Devan Steen presented his first GWA class today. A recent high school graduate, Devan has joined the USAF and is waiting for orders to report. Devan spends his time working at Peachtree Woodworking Supply and learning more woodworking skills. He and his father are also restoring a 1968 Camaro.

Devan was eager to present a class as a way of saying thank you to the other GWA members for helping him learn woodworking. Today Devan presented an overview into the many different ways a drillpress can be used. He also covered setup and maintenance. There was however, a larger lesson learned. Devan showed us all that you don't need years of experience to contribute to the GWA, just a desire to learn and give back. Thanks Devan!

We traveled to the Gainesville area for today's shop tours. Each week some of our most dedicated members make the long drive to our meetings in Gwinnett and today we had the chance to return the favor. Each of the three shops today had it's own character and presented a different view of woodworking.

My first stop was at Don Bedell's shop, I knew he would have fresh donuts. I tried to be first in the door, but Bob and Rob beat me in! Don has a rustic shop on a main road just far enough away from all the new development in the area. His doors open to the busy highway just a few feet away. It has a look that makes you want to stop and explore. As you enter, the hours of operation sign gives you an idea of the kind of guy Don is. Inside it's much like you expect it to be, the wood stove, a large home made lathe and an appropriate amount of sawdust. Then the unexpected, a modern motorized Legacy mill next to an old fashioned wood bed Conover lathe.

My next stop was Dirk's, I've known Dirk for a long time, but this was my first visit to his new shop. Dirk is a quiet tech oriented guy and his new shop reflects it. The shop is located in a new industrial area on a quiet cul de sac. Entering the new commercial building you are welcomed into his bright and well appointed office. The shop itself is clean and spacious with two overhead doors and 3 phase electric powering his CNC. In the front corner is where the Dirk I know spends his time, the mad scientist laboratory. Around a large wooden desk with a computer, an electronic control box with all of it's internals exposed and a couple extra circuit boards are shelves filled with nuts, bolts. motors electronic components and a test bed CNC machine.

The last stop on my route was Corey's. Just as Don had told me, it was clean, ordered and well appointed. My surprise was that it was above his garage! Corey has a nice mix of new and old tools including a nice Craftsman table saw from the forties. I was really surprised to see that it had the original blade guard and splitter. The blade guard looked like it was from a saw made today. It just goes to show, some of today's ideas are not all that new. I was also impressed with the fact, Corey made his own cabinets and lathe bench.

Shop tours are a great way to get to know your fellow members. If you missed this one, make sure you attend the next.

Ralph Thorne

Wayne Mullins has always been known for his bandsaw boxes and after the comprehensive presentation he gave today, it's apparent why they look so good. His class started with safety, basic saw setup and progressed through many different aspects of the way a bandsaw can be utilized.

Nearing the end of the alloted time it was obvious Wayne had barely scratched the surface. The over 60 members in attendance asked Wayne to continue and he agreed. After a short break the class progressed for another hour with Wayne answering questions and doing cutting demonstrations.

Ralph Thorne

Today’s class was all about Adirondack chairs. Pros, Cons, and general comments. Special thanks to Ken Vickery, Dick Gray, Butch Davis, Bob Baird, Jimmy Stripling, Mike Peace, and Steve Mellott for bringing in their chairs and letting us know what they thought about their experiences in the making, finishing and general care for their projects. Some were a ‘few’ years old and some were rather recently built. Regardless of the expense or difficulty level, everyone agreed that building an Adirondack chair is a great challenge and an experience that everyone should seriously consider. The only problem might be choosing a design.

Gary Dean - Secretary