Jan
16

DM Woodworkers Meeting - Sharpening Handsaws

Randy Willey, Sharpening Handsaws

We all know that sharp tools cut the best, and probably have our preferred method for sharpening chisels and planes. But many of us are intimidated by trying to sharpen a handsaw. All those teeth!

Club member Randy Willey makes beautiful hand saws. And one would expect sharp teeth and a clean cut from such a saw. Randy shows us how he achieves such results with his saw sharpening methods.

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Feb
20

DM Woodworkers Meeting - Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity is widely known for building homes for those most in need. Perhaps some of our club members have volunteered with HFH for one of their home builds. But Habitat offers much more for woodworkers, such as locally sourced hardwood lumber, a tool library, and the fabulous ReStore.

Lindsay Richter of Habitat will provide details about the organization, and its services to woodworkers.

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Apr
17

DM Woodworkers Meeting - Grain-wrap box

Grain-wrap box

On close inspection, a grain-wrap box does the seemingly impossible: the grain pattern continues uninterrupted around all four corners. How is this done? Vince Ancona, formerly of Woodsmith and ShopNotes magazines, and current contributing editor to WOOD magazine shows how to wrap your head around wrapping the grain.

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May
15

DM Woodworkers Meeting - 3D printing

3D printing

Imagine being able to make your own plastic knobs, jig parts, and scads more accessories to fit your exact needs, right in your shop. 3D printing makes it possible. Matt Amue of the Des Moines maker space Area515 will talk about how woodworkers can use 3D printing to make items as varied as dust collection fittings, featherboards, tool holders, and things you haven't even thought of yet!

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Dec
19

DM Woodworkers Meeting - Holiday Social

Holiday Social and Show and Tell

December meeting will be a holiday social, with no formal presentation. Instead, members are invited to bring ANY project they've completed (or are working on) to share in an extended show and tell. It doesn't have to be something recent. Bring any project of yours that has an interesting story to it and share it with the club. And bring a plate of holiday treats to share as well. We'll enjoy conversation and snacks in the lobby of the Scout center before heading to a meeting room to hear the show-and-tell. We'll also be collecting non-perishable food for the food bank, so bring a few boxes or cans to help those less fortunate during the holiday season.

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Dec
14

Classic Tool Chest class (Session 4 of 4)

Tool chest, treasure chest, toy chest … no matter what you call this practical box, it will stand the test of time. During this four-part class, we’ll tackle all the steps to build this project and have it done by Christmas. Although the design follows a fairly standard pattern, the compact size of this chest gives it a leg up on its larger counterparts. You get all the traditional features — solid-wood construction, a sliding inner till, and showy details — without the extra bulk. And despite the chest’s stylish appearance, you’ll find the construction is very down to earth. The secret is to combine a few simple design tricks, some very basic joinery, and a small dose of careful craftsmanship. After registering, you’ll receive a set of plans that include a materials and hardware list along with suggested tools to bring with you to class. This class forms a good introduction to common woodworking skills. Intermediate level woodworkers will be at home and beginners will find lots to learn. It’s best if you’ve had some experience with power tools before class. Students will need to purchase materials for the project before class begins. We will work with the table saw, miter saw, router table, and various hand and portable power tools.

Materials, tools, and equipment needed: eye protection & hearing protection. A materials, supplies, and tools list will be provided after registration.

SKILL LEVEL:  Beginner-Intermediate

INSTRUCTOR: Phil Huber

Email: philhuber11@gmail.com

Number of sessions: 4

Length of Sessions: 2 hours

Day of week: Saturday

DATES: November 2, 2024 and November 9, 2024

TIME: 9:00-11:00 AM

LOCATION:  Chuck’s Shop:  175 S 9th, West Des Moines, unit #430

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Dec
7

Classic Tool Chest class (Session 3 of 4)

Tool chest, treasure chest, toy chest … no matter what you call this practical box, it will stand the test of time. During this four-part class, we’ll tackle all the steps to build this project and have it done by Christmas. Although the design follows a fairly standard pattern, the compact size of this chest gives it a leg up on its larger counterparts. You get all the traditional features — solid-wood construction, a sliding inner till, and showy details — without the extra bulk. And despite the chest’s stylish appearance, you’ll find the construction is very down to earth. The secret is to combine a few simple design tricks, some very basic joinery, and a small dose of careful craftsmanship. After registering, you’ll receive a set of plans that include a materials and hardware list along with suggested tools to bring with you to class. This class forms a good introduction to common woodworking skills. Intermediate level woodworkers will be at home and beginners will find lots to learn. It’s best if you’ve had some experience with power tools before class. Students will need to purchase materials for the project before class begins. We will work with the table saw, miter saw, router table, and various hand and portable power tools.

