AUGUST NEWSLETTER

 Stones River Woodworkers Club Members,

Our next meeting is Tuesday 26 August 2025. We will gather from 6 PM to 6:30 PM. at St. Marks United Methodist Church; 1267 N. Rutherford Blvd. Murfreesboro, TN.  From 6 to 6:30 is set aside for fellowship checking out the Show & Tell projects and asking questions from our members on how they do some of their woodworking. There will be place-cards available on the Show & Tell tables for members with projects to display to Print their Name and a few words to describe the project (Wood, Process, etc.). This will help provide better information to everyone when the Show & Tell pictures are sent out.  The meeting will start at 6:30 PM.

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Sam Clark

This has been a HOT summer, and I have been lax working in my shop.  Seems as if the grass and outside maintenance has taken up most of my free time.  I am starting to make some items for the Fall Festivals.

Speaking of festivals and craft fairs the Nashville Fair is only 2 ½ weeks away and time slots are starting to fill.  The Nashville Fair starts September 5^th and ends the 14^th .  Mike Fondren, a SRWC member, has arranged for an artisan and craft booth to be made available to our club.  Currently there are no other woodworking clubs or woodworkers with a booth at the Nashville Fair. This presents a great opportunity for us to display, sell and promote the SRWC to others. There is ample security at the arts and craft building for leaving items overnight. Please get with me as we need help manning the booth and as a bonus you can sell anything you bring (you keep the money).  This is a well-attended event and an excellent opportunity to promote the club to potential new members.  Special note: The Nashville Fair is held in an air conditioned building and security is provided for anything left in the booth.  Our tables will be covered as well.

You can contact SAM CLARK at 615 - 440 - 8300. Let Sam know what dates you can be at the Nashville Fair at The Fairgrounds.

From the Vice President

Jason Moore

Our guest speaker will be Matthew Vick. Matthew started his passion for woodworking as a young teenager learning to turn pens from a gentleman at his church. Eventually he would find himself at Tennessee Tech University where he would further his education and receive a bachelor’s degree in fine woodworking. There he learned joinery techniques, fine furniture building, chair making, turning, and hand tools. After graduating he worked as a traditional timber-framer for 6 years and is now currently employed as a custom cabinet maker. Matthew will be doing a presentation on chair building.

______________________________________________________________

Here are some links to more information about the Nashville Fair:

https://www.nashfair.fun/p/about/map

https://www.nashfair.fun/p/about/hours--directions

Lou Ferraro, Newsletter Editor

“The smell of freshly cut wood and the sound of tools on timber create a symphony that resonates with the soul of a woodworker.” – unknown

Nashville Fair

 An Important Message from the President

Hello fellow SRWC Woodies,

I wanted to bring to your attention a great opportunity for our members and the club.  Mike Fondren, a SRWC member, recently made me aware of the Nashville Fair held at the Nashville Fair Grounds in Nashville.  He has arranged for an artisan and craft booth to be made available to our club.  Currently there are no other woodworking clubs or woodworkers with a booth at the Nashville Fair. 

This presents a great opportunity for us to display, sell and promote the SRWC to others.  The Nashville Fair is a well attended event and the artisan / craft area is held in a large air conditioned building.  There is ample security at the arts and craft building for leaving items overnight. 

The fair event dates are September 5^th – 14^th.  These dates include 2 weekends. The operational hours are Sat-Sun 11 AM to 10 PM and weekdays 5 PM to 10 PM.  As this is short notice, we need a commitment to help man the booth for some of these days if this is to work!   

Remember you can sell woodworking items you have made at the fair (you keep the $$$ from what you sell) as well as attend the event.  Note: small items such as bird houses, snow men, pens, gnomes and scroll saw ornaments sell best.

  

Plans are to have a scroll saw and lathe available for demonstration. 

Please contact Sam Clark to sign-up for a day at the booth and with any questions.

August breakfast gethering

 Stones River Woodworkers Club Members,
This is a reminder to come to our informal meeting at Hardees (2382 Old Fort Parkway, Murfreesboro, TN 37128) close to Sam's Warehouse Store by I-24 at 9 AM on Tuesday morning August 5th, 2025. There is no agenda, just friendly talk about anything you care to talk about.
Our annual SRWC Picnic and Silent Auction was on Saturday July 26^th at St. Mark’s and took the place of our regular meeting on 22 July. It was attended by over 30 SRWC Members and many of their spouses. Many Silent Auction bidders walked away happy. Thanks to all who attended. Many helped to set up the tables, and brought Auction Items. We also have some great cooks who brought delicious dishes.

