Now that Summer has begun to fade, it is time to think about getting back in the shop again. As we start up another year, I would like to share some of the events and plans that we (the Bucks Woodturners board) have set in motion. As usual, we have some great demonstrators planned, beginning with Avelino Samuel in October and ending with Michael Hosaluk in June as well as others in between. As a chapter of the AAW, our mission is to educate, encourage and promote woodturning. To that end, we will have our Hands On Workshops again in the spring, and some challenges throughout the year ( I hope you have that bowl ready to show on Sept 18th), as well as our Pollyanna gift exchange in December.

In order to elevate the educating part of our mission, we have decided to begin a program in which members can mentor other members to become more proficient turners. This program would be a skill building program in which mentoring members would invite those members looking to hone their skills into their shops. The idea is to have a more structured system to help members build their basic skills and confidence as they progress on their woodturning journey. We will be surveying members in the near future to help assess the needs of this program. If you have an interest in helping with this program, please let me know.

We feel there are a number of areas that we can better use technology to enhance our Club experience. Steve Hillerman has begun a Bucks Woodturners Facebook page that you should join and participate in if you use Facebook at all. Ward Stevens is revamping the website to be more interactive and user friendly. If anyone is tech-savvy, we could use all the help we can get to help us in this area.

There are many ways we can help each other in this wonderful journey in woodturning. The key is communication and participation. I am sorry that I will miss the meeting in September, but hope to see all of you soon.

Matt Overton

215-778-3091

mofuels@hotmail.com