Club Activities

November is our Annual Members' Meeting! Time to vote for board members to run the DMWA, amendments to our Bylaws, and hear about the club's financial health. We'll also have a guest presentation and show-and-tell as usual.

This year we're going to be holding it on Zoom, which hopefully won't be oo much of a challenge.

Unlike our in-person meetings, this one will be open to members only.

Zoom Information:
(check back closer to the date of the meeting)

If you are a member and have not been receiving our email messages recently, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Tonight's presentation: (to be announced)

• 6:45pm - Doors open. Click on the Zoom link in your email, join the meeting, and get some “how to Zoom” tips before the meeting if Zoom is new to you.
• 7:00pm - Welcome! and hopefully jokes
• 7:05pm - Introduction of Tonight's Guest Presenter
• 7:10pm - Presentation
• 7:30pm - Question and Answer with presenter 
• 7:50pm - 5 MINUTE BREAK
• 7:55pm - Show and Tell
• 8:15pm - Meeting Adjourn

Hope to see you there!

The Des Moines Woodworkers Board has decided to cancel all in-person large-group activities until further notice, including the monthly Member Meetings, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. 

This month's General Members meeting will be held on Zoom. It's also our holiday meeting, so there will be door prizes! Bring a few photos from 2021 to share with the group if you like, too.

Unlike our in-person meetings, this one will be open to members only until we get the hang of running things online.

Zoom Information:
(check back closer to the date of the meeting)

Tonight's presentation: 

We have been very fortunate to book Gary Katz for the December program!

Gary is a contractor who has written numerous books and articles for Fine Homebuilding, Journal of Light Construction, and more recently his This is Carpentry website. Gary has also made many DVDs and youtube videos and is widely recognized as an authority in and educator of carpentry. Long before social media influencers, Gary started the Katz Road Shows to educate and inform carpenters with tips, techniques and new products at independent lumber yards across the country. Hopefully we can get the Road Show to Iowa someday!

Here's a link to a profile and interview with Gary from this month's Fine Homebuilding Magazine.

At this month's presentation, Gary will join us over Zoom to present his Shop Tour video and answer questions afterward. This video discusses setting up his tools, and the evolution of his process, sponsorships, and the Roadshow.

A few of Gary's other videos that you might enjoy as an introduction to his work:

• Custom Deck : carpentry and non-carpentry for outdoor building
• Moisture Content & Wood Movement in deck construction
• Camper Van Tour : thinking of retiring to a traveling life? This series has 15+ supporting videos of each step of the way, including working with Wood, PVC, Copper, etc.
• Jack Miters : very specific focus on tools & techniques
• My New Garden Gates features good discussion of design and construction
• Cutting a Hunter Miter : combines fine woodworking and finish carpentry. The companion Hunter Miter Conversation gets pretty far into the weeds.

Schedule for the evening: 

• 6:45pm - Doors open. Click on the Zoom link in your email, join the meeting, and get some “how to Zoom” tips before the meeting if Zoom is new to you.
• 7:00pm - Welcome! and hopefully jokes
• 7:05pm - Introduction of Tonight's Guest Presenter
• 7:10pm - Presentation
• 7:45pm - Question and Answer with presenter 
• 8:05pm - 5 MINUTE BREAK
• 8:10pm - Show and Tell
• 8:30pm - Meeting Adjourn

Hope to see you there!

If you are a member and have not been receiving our email messages recently, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Des Moines Woodworkers Board has decided to cancel all in-person large-group activities until further notice, including the monthly Member Meetings, due to COVID-19. 

This month's General Members meeting will be held on Zoom. Unlike our in-person meetings, this one will be open to members only until we get the hang of running things online.

January’s presenter is Bob Rummer, presenting The Wood We Use - Tropical Hardwoods, Domestically Sourced Lumber, and Boards with Special Meaning.

Bob is a custom woodworker living in Berthoud, Colorado. He works with clients to design and build one-of-a-kind objects drawing on skills such as woodturning, casework, marquetry, carving, pyrography, and stained glass. 

he also spent 30 years as a Forest Engineer with the US Forest Service. He worked on sustainability and timber harvesting projects around the world and has a deep appreciation for forests, trees, and the things that are made from them. After leaving the Forest Service in 2012, Bob started offering custom woodworking services and woodshop classes. He also writes a regular column, “Stories from Grandpa’s Workshop”, for Highland Woodworking’s Woodnews Online.