June Meeting

 Stones River Woodworkers Club

Monthly Meeting Minutes – June 17, 2025

Attendance: 28, (including the speaker)
Club Member Speaker: Alex Marshall

Subject: Alex’s woodworking journey, Wood turning demonstration
Pledge of Allegiance

1. President Sam Clark opened the meeting welcoming everyone and thanked Gene Casto for the great class held for our members as well as everyone who lent their support to make it a success. Our annual picnic will be held July 26th here at St Marks. Please bring items for our silent auction which is our only fundraiser for the year. Items for auction may not necessarily need to be woodworking related.

2. Show and tell See pictures names and creations from Lou

1. Guest Speaker VP Jason Moore introduced SRWC member Alex Marshall who presented a history of his ever developing woodworking interest and then he turned three items on his lathe that were given to three members winning a short trivia contest! Alex discussed his various techniques, his favorite tools, his marketing ideas, and some of the products he likes to use in finishing his creations

PICNIC & JUNE MEETING

 Stones River Woodworking Club Members,

Our annual SRWC Picnic and Silent Auction will be on Saturday July 26^th at St. Marks United Methodist Church; 1267 N. Rutherford Blvd. Murfreesboro, TN. and will be in our regular meeting room from 11:00 AM till 4:00 PM. The Picnic will take the place of our normal July Meeting.

Members are asked to bring a side dish or dessert to the Picnic.

The Club will provide BBQ, drinks and eating utensils/paper ware.

Members please consider donating items to the Club for our annual Silent Auction, which will coincide with the Picnic. The auction is our only annual fundraiser.

We still need more donations for the Silent Auction. You can bring anything you think our members may bid on. It could be woodworking related or just something of value you want to donate. The Silent Auction is a lot of fun to see who the highest bidder on the items will be.

If you want to donate something to the Silent Auction, and will need it to be moved or stored, the Club will accommodate that. Just contact one of our SRWC Executive Committee Members.

Set up for the picnic will begin at 11:00, with lunch at noon.

2025 Stones River Woodworkers Club Executive Committee
President               Sam Clark            seclark60@gmail.com                    615 440 8300
Vice President      Jason Moore         Jason@woodworkscustom.com    775 224 4938
Secretary               Gregg Peay          agpeay@gmail.com                       615 552 8075

Treasurer               Larry Counts        lc1972@comcast.net                      615 631 9510

Social Media         Mary Nichols        drmarylynn@comcast.net                615 545 5122

Newsletter             Lou Ferraro          ferrarojr@aol.com                             937 469 4953

Website Adm.       Robert Woolfolk    rwoolfolk@hotmail.com                    615 796 7878

Wood for Sale: Assorted wood including 10’ planks of cherry are available. Call or Text Ms. Diane Reed at 615-347-1321, 1153 East Main St. to make an appointment to see the wood.

Stones River Woodworkers Club Minutes

Monthly Meeting Minutes – June 17, 2025

Attendance: 28, (including the speaker)

Club Member Speaker: Alex Marshall

Subject: Alex’s woodworking journey, Wood turning demonstration

Pledge of Allegiance

1.     President Sam Clark opened the meeting welcoming everyone and thanked Gene Casto for the great class held for our members as well as everyone who lent their support to make it a success. Our annual picnic will be held July 26^th here at St Marks. Please bring items for our Silent Auction which is our only fundraiser for the year. Items for auction may not necessarily need to be woodworking related.

2.     Show and tell See pictures names and creations from Lou in previous email.

3.    Guest Speaker VP Jason Moore introduced SRWC member Alex Marshall who presented a history of his ever-developing woodworking interest and then he turned three items on his lathe that were given to three members winning a short trivia contest! Alex discussed his various techniques, his favorite tools, his marketing ideas, and some of the products he likes to use in finishing his creations 

Note: meeting notes were documented thanks to Dave Roesler as G. Peay was unable to attend the meeting.

Lou Ferraro, Newsletter Editor

He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist. – Francis of Assisi

JULY schedule

 Club picnic and tool auction will held on Saturday, July 25th,2025 at St Mark's Methodist Church. Set up at 11AM and lunch at noon. For Members and their guests only. 

THERE WILL NOT BE A REGULAR MEETING IN JULY!!!!!

May Show and Tell

 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cx3CwD4WCRTQfWmbRMEy_zlq0uQ8NGVplAW0XkxpbsA/edit?usp=sharing

Schedule Change for June 2025 Meeting

 Schedule Change for June 2025 Meeting

Due to schedule conflict at St. Marks, the June SWRC meeting will be held June 17th, the third Tuesday in June.

