Woodworks Woodworking Conference - a must read!

Local Woodworking Club Organizing Major Conference and Furniture Exhibition

The Ottawa Woodworkers Association is holding WoodWorks 14, a conference by and for furniture makers; and, WoodObjects, a public exhibition of outstanding locally handcrafted furniture and other wood objects.

The event will be held September 27-29, 2014 at Algonquin College in Perth, one hour south-west of Ottawa.

The organizers of Woodworks 14 believe the line-up of speakers is very inspiring and offers something for everyone:

• Ron Barter – designer/maker of fine furniture and the owner of Rosewood Studio in Perth.
• Tom Fidgen – author, musician, designer/maker of fine furniture; from Toronto.
• Garrett Hack maker of fine federal-inspired furniture, writer and international teacher of woodworking, from Vermont.
• Mark Harrell – saw maker; from Wisconsin.
• Linda Manzer – Canadian master luthier, from Toronto.
• Konrad Sauer – Guelph based designer-maker of some of the world’s finest hand planes.
• Christopher Schwarz – contributing editor of Popular Woodworking and Publisher of Lost Art Press, from Fort Mitchell, Kentucky.

According to event chairman Vic Tesolin, “The event is being held at the Algonquin College campus in Perth,” said Tesolin, “because that is where the heritage carpentry programs are located and they offer a very supportive environment for an event of this nature.  Perth is historic, beautiful and offers a lot for people to do in addition to the conference.”

Attendees will be able to attend seminars, meet and mingle with each other, take in the furniture exhibit and browse the wares of selected commercial vendors.  A pub night and dinner are planned for the Saturday night.

Additional details about Woodworks 14 are available at www.woodworksconference.com

WoodObjects is a juried furniture exhibit open to anyone attending WoodWorks 14.  Details are available at http://woodworksconference.com/woodobjects.php

The Ottawa Woodworkers Association comprises woodworkers of all ages and abilities, amateur as well as professional.  Membership is open to anyone with interest.  Meetings are held monthly with a guest speaker.  The club was founded in 2004 to encourage skill development and woodworking enjoyment; and to promote woodworking as a hobby, a profession or anywhere in between.  There are currently about 100 members.  Meeting schedules and other information can be found at www.ottawawoodworkers.ca

For additional information:

Vic Tesolin 

tesolinv@gmail.com

613-253-6428

Brian Greene 

brian_greene16@hotmail.com

613-325-7906

Spalted Maple & Elm Natural Edge Slabs - Inspiration & New Stock

Just in - several beautiful natural edge spalted slabs! Here are photographs of just a few... like the wood but need some inspiration? We have a whole page dedicated to our talented customers using Spalted Maple in their projects! Click here for the link.

Enjoy...

Easter Projects - Inspiration

Apart from buying Cadbury eggs at Shoppers Drugmart, here are a few things that you can make with wood to impress your holiday guests!

1) Turn a wooden egg - here is a tutorial by Alex Elias for step by step instructions

Courtesy of Alex Elias

2) Make a serving tray in a "spring colour" or laminate a few boards for a little fun

3) Dust off your scroll saw and get sawin'! We now carry thins in a variety of wood species...

You can buy this pattern (Easter Egg and Lillies) from www.scrollsawartist.com, $5.95

4) Well this little cutie is adorable! Wood, stencils & paint and you have a fun afternoon with the kids!

Courtesy of patternsge.net

5) Turn a pen - Pink Ivory would be a great fit for this occasion!

Hope you are having an eggcellent week!

African Teak - From start to finish

Our latest batch of live edge lumber was African Teak. Cathy tediously spent a solid week preparing this piece for sale. Drop by the store to see and feel this beauty! 

Dimensions are 2" x 33.5" x 72"

Beginning to sand... started at 50 grit

Softened the edges

Finished with 4 coats of Livos (Countertop)

Next up: Finishing a California Redwood Slab!

Woods of our store

There are others, but these are the most popular woods! Below the images is also a list of all our woods. Enjoy...

From the truck - to the showroom

Our showroom is FULL of wood. But it's not as easy as dropping skids with a forklift.... here's a peak into what KJP does to provide all this beautiful wood for our customers! 

Our most recent shipment. This was about 2/3 of what was on the truck. 

Skid by skid, lumber that is 8ft or less in length is brought into the warehouse by forklift. Note: the warehouse, not the showroom. 

Generally everything else is brought in by hand... 

These Zebrawood 'cookies' are huge! Glad we had the forklift for bringing these into the warehouse..

Each board is brought from the warehouse to the workshop (by hand), then individually planed so you can see the grain. (skip dressed) The final step: bringing the new wood into the showroom and individually pricing each board. 

4/4 and 8/4 Nogal - Just in

4/4 Padauk & 8/4 Yellowheart - Just in

Visit our What's New page for the rest of this shipment. We added over 25 tons to our inventory - your next visit will certainly be different! 

Follow our Facebook page for the most current KJP updates!

Local Upcoming Event - Valley Woodturners

There are still some spots available! If you are interested in woodturning, this is a course not to be missed! 

Learn to turn - April 5, 12 & 26 - 9:00 - 4:00 

Louis Riel High School (woodworking shop), 1655 Bearbrook Road in Blackburn Hamlet.

The club provides lathes of various sizes, all the tools and materials required.

The course includes spindle turning (beads & coves and even the skew chisel), sharpening, making a tool handle, a plate from dry wood and a bowl from green wood. We try to stress tool control thru these lessons so that the new turner has a good understanding of the process to enjoy their new passion.

A short break is scheduled around mid-day. Students and instructors are expected to bring their own lunch.

The cost is $250.00 per student which includes mandatory membership to: Valley Woodturners (the annual membership fee is $35.00). Insurance limitations requires the applicants be 18 years of age and older. Because of the very high demand course allocations are confirmed upon receipt of payment on a first come / first served basis. Theses courses sell out very, very quickly so don't delay!

Contact Greg: gregwildey@rogers.com