Did someone mention sharpening? Come 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, August 16 at 7:00, at Woodcraft of Las Vegas, 5220 West Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89146.

We heard your requests! One of the most requested topics to be covered is sharpening, so this month - our featured speaker will be Pete Hauser, who will demonstrate his sharpening technique. 

Pete employs the “Scary Sharp” system - which utilizes progressively finer micro abrasives from 3M mounted on float glass. It’s simple to use, remarkably inexpensive, and you’ll get excellent results in no time.

Look, there are a ton of sharpening systems out there - and many are expensive and somewhat hard to master. This system will allow you to sharpen your chisels, plane blades and more with a minimal cost and easy setup. Pete’s been using this for years, and he’ll show you some of his tricks and tips for honing a fine edge. 

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 group.

This meeting will be held at at Woodcraft of Las Vegas,  5220 West Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89146. As always, the public is welcome to attend the meeting, so members - please feel free to bring a guest along. 

Woodcraft has generously offered up their space for our monthly meeting, so please - if you’re in need of a tool or supplies for your woodshop, please consider purchasing from this store - they want to be a hub for woodworking in Las Vegas. 

As Jean-Luc Picard says - make it so!

Interested in learning about buying tools? Come 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 ideas to information about local suppliers and much more. 

Our next meeting is scheduled for this coming Wednesday, July 19, at 7:00, and our resident used-tool guru, John Frame, will be discussing everything you’ve ever wanted to know about buying used and vintage tools.

One of the most requested topics is about tools - where to get them, how to gauge their value, what brand to look for, how to refurbish them, etc.  John has bought and sold more tools than most, and he’ll share his expertise on growing your tool arsenal. He’s purchased from eBay, estate sales, vintage tool websites, garage sales and more. 

So bring your tool questions to this meeting, and he’ll try to offer guidance for your future purchases.

We’ll also be having a “Show and Tell” - so if you’ve made something interesting, bring it with you and let’s talk about it!

Next week is the AWFS show - if you haven’t registered yet, you’re cutting it close!

This meeting will be held at Woodcraft of Las Vegas,  5220 West Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89146. 

We’re so lucky that  Woodcraft’s owners allow us to meet there - please consider making a purchase when visiting the store for a meeting. Remember, they’re staying open for us to meet, and it’s smart for us to make it worth their while to host us!

Our June meeting announcement

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 this coming Wednesday, June 21, at 7:00 and will be held at Woodcraft of Las Vegas,  5220 West Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89146.

We’re thrilled to be (at least) trying to get back to normal.  We’ll start off with our usual “meet and greet” where we’ll introduce ourselves and catch up with each other. 

Next up? We’ll be holding a show and tell - so bring your latest project and share it with the group. If it’s too big to bring - maybe you could print off a picture, or bring your iPad.

Finally - since we have so many new members, and it’s been so long since we’ve met regularly - we thought it would be good to have a general discussion about woodworking in our town - hosted by one of our most talented members - Dennis Patchett.

Most of us know Dennis as a true craftsman who builds mostly period furniture, often including his amazing carvings. He’s been working on carving for pleasure these days - and he’ll share some of his latest work. 

But even better - he’ll be sharing some thoughts about everything from lumber suppliers, to tool tips, pricing and more. If you’ve been wondering about something wood related - Dennis is probably your best bet for an answer. Bring some questions!

As always, the public is welcome to attend our meetings, so members - please feel free to bring a guest along. If you have questions or need directions, call (702) 672-8981.

See you Wednesday!

 

 

Finally - a May meeting!

Don’t faint! We’re finally having a Sin City Woodworkers 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. Our next meeting is scheduled for this coming Wednesday, May 17, at 7:00. We’re delighted to announce that this meeting will be held at Woodcraft of Las Vegas,  5220 West Charleston Blvd

Las Vegas, NV 89146.

Owners Jeff, Cheryl and Alicia have graciously offered their store to us for our first official meeting since 2020. It’s been a long time since we’ve met as a group - and we’re thrilled to be (at least) trying to get back to normal.  We’ll start off with our usual “meet and greet” where we’ll introduce ourselves and catch up with each other. 

We’ll also be discussing the upcoming AWFS show that will be held here in town, on July 25-28. (AWFS stands for the Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers.) It’s a terrific convention held every other year, and we’ll discuss how you can get free admission and possibly some discounts on the woodworking classes and seminars that they’ve scheduled. THIS IS A BIG DEAL!

The staff at Woodcraft will have an opportunity to tell us a bit of their history - and how they came to own Las Vegas’ only dedicated woodworking supply store. 

If you haven’t seen their place yet - brace yourself… it’s a paradise for anyone working with wood!