May 2025 Meeting

 

Stones River Woodwor
kers Club

Monthly Meeting Minutes – May 27, 2025

Attendance: 46, (including the guest speaker)

Guest Speaker: Jim Jolliffe

Subject: Carving Human figures, etc.

 

1.    Meeting called to order by club President, Sam Clark, at 6:33 pm.

2.    We had two visitors at the May meeting:

a.    Lisa Powers

b.    Jim Jolliffe, (Speaker)

3.    Jeanne’s and Barry’s Scroll Saw classes went very well, with several examples on the show and tell tables tonight.

a.    Proceeds from the class resulted in $410.00 being deposited into the Club treasury.

4.    Gene Casto will be conducting two classes on Segmented Bowl Turning

a.    Each class will last for 2 days:

                                                             i.      June 6^th and 7^th.

                                                           ii.      June 13^th and 14^th

b.    Gene passed out instructions for the people who had signed up for the class.

c.     Members will need to provide a section of dark wood and the measurement from their miter track to their saw blades on their individual table saws.

                                                             i.      This is to facilitate a custom fit sled that they will build and utilize to cut the bowl segments.

d.    They will also build an adjustable segment length gauge.

e.    The class will be in Gene’s shop and be held rain or shine.

f.      There is a waiting list for the class, so enrollees are required to alert Gene if they are not able to make it to the class.

5.    The club would like to sponsor additional classes.

a.    If any member has skills that they would like to share, then they are encouraged to step up and volunteer to teach a class.

6.    Bruce Currie has some free wood available to club members.

a.    He has various species available

b.    It is 4-5 years old and has been dried and stacked.

c.     He will have the material available on Saturday, May 31^st, at 8:00 am-???.

d.    There is Oak, Walnut, Ash, some turning blanks and logs are also available.

7.    It was announced that a date has been chosen for the Club Picnic

a.    The date is July 26^th, and will be in our regular meeting room from 11:00am till 4:00pm.

b.    Members should bring a side dish or dessert.

c.     The Club will provide BBQ, drinks and eating utensils/paper ware.

d.    Members should consider donating items to the Club for their annual silent auction, which will coincide with the picnic.

e.    Membership dues do not cover all our expenses for the Club, and the auction is our only annual fundraiser.

f.      If you want to donate something and will need it to be moved or stored, the Club will accommodate that.

g.     Set up for the picnic will begin at 11:00, with lunch at noon.

8.    Show and Tell:

a.    Robert Woolfolk          Live edge/log birdhouse

b.    Jeanne Altstadt            Cell Phone amplifier

c.     Sam Parnell                  Shaker Sewing Box

d.    Bob Musgrove              Scroll Saw Box

e.    Alex Marshall               Duck calls

f.      Max Lastfogel               Bowl/platter, Fruit turnings

g.     John Bell                       Walking Stick

h.    Mary Nichols                Floating end book shelf.

i.       Shawn McGowan         Scroll saw box

j.       Jason Moore                Turned and carved vases and platter

k.     Jeremy Tyring              Scroll Saw Golf Cart

l.       Larry Tyring                  Scroll Saw Golf Cart

m. Glen Emery                   Perpetual Windmill Glen needs engineering help on.

n.    Alan Garner                  Full stack of Shaker boxes

o.    Mike Hargrove             Scroll Saw Mother’s Day gift

p.    Cindy Keith                   Scroll Saw Ribbon Box

9.    Vice President Jason Moore introduced our Guest speaker, Jim Jolliffe, who will speak about carving human figures, still life cabins, etc.

a.    Jim is from western Nebraska.

b.    He was in the Airforce ROTC, which led him to be at AEDC in Tullahoma, Tennessee, where he currently lives.

c.     He is a member of Tennessee Valley woodworkers based in Tullahoma.

d.    Jim spoke of the three species of wood that he uses for his carvings.

                                                             i.      Butternut

1.    Sometimes called white walnut

                                                           ii.      Cottonwood Bark

1.    Mostly comes from the Midwest and is hard and thick.

                                                        iii.      Basswood

1.    Sometimes called Linden Wood

e.    Jim mentioned that his shop is open to visitors and learners on the 1^st and 3^rd Saturdays of each month, for people with a positive attitude.

                                                             i.      Sam Clarke has the address for anyone interested in going to Jim’s shop.

10.  The next meeting will be on June 24^th.

11.  The monthly Hardees informal Breakfast meeting will be on Tuesday, June 3^rd, at the Hardees on Old Fort Parkway, near Sam’s Club.

12.  Meeting adjourned by Sam Clarke at 8:07 pm.