March meeting canceled!

Due to the current health issues in our community (and our country!) - this month’s Sin City Woodworkers meeting is canceled. Stay healthy, and we’ll see you next month!

Everything you've ever wanted to know about single pours of epoxy...

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. 

First off - Happy Anniversary to us! We’ve been meeting and sharing cool techniques for ELEVEN years now… almost unheard of in this woodworking community! We rely on our members to share their wit and wisdom, and we invite you to share your techniques at an upcoming meeting. We’re always looking for future presenters, so brush up on your public speaking and schedule something!

We won’t start it this month, so March will be the first month of our annual dues drive. Like every year - this is completely voluntary. We’ll never twist your arm for the $20 it takes to call yourself a bona fide Sin City Woodworker, but it sure helps us defray the costs of running this group year round.

This month’s meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 19 at 7:00, and will feature all you ever wanted to know about resins and epoxy single pours. 

River tables are the rage, and the multitude of YouTube videos attest to the fact that everyone has their opinion about how to use these materials. 

 Join Andrew Moore of Reclaimed Secrets 

and Jamie of Wood It Is as they lead a discussion about epoxy vs. resin, and how to create a built-up edge in a solid pour. 

Most two part pouring systems build up heat as they cure, and that leads to thermal cracking. So why do all of the cool videos show thick rivers of epoxy being created in a single pour? What’s the difference between different products, and what is the correct one for each application?

Reclaimed Secrets has become a dealer of Colorado Glacier epoxy made by Diamond Coat. This epoxy product comes in kits that are 2 gallons each. They also carry 38 colors of mica powder and also 9 prime colors. This epoxy is UV resistant and is heat resistant to 600 degrees, The mix itself is super high quality and dries harder than any epoxy product they have ever worked with, hands down, and is very good when it comes to wood slabs. 

This meeting will cover everything from building a form and prepping it for a pour, to mixing and pouring a small piece. Just like a cooking show - we’ll have a finished piece to share - showing this entire process from start to finish!

We’ll also have a Show and Tell at the beginning of the meeting, so if you’ve made something cool recently, please bring it by and brag a bit!

As always, this meeting 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. 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.

Field Trip! We're going to Legacy Woodworking & Design, down in Henderson

Two words - FIELD TRIP!

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 Wednesday, January 15 at 7:00 and we have a special treat in store! 

We’re lucky to have been invited to visit Legacy Woodworking & Design, owned by Ken Beck and his business partner Eric Carr. Ken’s story is fascinating - at 4 years old, Ken used to sweep his maternal grandfather’s wood shop for four quarters while he made violins by hand.  In 2012, Ken inherited a wood shop from his father, who passed away from cancer long before he was able to fully put the shop to work. The first piece Ken built was his father’s urn.

In December 2016, Ken officially created Legacy Woodworking and Design and opened a shop online on etsy.com.  Fast forward a few years  - Ken joined forces with Eric Carr in order to take Legacy out of the home garage and into a shop of their own. 

They moved into their new shop space in April 2019. Their 2020 goals find them focusing on custom tables and built -ins.  Their website is www.Legacywoodworkinganddesign.com.

One of Ken’s very successful projects was this Vegas Strong sign, which raised thousands of dollars for the Oct. 1 Victims Fund. 

Some of Ken and Eric’s latest projects include building beautiful tables and reception counters for Lee Canyon’s Hillside Lodge, featured in one of the latest issues of Las Vegas Weekly Magazine. 

They do a ton of residential and commercial built-in work,

 

and even build live edge pieces with fabulous epoxy highlights. 

Lately, they’ve been giving their Shaper Origin a good workout, and Ken suggested that our members will have a chance to get some hands-on time with it. They’ve learned a good deal about this tool, including when it’s helpful, and when it’s not the best tool for for a job. Hands-on tips like this are in valuable, and we’ll probably get a ton more during this visit!

The address is 175 Cassia Way, Suite A113, down in Henderson. (This will make our Henderson members happy!) 

As always, the public is welcome to attend this meeting, so members - please feel free to bring a guest along. But remember that there might be limited seating in Ken and Eric’s shop, so 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.

See you there!

A little holiday re-cap!

We're heading into our 11th year, and some of our out-of-town members asked for a re-cap of the holiday party... so here you go!  We had another fantastic party - good turnout, 

great food,

 and even some live entertainment this year, courtesy of Rich Matta! He's a retired music teacher and professional musician, and his mini concert of Christmas music was very special.

