Monthly newsletter for the Orange County Scroll Saw Association

April 2020

How to Make Sawdust Magic in Your Neighborhood By Devon Day

There are many of you who have been cutting out silhouettes for your neighborhood kids forever. My idea is certainly not novel. When I read that kids in Spain were hanging their artwork from their windows so their neighbors could have some Kid Art cheer, I thought it would be fun to have neighborhood kids deco-rate images and hang them from their trees for the neighbors to enjoy.

The neighborhood has embraced these ideas and more. We have already had the app, Nextdoor, circulate ideas for Bear Hunts, where neighbors prop teddy bears

in the windows so the kids can walk the neighbor-hood searching for the bears. Cute! Chalk art is tak-ing over the streets.

After 37 years of public-school teaching, I have heard some great thoughts about what to do with kids while they are home. Many educators have pleaded with parents not to try to home school. Other folks think that this would be a good time to teach Life Skills—balancing a check book, learning how to use hand tools, or how to draw from the right side of the brain. (The good stuff). The best advice I have read is to make great memories of a family camping out in their own home playing games, tell-ing family stories, and enjoying every moment together.

Be safe. Make great memories and saw dust.

Most Recent Members Only NewsletterJust one of the benefits of becoming a member

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Classified Ads

Saw for sale

Dale Carlson has a DeWalt DW 788 scrollsaw with the stand for sale for $250.00. Please contact Dale at 714-350-1179 if you are interested.

Project Idea Barb Schmit

I look for new ways to get inspiration for projects. Here is a photo my sister took from her front window last week. That is Mt Adams, in WA, in the clouds, with their wheat field in the foreground. It looks like a golf course.

I am going to make puzzles for my mom and both sisters, as this is a favorite view. Since we are all stuck at home, everyone is doing puzzles. This will make it a personal one.

Passing The Time Jim McGuire

I am sharing a few cuts I have done while I am clois-tered at home. It has been fun. The first photo is a group of 3 different welcomes by Jessica from a face book group. They are on bug eaten wood and I like the wood and didn't want to throw it out.

The second on is my cut of "Green Man" sort of an earth person from I believe British mythology. The pattern is by a fellow name Botas Helder, who belongs to a face book group. I tried using a cloth die on it, and learned a few things, like don't let it soak real long or the wood will warp big time.

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Working Thru Difficult Times Willie Ellis

I can speak for me and maybe many of you. This is a difficult time and far beyond anything I have experienced in my lifetime. My Grandparents and parents live through the Great Depression and over the years talked about the struggles they worked through. I still have ration tickets from my Grandpa who lived in the San Francisco area. I hope we do not get to that point and know we all need to help each other. At this point I am still working, in my office in the back of the building, it’s awfully quiet at work. We deal with public agencies and need to be available should an emergency arise. Believe it or not, they seem to always need assistance. Aside from that, I appreciate the people who still face the public day to day. I can see the stress in the face and not all people seem to appreciate what they are doing for us. One thing I am doing for them is to give them a HUG. I Can do it from 6’ away. (See photo) I stack cut them and I adjusted the pattern so there are no inside cuts. I will say, it does put a smile on their face.

And then there are the unfortunate ones who lose a loved one. I have been making crosses for them in memory of their loved ones. I included a few photos of them. I hope to not need any more but it does not appear that way.

Last, Jerry Poole’s Granddaughter is planning for a wedding in June. Jerry was going to make the table numbers and a few other items for Katie’s wedding. I have been working with Katie and have the pattern for the table numbers and cake topper. It is a quick job that has a lot of meaning for Katie. I have attached a photo of some of the different font mockups I cut out. There is a sign she would like and it could be cutout with a scroll saw. However, I think engrav-ing would look nice. If anyone had a CNC or way to carve wood, I would like to talk to them. I would say there are less than 200 letters and that is a rough count. The sign can be any size needed for the words to fit.

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Events Committee

The current board of directors is looking to form an Events Committee. This committee is called for in our current bylaws and would report to the Vice President, currently Devon Day. They would help to plan future meetings and events that the club participates in. If you are interested in serving in this capacity, please contact any of the current officers.

Official notice from the Board of the Orange County Scroll Saw Association

This information was to be presented at the March meeting. Since that did not happen and the April meeting is also cancelled we felt that this was the proper format to present this infor-mation. The board has received and accepted this letter of resignation from Mike Morand.

February 18th, 2020

Dear Orange County Scroll Saw Association Board,

Over the past seven months, I have had the honor of serving as your President. Unfortunately, I am unable to continue as President because of my other commitments. I have spoken to John Howe and to Devon Day. John has agreed to move into the position of President and Devon has agreed to come out of retirement and serve as Vice President until our next elections in June.

