Join us for our annual Holiday Bash!

Put down your chisels, take off your tool belt, brush off the sawdust - and get ready for our annual Sin City Woodworkers Christmas Party, where we’ll celebrate a productive year and toast the coming New Year! 

Sin City Woodworkers, a Vegas valley social and networking group committed to serious (and not so serious!) woodworking discussions, meet on the third Wednesday of each month to share everything from techniques and ideas, to information about local suppliers and much more. Our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 19, at 7:00. As usual - feel free to bring a guest or your better half! 

We’ll have some goodies to snack on, and some beverages to share, so don’t feel like you have to bring anything. But if you make an outrageous salsa or artichoke dip, we’d love to try it!

Join us for our most entertaining meeting of the year - it’s all about food, friendship, family and more. They say that Las Vegas is a tough city to make friends in - but anyone who attends one of our monthly meetings knows that we’ve formed some great connections within our group. We’re heading into our TENTH year of sharing tips and techniques, failures and successes, and best of all - new friendships.

A HUGE thank you goes to Andrew and Nic Moore of Reclaimed Secrets, 

who were kind enough to donate a massive Beetle Kill Pine slab for us to raffle off.  

It’s been epoxied with some gorgeous mica, 

and sanded flat. 

All it needs is a little more TLC sanding, add some legs and you’ve got yourself a fabulous table for your home, or to sell. 

We’ll be selling raffle tickets for this slab - one chance for $10, or three chances for $20. All proceeds go back into our yearly fund, which helps finance all of our woodworking throughout the year. So please consider taking a chance on this raffle!

We’ll also be voting on the winners of our annual building context - this year, we chose Christmas Ornaments as our project. We give out great cash prizes, and the winners get bragging rights throughout the coming year. We hope everyone came up with something for our contest!

Remember - any money left over after paying for the party and prizes is given back to our members, via our cash drawings throughout the night. If you’ve been the lead presenter at one of our monthly meetings, your name will go into the hat, too! It’s all about participation, which we greatly appreciate!

By the way - if you have something to donate to the drawing,  please bring it with you to our party.  Maybe someone gave you a woodworking book that you already own, or have some duplicate items sitting around your shop - we will add this to our giveaway table.

As always, our party will be held at Studio: Wood It Is!, 2267 West Gowan, unit 106 in North Las Vegas. The public is welcome to attend the meeting, but remember -  there are a limited number of chairs in the woodshop. Attendees might want to bring a folding chair if they wish to sit during the meeting. If you have questions or need directions, call the studio at 631-1870.

Learn to sharpen like a pro...

Take a break from baking pumpkin pies and head over to our next Sin City Woodworkers meeting …

Let’s face it - ask ten woodworkers their opinion about sharpening, and you’ll probably get twelve answers!  We’ve had past demonstrations on the Deulen system (thanks Jim C!) and the WorkSharp system (thanks, Richard!), not to mention Dennis P’s discussion on sharpening carving chisels and gouges, and Ted’s card scraper presentation… all in all, it’s a subject that has been well covered. 

But if you’re looking for a simple and integrated solution.. then this month’s meeting is for you…

Sin City Woodworkers, a Vegas valley social and networking group committed to serious (and not so serious!) woodworking discussions, meet on the third Wednesday of each month to share everything from techniques and project ideas to information about local suppliers and much more. This month’s meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 21 at 7:00, when Vernon Lucero  will be sharing his slick sharpening set-up using this Norton waterstone kit and its integrated Norton IM 83 Waterstone Case.

If you looked up the definition of renaissance man, you might find Vern’s picture.  He’s a man of many interests and talents (woodworking and cooking, to name two!) and frankly, Vern bought this system to sharpen his cooking knives. But when he was able to so easily get keen edges on his kitchen knives, he realized this system would be great on his woodworking tools, too. BAM! - he’d found the perfect solution to getting quick and precisely honed edges on his chisels and plane blades. 

Vern will bring his Norton system, and explain its simplicity and effectiveness for getting tools in tip-top shape. He spent a career in construction, and didn’t have a chance to really explore woodworking until he retired. His love for hand-tool work shows in this beautiful toolbox that holds his hand tools… a true testament to his pursuit of excellence in the woodshop.  You won’t meet a more humble, but wildly talented man than Vern, and you’ll be enriched by what he has to share with our group. 