Zoom Information:
(check back closer to the date of the meeting)

If you are a member and have not been receiving our email messages recently, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Tonight's presentation: (to be announced)

• 6:45pm - Doors open. Click on the Zoom link in your email, join the meeting, and get some “how to Zoom” tips before the meeting if Zoom is new to you.
• 7:00pm - Welcome! and hopefully jokes
• 7:05pm - Introduction of Tonight's Guest Presenter
• 7:10pm - Presentation
• 7:45pm - Question and Answer with presenter 
• 8:05pm - 5 MINUTE BREAK
• 8:10pm - Show and Tell
• 8:30pm - Meeting Adjourn

Hope to see you there!

The Des Moines Woodworkers Board has decided to cancel all in-person large-group activities until further notice, including the monthly Member Meetings, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. 

This month's General Members meeting will be held on Zoom. Unlike our in-person meetings, this one will be open to members only until we get the hang of running things online. 

Tonight's presentation: The makers of the Beall Tool System will join us remotely to present their tools, and followup with Q&A from our members.

The company is also offering a 10% discount if we have enough interest to put together a DWMA group order!

• 6:45pm - Doors open. Click on the Zoom link in your email, join the meeting, and get some “how to Zoom” tips before the meeting if Zoom is new to you.
• 7:00pm - Welcome! 
• 7:05pm - Introduction of Tonight's Guest Presenter
• 7:10pm - Presentation
• 7:45pm - Question and Answer with presenter 
• 8:05pm - 5 MINUTE BREAK
• 8:10pm - Show and Tell
• 8:30pm - Meeting Adjourn

Zoom Information:
(check back closer to the date of the meeting)

 Hope to see you there!

If you are a member and have not been receiving our email messages recently, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Des Moines Woodworkers Board has decided to cancel all in-person large-group activities until further notice, including the monthly Member Meetings, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. 

This month's general meeting will be held Tuesday March 8th, 2022 at a new venue, Franklin Jr High. If you're not ready to meet indoors, you are welcome to continue joining us on Zoom. This meeting will be a bit of an experiment so hopefully everything will go well!

The address is 4801 Franklin Ave in Des Moines, on the south edge of Tower Park and just east of the Franklin Library.

We will meet in Room 148 at the southwest corner of the building.

Park in the south or west lots and enter the doors labeled SOUTHWEST ENTRANCE.

Doors open at 6:45pm for social time, and the meeting will begin at 7pm. You'll want to give yourself extra time to find your way in to our new meeting place! 

Our guest tonight will be Jim Heavey. We'll see his 12 favorite table saw jigs from a video feature he made for WOOD Magazine, followed by a remote Q&A session with Jim afterwards. Jigs include a Crosscut Sled, Zero Clearance inserts, Miter Gauge Extension, Auxiliary Rip Fence, Raised Panel Jig, Tenoning Jigs, Spline Cutting Jigs and more.

Jim has been a woodworker for over 50 years and has worked for WOOD Magazine as a contributing craftsman since 1996.

Meeting Agenda:

• 6:45pm : Doors open
• 7:00pm : Welcome! and hopefully jokes
• 7:05pm : Introduction of Tonight's Guest Presenter, Jim Heavey
• 7:10pm : Presentation
• 7:55pm : Question and Answer with Jim
• 8:15pm : 5 MINUTE BREAK 
• 8:20pm : Show and Tell
• 8:40pm : Meeting Adjourn

If you are a member and have not been receiving our email messages recently, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

This month's general meeting will be held Tuesday April 12th, 2022 at our new venue, Franklin Jr High. If you're not ready to meet indoors, you are welcome to continue joining us on Zoom. This meeting will be a bit of an experiment so hopefully everything will go well!

The address is 4801 Franklin Ave in Des Moines, on the south edge of Tower Park and just east of the Franklin Library.

We will meet in Room 148 at the southwest corner of the building.

Park in the south or west lots and enter the doors labeled SOUTHWEST ENTRANCE.