I will bring this before the club membership at the next meeting and call for a majority vote to pass this change in leadership for the remaining three months of my term. John, Devon, and I hope this will pro-vide the greatest stability in the club’s calendar and events during the spring and early summer. In addition, John and Devon have agreed to run for the same positions come June with the understand-ing that all club members are encouraged to run for any of the club Board position at that time.

Feel free to contact any of the Board members with any questions and concerns you may have.

Best regards, Mike Morand, President Orange County Scroll Saw Association.

According to our bylaws, "Vacancies on the Board of Directors may be filled by a vote of the majority of the remaining Directors, or by a sole remaining Director.” This will be officially completed in the coming weeks. John Howe will be serving as President and Devon Day will take over his position as Vice President. We will hold our normal elections in June. We are in the process of planning how this can be accomplished if we are still under Stay at Home or-ders. If you are interested in running for any of the officer positions please let one of the board members know. Our contact information is in this newsletter.

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OCSSA CALENDAR OF EVENTS

April 9 Monthly Meeting - CANCELLED

April 11 4-H Workshop at Larry Olson’s - 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. - CANCELLED

April 17-19 Imaginology - OC Fairgrounds - CANCELLED

April 24 Toy Workshop - 8:00 a.m. Rockler - CANCELLED

May 1 Deadline for Design in Wood competition at the San Diego Fair

May 14 Monthly Meeting -

May 22 Toy Workshop - 8:00 a.m. Rockler

May 24 Entry deadline for competitions at the OC Fair

June 5 - July 5 San Diego Fair - “Heroes, Unite!” is the theme for 2020

June 11 Monthly Meeting - Election of Officers

June 26 Toy Workshop - 8:00 a.m. Rockler

July 9 Monthly Meeting

July 17 - Aug 16 Orange County Fair - “All for Fun” is the theme for 2020

July 24 Toy Workshop - 8:00 a.m. Rockler

Dues are Due

It is time to pay your dues for 2020. Dues are $40.00 per year, per family. Please see LaVaun Ward, our treasurer, to take care of this. You can mail them to LaVaun Ward. We will have your membership cards available at the next meeting, or they can be mailed to you. Thank you.

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Jim Stramer’s Memorial Happy Face Pin Project Moves On By Devon Day

In spite of the Covid 19 restrictions for movement outside the house, Jim Stramer’s Memorial Pin Project is moving on. While Jim’s Celebration of Life has been postponed until further notice, a few club members are qui-etly getting 120 Happy Face pins cut out, sanded, painted, and gluing backer pins on.

We are not doing this workshop together as planned. Originally, there would have been something pretty tribal and terrific about a group of scroll saw fellows, meeting together at Larry Olson’s house, dividing the

pin-making tasks, pouring a cup of coffee, and getting after this pin-making endeavor. Surely stories about Jim’s shop, his travels, his incredible work ethic, how he and his brother worked on the RBI scroll saw, (to redesign and refurbish it) to give to Cerro Villa Middle School would emerge. That chat didn’t happen. For that, I am sorry. Those stories are for another day.

One day, we will meet for a Toy Workshop and sometime around 10 AM, the sanders,

router, mop sanders, and air filtrations machines will go silent. As we circle up the metal folding

chairs for a cup of coffee, perhaps a donut, and pass out a happy face pin to attach to our

aprons, we will remember our friend properly, with love.

This is a Blade chart that we have used in the past. Thought it might be helpful as you try new projects in your shop.

From the Editor: A big thank you to all the members that took John Howe’s suggestion and sent me articles with photos to help fill the newsletter. It was very much appreciated.

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Friends of OCSSA - Support Our Sponsors

Woodcraft Supply 714-963-9663

Rockler Woodworking & Hardwoods 714-282-1157

Unify Financial Federal Credit Union unifyfcu.com

Industrial Blades 714-557-4131

Mike’s Workshop 605-582-6732

Reel Lumber 714-632-1988

Paragon Plastics, Inc. 714-835-8181

BLOXYGEN www.bloxygen.com/clubs

Jerry Carter www.JeryCarterAirTool.com

760-868-1904

Be sure to come to the meeting one hour

early and visit Larry Olson in our Mentor’s

Corner. He will be happy to answer any

questions you may have and help you with

solving any cutting issues you may be experiencing. He will be set

up and ready for you by 6 PM the night of our meeting. Be sure to use this valuable

resource to help you improve the quality of your cutting.

Mentor’s Corner

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The Orange County Scroll Saw Association meets every second Thursday of the month. Our purpose is to promote, teach and share in the fun and fellowship of scroll sawing. Our club is open to all who have an interest in scroll sawing and at all skill levels from beginner to expert.

Monthly Newsletter of the Orange County Scroll Saw Association. Visit us on the Web at www.ocssa.org

Next Meeting:

To be announced 1955 N. Tustin Street

Orange, CA 92865

6:00 pm Mentor’s Corner

7:00 pm to 9:00 pm Regular Meeting

55 Freeway

Meats

Taft

Tustin