Materials, tools, and equipment needed: eye protection & hearing protection. A materials, supplies, and tools list will be provided after registration.

SKILL LEVEL:  Beginner-Intermediate

INSTRUCTOR: Phil Huber

Email: philhuber11@gmail.com

Number of sessions: 4

Length of Sessions: 2 hours

Day of week: Saturday

DATES: November 16 & 23, and December 7 & 14, 2024

TIME: 9:00-11:00 AM

LOCATION:  Chuck’s Shop:  175 S 9th, West Des Moines, unit #430

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Nov
23

Classic Tool Chest class (Session 2 of 4)

Tool chest, treasure chest, toy chest … no matter what you call this practical box, it will stand the test of time. During this four-part class, we’ll tackle all the steps to build this project and have it done by Christmas. Although the design follows a fairly standard pattern, the compact size of this chest gives it a leg up on its larger counterparts. You get all the traditional features — solid-wood construction, a sliding inner till, and showy details — without the extra bulk. And despite the chest’s stylish appearance, you’ll find the construction is very down to earth. The secret is to combine a few simple design tricks, some very basic joinery, and a small dose of careful craftsmanship. After registering, you’ll receive a set of plans that include a materials and hardware list along with suggested tools to bring with you to class. This class forms a good introduction to common woodworking skills. Intermediate level woodworkers will be at home and beginners will find lots to learn. It’s best if you’ve had some experience with power tools before class. Students will need to purchase materials for the project before class begins. We will work with the table saw, miter saw, router table, and various hand and portable power tools.

Materials, tools, and equipment needed: eye protection & hearing protection. A materials, supplies, and tools list will be provided after registration.

SKILL LEVEL:  Beginner-Intermediate

INSTRUCTOR: Phil Huber

Email: philhuber11@gmail.com

Number of sessions: 4

Length of Sessions: 2 hours

Day of week: Saturday

DATES: November 16 & 23, and December 7 & 14, 2024

TIME: 9:00-11:00 AM

LOCATION:  Chuck’s Shop:  175 S 9th, West Des Moines, unit #430

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Nov
21

DM Woodworkers Meeting - Making Reproduction Moldings

Luke Ulrich, Making Reproduction Moldings

Luke owns and operates Great Planes Millwork in Nevada, Iowa. His business began with recreating architectural molding profiles for historic homes and has expanded into furniture production and more. Luke will show us how he starts with a molding sample from a customer and creates profiles that exactly match it. And he'll show how even you can recreate profiles to match existing ones.

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Nov
16

Classic Tool Chest class (Session 1 of 4)

Tool chest, treasure chest, toy chest … no matter what you call this practical box, it will stand the test of time. During this four-part class, we’ll tackle all the steps to build this project and have it done by Christmas. Although the design follows a fairly standard pattern, the compact size of this chest gives it a leg up on its larger counterparts. You get all the traditional features — solid-wood construction, a sliding inner till, and showy details — without the extra bulk. And despite the chest’s stylish appearance, you’ll find the construction is very down to earth. The secret is to combine a few simple design tricks, some very basic joinery, and a small dose of careful craftsmanship. After registering, you’ll receive a set of plans that include a materials and hardware list along with suggested tools to bring with you to class. This class forms a good introduction to common woodworking skills. Intermediate level woodworkers will be at home and beginners will find lots to learn. It’s best if you’ve had some experience with power tools before class. Students will need to purchase materials for the project before class begins. We will work with the table saw, miter saw, router table, and various hand and portable power tools.

Materials, tools, and equipment needed: eye protection & hearing protection. A materials, supplies, and tools list will be provided after registration.

