor and write about his experience.  To learn more about their mentorship arrangement, read Joe's article A Tribute to John George and the EMGW Mentor Program.  To contact Joe for more details, click Joe Frank.

Woodworking Tip for January 2025 -- DIY Knobs

If you have a tip to share, contact Andrew Davis 


Upcoming Non-Guild Events

February 07, 2025 9:00 AM • Historic Deerfield’s Deerfield Community Center 16 Memorial Street Deerfield, MA 01342

Map of Member Locations


For in-person meetings, the possibility to carpool to monthly and FIG meetings, and other group gatherings may be of use to you.  Tom Shirley has updated the Member Map as of December, 2024 that displays members' locations on a Google map.  This is private information, so to access the map you must be logged in.  To interact with the map, simply click the map above.  You can also click Member Map from the Member Map dropdown list.  Once there you can pan, zoom in and out, and click a pin to see the member's name and location.

New EMGW Project - Dustpan and Brush

Howard Barnstone provided an update to the Dustpan and Brush Project he is leading.  So far six participants have accepted participation.  The first meeting will start on January 15 so there is more time for any members to join.  Remember these projects are free of charge.  You only need to supply your materials.  Howard will provide the bristles.


The project involves making a brush along with the accompanying wooden dustpan.  It's a modest project that requires a combination of hand and power tools, and allows for individual creativity in a choice of woods.


For project description check out the article by Aspen Golann's article Make a Wooden Brush in Fine Woodworking issue #296-MAY/JUN 2022  (https://www.finewoodworking.com/2022/04/07/make-a-wooden-brush).  Or, contact Howard Barnstone, who invites suggestions and questions. 


Interested?  Please send an email to Howard before Christmas.  hlbarnstone2@gmail.com

Guild Gear

Ken Zoller has received interest in ordering another allotment of EMGW hats and work shirts. The hats also double as gifts for our paid meeting presenters. Graphic designer and member Linda Smith has made our embroidery design more legible.

Pricing will depend on how many items we order but likely between $35 and $50 per shirt and $15 - $20 per hat depending on volume and shipping.  Once the order is ready to be placed, Ken will have definite pricing.  Arrangements can be made for payment and delivery.

If any of you are interested, contact Ken Zoller for details (cost, sizes, quantity, timing, etc.) and/or order placement. 

Inlays, Paterae & Overlays

Michael Wheeler

January 4, 2025

Credits Vincent Valvo (Photos) and Tom Shirley (Photo Formatting)


Traditional Woodworking in the Modern Era

Dan Faia

December 14, 2024

Credits Vincent Valvo

Bevel Cut

Screw Tech

by Andrew Davis


Let me get this information right out there.  Andrew's use of the word screw in the title is not a verb.

I thought Andrews's epic October 2024 article called Butting Heads Over Screws (this can be found in the Resource archive on the website), was the piece de resistance for details about screws for woodworkers.  But Andrew, ever the screwologist, presents a follow-up with more specifications on screw thread, type, point, and composition.  You will have to pull out your copy of Butting Heads Over Screws and append this article to it for a more complete treatise.  Read Screw Tech and you will understand. 

Andrew welcomes your feedback.

Measure Twice, Cut Once - Wisdom From the Shop

Mistakes are Stories

by Rob Carver


Debates are rampant in woodworking.  You know, they are the age old issues of pins first vs. tails first, hand tools vs. power tools, and so on.  These issues are first-world preferences.  Rob puts his stamp on this topic.  He's not here to make a choice.  He's here to get some work done.  Read some wisdom from Rob's shop with Never-Ending Debates.


You can reach Rob by clicking Rob Carver.

Cape Cod Subgroup

Six of the eleven members of EMGW's Cape Cod subgroup met July 25 2024 at the home/workshop of Josh Shapiro in Chatham. We got a tour of Josh’s well-equipped shop which he assembled over the past 8 months, starting with an empty room.  Josh buys used equipment exclusively and shared with the group his tips for buying equipment on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and other venues.  Contact Andrew if you are in or near the Cape Cod area.  - Andrew Davis

Pictured from left to right are Steven Contin, Walter Henry, Andrew Davis, Josh Shapiro, Mike Walter, Rob Aronson.

EMGW Board of Directors 2024-2025

The following members were elected to the EMGW Board of Directors for the Program Year 2024 - 2025.

President: Rob Carver

Vice-President: Andrew Davis

Treasurer: John LeJeune

Secretary: Tom Shirley


Featured Piece of the Month

Serpentine Tables

by Dave McCormick


Dave McCormick has graced the Featured Piece column once again. I choose my words carefully, because grace is the operative word.  Dave and woodworker extraordinaire Phil Lowe had developed a wonderful relationship prior to Phil's death three years ago. Dave was inspired by Phil's classical woodworking techniques, took classes by him, worked on projects in Phil's workshop, and befriended his woodworking idol.

Dave's article chronicles a time when he was developing his skill set by taking an early course at Phil's Furniture Institute of Massachusetts in Beverly.  We know from furniture pieces that Dave has built, a woodworking challenge is no stranger to him.  While completing required activities of the curriculum, such as making a simple table, Dave saw a piece he could not deny himself. Take advantage of reading Dave's story called Serpentine Tables for a wonderful, graceful treat

You can contact here Dave McCormick. 

Our backlog of Featured Piece articles is getting better. Thanks goes out to recent contributors.  However, we are always looking to fill the queue.  So please consider submitting an article.    Remember this column is not necessarily dedicated to furniture pieces.  Tools, jigs, processes, and other woodworking related themes are also relevant.

Final Guild Project Update - Make a Shave Horse

The Shave Horse Project group followed up their initial meeting with a horse round up rodeo where seven horses returned to Ed Payne's shop. The build process and horse features were compared and discussed.


See more details and pictures


Mentoring in EMGW

Mentoring in the Guild takes many forms.  Everything from a brief conversation or email on a particular technique to a full-blown cooperative effort to build an entire piece.  Most mentoring occurs informally among members.  However, the Mentor Program provides an easy way, especially for new members, to get involved in mentoring.  Members listed on the Mentor Program page of this website have expressed a willingness to help other members in a variety of ways.

To read more about the Mentor Program, click here or navigate to About Us then Mentor Program.  To see the list of Mentor members with their interests and contact information, click here or navigate to Members then Mentors.

Starting out in Woodworking? EMGW Members Compiled a Guidebook for You

Considering getting into woodworking?  A team of members of EMGW has written a guidebook targeted for new woodworkers and a refresher for other woodworkers.

The guidebook is complimentary.  It can be viewed and downloaded for your reading pleasure.  We hope that reading the guidebook will engender interest in woodworking and membership in our guild.  Click here for a priceless copy.

Considerable work has already gone into renewing older and securing new discounts from various sources.  To review the list on the website you must first login then click Members and then Special Membership Discounts.

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