Because all of us have to connect wires for one reason or another as we work in our shop, the following information should prove useful. My recent project, the pyrography burner that some of you saw at the club meeting, uses multiple sizes/colors of wire. With goods coming through a global market, I was getting wire from all over the world including China, UK, Canada, India, and USA. Especially when ordering through Amazon even more international sources joined this list. I had line/power (hot) wires that were black, brown, yellow and red. I had neutral wires in white, gray, black, and blue. I had grounding wires that were all shades of green or yellow/green striped. Below is a chart illustrating product differences by country of origin. Hint: You may want to save or print this for your shop. To reduce current and future frustration on my part and hopefully prevent making a mistake, I now add a piece of tape color-coded to match the NEC-US codes shown in the first two columns (depending on the voltage) to the end of my wires.

WKNO - Gallery 1091 is pleased to present "Tennessee Craft Southwest Fine Craft Showcase" July 1 — 26, 2024 MSWG member Rick Cannon has five of his art pieces on display and for sale at the Tennessee Craft Southwest Fine Craft Showcase through Gallery 1091. Click on the image below to see enlarged photos of or to purchase Rick's works of art. Gallery 1091 will host a reception on Sunday, July 14, 2024, between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. at the WKNO Digital Media Center located at 7151 Cherry Farms Rd in Cordova. Gallery 1091 is also open to the public weekdays. This exhibit will be on display until July 26.

The following quote is from Matt Garner, MSWG's Wig Stand Chairman. "I delivered 11 Wig Stands to West Cancer Clinic this week. So far this year we have made 48 wig stands. Since the start of the program Larry Sefton has made 65, Massanoi Igarashi has made 20, and I have made 20 wig stands." Below are the most recent wig stands that were turned in at the June 22, 2024, MSWG General Meeting. Click on each image to enlarge.