Finally, it’s been almost two years since we’ve collected dues, and our coffers are getting a little low. (The various memberships that we belong to charge us membership fees, which is where the dues go.) Dues are cheap - just $20! - and are always voluntary, never mandatory. For a mere $20, you get to call yourself an official Sin City Woodworker, with all the perks that go along with it.  IYKYK

As always, the public is welcome to attend our meetings, so members - please feel free to bring a guest along. There are a limited number of seats at the store, so you might want to bring a folding chair if you wish to sit during the meeting. If you have questions or need directions, call my studio at (702) 672-8981.

See you Wednesday!

 

 

Sin City Woodworkers September Swap Meet!

 

Sin City Woodworkers Finally! A September meeting we hope you can attend! Have you missed our monthly meetings? Sin City Woodworkers, a Vegas valley social and networking group committed to serious (and not so serious!) woodworking discussions, usually meets on the third Wednesday of each month. But we haven’t met since February, 2020, due to the Covid 19. We've lost a few members, and gained quite a few in the last 2.5 years! We’ll be holding an outdoor swap meet on Sunday, September 25 - we’ll get started at 10:00 AM and stay until the last deal is done! This will be your chance to buy - sell - or - barter tools with like-minded woodworkers, so clean out your woodshop and join us! This early announcement will give you time to grab all the extra tools and gear that you'd like to sell or trade.  Start your pile! Everyone is welcome to bring a table or cart to our next meeting and set up a booth in our parking lot. The parking lot at Studio:Wood It Is is mostly empty on Sunday mornings, so everyone will have a chance to spread out and sell their wares.  Some of the goodies up for grabs include many hand tools, small power tools like routers, drills, drivers, nail guns, and MUCH more.  There will also be some wood for sale - including live edge slabs, exotics, dimensional lumber, and too much to mention. You’re going to find some great bargains here, just in time for your winter projects!   This swap meet 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, so members - please feel free to bring a guest along. If you have questions or need directions, call the studio at 702-631-1870. We hope to see you at the swap meet!!

October Swap Meet - start sorting through your stuff!

 Have you missed our monthly meetings?

Sin City Woodworkers, a Vegas valley social and networking group committed to serious (and not so serious!) woodworking discussions, usually meets on the third Wednesday of each month. But we haven’t met since February, 2020, due to the Covid 19 gathering restrictions. 

BUT - we’re holding an outdoor swap meet on Sunday, October 24 - and this will be our only meeting in 2021 . We’ll get started at 10:00 AM.

This will be your chance to buy - sell - or - barter tools with like-minded woodworkers, so clean out your woodshop and join us!

Everyone is welcome to bring a table or cart to our next meeting and set up a booth in our parking lot. The parking lot at Studio:Wood It Is is mostly empty on Sunday mornings, so everyone will have a chance to spread out and sell their wares. 

Some of the goodies up for grabs include many hand tools, small power tools like routers, drills, drivers, nail guns, and MUCH more.  There will also be some wood for sale - including live edge slabs, exotics, dimensional lumber, and too much to mention. You’re going to find some great bargains here, just in time for your winter projects!

 

This swap meet 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, so members - please feel free to bring a guest along. If you have questions or need directions, call the studio at 702-631-1870.

We hope to see you at the swap meet!!

This one really hurts - RIP Braxton Wirthlin

You won't find a single person around here who isn't grieving the loss of our buddy - Braxton Wirthlin.  

Braxton entered the hospital a few days ago, and was diagnosed with Stage IV kidney cancer, which had, unfortunately spread to his lungs. Added to the mix was pneumonia, and well... we were so sorry to learn that he passed away just three days later.

Braxton's wife Melissa and their two children (Boyd and Olivia) are mourning him, but so are we.

Braxton grew up here in Las Vegas, and for a while - was better known as a BXM genius, both riding bikes, and also repairing them. 

Once he found woodworking, he was off to the races, building furniture at his shop in Boulder City, and working in local cabinet shops. He collaborated on some very cool projects here, and his work can be found in the Mob Museum, as well as many local restaurants and wine shops.

Timber Manufacturing was his baby... but YouTube was a passion - his channel was growing, with nearly 6000 followers.

His whimsical work and delicate turnings showed a side that most wouldn't expect - I mean, who makes a giant Jenga?

A few years ago, he hosted our Sin City Woodworking group at his studio in Boulder city, showing us his filming techniques, and speaking frankly about developing a YouTube presence. (It's hard work!)

A Go Fund Me page has been started, and if you'd like to donate - here's a link. Please donate what you can - we can't say it enough - he was an all around good guy - loved and respected. 

Let's help his family out.

RIP, Braxton

March 14, 1979 - September 23, 2021