As usual, we’ll have a show and tell, so if you’ve made something cool during the month, please bring it to share with our group. This is our last meeting before our Holiday Party, and here’s a friendly reminder that you only have about a month left to complete your entry in to our Christmas Ornament contest. We give great prizes to the winners, and we hope to have a good turnout for this year’s challenge. 

This meeting will be held at Studio: Wood It Is!, 2267 West Gowan, unit 106 in North Las Vegas. As always, the public is welcome to attend the meeting, so members - please feel free to bring a guest along. But remember that there are a limited number of chairs in the woodshop. Attendees might want to bring a folding chair if they wish to sit during the meeting. If you have questions or need directions, call the studio at 631-1870.

We've got a great October meeting coming up - Southwest Cues will be joining us

Sin City Woodworkers Follow the trail of sawdust to our next meeting... Heads up, everyone - this is shaping up to be an amazing meeting - especially for the wood turners in our group!  Sin City Woodworkers, a Vegas valley social and networking group committed to serious (and not so serious!) woodworking discussions, meet on the third Wednesday of each month to share everything from techniques and ideas to information about local suppliers and much more. Our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 17, at 7:00 where we’re delighted to have Laurie Franklin and Mike Bunker, both of Southwest Cues, one of the most respected billiard cue makers in the world.

Who knew Las Vegas was home to such billiard royalty!?! Laurie’s late husband Jerry started Southwest Cues in 1982, after working in the field and developing an amazing cue design. His hard work and pursuit of excellence led to innovations in cue making, resulting in a billiard cue known (and collected!) around the world. Jerry passed away way too soon at the age of 42, and was inducted posthumously into the American Cuemakers Association Hall of Fame in March 2005.

Luckily, Jerry’s wife Laurie and nephew Mike Bunker have continued the rich tradition of cue making excellence. There is such a high demand for their cues that eight year wait times are common for a single cue. Yes, eight years! Laurie and Mike will be sharing some of the cue making innovations, as well as insight into running a finely tuned woodworking company. There will be some exotic wood remnants for sale, including Bocote, Gonzalo Alves, Cocobolo, Gaboon Ebony and more. If you play around with exotic woods, and are looking for small quantities for turnings, plugs, or crafting, there will be some sample packs for sale.

Curious for more history about their company - check this out: http://www.indyq.com/custom-cues/southwest/southwest-biography.html We’ll have a quick show-and-tell before the discussion starts, so if you’ve made anything cool in the last month, bring it in to share with the group. This meeting will be held at Studio: Wood It Is!, 2267 West Gowan, unit 106 in North Las Vegas. As always, the public is welcome to attend the meeting, so members - please feel free to bring a guest along. But remember that there are a limited number of chairs in the woodshop. Attendees might want to bring a folding chair if they wish to sit during the meeting. If you have questions or need directions, call the studio at (702) 631-1870.

Sin City Woodworkers September Announcements

Sin City Woodworkers Follow the trail of sawdust to our next meeting... Sin City Woodworkers, a Vegas valley social and networking group committed to serious (and not so serious!) woodworking discussions, meet on the third Wednesday of each month to share everything from techniques and project ideas to information about local suppliers and much more. Join us on Wednesday, September 19  at 7:00 when Esther Valenzuela will demonstrate her technique for inlaying bowties into a slab of cracked wood.  Before we talk about Esther’s presentation, we have some sad news - our longtime member Beth Wheeler lost her hard fought battle with pancreatic cancer on September 13. Anyone who ever attended a SCWW meeting with her had opportunities to not only see her amazing creations, but also hear how she created them. Her passion and enthusiasm fired all of us up, and inspired us to attempt some of the difficult techniques that she shared with us. She will truly be missed, and we extend our deepest condolences to her husband Bob and the rest of her family. You can read about her memorial information here. Back to our meeting - Esther built a solid African Mahogany dining table a few years ago, and a few cracks revealed themselves after she was nearly done with the project. To keep them from getting worse, she inlayed some bowties to inhibit further deterioration. She’ll be discussing both inlays with common router inlay kits, as well as showing us how to manually inlay a bowtie.    If you’re jumping on the live-edge slab bandwagon, this demo will surely be helpful in your future projects.  As usual, we’ll have a show-and-tell, so feel free to bring anything you’ve built lately.  Finally, we voted at our last meeting that this year’s Holiday Party challenge will involve making a Christmas ornament. If you’re a turner, fire up your lathe and start creating!  If you’re a carver, sharpen your chisels! There are no limits on this challenge, and as usual - we will be giving out cash prizes for the top three ornaments, voted on by our members. One new rule - only two entries per person! As usual, this meeting will be held at Studio: Wood It Is!, 2267 West Gowan, unit 106 in North Las Vegas. Anyone is welcome to attend the meeting, so members - please feel free to bring a guest along. But remember that there are a limited number of chairs in the woodshop. Attendees might want to bring a folding chair if they wish to sit during the meeting. If you have questions or need directions, call the studio at 702-631-1870.