In the first half of the demonstration, I made a shallow wide rim bowl. This versatile wide rim bowl is made from easily obtained wood and can be left natural or enhanced with embellishment. For the more experienced woodturners and to inspire the newer members, I shared a few examples of how the bowl can be modified/embellished to the extreme. In the second half I gave a brief overview of pyrography, showed the making of a pyrography stamp/brand, covered how I do my pyrography, opened the floor to questions, and lastly shared the method of doing large scale pyrography stamping. I briefly outlined the making of the hand piece. If you would like to see the making of a handpiece from start to finish, contact Rick Gillespie and he can schedule a short demo on the making a hand piece. An alternative is to contact Bob Wolfe and suggest that MSWG setup a Hands-On day where those in attendance could make their own handpiece and learn some tips. Click here or on the photo below for a video about 7 minutes long (no sound) of the Power Point Slides and Videos used in the demonstration. Examples of my previous work shared during the meeting: The photo below is of the finished piece started during the demonstration. This bowl has been donated to MSWG (c/o President Bob Wolfe) for the 2024 Annual Christmas Auction. As requested, below are some of the resource items seen in the demonstration. Some of these items you may want to purchase with your friends to share in the cost. If there you have any questions feel free to contact me. 901-604-2778 mailto:Larry@Sefton.info Safety Glasses I was wearing and recommend - Yes, they are costly but are well worth the cost and are very good. - Amazon NoCry Safety Glasses That Fit Over Your Prescription Eyewear. Clear Anti-Scratch Wraparound Lenses, UV400 Protection, ANSI Z87 & OSHA Certified. Use in the Lab, Travelling, Black & Red (10-pack) https://a.co/d/8oUcMBa Safety Gloves shown at the demo - Amazon GLOVEWORKS HD Orange Nitrile Gloves, 8 mil Nitrile Disposable Gloves with Raised Diamond Texture, Mechanic Gloves Disposable https://a.co/d/8ps8r9f Number One Question What Burner Should I Get? or What Is the Best Pyrography Burner in the World? The best YouTube video on the subject you can watch. I agree with Dirk the Pyrographer Wire connectors - Amazon QCDENG 10PCS 10Awg 60A Quick Wiring Connection Terminal, Wire Connector with Set Screws and Thermoplastic Tube https://a.co/d/f3tNhL9 Wrap or shrink tube on handles - Amazon eTekGo X-Tube Heat Shrink Wrap Tubing 39"&64" Lengths for Rod Grips-5 Color 14 Sizes https://a.co/d/4Du7FaO Wire used for hand piece - Amazon 14 awg Silicone Electrical Wire 2 Conductor Parallel Wire line 50ft [Black 25ft Red 25ft] 14 Gauge Soft and Flexible Hook Up Oxygen Free Strands Tinned Copper Wire https://a.co/d/7bvWQP2 16 awg Silicone Electrical Wire 2 Conductor Parallel Wire line 60ft [Black 30ft Red 30ft] 16 Gauge Soft and Flexible Hook Up Oxygen Free Strands Tinned Copper Wire https://a.co/d/2EItcuO Connectors used for handpiece - Amazon [4 pcs] Hi End RCA Male Plug, Adapter Audio Phono, Gold Plated Solder Connector Wv-hfr4in1 https://a.co/d/8kToBGv Brass Wire Bristle Brush - Rio Grande Item No. 113172 https://www.riogrande.com/product/brass-wire-bristle-brush/113172GP/?code=113172 505 Spray & Fix Temporary Fabric Adhesive - Hobby Lobby https://www.hobbylobby.com/Fabric-Sewing/Fabric-Care-Dyes/Adhesives-Glue/505-Spray-Fix-Temporary-Fabric-Adhesive/p/80827696 Nichrome 60 resistance wire, 20 AWG (gauge), 100 feet - Ebay - Jacobs Online https://www.ebay.com/str/jacobsonline?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=jqalm4JAS0O&sssrc=3418065&ssuid=9vNisi9hSgO&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY The Leather Strop I used to clean and hone the tip was made from this kit. I glued the leather to plywood then cut it in half. One for Green-Gray and one for White Polishing Compound. However, turns out I only use the Green-Gray one. Amazon - BeaverCraft Leather Strop Kit for Knife Sharpening Carving Knife Strop with Green-Gray & White Polishing Compound - Leather Sharpening Strop 2-sided 3 x 8 IN, Leather Honing Strop Block LS2P11 https://a.co/d/9JyMwz5 "One method used to clean and restore tips is a cleaner pad that has very fine abrasive (600/800) grit bonded to both sides of a foam core pad.  This is fine enough to clean your tip without removing metal and is still enough to redress a dulled tip. Another method is a leather strop to sharpen and buff out an edge.  The strop can be treated with a bit of Neat’s foot oil or a very small amount of polishing paste or extremely fine honing compound.  Use care, too little is better than too much when it comes to burning tips.  Work the tip cold, and with tip on its side, use gentle draw strokes with a finger lying over the upper side of the tip to support it. As I burn, I keep a piece of old used denim trouser leg (faded) on a flat surface nearby and occasionally wipe my hot burning tip quickly from side to side on it, and this action keeps the pen clear and buffs as I work.  Don’t dawdle as you do this wiping action from side to side, or you will char the cloth, build up residue on the pen tip, and suffer the smell of burned cloth!" Excerpt from the Power Carving Manual review of woodburning tools. Hot Air Solder Connectors - Amazon TICONN 400 Pcs Solder Seal Wire Connectors, Heat Shrink Butt Connectors, Waterproof and Insulated Electrical Wire Terminals, Butt Splice (400PCS) https://a.co/d/9jtwDlm Using Hot Air Solder Connectors Adam Savage's Quick Electronics Wiring Tips! https://youtu.be/vDsVwbWiVFI?si=uuyfoSXL8CHLs-SP Following is to answer Richard Hiller's questions on the transformer and amp draw: I am using a 200VA - 110/120 or 220/240 Volt input 50Hz or 60Hz Dual 4.5 Volt Outputs Series connected secondaries: 9 volts, 22.2 amps max rated output Parallel connected secondaries: 4.5 volts, 44.4 amps max rated output Using the branding/stamping tip seen at the demonstration (see below) the amp readings are below. Factoid nichrome wire operates at red heat (roughly 1500 °F) Input voltage 120 at 1.3 amps (see meter reading below and must divided by 10). Output voltage 4.5 and drawing 19.3 amps.

