Club Activities

The December 2022 general meeting will be our annual holiday party! 

Our Holiday Happening will be held on Thursday, December 15, 2022 from 7:00pm - 9:00pm in the Fred Maytag II Scout Center's expansive main lobby and meeting rooms! Wear your favorite plaid or flannel and get in the holiday mood with us!

Plan to bring your show-and-tell projects from any time since the pandemic started in 2020, or email your project pictures to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., to be entered in the show and tell prize drawing! Please include your name and some details about your project when using email. 

Put your apron on and get cookin'! Everyone is invited to bring a desert or appetizer to share. The club will provide plates, napkins and forks. Please bring your own serving utensils if needed. Beverages will also be provided.

If you would like to participate in the white elephant gift exchange, please bring a wrapped present with value $10.00 or less.

All party-goers are asked to bring new pairs of white sweatsocks to be donated to the Central Iowa Shelter Services.

Gene Pedersen details his involvement in Tools for Opportunity 

Gene has served as president for this org for some time. This West Des Moines based nonprofit provides woodworking tools and training to craftsmen in developing countries. The craftsmen earn their tools to start or expand a woodworking business. The goal is to offer opportunities for financial security and self-reliance to individuals who would otherwise not have the resources to pursue their dreams of a better life.

Gene will speak to the similarities and differences in woodworking in Central America versus Central Iowa. Additionally, he will speak to how members can get involved with the group with volunteering, teaching, or other support.

You can find more information about Tools for Opportunity on their website,
https://www.toolsforopportunity.org/about

From their site:
The mission of Tools for Opportunity is to provide woodworking tools and training to craftsmen in developing countries. The craftsmen earn their tools to start or expand a woodworking business. The goal is to offer opportunities for financial security and self-reliance to individuals who would otherwise not have the resources to pursue their dreams of a better life.

Our vision is not about providing charity, but rather to seed long-term economic development that can raise the living standard in these areas through the hard work of local craftsmen. There are dozens of honest, hardworking, talented woodworkers in need of a few simple tools to develop a more viable woodworking business and provide a more secure income for their families.

** February's meeting has been CANCELLED **

4pm February 16th: The DMWA board has decided to cancel for tonight due to the winter storm that's been in the area since last evening. Side streets are a mess and a lot of people will have to dig out at home.

Please stay safe and we'll see you next month!

The March program will be presented by Dale Herzberg, Paddlemaker from Camp Mitigwa near Boone IA and operator of the camp sawmill.

From Dale:

"I have always loved the outdoors. I went on my first BWCAW canoe trip in 1987 and have been back over 20 times with family, friends and Scouts. This love for paddling started me looking for a lighter and better paddle that the standard wood straight shaft style. In 1987 I saw the “NEW” style bend shaft paddles in the shops in Ely MN and being a woodworker, I decided that I should be able to make one. That started the process of designing and building the jigs and fixtures that I needed to build these paddles.

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I have been Boy Scouts of America Scout leader taking Scouts on weekend campouts, summer camp, BWCAW canoe trips and hiking treks to Philmont Scout Ranch. I am an ORF at BSA Camp Mitigwa near Boone IA and run the camp sawmill. I am also involved with First Tech Challenge (FTC) robotics as a team mechanical mentor and now as a Head referee and robot inspector in Iowa.

My real job was a Technology Education teacher in the WDMCS for 39 years. I retired in 2014. I introduced 7th and 8th graders to materials and processing, CAD, graphic design and industrial problem solving.

Our 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 - Introduction of Tonight’s Presenter
• 7:10pm - Presentation
• 7:45pm - Q&A with Dale
• 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..