Thanks Zahid..!!!!!

[Dennis Peacock]

Just wanted to say Thank You for coming by today and teaching me more about handplanes, the wonderful wooden handplane you made for me, and for taking time out of your schedule to come and share you knowledge with me about the differences in handsaws.

It's people like you that make woodworking all the more enjoyable. :D

[Alan DuBoff]

Excellent! I love to hear stories like this, and love to get together with folks in my area whenever I can.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Hey Dennis and Zahid, With all of you Arkies who seem to get together on occasion and who share our interest/obsession with woodworking, there ought to be the makin's of a club or guild. Getting together to teach, learn, BS, sell, swap, or trade tools and wood, and socalize can be great fun. Books, video, and the internet, are great learning tools, but nothing beats real time interaction. I had the great fortune to hook up with The Guild of NH Woodworkers almost 11 years ago and it did wonderful things for my skill level to have both formal and informal instruction. It is so much easier to learn when you can ask questions, get immediate correction for mistakes, and have someone explain the subtle nuances on the spot. It is also a lot cheaper and less time intensive than going somewhere and taking a paid class.

Now for the tag line, No pictures, didn't happen.:D

[Zahid Naqvi]

Just wanted to say Thank You for coming by today and teaching me more about handplanes, the wonderful wooden handplane you made for me, and for taking time out of your schedule to come and share you knowledge with me about the differences in handsaws.

:o :o Heck man the balance is tilted way too much on your side, I have a lot of catching up to do to break even.:o :o

Dave, I think that is a wonderful idea. I know there are a lot of hobbyist type woodworkers around this area. There already might be some sort of organization in place. I've never looked for one. So what should I look for when searching for a local guild or club etc. i.e. what are the catch phrases for on-line search.

[Alan DuBoff]

In Northern California we have the Bay Area Galoots, an offshoot of the oldtools list, and the galoots. We have a yearly event called the BAG-A-THON where all the BAGs get together and talk shop, show projects they've worked up, help each other, and have a good time.

[Dennis Peacock]

Z,

Why don't we start out just meeting every other month at my shop and I'll see if Joe, Rick, and Mark would like to join in. This way we can all share experiences with each other as well as have good fellowship besides. Just an idea. ;)

[Dave Anderson NH]

Unless there is a local club or guild, dennis' idea of an informal get together is the easiest way to go. You can always formalize things later and " advertise" or recruit new members. Fine Woodworking and Woodcentral both have lists of clubs and other organizations on their websites. That might be a good place to start Zahid.

Our NH guild started with 12 people meeting informally at a members' shop. 16 years later we are closing in rapidly on 500 members and have special interest sub-groups, a 32 page full color newsletter, and a scholarship program. All of this happened gradually over time in an evolutionary fashion. www.gnhw.org

[Zahid Naqvi]

Z,
Why don't we start out just meeting every other month at my shop and I'll see if Joe, Rick, and Mark would like to join in. This way we can all share experiences with each other as well as have good fellowship besides. Just an idea. ;)

I'm all for it, let's do the first BBQ this fall. We'll split the cost of food and we can discuss this as an agenda item. I did find one club http://www.woodworkersofarkansas.org/ I am not sure about the scope of this organization.

[Brad Kimbrell]

Hey guys,

I used to live in Shreveport, La. and I drove up to Little Rock every month for about 2 years to attend the Little Rock Woodworkers Club meeting.

I made some very good friends there but that was in about 1988 or so.

I was introduced to the club by a man named Rick ____ that worked at the local wood store...maybe Paxton's or something else? My memory is not that great as it's been quite some time.

I still have a huge hunk of Mahogany that I bought from Rick back then. It was split down the middle and I have used it for many small turned items. It's about 20" wide and 4" thick... quite a slab!

Good luck with your new club / gathering. I now live in Lexington, KY and I drive to Louisville, KY once in a while just to hang out with the guys from our club - KYANA (for Kentucky - Indiana).

Nothing better than the fellowship and idea sharing when a bunch of good guys get together! :rolleyes:

[Rick de Roque]

Sounds like a great idea to me. Getting together each month would be great. I'm in:D

Rick

[Joe Meazle]

I did find one club http://www.woodworkersofarkansas.org/ I am not sure about the scope of this organization.



One there board menbers (ken Glasscock) lives In Conway. That is what Les Steen at Steen Hardwoods told me a while back. I have not had an opportunity to meet Ken. I think Rick might have.




I am in for a Fualkner Co. group. are we going to rotate meeting? When it is at my shop a couple of guys swill have to stand on the tablesaw. Or we could just take turns actually being in the shop.

[Rick McNew]

Recently joined Sawmill Creek, and while following some older threads I ran across this one regarding a Woodworkers club, get together, etc. I noticed the dates are all the way back to 2006, did anything ever develop? Is there a club or something for serious woodworkers? I have found nothing in Central Arkansas relating to woodworking tools, materials, etc. I drive to Birmingham to get really good wood and/or tools. It would be great to have a way to socialize with other woodworkers. Currently, I teach "Elder Citizens" basic woodworking on Wednesdays in Beebe, Ark. Its a real blast to see 65 to 80 year olds use a good hand tool for the first time! No power tools here, all hand tools. If there is a meeting opportunity, I would like to hear about it, thanks!

[Jim Koepke]

Howdy Rick and welcome to the Creek. I will surely forget where you live in time, so I am asking now to please forgive me when I forget. Of course, if you put it in your profile I won't hit that awkward moment.

Finding sources of tools and other supplies can be a lot of work. Even ebay isn't what it used to be for good deals though some still come along. One just needs to set up a vigilant watch.

Sounds like you are having a good time teaching others. They might be good people to network with to hunt out more tools to bring to the classes for them to use.

Also do not under estimate the power of local classifieds. Many areas have local advertising/classifieds that are free in the local stores and other businesses. It might be helpful to place an ad for a short while to let readers know you are looking for old wood working tools. Be careful though you may receive a good response and have to start selling some through ebay and other venues.

My tendency is to purchase inexpensive tools to restore and either use or sell to raise money to purchase something more expensive. It is like buying a bunch of tools cheap, rehabbing them to sell for a profit and then buying a new tool at what hits my wallet like a discount.

jtk