Doors open at 6:45pm for social time, and the meeting will begin at 7pm. Give yourself extra time to find your way in to our new meeting place if you haven't been over yet. 

Our guest tonight will be Bob Hunter. Bob will be in person and presenting a video on making wooden pulls.

Get a grip on these sexy handles! Every door, drawer and box lid needs a handle knob or pull. Sure, you could buy those commercially made but wouldn't you rather custom make your own? If you think you can handle it, WOOD magazine's Bob Hunter will show you how to make a bead and cove handle, a bracket and arch handle, and an inset and beaded arch handle. Hold on tight, these are going to top them all!

There will be a Q&A session with Bob afterwards.

Bob is the Tools Editor for WOOD Magazine, and has been a member of the Des Moines Woodworkers Association since 2007.

Meeting Agenda:

• 6:45pm : Doors open
• 7:00pm : Welcome! and hopefully jokes
• 7:05pm : Introduction of Tonight's Guest Presenter, Bob Hunter
• 7:10pm : Presentation
• 7:45pm : Question and Answer with Bob
• 8:05pm : 5 MINUTE BREAK 
• 8:10pm : Show and Tell
• 8:30pm : Meeting Adjourn

If you are a member and have not been receiving our email messages recently, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

This month's general meeting will be held Tuesday May 10th, 2022 at our new venue, Franklin Jr High. If you're not ready to meet indoors, you are welcome to continue joining us on Zoom. We're working to continue to improve our Zoom meetings, thanks for your patience as we figure out how to reliably bring our meetings to you remotely!

The address is 4801 Franklin Ave in Des Moines, on the south edge of Tower Park and just east of the Franklin Library.

We will meet in Room 148 at the southwest corner of the building.

Park in the south or west lots and enter the doors labeled SOUTHWEST ENTRANCE.

Doors open at 6:45pm for social time, and the meeting will begin at 7pm. Give yourself extra time to find your way in to our new meeting place if you haven't been over yet. 

Sharp tools make projects go smoother and safer! Our guest tonight will be Logan Wittmer of Popular Woodworking magazine. Logan will be in person with us to demonstrate sharpening setups for hand tools – Chisels, plane irons, gouges, and even some router bit and drill bit sharpening techniques.

There will be a Q&A session with Logan afterwards.

from his bio on popularwoodworking.com: Logan attended the University of Northern Iowa studying Graphic Communications, with the intent of one day working at a woodworking magazine. After spending a portion of his career in the print industry, Logan became an assistant editor at Woodsmith magazine before taking the reigns at Popular Woodworking. 

Logan also appeared on many segments of The Woodsmith Shop TV show.

He joined the Des Moines Woodworkers Association in 2018.

Meeting Agenda:

• 6:45pm : Doors open
• 7:00pm : Welcome! and hopefully jokes
• 7:05pm : Introduction of Tonight's Guest Presenter, Logan Wittmer
• 7:10pm : Presentation
• 7:45pm : Question and Answer with Logan
• 8:05pm : 5 MINUTE BREAK 
• 8:10pm : Show and Tell
• 8:30pm : Meeting Adjourn

If you are a member and have not been receiving our email messages recently, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

This month's general meeting will be held Tuesday September 13, 2022 at a very special venue, Kreg Tool's new Global Headquarters in Ankeny. We will attempt to carry the meeting on Zoom as well.

The address is 7500 SE Convenience Blvd., Ankeny, IA. They're just north-east of the north 35/80 interchange. You can get there from both the north on Corporate Woods Drive, and the south via NE 54th Ave and NE 29th St. They've been there almost a full year, so all of the major GPS direction finders know where they are now.

We will gather in the lobby at the main entrance, which faces North from the center of the building. More details will follow shortly.

Doors open at 6:45pm for social time, and the meeting will begin at 7pm. Give yourself extra time to find your way there if you haven't been there yet.

Details of the program will be announced shortly, but we are anticipating a program on their product development!

There will also be an extra tour of Kreg available on Friday, Sept. 16th at 2pm, to see some of the action that only goes on during the day shift. Pre-registration will be required, and the tour is limited to 35 people. We will post the sign-up form for the tour shortly.

