Total # of Attendees: 22
Notes:
Jim opened the meeting at 7:23 PM.
Jim was looking for someone named “Jordan” who wanted someone to build a coffin for him. Nobody volunteered, either as “Jordan” or to build it.
New guy: Al
Newbie
Playing around with hand tools and getting fun
It’s his birthday – Happy Birthday
Other new guy: Gavin Wester
Retired Merchant Mariner
Plays around with tools and works with Habitat
Holiday Party
Currently have 13 RSVPs
Short Hills Deli in Voorhees
No special room or pricing, so just order off menu
Salman inquired about food, to determine if it would fit his palate
Shows
Woodworker Show in Baltimore Jan 3-5. Carpools available (ask Jim)
Woodworker Show in North Jersey Mar 3-6
Lie Nielsen show Feb 22-23
Mark asked if we wanted to try and get Deneb from Lie Nielsen to come to chapter meeting. To do this, we’d have to change the March meeting
Mark suggested another used tool sale event. General consensus was next meeting January
Dave Potts (Treasury)
Thin on bank account, but it’s due in January
Currently with $1,681 left
Currently have 38 members on mailing list, only 1 missing email
SAPFM meeting in Williamsburg in January, will see if we can get someone to come up
Brian Menold
Been a member of Guild for many years
Been told he is an odd woodworker, or not even a woodworker
He makes high end wooden puzzles for folks all over the world.
Does work for about 4 weeks, post on internet, sells within 48 hours, then starts over
Spends about 12 hours/day in shop, but on his schedule.
You can make a puzzle in about 30-45 minutes
Brian urged everyone to look at finding a niche after you retire and exploit it – and you can get customers for life
Showed his 4” model makers saw, machined aluminum sled, fence has micrometer measurement
Try to be within 3-4 thousandth of an inch (that tight). Accuracy is of the utmost importance
Spent about $950 on the saw, fence, sled, etc. It paid for itself in the amount of time saved
With sled, crosscut ability is down to about ¾” – but that is about all he does
Also showed off his sander, small, quiet, but able to get him the accuracy he needs
Gets his wood from Groff & Groff or Hearne. Does a lot of exotics, because his small size of product/puzzles allows him to work with hard-to-get woods
Passed around some of the puzzles for folks to try out
Brian demonstrated some of the puzzles and how to unlock them
Doesn’t provide solution on how to undo puzzle. Most of his customers are college professors, etc. Very smart, and they want to solve it themselves
He has a program to do the design, and he has people send him designs. They typically ask for a royalty or a few copies of the puzzle
Jim talked about us having a tree planted for Carl’s Mom, and we gave the card to Carl.
Next Meeting on Thursday, January 3rd.
The meeting concluded at 8:40 PM.
