The Bladerunner

P.O. Box 1838 Thousand Oaks

California 91358-0838

May 2020

www.cvwa.org Issue #283

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President's Message

Hope everyone is keeping safe and healthy during the Covid-19 pandemic. I have never washed my hands so much in my life. Even my iPhone fingerprint sign-in will not work. I guess these are new times for us all. I would like to hear from some of you and learn what you are doing. Any new

projects, new tools? I am still cleaning up my shop (never ending) and will start attaching new legs to the table saw extension and remove the temporary sawhorses. Mike Gorn and Vince Vlasic have been doing wellness checks on some of our members. You may have received one of these calls. I certainly (as I am sure you do) appreciate the time, effort and thoughtfulness Mike and Vince have put into doing this. As always should you, or a member you know, need help please contact me or one of our board members. My wife (Julie) and I took a little ride one evening to just get out of the house and delivered Club Badges to three new members. Our ride also included trying out the new masks Christine Gorn made for us to keeping social distancing from everyone. It felt good to get out after a month of quarantine. I am going to start organizing the tools Mrs. Dick Wakefield donated to the club for a silent auction. I will provide details and photos of each and have them posted to the Bladerunner. If you are looking for something to do, how about a few toys for our Annual Toy Drive. They need to be completed and turned in by November. I am making 50 Doll Cradles this year. Jeff Bock and I are working on a Zoom program that will allow us to have group meetings online. Jeff will probably take the lead on this as I have not used it enough to run the program myself. We will try it with a few members this month and if successful we may be able to use it as the regular monthly club meeting in June. More information will follow. Please be safe and remember to wear those masks and keep a safe distance from others. My hope is that we all stay well, and this quarantine can be lifted sooner rather than later so we can get together and continue with our regular meetings in person.

Bill Bill Aurand President

Events Calendar – All Events Cancelled

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What We’ve Been Doing Below are pictures of some projects Members are working on in isolation. Feel free to send the Editors your project pictures and any story behind it. Tom Welz: We have our 6 year old granddaughter staying with us while our daughter is working (she’s a Nurse) so we made this bulletin board so she could display her art.

Richard Wiley’s new dust collection system and lumber racks in progress. Notice the motor and impeller are mounted high and also there is no ceiling hanger for the garage door track. Wow!

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Camil Sabackic: Fantastic! Great work!

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Arlen Handberg: Arlen continues to amaze! The Editors are getting a little jealous!

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Thoughts From Deena Case-Pall It seems unnecessary to say it, but we’re living in some pretty unusual times right now. There are two major causes of stress: first, worries about ourselves, our loved ones and our friends getting the coronavirus. And, second, the involuntary isolation is frustrating. We’re not supposed to go out for “non-essential” trips. Taking the dog to the vet? Essential. Buying exotic wood for a new project? Debatable. Getting together with a group of friends to work together on a large project or talk about future ones? Definitely against the rules. So, not only are we missing our friends, we’re also really missing the spontaneity and free will of doing what we want, when we want. Many of us are experiencing a type of “cabin fever’ because of having to stay home so much. Others are relishing the free time to do more in the shop. A few are avoiding family drama by hiding in the shop. Not that that’s a bad thing…. Woodworkers are a lucky bunch – they have a passion for creating sawdust, wood chips, satisfaction, stress relief, and – oh yes – beautiful and useful objects made out of wood. That’s a very good thing during these difficult times. Working with wood is deeply satisfying. The wood is beautiful, it looks great, feels great, and often even smells great. Who doesn’t inhale deeply just walking into the lumber area at Home Depot? These days, we can use all the satisfaction we can get. I have a few thoughts on how we can make the best of our shop time. First of all, many people get involved in long, complicated projects that take weeks or months to complete. They’re wonderful, but be sure you also include a few smaller projects that can be done within a week to ensure a quick reward. It always feels good to finish a project and to show it to our family members and friends. And, it doesn’t hurt to make some little presents for family members – they’re feeling a little down during these times, as well. Turn a pencil cup, make an ornamental trivet for the table, create a sign for a grandchild’s bedroom door. They’re satisfying to do, and remind your family that you’re thinking of them while you’re working in your shop. A special note about masks – wear them more often! Any time there are wood particles flying around the air, your lungs are begging you to give them a break and wear your mask. But now, the last thing we want to do is to insult our lungs with doses of visible and invisible irritations. As our friend Charlie North reminded us, it’s the little dust particles you can’t see that do the worst damage. Plus, if you are unlucky enough to catch this virus, it could be a rougher recovery if your lungs are already irritated by wood dust. Who wants to take a chance on messing up the only set of lungs you’ll ever have? Wear your mask. Being sweaty and stuffy is a lot better than having damaged lungs. Don’t like the feel of the mask? As Charlie would say, “Suck it up, Buttercup!” Stay safe. The same reasoning motivates us to do good clean-up of the shop, as well. Now, I’ve been in a lot of member shops. Some are always neat and clean, unless actual woodworking is going on. Some look like they’d be suitable as nests for a giant bird with all the chips and shavings scattered around. Again, a cleaner shop means less particulate matter in the air. When was the last time you cleaned your air filters? One thought – this is the age of technology and social media. I know how much we all miss seeing each other and sharing what we’re doing. Several members have suggest that we consider virtual “show and

