Eastern Massachusetts Guild of Woodworkers

Eastern Massachussetts Guild of Woodworkers

Upcoming Guild Events

Tour of Canterbury Shaker Village

October 14, 2023 9:30 AM • 288 Shaker Rd, Canterbury, NH 03224

Tour of the Museum of Fine Arts Conservation Studio

November 11, 2023 9:30 AM • Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

December Guild Meeting - Tom McLaughlin

December 09, 2023 9:00 AM • Lowell Makes, Lowell MA

January Guild Meeting - Mickey Callahan

January 13, 2024 9:00 AM • Woodcraft, Walpole MA

Upcoming Non-Guild Events

Historical Craft Classes at Old Sturbridge Village

September 30, 2023 9:00 AM • Old Sturbridge Village

New England Woodworking Competition

October 21, 2023 5:00 PM • McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord, NH.

Needham Furniture Makers offers class "Splay Leg Step Stool"

November 06, 2023 6:00 PM • Needham Furniture Makers. 590 Hillside Ave, Needham, MA 02494

Old Schwamb Mill Tour in Arlington on August 15, 2023

In addition to our regular second Saturday meetings the EMGW occasionally has bonus meetings, and that was the case with the recent Schwamb Mill tour. The Old Schwamb Mill (https://oldschwambmill.org/) is a restored factory that specialized in making oval picture frames for over one hundred years and still does so today as a working museum. The frames are made on unique lathes designed to turn ovals. Power for the mill, which originally came from a waterwheel, comes from large electric motors which drive a dizzying array of leather belts and pulleys throughout the building.

David Graf, our tour guide and master turner, demonstrated the steps to create an oval frame from cutting and shaping the four pieces that make up a frame to adding the finger joints that hold the pieces together, gluing them up, and finally turning them on Schwamb’s specialized lathes. It was a surprise and a learning experience for anyone used to using a traditional lathe to turn round objects. Thank you to Neal Carey, the program committee, and the EMGW board for making this experience possible.

Text and pictures shown in the slideshow below are from Jim Tartaglia.

Random Pictures of the End of the 2022-2023 EMGW Year Meeting and Party

Meeting with Mike Zwolinski

Starting and Running a Small Custom Furniture Shop

September 2023

Bevel Cut

Dovetails with ChatGPT

by Andrew Davis

At the risk of adding another article about dovetails, Andrew presents, yep, another one. Many of you have already formed your opinions of pins first or tails first and your process is well regimented and religiously followed. But you can find a refreshing and comical approach to cutting dovetails if you understand the right language.

So, try navigating the high seas and treacherous times of buccaneer woodworking or perhaps you have discarded modern dovetail instructions as you prefer the Medieval approach to cutting dovetails. All it might take is to connect with the language that suits you. Allow Andrew to be your guide using AI techniques to convey the dovetail basics. Read Dovetails with ChatGPT.

Andrew welcomes your feedback.

All past "Bevel Cut" articles through June 2023 have been made available from the Resources tab on the website Home Page.

Measure Twice, Cut Once - Wisdom From the Shop

Unfortunately, Rob was involved in a bike accident that occurred this August. The good news is that Rob is in fine spirits resting at home while convalescing. Noted for his use of aphorisms here's one that we might use, "You Can't Keep a Good Man Down". Rob will return with an MTCO article when he is ready.

You can reach Rob by clicking Rob Carver.

All MTCO articles are now accessible from the Resource archive by clicking the Resources tab and selecting Measure Twice, Cut Once Articles from the drop down list.

Featured Piece of the Month

Demilune Table

by Dave McCormick

Dave kicks off the first Featured Piece of the season with his Demilune Table. The piece is loaded with features from many skill sets, including bricking, inlay, sand shading, veneering and stringing to name a few. Dave provides an orderly and succinct description that will be easy to follow with the aid of several pictures in the development process.

The piece was inspired by classes taken at Phil Lowe's Furniture Institute of Massachusetts, which triggered a collegial relationship between the two. In fact, it was at Phil's workshop where Dave took on this project. Dave made the Demilune Table as a tribute to Phil.

Further information can be requested by clicking Dave McCormick.

All past "Featured Piece of the Month" articles through June 2023 have been made available from the Resources tab on the website Home Page.

The Newsletter and website are open for Featured Piece contributions for the 2023-2024 season. Send me any questions or what you may have to me to engage in publishing your piece.

Remember this column is not necessarily dedicated to furniture pieces. Tools, jigs, processes, and other woodworking related themes are also relevant.

Mentoring in the 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.

Map of Member Locations

For in-person meetings, the possibility to carpool to monthly and FIG meetings may be of use to you. Tom Shirley has updated the Member Map as of October 2022 that displays members' locations on a Google map. To access the map, log in, click the Member tab, then from the drop-down list click Member Map. User instructions can be found there.

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.