Virtual Shop Tours -- Call to Members!
The Minnesota Woodworkers Guild Board of Directors working with the Program Committee is seeking out new ways of building the sense of community we’ve enjoyed for so many years through our monthly meetings.One idea is to rethink the concept of Member Shop Tours. It’s not a new idea and has been done in the past. We’d like to try and use today’s technology to further the goals of the Guild.
Even though our July meeting has been planned as our annual guild picnic, we simply don’t want to risk it under the current situation. We want to take the opportunity to re-purpose the July meeting for virtual shop tours.
We are looking for volunteers who might be willing to let their fellow woodworkers into their creative spaces via video, no matter how humble, for a 15 minute tour. This does not mean tours have to ‘fill’ 15 minutes. That is just the time window for a tour and questions from interested parties.
If you would like to participate, please contact Dave Mitchell via david.mitchell@usfamily.net. Please do let David know your interest by June 15, 2020.
Minnesota Woodworkers Guild E-mail Group Update:
The Minnesota Woodworkers Guild has transitioned from Yahoo!Groups to Groups.io. This forum is available to active members. If you are a member and would like to use this service, click on this Groups.io link to register and then be approved by the moderator. We will periodically remove accounts for inactive members.We want to be sure everyone enjoys the experience. The following guidelines apply to all users:
- Members are expected to post and act responsibly. Please respect your fellow members' time and attention: strive to be clear, concise and courteous. If you happen to disagree with another member please do so without being rude. Personal attacks, inflammatory and inappropriate language are not allowed and may lead to removal from the forum.
- Attachments are allowed and the judicious use of photos and other illustrations is encouraged! We also enabled the poll feature.
- For the full Groups.io guidelines regarding prohibited use of the service, see the Groups.io Terms of Service, especially Section 6.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact David Lane, Co-moderator: lanemnwg@yahoo.com.
Second Annual Tool Swap and Expo: Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020!
The guild is proud to present the second annual Tool Swap and Expo on September 19th, 2020. The event will take place from 9 am to 3 pm at the Bloomington Armory.
This year we have five nationally known woodworkers lined up for one hour presentations each. And we have name brand tool vendors planning to participate at the expo portion.
We hope to see you there, so please save the date. Click THIS LINK for details.
Coronavirus Updates regarding Guild Activities:
Northern Woods Show Postponed:
Eden Prairie Center is currently closed because of the coronavirus. Even if the mall was still open it would be unwise for us to proceed with the Northern Woods Exhibition in April. I am afraid that we have no choice but to modify our plans.
I am sorry to announce that the Northern Woods Exhibition has been postponed. The show will still be held in the main rotunda at Eden Prairie Center, but the new dates are October 22-25, 2020.
The good news is that you have more time to complete your entry! Please contact me if you have any questions. Stay safe, and I look forward to seeing you at the show in October.
-- Charlie Kocourek, Northern Woods Committee Chair, charlie@jack-bench.com
2020 Tuition Grants Awarded!
The Minnesota Woodworkers Guild is proud to announce that we have awarded two $1,000 tuition grants to worthy Guild members.We received numerous applications this year. Thank you to all for your participations. The Board of Directors carefully studied and discussed each application and chose our recipients. They are Cindy Darwin and Eric Arndt. Congratulations to Cindy and Eric.
- While each of them planned to attend specific courses this year, the COVID-19 pandemic is putting a crimp in their plans. Cindy had planned to attend a course in August at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, in Maine. That class has been cancelled, so Cindy is looking for another opportunity to expand her woodworking skills.
- Eric plans to head to Lonnie Bird’s School of Fine Woodworking in June. So far, his class is still on. We wish him the best in being able to keep that schedule.
About Us
The Minnesota Woodworkers Guild is a group of professional and amateur woodworkers bound together by three goals:
- to advocate high standards in our craft
- to meet new friends and discuss woodworking
- to educate ourselves and the public about woodworking
The Guild hosts monthly educational meetings, offers an annual Fall Seminar and sponsors the annual “Northern Woods” show, an exhibition of fine woodworking. We welcome membership by all woodworkers, regardless of what they build, their level of skill, style of work, or their profession.
Our goal is to encourage the highest standards in woodworking, while allowing each of our members to grow at their own pace, from whatever level of skill and accomplishment they begin with.
Simply put, we want each of our members to become the best woodworker they are capable of, and to enjoy telling their Guild friends about it along the way.