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tell” sessions by Zoom or a similar platform. I think it’s great that some of our members have been calling others just to see how they’re doing. But there is much more that we can do, if someone wants to put it together. Any volunteers? Stay healthy, please, and keep your families safe. We’ll get through this, it’s just another bump in the road. I look forward to seeing all of you as soon as we can. The old way of social distancing…

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Stacy Gerlich Honored

White House Honors LAFD Captain Stacy Gerlich

Posted by Janet Liebsch on September 25, 2013 in CERT

LAFD Blog post by Erik Scott, Spokesman - Los Angeles Fire Department WASHINGTON, DC – On Tuesday, September 24th, the White House honored local heroes who are “Champions of Change for Community Preparedness and Resilience.” Among these recipients is LAFD Captain/Paramedic Stacy Gerlich. The event celebrated Americans who are preparing communities for disasters and helping them respond and recover, bringing members of the whole community together – private businesses, local government, community and faith-based organizations, and individual citizens – to make a difference. Captain Gerlich, MA, served as the Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) Program administrator and manager, providing both organization and leadership to the continual development of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) trained volunteer program. The CERT program was developed by the LAFD in 1986 and has remained a leader in its field. LAFD CERT is currently training 4000 citizens annually and maintains an active cadre of 215 trained volunteers who contribute over 4,500 volunteer hours annually to the LAFD. The CERT program provides a structured curriculum for citizens to become more prepared, resilient, and vital components to “whole community” preparedness.

"I'm so proud of our department and the part I've been afforded to play in building the resiliency throughout our great city and the citizens we serve." - LAFD Captain/Paramedic Stacy Gerlich.

Captain Gerlich is considered a subject matter expert in the field of disaster preparedness and has had the honor of working with citizens and stakeholders throughout the United States to prepare our nation for an untimely whole community disaster. She is one of many accomplished LAFD members that makes our great Department what it is.

Some Club History In 2008 I (Stephen Case-Pall) got the crazy idea to have a wood-car race of the soap box derby style with unmanned cars. Naturally I got "volunteered" to see it through. Paul Brockway joined me in bringing it to reality, and we went whole hog, building a track with a hill longer than half of the Cafetorium at the school. The track had a dual release lever at the peak to release both cars simultaneously. Members had the dimensions of the track to build their cars. The track surface was bendable hardboard to minimize friction and rails to keep the cars on track. We ordered an electronic timer for the finish line which was turned on by the release lever, and lit up the scoreboard with "1" or "2" on the appropriate lane.

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A large group of members built cars for the race held at the meeting. I was fairly confident my car would win as I turned very thin wheels, lightened them and slathered graphite on all moving parts, then loaded the car with lead bars for speed. I made it to the finals, but then was crushed as Brady Andresen's car beat me by less than one second. Brady is long known for his skills at machining wood, and even lead and graphite could not beat him. Unfortunately, we couldn't keep the huge track as storage was a problem, so it was a one-off race.

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A Fellow Woodworker is in Need of Some Help From: Don Halvorson My friend Jeff who lived in La Crescenta with his family, has had some rough times lately!! His family was renting a house there and ended up having a garage fire, which, thanks to the Fire Department, ended up smoke damaging the entire house!! They lost everything, clothes, dishes, household equipment, everything!!!! His tools are a complete loss! Some of the tools were vintage and some were of the newer variety. The fire was so hot that it completely melted the top of his DeWalt bench top table saw and the D/W band saw. The wrenches are toast, along with all the drills, jigsaws, track saw, hammers, etc. He has nothing left! So I was thinking, maybe some of us have some extra hand tools, wood working tools, etc. that we probably are not using or have replaced. Would the Club be willing to assist Jeff in getting replacing some equipment? I know I can come up with a few things. Thank you for your consideration, Don Halvorson showerxpert@yahoo.com