Our demonstrator was Don Farage. Don not only did an outstanding demonstration, but he was also an outstanding instructor. Many members, if asked, would say this demo was worthy of being presented at the AAW 2025 Symposium. There were 35 members at the April meeting. Rick Gillespie, our MSWG VP, stepped up to lead the meeting on short notice because Bob Wolfe was not at the meeting due to airline flight delays. Thank you, Rick, for your great job. I will leave it up to you, the reader, to put your own speech bubble captions on the "Many Faces of Rick Gillespie" seen below. Below are photo examples from the President's Challenge and the Instant Gallery

The Mid South Woodturners Guild was again asked to demonstrate at Arts in the Loop April 12-14th. This is the second year we have demonstrated this event. Although we could not sell product, we were able to demonstrate, support Pens for Troops, and accept donations for this important project. Eleven members participated in this event by setting up, turning, and helping teardown the booth. The weather was ideal, and it was a great time turning, socializing, and getting to know new members who were able to hone their pen-turning skills. Over 60 pens were turned supporting Pens for Troops. In addition, several tops and bottle stoppers were turned and given away. The club received some donations towards our service projects and the club earned a demonstrator fee from Art in the Loop. These funds will be used to purchase Pen for Troop supplies, and a demonstration tent for future outdoor venues such as Oktoberfest, Pink Palace, Art in the Loop, and club Turn-ins. One generous observer who visited out booth on Saturday returned on Sunday with a beautiful piece of bubinga that he donated to make additional blanks for Pens for Troops. There were several observers who inquired about woodturning classes and showed interest in joining the club. We were able to share our club policy of MENTORING members and thus no paid classes were necessary. We were asked by Art in the Loop asked to put this event on our 2025 calendar to demonstrate. Members that participated were Ken Burnett, Sam Dawson, Mark Manning, Larry Sefton, Everett Smith, Doug Woodard, Doc Shaw, Bob Wolfe, Rick Gillespie, Joseph Voda, and Roland Lee. If we missed you, please send an email to Bob Wolfe asking to be added to the list. Click on the photos below to see higher resolution images that can be downloaded.

This year's Delta Fair is now open. MSWG demonstrated on Saturday, and we will be demonstrating again on Sunday and Wednesday (9/3 & 9/6). Come see us and better yet, if you are a member help by demonstrating. For more information on demonstrating contact Bob Wolfe by phone or text (901) 277-8622 email at mailto:president@mswg.club MSWG demonstration is located in the main building lower level in the craft and art area. The photo below shows the MSWG setup team early Friday afternoon. Revo Reeves, Edward Ayres, Sam Dawson, Bob Wolfe, Mike Stephens, and Larry Sefton (not in photo). Congratulations to Don Farage for a BEST OF SHOW Delta Fair 2023 award. The following is a photo of all the ribbon-winning woodturning entries for 2023. I am sure you will recognize many of the makers.

The Woodwork Shop, Inc. hosted the Midsouth Woodturners Guild for a Learn-to-Turn-a-Pen” Hands-On Workshop on April 6. By the end of the day, both organizations declared it a successful joint venture! Fifteen students completed their first pens. One student in an email to MSWG stated the following: "Just to say thank you to all involved yesterday. The class was well organized, everyone made us feel at ease and the teaching was magnificent. Can’t wait for another! I know how much effort is involved in making something like that go smoothly and am very appreciative. PS. My wife loved her new birthday present—her new pen." The owner of The Wood Workshop stated in an email: "You guys and your Club did a great job Saturday!! Thank you for allowing the Woodwork Shop to participate in this special event. I look forward to planning the next one. Hope to see you soon." Rita See all the photos of the students turning their pens by clicking on the images below.

Michael will be demonstrating how to Turn a Heart on Two Axes at the MSWG general meeting in August. You do not want to miss our August 24, 2024, meeting! Kudos to Rick Gillespie for setting up this demonstration. If you want to be impressed, click on the link below. For those who do not get the AAW American Woodturner Magazine, below is a copy of the pages. Inside front cover: Page 1

We had 40 in attendance at the meeting. The following photos can also be found on the MSWG website along with the makers' names: Photo Galleries Video of the MSWG Instant Gallery and President's Challenge Gallery Video by Don Farage Instant Gallery - MSWG General Meeting - March 23, 2024 President's Challenge - Platter - - MSWG General Meeting - March 23, 2024 Demonstrator(s):  - Tips and Tricks - - MSWG General Meeting - March 23, 2024