SKILL LEVEL:  Beginner-Intermediate

INSTRUCTOR: Phil Huber

Email: philhuber11@gmail.com

Number of sessions: 4

Length of Sessions: 2 hours

Day of week: Saturday

DATES: November 16 & 23, and December 7 & 14, 2024

TIME: 9:00-11:00 AM

LOCATION:  Chuck’s Shop:  175 S 9th, West Des Moines, unit #430

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Nov
14

Intro to the Jointer and Planer class

Buying surfaced boards is expensive, and your choices of species and thicknesses are limited. With a jointer and planer you can buy less expensive rough lumber of any species and mill it into boards of specific thickness, surfaced on all four sides. Learn what these tools can (and can't) do, how to use each of them, what to look for when buying one, and get hands-on experience with them. 

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Doors & Drawers on Router Table class (Session 2 of 2)
Nov
9

Doors & Drawers on Router Table class (Session 2 of 2)

Doors and drawers are projects buried within other projects. Not only do the drawers and doors have to operate smoothly, they need to look good as well. In this two-session class, Phil Huber walks through some tested approaches to make these components at the router table. Session one will focus on creating custom cabinet doors using common router bits. The second session examines easy-to-make drawer joinery with simple setups. The goal is to learn the essentials of construction that you can apply to all kinds of furniture and home improvement projects. This is a hands-on class for woodworkers of all skill levels.

Materials, tools, and equipment needed: eye protection & hearing protection. Workpieces will be provided. philhuber11@gmail.com

SKILL LEVEL:  Beginner-Advanced

INSTRUCTOR: Phil Huber

Email: philhuber11@gmail.com

Number of sessions: 2

Length of Sessions: 2 hours

Day of week: Saturday

DATES: November 2, 2024 and November 9, 2024

TIME: 9:00-11:00 AM

LOCATION:  Chuck’s Shop:  175 S 9th, West Des Moines, unit #430

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Table Saw Operation Basics
Oct
19

Table Saw Operation Basics

The table saw simplifies ripping, crosscutting, cutting bevels, and more, but it demands respect. See how to set up any table saw for peak performance, then learn how to safely rip a board down its length, use the miter gauge to crosscut to length and make angled cuts, and how basic jigs make operations easier, more accurate, and safer.

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DM Woodworkers Meeting
Oct
17

DM Woodworkers Meeting

Todd Olstad, Scrollsawing

Club member Todd Olstad has been scrolling for about 13 years. His work has won numerous times at the Iowa State Fair, and he had a piece auctioned at Pheasants Forever. If you've been wowed by the scrollsawn items he's brought to Show and Tell, he'll provide insight into what he does to get a project ready to cut, and then demonstrate scrollsawing techniques. 

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Jul
24

RCS Millwork Field Trip

The club's July tour will be a visit to the commercial shop of RCS Millwork in Ankeny on July 24 at 5:30pm. They fabricate custom cabinetry, countertops, commercial displays for banks, casinos, hotels, and more. Come see how woodworking happens on an industrial scale, and maybe even find a new career, as they are hiring! Address is 1554 NE 69th Place, Ankeny. Meet at the main entrance at 5:30pm.

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Router Finger Joint Jig Session 3/3
May
25

Router Finger Joint Jig Session 3/3

This is one of the easiest and best router jigs available. Whether you're making cases, boxes, or drawers, you can get snug-fitting joints with no fussing. Interchangeable keys allow you to create variable spaced joints. In this class, you'll learn how to build your own jig and how to use it.

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Router Finger Joint Jig Session 2/3
May
4

Router Finger Joint Jig Session 2/3

This is one of the easiest and best router jigs available. Whether you're making cases, boxes, or drawers, you can get snug-fitting joints with no fussing. Interchangeable keys allow you to create variable spaced joints. In this class, you'll learn how to build your own jig and how to use it.

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Router Finger Joint Jig Session 1/3
Apr
27

Router Finger Joint Jig Session 1/3

This is one of the easiest and best router jigs available. Whether you're making cases, boxes, or drawers, you can get snug-fitting joints with no fussing. Interchangeable keys allow you to create variable spaced joints. In this class, you'll learn how to build your own jig and how to use it.

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Router Operation (handheld and router table)
Apr
25

Router Operation (handheld and router table)

Oh, the things a router can do! Master the basics of using a handheld and table-mounted router, even if you've never used one before. Learn about the types of routers, so you can buy the best one (or more!) for you, and then discover how to operate it safely to make edge profiles, joinery, and more.

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