Meeting Agenda:

• 6:45pm : Doors open
• 7:00pm : Welcome! and hopefully jokes
• 7:05pm : Introduction of Tonight's Guest Presenter, Bob Hunter
• 7:10pm : Presentation
• 7:45pm : Question and Answer with Bob
• 8:05pm : 5 MINUTE BREAK 
• 8:10pm : Show and Tell
• 8:30pm : Meeting Adjourn

If you are a member and have not been receiving our email messages recently, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The October meeting will be presented by Bob Rummer, and will cover setting up a new shop.

This month's meeting will be held Tuesday October 11, 2022, back at the venue we used last spring, Franklin Junior High in Des Moines.

Bob is a custom woodworker living in Berthoud, Colorado. He works with clients to design and build one-of-a-kind objects drawing on skills such as woodturning, casework, marquetry, carving, pyrography, and stained glass. Recent projects have included a dining room set, a Shaker hall desk, an Empire coffee table, a carved keepsake box, and a mid-century audio cabinet.

While Bob has been woodworking for most of his life, he also spent 30 years as a Forest Engineer with the US Forest Service. He worked on sustainability and timber harvesting projects around the world and has a deep appreciation for forests, trees, and the things that are made from them. After leaving the Forest Service in 2012, Bob started offering custom woodworking services and woodshop classes. He also writes a regular column, “Stories from Grandpa’s Workshop”, for Highland Woodworking’s Woodnews Online.

Woodworking has been a family tradition for generations, and the name of Bob’s business – John Rummer and Sons (jrummersons.com) – reflects the skills, craftsmanship, and creativity that have been handed down from fathers to sons.

The address is 4801 Franklin Ave in Des Moines, on the south edge of Tower Park and just east of the Franklin Library.

We will meet in Room 148 at the southwest corner of the building.

Park in the south or west lots and enter the doors labeled SOUTHWEST ENTRANCE.

Doors open at 6:45pm for social time, and the meeting will begin at 7pm. Give yourself extra time to find your way in to our new meeting place if you haven't been over yet. 

Meeting Agenda: 

• 6:45pm - Doors open, both in person and on Zoom. Click on the Zoom link below to join the meeting.
• 7:00pm - Welcome!
• 7:05pm - Introduction of Tonight’s Guest Presenter
• 7:10pm - Presentation
• 7:45pm - Q&A with Bob
• 8:05pm - 5 MINUTE BREAK
• 8:10pm - Show and Tell, door prizes
• 9:00pm at latest - Meeting Adjourn

If you are a member and have not been receiving our email messages recently, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The November program will be presented by our own Program Chair, Peter Kasper: comparing wood joints for strength and other features.

This month's meeting will be held Thursday November 17, 2022, at our new venue for this season, the Fred Maytag II Scout Center in Des Moines.

NOTE: Our meetings are moving to the Third Thursday of the month!

Peter is a BFA graduate of Iowa State University's Studio Furniture program and today produces custom furniture and has taught classes for the DMWWA. He joined the Des Moines Woodworkers Association in 2015 and has served the DMWA as Program Chair since 2019.

Our new venue, the Fred Maytag II Scout Center, is located at 6123 Scout Trail in Des Moines, off of SW 63rd just South of Park Ave and just West of the Des Moines Airport grounds. If you've been involved with the Des Moines Wood Turners (or the Boy Scouts recently) you may already be familiar with the location.

Enter through the main doors. Parking is somewhat limited near the doors, so if you have good mobility, please consider parking further from the entry to help others.

Doors open at 6:45pm for social time, and the meeting will begin at 7pm. Give yourself extra time to find your way in to our new meeting place if you haven't been over yet. 

Meeting Agenda: 

• 6:45pm - Doors open, both in person and on Zoom. Click on the Zoom link below to join the meeting.
• 7:00pm - Welcome!
• 7:05pm - Annual Meeting call to order, election of officers.
• 7:15pm - Introduction of Tonight’s Presenter
• 7:20pm - Presentation
• 7:55pm - Q&A with Peter
• 8:15pm - 5 MINUTE BREAK
• 8:20pm - Show and Tell, door prizes
• 9:00pm - Meeting Adjourn

If you are a member and have not been receiving our email messages recently, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..