January Demonstrator – Jimmie Allen: Turn Your Own Handles

Jimmie will show us three different ways to turn your own handle so that no matter what stage you are at in your woodturning journey or what tools you prefer to use you will gain knowledge for creating your own tool handles. The demonstration also includes the installation of the new tool insert Jimmie developed that facilitates the removal of tools for ease of sharpening or simply swapping out to a different tool with your new handle.

Jimmie’s nature has always been to do something to the best of his ability. If that means taking the extra time to sand a surface to 1200 or more, then buffing the final surface to a high sheen the result is worth the effort. Whomever enjoys the piece will know it was hand made by a supreme craftsman for their everlasting enjoyment.

December Membership Meeting

It’s that time of year for our annual Holiday party and member appreciation meeting. Here are the details from our President:

Here are all of the details of our annual Christmas Party on December 19th:

If you would like to make a gift donation, please reach out to myself or Pat Mc Cart, our Industry Coordinator.

• Upon arrival, you will receive 2 tickets: 1 for the general prize drawing; 1 ticket for your door prize wood block
(1 per family membership)

• If you helped with set up, clean up, newsletter articles, brought show-and-tell or President’s Challenge you
should have filled out yellow tickets throughout the year.

• Gift Exchange – If you would like to participate, please bring a wrapped gift and collect a ticket (can be a
turned piece, or gift of choice)

• Potluck dinner: Assignments:
* A to I – please bring a dessert to share
* J to P – please bring a main dish to share
* Q to Z – please bring a side dish or salad to share

What’s Happening at Other Chapters

Based on what you see below it looks like there is a lot of partying going on this month at other chapters!

This information is compiled from Northwest AAW chapter’s websites and newsletters. You should check with the specific chapter if you plan to attend one of their meetings.

The Northwest Woodturners in Beaverton, Oregon are taking the month of December off for the Holiday.

The Fraser Valley Woodturners Guild are holding their holiday party on December 3rdth at the All Saints Anglican Church in Mission, BC. They will also have a demo or their website and socials.

mid columbia woodturners logoThe Mid-Columbia Woodturners in Pasco, WA are holding their holiday party on December 7th.

The Olympic Peninsula Woodturners are holding their holiday party on December 11th.

The Seattle Woodturners are holding their holiday party on December 12th.

The Willamette Valley Woodturners in Salem, Oregon will be meeting on December 12th. Jimmie Allen will demonstrate making Lidded Boxes.

The Inland Northwest Woodturners are holding their holiday party on December 14th. They will also have a tool swap at the event.

The Southwest Washington Woodturners in Vancouver, WA are taking the month of December off for the Holiday.

The Oregon Coast Woodturners are taking the month of December off for the Holiday.

The Strait Turners in Sequim are taking the month of December off for the Holiday.

The Northwest Washington Woodturners are taking the month of December off for the Holiday.

The Cascade Woodturners in Portland, OR are taking the month of December off for the Holiday.


The Island Woodturning Guild in Victoria, BC are taking the month of December off for the Holiday.

The Greater Vancouver Woodturners Guild in Vancouver, B.C. are taking the month of December off for the Holiday.

November Membership Meeting

This month’s demonstrator is SPSW member Eileen Collins

“Think about how you sign your work. What are you trying to communicate to those who pick up your work? In my demonstration on Laser Pecker – How to Design Your Logo, I will expose you to fundamentals in Graphic Design and Techniques you may not have considered when signing your work.” ~ Eileen Collins

Bring your Logo concepts! Bring your questions!

Eileen Collins is a woodturner from Mountlake Terrace, Snohomish and Edmonds. She is a proud, 4th generation Washingtonian. Eileen has an eclectic formal education that includes costume design, textile art and industrial engineering. In her career at Boeing, she even completed a weeklong course in aircraft painting. She credits her art background for instilling a “think out of the box” approach to problem solving and creativity.

Eileen has been very gracious in support of SPSW as a demonstrator this year. Way back in January, she demonstrated Fiber Reactive Dyes and then provided an encore mini workshop on that topic during our March mini symposium. Back again for our September mini symposium, Eileen demonstrated Inside-Out Turned Ornaments. And once again in November we will be blessed with Eileen’s talents as she will demonstrate Laser Pecker – How to design Your Logo.

October Membership Meeting

How fortunate we are this month! Our October guest demonstrator is one of the most creative and prolific woodturning artists of our time. Trent Bosch is primarily a wood sculptural artist with a body of work stretching back into the late 1990’s. Many of us know him for his bowl hollowing prowess. His line of hollowing tools are considered a gold standard for their ease of use and innovative focus on reducing workload and strain on the turner.

Trent will be demonstrating Hollow Forms – Hollowing for Anyone during our October meeting as a remote demonstration from his home in Colorado. The October meeting will be a hybrid meeting. Which means we will meet at our new normal location in the Allmendinger Center and watch the IRD from that location via Zoom.

Pat McCart Three Footed Bowl Demo

Are you not a member of the SPSW and wondered what kind of programming we have? Well we have a sample for you. Our own Pat McCart, multi-time former SPSW chapter President demonstrated how he turns his world famous three footed bowls. You can view it on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb4p6biG3P4

Paid members have access to our demo videos on our website. We currently have 48 prior demo videos on here.

You can also check out our upcoming programming on our calendar – https://spswoodturners.org/events and in our newsletter.

Stop by at our next meeting if you’re in the area and see what we offer. And if you are not in the area, we also have remote members that log into Zoom to see our demonstrations.