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Biographical Sketch - by Deena Case-Pall Stephen Case-Pall A beautiful turned box with a tall, delicate finial sits on the show-and-tell table. “Who made that?” asked a new member. ‘Looks like Stephen’s work,” is the answer. Stephen Case-Pall is a man of many talents. Born in Canada of Hungarian parents, he came to this country as a young child and is a naturalized citizen. He served his country in both the Army and Air Force, serving as a Military Police Officer and a member of the Air Police. His BA in Psychology is from San Diego State University. He continued his interest in law enforcement by working as a Police Officer in San Diego, and then a Parole Agent for the state of California. His specialty was supervising sex offenders, both child molesters and rapists. After he retired from law enforcement, he trained and worked as an electronics technician, repairing brake skid boxes for planes flown by the major airlines. It was about this time when he became interested in woodworking, after dabbling in professional photography. Like many little kids, he had played in his father’s garage shop, hammering nails into pieces of wood. But it wasn’t until retirement that he really discovered the satisfactions of working with wood. Wood turning has captured his interest in a big way. He has gone from turning pens to making lots of bowls – bowls with natural edges, bowls from charred driftwood, and bowls from exotic hardwoods. Bowls led to goblets and urns, and lidded turned boxes. Topped by elaborate and graceful finials. He also has made a variety of rectangular boxes, utilizing a number of different joints. His work features woods such as walnut, oak, lacewood, cocobolo, and others. Currently he is captured by replicating antique cases for dueling pistols, including custom-tailored partitions for the pistols and their accessories. Guests to Stephen’s home can see ample evidence of his other interests include fascination with medals, helmets, and cloth hats from the German army, from the 1800’s up to 1918. He also collects antique glass beer steins from the same period, with over 100 in showcases. His other collection includes historical and current firearms, and he is a trophy-winning competition pistol shooter. Stephen is owned by a big-eyed, silky-eared miniature longhair dachshund named Vikie. Stephen has been an active member of CVWA for several decades. He has served as Librarian, and twice as President. He now serves as director on the Board. He is a regular contributor to the club’s programs, mentor program, and workshops, and especially enjoys teaching people how to sharpen tools and how to turn. As husband of (now past) President Deena Case-Pall, he occupied the self-designated position of First Dude. When asked what is his greatest joy in woodworking, he responded that it is working with different types of exotic hardwoods. The skill he wants to improve is mortising hinges for his pistol cases. How has he benefitted from participation in CVWA? Most important, he says, is that he has made some lasting close friendships. That goes both ways. Stephen is well-known as a good friend to CVWA.

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For Sale The following items are for sale by a former Club Member. If interested, please see contact info at the bottom of this list. Cabinet, tool. Price? Chisels, Lie Nelson $40.00 each, $50.00 for the 1”, handles: $8.00 each, $20 for long. (Chisels have never been used except door The 1”) Clamps, Jet 18”,, 40.00 each Dust collector, Harbor Freight, 1.5 HP. I with $250.00 Hepa Filter. $250.00 Planes: Bailey/Stanley. Beautiful condition. #5 for $125. #6 for $125 Router table, Kreg. $150. Fence $100, Rolling base 110.00. Base has five drawers, duplex outlet, long 12 gauge cord and a duplex outlet. Table saw, Rockwell/Delta unisaw, 2 HP. With extension wings, extension and out feed tables. $500 Contact: Art Shaffman 805-890-8335

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Board Members

Elected Officers

President Bill Aurand (805) 229-1559 president@cvwa.org

Board Member Mike Gorn (805) 265-6150 mcgorn@roadrunner.com

Board Member Stacy Gerlich

Board Member Stephen Case-Pall (805) 603-9394 tschako666@gmail.com

Communications Randy Spengler communications@cvwa.org

Membership Arlen Handberg (805) 527-0211 membership@cvwa.org

Past President Deena Case-Pall (805) 290-0460 k9psych@gmail.com

Appointed Positions

Editors/Bladerunner Tom & Sharon Welz (805) 630-1299 setlwelz@gmail.com

Mentor Program Dave Seidler (805) 491-2599

Photographer Aubrey Grey cvwa9@aagrey.net

Raffle Bill Battocchio

Raffle Rande Bence (805) 349-5507

Refreshments Andy Anderson (805) 484-3985 willardanderson805@gmail.com

Silent Auction Stephen Case-Pall (805) 603-9394 tschako666@gmail.com

Sound Randy Spengler

Toy Project Richard Wiley

Webmaster Randy Spengler webmaster@cvwa.org

Wellness Al Fournier

Positions Needing a Volunteer

Auction

Librarian