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Club Activities

Activities for the General Membership. Includes monthly membership meetings and the holiday party.

Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to sign up in advance for the tour!

Located in the Drake area near the Legal Clinic.

See Website Club News on the front page for details.

Event Date May 20, 2017, 9:00 am
Event End Date May 20, 2017, 11:00 am
Individual Price Free
Categories Club Activities

Our Summer Tour heads to Randy Offenburger’s Sawmill near Melcher, IA. Randy lives about an hour southeast of Des Moines near Lacona. We will plan to enjoy a barbecue lunch served up by Chef Randy and check out his woodworking shop and mill. Please e-mail Doug Rasmussen This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to make reservations for the lunch (deadline for reservations is Wednesday evening, July 26th, 2017).

See Website Club News Home page for details

For those who do not wish to car-pool, Randy gave me the directions to his place: Travel on Highway 5 toward Carlisle. At the 4-way stop where 5 and 92 meet, drive south toward Melcher-Dallas. Take a right on Highway G76 and travel about

Event Date July 29, 2017, 8:30 am
Event End Date July 29, 2017, 2:00 pm
Individual Price Free
Categories Club Activities

Club General Meeting

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Event Date November 13, 2018, 7:00 pm
Event End Date November 13, 2018, 11:00 pm
Individual Price Free
Categories Club Activities

Club General Meeting

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Event Date December 11, 2018, 6:00 pm
Event End Date December 11, 2018, 9:00 pm
Individual Price Free
Categories Club Activities

January 8th, 2019 General Meeting:

Chris Martin, Professor of Art and Visual Culture (Furniture) at Iowa State University's College of Design

The furniture design and building program at Iowa State University has been in operation for many years now and has consistently challenged its students to integrate creativity and top-notch craftsmanship to achieve a high level of artistry. Our January 8th presenter, Chris Martin, has been a key faculty member of the program and has generously presented informative programs to our club.

Chris and his wife served a two-year tour of service for the Peace Corps in Africa and their art since returning shows the clear influence of the African culture. We look forward to catching up with Chris and learning more about woodworking developments at ISU. Club member Peter Kasper, a former student of Chris’, will introduce the speaker.

You can read more about Chris on his Iowa State bio and on his personal website, chrismartinfurniture.com.

Event Date January 8, 2019, 7:00 pm
Event End Date January 8, 2019, 9:00 pm
Individual Price Free
Categories Club Activities

At our February meeting, Kevin Boyle of WOOD Magazine will present a program on veneering furniture projects. Kevin will demonstrate how to make a simple (but beautiful) book-matched veneer panel.

He is an excellent instructor, who offers practical solutions to veneering problems and "demystifies" the process. We look forward to Kevin's presentation.

Event Date February 12, 2019, 7:00 pm
Event End Date February 12, 2019, 9:00 pm
Individual Price Free
Categories Club Activities

For our March meeting, Club Member and Supreme Guru of Woodworking, John Twedt, is preparing a program on wood bending.

John will discuss techniques for steam-bending and devising forms for shaping. It should be a “Hot Topic”!

Event Date March 12, 2019, 7:00 pm
Event End Date March 12, 2019, 9:00 pm
Individual Price Free
Categories Club Activities

At our meeting on April 9th, Kevin Boyle of WOOD Magazine will present a program on veneering furniture projects. Kevin will demonstrate how to make a simple (but beautiful) book-matched veneer panel. He is an excellent instructor, who offers practical solutions to veneering problems and "demystifies" the process. We look forward to Kevin's presentation.

Event Date April 9, 2019, 7:00 pm
Event End Date April 9, 2019, 9:00 pm
Individual Price Free
Categories Club Activities

Our final program for Spring 2019 features Chris Fitch from Woodsmith Magazine. Chris will demonstrate the CNC router that he built a few years ago from the ground up, and which is now featured as a 2-issue project for the magazine (April and June 2019, issues 242 and 243).

In this presentation, Chris will walk us through some of the design and functionality decisions he made in order to fit the project into 24 printed pages. He also plans to cover the CAD/CAM software he chose, along with some of the sources he found for motors, controllers and other parts. It's an impressive build on many levels!

Chris specializes in design and engineering of projects for Woodsmith Magazine.

Event Date May 14, 2019, 7:00 pm
Event End Date May 14, 2019, 11:00 pm
Individual Price Free
Categories Club Activities

Please RSVP By June 12th for a seat at the Ox Yoke Inn.

RSVP: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Join us for a Tour of the Amana Furniture makers and The Amana Forestry Sawmill!

The tour will start with the Sawmill and Kiln where Amana logs are turned into furniture grade lumber. Tour participants will have the chance to purchase from the fantastic selection of lumber, slabs and turning blanks at great prices. We will continue to the workshop to see the various tools, methods and work in progress of The Amana Furniture and Clock Shop.

We will take a lunch break at the Ox Yoke Inn for a traditional family style meal

** RSVP Required if you would like to sit with the other members of the DMWWA **

The tour continues to South Amana & The Schanz Furniture & Refinishing Shop. Several of our hosts are 4th or 5th generation members of the woodworking community, this will be an opportunity to ask them questions you won’t want to miss!

    • Who: Club Members are encouraged to bring family.
    • ***Meet & Park at the North Parking lot, located at the corner of 220th trail & 48th Ave***
    • Cost: Lunch is on your dime, but the tour is free for Members and their guests.
Event Date June 15, 2019, 10:00 am
Event End Date June 15, 2019, 4:00 pm
Registered 0
Cut off date June 12, 2019, 10:00 pm
Individual Price free
Categories Club Activities

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