2015 was a mixed year for the group. While the woodworking group brought in more new members our meeting attendance dropped a bit at 20+ members showing up every month. We had no workshops in 2015 and the requested support from the membership to host workshops fell flat. Our new carving subgroup got off to a roaring start and hopefully will grow some in 2016. The turning subgroup remained pretty much the same with quarterly-ish meetings and regular attendance.
The woodworking group took a survey and online vote and decided to move the meetings to Tuesdays. The schedule reflects this change. We will see how this works and if there are a lot of problems we will reconsider what we do in 2017.
The turning subgroup held three meetings in 2015 and all were well attended. The group tried to get members to make christmas ornaments with less than stellar success. While there is interest in turning and Ken Sherrill has provided us with a great place to meet and practice it is hard to get people to come to the meeting and actually try turning anything.
The carving subgroup had it's first meeting in January. The group chose to continue meeting on the third Monday of the month and did so for the rest of the year. A number of people have attended some or all the meetings. There have been six regular attendees until recently, with the departure of Chuck Devine moving to Maine we are now five carver's strong but looking for more.
The meetings have each covered a topic pertinent to wood carving. The topics have included chip carving, found wood carving, tool sharpening, and the use of dyes and paints. The topic for the January 2016 meeting will be the use of pyrography on woodcarvings.
The subgroups activities included coordinating the April 18 woodcarving/woodworking demonstration at the Downtown Bend branch of the Deschutes Public Library and conducting a Maker Monday at the same location on September 14th. Both events were well attended and provided the general public a chance to meet club members and learn more about woodworking in general. The television station KTVZ filmed the April 18th demonstration and included it as a segment in their news broadcast that evening.
Two of the wood carvers (Terry Ferguson and Scott Beyer) will be among five featured artists at the Redmond branch of the Deschutes Public Library from January through March of 2016.
We did start the library in 2014 and to date it has not been used. We will keep it going and if it turns out that there is no interest we will kill the project. You can access the library on the website and contact the owner of the item to obtain it.
With growth comes changes and we are to try and get some changes in 2016. Nothing great, but it is time for something to happen. So here it is.
1. We need new blood. These are the open positions:
Workshop Coordinator - we need someone to ask around for what workshops members might be interested in and then try and find someone to do a workshop for it. Workshops could be free or have a charge - up to whoever is holding the workshop. Fun position - you get to talk to people and make new friends!
Chief COW - This position is always open. If you are unhappy with the rulers of the group you can have the job. Duties are to find meeting locations, prepare and send the email notification, maintain the email list, sort out group problems, try and keep everyone happy, and do long range planning for the continued growth and happiness of the group. Coordinate with sub-group chairs and website manager as needed.
2. We need meeting hosts - open up your shop to new experiences, new people and show your stuff! Sign-ups for 2016 are happening now. You can contact me to schedule your meeting date.
Here are the meeting dates for 2016: