Stones River Woodworkers Club
Monthly Meeting Minutes – January 28, 2025
Attendance: 43, (including the guest speaker)
Guest Speaker: Gabriel McKeagney
Subject: His career as an accomplished artist and craftsman
· Meeting called to order at 6:33 PM by club president, Sam Clark
· Welcome to everyone, Pledge of Allegiance
· Recognition of visitors:
o Steve Hickok
o DJ Rosebaugh
o Anthony Watts
o Jamie McGill
· Treasurer Larry Counts reports that there are several new members present, including some of the visitors.
· Dues for 2025 are due and payable to Club Treasurer, Larry Counts, via check, cash or Paypal.
o Paid members are eligible for a discount at Rockler and Klingspor
o Dues are still only $25 per year, and cover the member and his immediate family.
· Sam passed around a sign-up sheet and asked members to create a wish list of classes that they would like to see offered outside of our normal meeting schedule.
· A second sign-up sheet was passed around to list requests for monthly meeting topics.
· The club has had SRWC business cards printed. The box was passed around and each member was encouraged to take a few and hand them out to fellow woodworkers that they meet or know, and encourage them to join us at our next meeting.
· Mike Warren leads the Boy Scout Troop at St Marks Methodist Church.
o They are selling BBQ as a fundraiser for Super Bowl parties. The Super Bowl is on Sunday, February 9th.
o The BBQ includes Ribs, Butts, Pulled Pork, and Smoked Hams.
o It can be picked up on the Saturday before the game at 9:30 am, at the church.
o Order forms are available.
· There are free catalogues on the table in front.
· Sam brought a case of Delta Machinery hats and distributed them free to any member that wanted one.
· Sam asked for all Show and Tell to come forward and present their creations.
· After Show and Tell, Sam asked our VP, Jason Moore, to introduce the speaker for the meeting, Gabriel McKeagney.
· Presentation notes:
o Gabriel currently lives in Robertson County, but is originally from Northern Ireland.
o He grew up in a craftsman family, originally building carriages.
o Gabriel began helping in the family business since he was 4 years old.
o He spent 3 years in London reproducing architectural doors and windows
o He spent 6 months in New York then moved back to Ireland where he designed modern kitchens and furniture for three years.
o He then moved to California and spent the next 30 years there doing architectural design, reproductions, and period furniture.
o Gabriel moved to Tennessee three years ago because he fell in love with the countryside, and it’s similarity to his home in Ireland.
o He has won numerous awards and has been recognized in several periodicals as a distinguished artist and craftsman.
o He won the national award for best piece of furniture designed and built in 2006.
o After moving to Tennessee, Gabriel fell in love with the rustic beauty of tobacco barns and has been designing many of his creations around the oak lumber and burned surface of that material.
o Gabriel’s message to woodworkers is to search for and find the artistic creativity that lives in each of us individually, and to let that drive our work with passion and originality.
o Gerald concluded his presentation with a question and answer session.