Stateline Woodturners
November 8, 2025 Club Meeting
Visitors: Three visitors were welcomed to the club meeting: Pat Chapman from Bela Vista looking to learn about turning, Joe McMahon (Patrick’s father) who was recently given a lathe, and Corey Trent of Lowell who heard about the club and came out to learn more.
Voting for Officers: Ballots were passed out for voting for the club officers for 2026. They would be counted during the meeting, certified by the Board, and announced at the end of the meeting.
Debe Krogman: Debe asked that everyone planning to attend the December 6th Christmas party signup for a dish to bring for the potluck. Several members have helped by making items for the center piece decorations. In fact, there were extra Christmas Trees made that were sold making $200 for the club. Paul Moore reminded everyone of the optional gift exchange and encouraged members to make something to bring (it does not have to be a turning), bagged or wrapped.
Treasurer’s Report: Joe Fernandez reported that the checking account balance was $14,700, that 50 members had paid their 2026 membership dues, and that there were plans to put $5,200 into a CD.
Walnut Logs: Ben Johnson shared pictures of some walnut a neighbor had dropped off at his house. Since he is in a brace due to a fall, he cannot process the logs himself and offered these to club members. Contact Ben directly if interested.
Burls: Ray Taylor reported that he had been contacted, via the club Facebook page, by David Edmonson in Mountainburg regarding burls he had for sale. Ray will pass on the contact information to anyone interested.
Annual Awards: Randy Wright announced the following annual club awards and presented certificates.
· Novice turner: Bill Clift.
· Advanced turner: Thurman Hatch.
· Team award: John Adams’s audio/visual team including Mike Elkins, Patrick McMahon, Cameron McMahon, and Pauline Stutsman.
Shop Smith Donation: Ken Hagerty donated one of these multi-purpose machines to the club (it was on the floor in the back of the room). It is currently setup as a table saw and horizontal boring drill press. It needs a stand, so we need a volunteer to build one.
Show and Tell, Novice: Entrants were:
· Buzz Peine with a pen and the tip to first drill the hole through the blank with a 6” 1/8 bit and then use that hole as the centers for turning the pen.
· Bill Clift with a large straight walled walnut bowl finished with shellac, friction polish, walnut oil, and wax. He used a screw chuck and lots of sandpaper.
· Curt Krogman with his first turnings: three Christmas trees made of bass wood and a small, decorated one made of an unknown wood.
Curt won best in this category for his Christmas trees.
Show and Tell, Advanced: Entrants were:
· Ken Ness with a small bowl made from a blank he obtained from the bring back raffle which he thinks is ash. He said it kicked his ass because he was trying to make a funnel.
· Mike Skiba with two walnut back panels added to his September complex multi-axis walnut turning that rotated within a frame.
· Frank Emeterio with two bowls. A walnut bowl finished with Mahoney’s Walnut oil and then oil/wax. A live edge cherry bowl finished with Waterlux and then Walnut oil which he let sit for an hour before trying to remove it with a T-shirt. He said it was horrible until he used a scotch pad on it and then buffed it with a T-Shirt.
· Verlie Coss with a plate made from free wood he had had for years – maybe red bud or some burl. He filled cavities with turquois and CA glue but pointed out that not all CA glue is the same. This dried hard as a rock, and he had to power sand it to get it smooth. The plate was finished with Watco Danish Oil and then buffed.
· Thurman Hatch with a basket illusion Christmas tree which his wife painted and inked. He was putting it in the bring back raffle. He also showed a basket illusion Christmas tree ornament made of bass wood with a walnut pendant and finial. He cut the ball in half to hollow it and then glued it back together. He then talked of a project his daughter gave him to make 24 pens for her staff using fancy Slimline kits.
· Steve Jeffcoat apologized for being absent several meetings due to a back and shoulder injury. He showed a hollowed Snowman which was pierced with a light inside to be used as a tree topper, made of box elder. He also showed a large ornament hollowed and pierced for a light made of cherry and ebony, and a smaller ornament made of Bradford pear, copper, and ebony.
· Deb Ness with a dogwood sphere she had cut in half and hollowed. She kept working on it even after removing the tenon. Missing the tenons, she added inserts to each end, made a stand that screwed into the bottom insert, made a finial to go on the top screwing it into that insert, added an arrow through the finial at the top, and added a shark’s tooth inside the sphere.
Mike won best in this category for his evolving stand and background for his multi-axis turning.
Bring Back Raffle: Mike Skiba’s ticket was drawn first, and he chose Thurman’s basket illusion Christmas Tree -- so Thurman gets a free raffle ticket at the next meeting.
Election Results: John Adams announced that the votes had been counted and the board had certified Ben Johnson as President, Mike Skiba as Vice-President, Paul Moore as Treasurer, David Wimberly as Secretary, and board members Tom Anderson, Joe Fernandez, and Patrick McMahon. The Program Chair remains vacant, so we are still seeking a volunteer for this important role.
TAW 2026 Woodturning Symposium: Ben Johnson highly recommended this upcoming Symposium put on by the Tennessee Association of Woodturners (their 37th) to be held January 30th and 31st, 2026 in Franklin, TN.
Demonstrations:
Thurman Hatch brought 7 Christmas trees he had made and discussed design considerations such as a concave or convex form and whether to have an undercut bevel base. His demonstration tree was cedar, which he first roughed out with a slight concave form, and then marked where the limbs would be. His first limb is ½” from the top, and then adds 1/8” as he goes down the tree. He used a 3/8” spindle gouge at 2,000 rpm. He said you can feel to see if you have a good cut without having to stop the lathe and look. He first cuts the top of the limb toward the center, and then the lower/bottom of the limb. He uses his body to move and twist for a smooth cut, not his arms. With good cuts he can start sanding at 220 progressing to 320 and 400. A good technique is to reverse the rotation with every other grit. He wiped/dusted off the piece and then applied clear Watco Danish Oil (usually with a T-Shirt or sock). At home, he said he would wait an hour and then wet sand with 400 grit wet/dry paper (pore filling) and then polish it.
Randy Wright quickly made a snowman in the spirit of Richard Findley’s YouTube challenge to make a snowman using only a skew chisel. Randy’s was a thick 1” skew. He marked the body parts including the hat and brim and went to work making it all look so easy. He did make light use of a spindle gouge to get into the tight corners.
Next Randy made a Christmas ornament. Here are his instructions.
· Turn a blank to maximum diameter and form a tenon at both ends.
· Sketch out the design leaving space between the upper bulb and lower bulb to face off and make a saw kerf. Mark the kerf and saw the blank apart.
· Mount the top bulb and face off the cut and hollow to match the desired design. Then make a small recess to accommodate the tenon that will be on the lower bulb.
· Remove the top and mount the finial end of the lower part. Face off and cut the tenon to fit the top. Mount the top to the lower part and bring up the tail stock. Shape the top and part of the lower bulb, forming a design feature to hide the joint. Tape the top to the lower part and finish turning the top without the tailstock adding a bead at the top to accommodate a means of hanging the ornament.
· Remove the top and hollow the lower part to match the design. Reduce the mass of the finial.
· Mount the tenon of the bulb in a chuck or jam chuck, bring up the tail stock and shape the finial. When finished glue the two parts together.
Last Minute Announcements: November 22nd (4th Saturday meeting) will be beginner training in the club house. Those interested are asked to sign up. Corey Trent (new visitor) would like a bench top lathe if anyone has or knows of one. If you have not yet done so, all members are requested to put their address and a picture on the club website.
Attendance: Approximately 33.
Please send omissions and corrections to David Wimberly (wdw@uark.edu) so that this record can be updated on the website.