This meeting will be held at Studio: Wood It Is!, 2267 West Gowan, unit 106 in North Las Vegas. As always, the public is welcome to attend the meeting, so members - please feel free to bring a guest along. But remember that there are a limited number of chairs in the woodshop. Attendees might want to bring a folding chair if they wish to sit during the meeting. If you have questions or need directions, call the studio at 631-1870.   Our mailing address is: 2267 W. Gowan, Suite 106, North Las Vegas, NV 89032

Interested in CNCs? This is the meeting for you.....

Sin City Woodworkers, a Vegas valley social and networking group committed to serious (and not so serious!) woodworking discussions, meet on the third Wednesday of each month to share everything from techniques and ideas to information about local suppliers and much more. Our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 15 at 7:00, and  long time member Leo Davenport will share his insights and experiences with his CNC routers… as in three! Yes, Leo has three Carve Rite CNC machines, and has been using them since 2004. 

Have you wondered if CNCs are hard to learn and master, or if they’re worth the cost? Leo will share his experiences, and bring a variety of pieces to show some of his accomplishments.

One very cool feature that Leo’s machines employ is Scanner Pro software, which allows the user to scan an existing piece, and then cut a matching (new) piece. Imagine scanning a carving that you like, or a drawer front that needs to be duplicated, and cutting it effortlessly! This software makes it simple for anyone, regardless of your woodworking experience. 

Leo’s moved on to a new toy - a 3D printer - and I suspect he’ll do a presentation about that in the future, but for now - he’ll demystify the CNC experience and hopefully answer some questions you have about CNC machines. 

This meeting will be held at Studio: Wood It Is!, 2267 West Gowan, unit 106 in North Las Vegas. As always, the public is welcome to attend the meeting, so members - please feel free to bring a guest along. But remember that there are a limited number of chairs in the woodshop. Attendees might want to bring a folding chair if they wish to sit during the meeting. If you have questions or need directions, call the studio at 631-1870.

Want to sharpen up your tools?

Sin City Woodworkers Follow the trail of sawdust to our next meeting... Sin City Woodworkers, a Vegas valley social and networking group committed to serious (and not so serious!) woodworking discussions, meet on the third Wednesday of each month to share everything from techniques and project ideas to information about local suppliers and much more.  Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 18 at 7:00, and our featured speaker will be John Myers, of Nevada Carbide & Cutter, Inc., the best blade sharpener (and much more!) here in Las Vegas.  John has been sharpening since he was about 15 years old, and he hasn't found a tool in a very long time that could stump him.  We’ve been trying to get him to talk to our group for a while, but conflicting schedules haven’t made that possible… luckily, we have finally scheduled him to speak this month! John and his team offer Las Vegas some of the best sharpening services available, including sawblades, router bits, planer and jointer knives, scissors… but also offer tool repair AT YOUR SHOP! Have a bandsaw that won’t track right? A tablesaw that you just can’t adjust properly? A planer on the blink? John and his team will come to your shop and get your tools back in tip top running condition. Nevada Carbide is an authorized service center for Delta, General International, Hitachi, JET, Powermatic and more. Another little known service that’s terrific to have in town are custom made bandsaw blades… need an odd size? He can weld some up for you in no time! (In a pinch, I’ve had same day service!)