Come join the fun. Bring your woodturnings that you want to sell. We sold a lot of our woodturnings on Friday and could use more items. You do not need to work the booth to sell However, your help is welcomed. You can also come and demonstrate at one of our lathes. We have woodturners there to help you (reminder - you must wear safety glasses or a face shield when near or using our lathes). Or you can just come and hangout and scope things out so you can sell/volunteer next year. Audubon Park • Friday – Sunday, September 22 – 24 Friday: 10am – 6pm Saturday: 10am – 6pm Sunday: 10am – 5pm FREE PARKING off Cherry Road with shuttle service to event entrance. The following photos were taken Friday:

Come and join us. These photos were taken today 9/23/2022. It is not too late to come and help in the booth or be a demonstrator. If you are working the booth or demonstrating and need a pass to get in, please contact Bob Wolfe (901) 277-8622 or Avi Pelc 612-817-1470. Someone will meet you in the parking lot or at the vendor’s gate. These are not free passes just to get in. They are for those helping in the booth(s). If you only want to attend the event, you will need to buy your admission ticket at the entrance.

It is always wonderful when you are told a story that makes you feel good. What is even better is when something unexpected happens that topped the story. As a MSWG club member and woodturner I hope you get the same feeling after reading the following. On the first day of the 50th anniversary of the Pink Place Craft Fair (2022) a young lady and her mother approached Joseph Voda and me. We were both involved in making wood tops for the public. We noticed that Chesney was watching intently and then she spoke up. Her story went something like this: You guys have been doing this for years and I think it is great. I have been coming for years and you have always been here, and it makes such a difference. Then she continued. I got a top each year I came, and they are special to me. I have them in a collection at home. Her mother spoke up telling us how as a child Chesney would wait patiently for her top and how she looked forward to getting her top during their yearly visit to the Pink Place Craft Fair. We must have talked for 10 minutes. What a great story. The next day the unexpected happened. I was at the table for tops and who shows up but Chesney. She made a special trip back to show us her top collection. I was speechless as she pulled one after another out of her purse. She had a total of 7 and stated she thought she had lost a couple of the very first ones. I just had to ask her if she would please spin them for us. Chesney got to decorate her top this year - something she had never gotten to do in the past. I hope this story inspires you the same way it did me to keep volunteering to be part of the tops demonstration at the Pink Palace Craft Fair.

My 15 plus year old chainsaw table needed to be replaced. I decided today was the day. Why today? Well, I had room in the trash container for the old table and one thing led to the next. What surprised me was that the time from my decision to trash the old one to the 100% completion of the new one was just under three hours. This time included: Demoing the old one and moving it to the curb for trash day. Designing the new one Going to Home Dept and getting everything Building the new table I even put everything away and cleaned up :-) There are many log cutting stands and table designs. My old one served me well, so I made the same design again with only a few modifications. If you are interested here is my project sketch. (Click on photo to enlarge) If you copy this design, make sure to position the screws on the lower half of the top. That way when your saw cuts into the table you do not hit a screw (voice of experience at work - on my old one I hit a screw and had to replace the chain). Process photos. Another surprise was how little material I had left over. Three screws, 4 end pieces about 1/4" long, and saw dust. And the project's total cost was under budget with a cost of $37.19.

For over 30 years I have cooked with cast iron dutch ovens. When placing the hot oven on a table for serving, I have used a commercial white plastic cutting board. This challenge made me think. I am a woodturner - why not a wood serving tray that I made on my own lathe? This service tray was finished with Milk Paint brand Cutting Board Oil. In my view the two best cutting board oils are John Boos MYSB Mystery Butcher Block Oil (or cream) or Milk Paint's Cutting Board Oil. Something I did not foresee was the discoloration that is seen in the photo below after the first use. Can you guess the cause? The discoloration was from moisture and the warm/hot lid affecting the oil and the wood. To me this is a positive effect (badge of courage).