John’s shop also carries a variety of bits, blades, and tool accessories for your shop - seriously, if you have a woodshop in town, you need to check out his selection. Frankly… more people ask me about local sharpening services than just about any other woodworking topic (other than - where do I buy wood?)… so write down your questions and join us for this informative meeting! As always - we’ll be having a show and tell for members to bring in some of their current work, so if you’ve made something cool in the last month, bring it along to share with the groups.  This meeting will be held at Studio: Wood It Is!, 2267 West Gowan, unit 106 in North Las Vegas. As always, the public is welcome to attend the meeting, so members - please feel free to bring a guest along. But remember that there are a limited number of chairs in the woodshop. Attendees might want to bring a folding chair if they wish to sit during the meeting.  If you have questions or need directions, call the studio at 702-631-1870. Our mailing address is: 2267 W. Gowan, Suite 106, North Las Vegas, NV 89032

Join us for the June meeting...

Sin City Woodworkers, a Vegas valley social and networking group committed to serious (and not so serious!) woodworking discussions, meet on the third Wednesday of each month to share everything from techniques and ideas to information about local suppliers and much more. 

This month’s meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 20 at 7:00 and longtime member Adam Wilson will share a very cool recent project that he made working as an artist/fabricator for Destinations by Design (DBD).

As a major player in event services, DBD designs and fabricates awesome sets, party props and much more, and Adam had an opportunity to work on a one of the coolest - a GIANT electric guitar, used for a recent corporate photo shoot. Not Hard Rock Hotel big, but still… this piece is HUGE!

With a background in graphic arts, as well as woodworking, Adam started out working for DBD on more traditional pieces, like event furniture that is rented out for events. But as his skills grew, he’s progressed to working on much more interesting projects, like the guitar.  This particular guitar prop was commissioned for a corporate event that was held at Jewell Nightclub at Aria.

With a little luck, Adam hinted he might even be able to bring the guitar to our meeting… bring your cameras!

As always, feel free to bring a project to present at Show and Tell, and as always - you’re welcome to bring a friend! 

This meeting will be held at Studio: Wood It Is!, 2267 West Gowan, unit 106 in North Las Vegas. As always, the public is welcome to attend the meeting, but remember - there are a limited number of chairs in the woodshop. Attendees might want to bring a folding chair if they wish to sit during the meeting. If you have questions or need directions, call the studio at 702-631-1870.

Sin City Woodworkers May Announcement...

Listen up!

Sin City Woodworkers, a Vegas valley social and networking group committed to serious (and not so serious!) woodworking discussions, meet on the third Wednesday of each month to share everything from techniques and ideas to information about local suppliers and much more.

This month’s meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 16 at 7:00 and we’ll be featuring some power tool tips and tricks, courtesy of Dennis Patchett. At last month’s meeting, Dennis wowed us with his custom built home, and as we visited his woodshop, members remarked that his arsenal of tools lacked a jointer, among other tools. When asked about that, Dennis explained that he actually can straight-line a board easier on his tablesaw, than using a traditional jointer.

So - buckle your seat belts - Dennis promises an evening of tricks, short-cut and tips for getting the most out of your tools. Previous demos from Dennis have taught us how to cut cove molding on a tablesaw, how to flatten a warped or cupped board with a router, and more. Dennis is truly a master of his craft… if you’re without a jointer and are puzzled about straight lining your boards, this is the meeting for you.

We’re in our last month of collecting dues, and as always - they’re completely voluntary. Your $20 donation goes a long way in funding our woodworking endeavors, such as our MeetUp membership and various charitable donations throughout the year, as well as allowing us to throw a heckuva year end party in December. So - please consider throwing a Jackson our way and joining the official ranks of Sin City Woodworkers. It’s the best $20 you’ll spend for your woodworking this year!

Feel free to bring a project to present at Show and Tell, and as always - you’re welcome to bring a friend!

As always, this meeting will be held at Studio: Wood It Is!, 2267 West Gowan, unit 106 in North Las Vegas. As always, the public is welcome to attend the meeting, but remember - there are a limited number of chairs in the woodshop. Attendees might want to bring a folding chair if they wish to sit during the meeting. If you have questions or need directions, call the studio at 702-631-1870.
 

A photo re-cap of the amazing work by Dennis Patchett

We visited Dennis Patchett's home this past month, here's a photo re-cap.... his work is amazing!

Thanks for the pictures, Lupe!