Many MSWG club members over the past months have asked about the photo on my wig stand bases. It is not a photo; it is one manufactured sheet of material designed for decoupage. The trade name is Prima Re-Design Decoupage Decor Tissue Paper purchased from Amazon https://a.co/d/5pnHA2S. It comes in 100s of designs. I use this paper because it works great for this application. I am sure there are other papers and material that might also work. Do a web search and you will find there are many other suppliers of Prima Re-Design Decoupage Decor Tissue Paper. I was told that a vendor is selling this paper locally near Wolfchase at Painted Tree Boutiques at 8045 Giacosa Pl, Memphis, TN 38133 (I have not confirmed this). You may want to watch this video Redesign with Prima The Wiki definition of decoupage is the art of decorating an object by gluing colored paper cutouts onto it in combination with special paint effects, gold leaf, and other decorative elements. Commonly, an object like a small box or an item of furniture is covered by cutouts from magazines or from purpose-manufactured papers. Each layer is sealed with varnishes (often multiple coats) until the "stuck on" appearance disappears and the result looks like painting or inlay work. The traditional technique used 30 to 40 layers of varnish which were then sanded to a polished finish. Following is my general process: Turn the base. Sand the base to 320. Put one or more coats of paint or clear finish to seal the wood. I use General Finishes High Performance Water Based Topcoat, Flat. I will sand if needed between coats. Cut a circle of Prima Re-Design Decoupage Decor Tissue Paper (paper) just a little larger than the base. Put one coat of High Performance on top surface patterned paper to act as the adhesive (must be wet) Put one coat of High Performance on bottom surface of patterned paper to act as the adhesive (must be wet). Attached the prepared paper to the base and smooth. Wipe off excess adhesive. What is nice about this paper is that you can reposition it and because it is porous you do not get bubbles. (You will find that there is a lot of hype about Mod Podge Gloss Waterbase Sealer, Glue. Bottom line is that you can use your favorite clear top coat finish. Let dry overnight. Finish the edge by mounting on the base on the lathe and very lightly turning away the excess paper. I typically lightly sand the raw edge. Remove from the lathe and add two or three topcoats of finish (with very light sanding between coats). If you want to see the complete process as a club demonstration, please contact Rick Gillespie (901) 619-6308 - he is in charge of MSWG meeting demonstration scheduling.

The following is a list of resources Sam provided from his demonstration. As a reminder there are many resources for these products and the following are examples. If you need more information contact Sam Dawson by phone or not email: (901) 734-9157 Game Call Parts for all your duck call building needs! Mandrels, Duck Call Bands, Pins, Drill Bits, Duck & Goose Call Inserts for your hand turned barrels. Vacuum Pump Vacuum Chamber Pressure Pot Parts to build your own vacuum chamber TurnTex, LLC! Stabilizing Resin - Cactus Juice Alumilite casting resin

Skip Wilbur is at the AAW 2023 Symposium and has shared 70 outstanding photographs from the huge array of pieces in the instant gallery. Thank you, Skip! Below is just a sampling of Skip's photos - click on the button above to see all of them.

This is a reminder to make any woodturning with a lid for the President's Challenge for June 24, 2023. This can even be a cricket cage that has a top to open it. Below are several collage photos of lidded turnings previously made by MSWG club members. Click on the photo to enlarge. Alternatives if you cannot attend the June monthly meeting: Send your President's Challenge to the meeting with a friend or some other person. Send a photo of the item by email to photos@mswg.club along with any special notes. If you need to print a tag for your instant gallery item, you can use this one below.

I think everyone is agreement that Trent Bosch's IRD on his Mountain Bowl was excellent. For those who want to watch his demo again, he will be sending a link that will be shared with the membership in a separate Blog when we get the link from Trent. Instant Gallery and President's Challenge - Click on the image to enlarge. May 20, 2023, General Meeting Notes We had one guest - Arliss Thomas Pearson As of 4/22/2023, we have 86 Paid or Lifetime Members. We had 38 attendees. We sold $80 in raffle tickets (helping to pay for our refreshments) 11 Members participated in the Instant Gallery. 14 Members participated in the President's Challenge: 4 Members participated the Wig Stand Program (4 wig stands donated). Trent Bosch did a great demo - holding everyone’s attention and no one left early. I hope members thank Bill Siller for taking great photos. He missed most of the IRD and thank goodness he will be able to view it on the replay. You may have noticed that Bill was using our new Angler Port-a-Cube LED Light Tent with Dimmer II (Large, 27"). NOTE: For those members who want to make their instant gallery tags before coming to the meeting you can download the printable pdf below.