 Speaking of special, our members went out of their way to make wig stands for donations to patients undergoing cancer therapies.  

The entries were terrific, and as in past years, Lupe's competitive spirit propelled her into first place. 

Her Spiraled Wig Stand featured african mahogany and maple, a checkerboard glue-up, and a tricky hand carved spiral post. 

Lupe always goes out of her way to come up with an amazing entry, and this year was particularly special. 

She gave a short speech about its construction, and pocketed $100 for her efforts. Congrats, Lupe - someone is going to enjoy that wonderful piece that you made. 

Second place went to Dennis Patchett, our carving-master and co-founder of the Las Vegas Woodcarvers group. His carving (once again!) wowed us with his carved wig stand. 

Mary Jane Chadbourne's lovely whimsical stand won third place, and we loved her explanation of adding paint and flowers to make it a cheery greeting for someone needing a place to store their wig. 

All in all - these entries were not only fabulously festive, but SO needed in our community. Thanks to all who participated!

Once again, Andrew and Nic Moore of Reclaimed Secrets donated a slab to raffle off - and this year's piece was rare and gorgeous.  A lot of people thought that it was a small slab, but once they arrived and saw it, they realized that it was a full sized slab, ready to create a dining table!

 Andrew pulled the winning ticket, and read the name.... 

and BAM! - Rick Ratayczak won the slab.

Congrats to all for making this party another success! 

A special thanks to Denny LaRocca for helping us clean and set-up the shop for the party.

To Rich Matta for the music!

Also - to the members who donated gifts that we gave away - unfortunately, we didn't get a shot of the resin piece that we created at the Knotty Artisan's studio! (Thanks Trevor and Leon!) 

Andrew and Nic Moore's slab donation was beyond generous, and we very much appreciate how special that slab was.

To the members who entered our contest and made amazing wig stands! Thanks to Randy Glau and Dennis for coordinating everything - we SO appreciate your hard work. 

To everyone who brought delicious food and drink for us to share. Ama's pies, and Boris' hummus were two highlights on the food table!

To Lupe - thanks for the photos. We might rib you about how many photos you take, but they always come in handy later!

And finally - to all of our members for ... well.. just being a member. We're heading into our 11th year, and still going strong!

(If I'm forgetting anyone, I apologize!)

We hope your Christmas was a good one, and that 2020 finds you healthy and continuing to make wonderful wooden pieces. 

Stay safe, everyone!

It's time for our annual Christmas party!

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 18, 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 ELEVENTH 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 bookmatched, joined, and sanded flat slab for us to raffle off.  It's perfect for your next dining room table... or your next commission to sell!

It’s Red Flame Box Elder, and the picture above doesn’t do it justice, because it’s not finished. Look at this piece below that has some finish on it… wow! 

Andrew said that he’s cut through hundreds of these logs, and finding the red color and gorgeous grain is rare, so this slab is an amazing donation.

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 to make wig stand for patients who’ve lost their hair due to undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatments. These will all be donated to charity after the contest - and you’ll get to vote on the winner! 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 drawing, 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 702-631-1870.

Our November meeting is going to feature a terrific Give-A-Way!

We’re in for a real treat this coming Wednesday… a hands-on Sin City Woodworkers meeting, with a great give-away, too!

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, November 20 at 7:00, and Mario Garcia of Senco will be leading a hands-on meeting, sharing many of Senco’s latest producs, including nail guns, pinners, staplers, air compressors and much more. 

Mario is encouraging everyone to bring something that they might be working on, he’ll be letting us sample the variety of tools that he’ll be showcasing. Need to pin something together? Interested in a stapler for your next upholstery project? He’ll have a nice array of tools for us to sample.

Even better - he’ll be raffling off a Senco compressor at our meeting, and thinks he’ll make a few Senco fans after trying out their great products. 

Here's a breakdown of what's planned:

1.) Senco Industrial Introduction and Senco Safety Video, the link for the Senco Safety Video is with Johnny Bench and its duration takes about 8 minutes.

2.) Next there will be a demonstration of the use and application of:

    a)The Pneumatic Trim Nailers: 23Ga., 21Ga., 18Ga.,16Ga., 15Ga., 

    b) The Pneumatic Staplers: 18Ga., 16Ga. Narrow & Wide Crown, 22Ga.,  

              - Specialty Staples 25Ga. Senco Corrugated and Senclamp staples.

    c) Air Compressors: Hoses selection.

    d) Cordless Trim Nailers.

    e) Cordless Screw Guns, Integrated and attachments.

    f) Hands On Training.

    g) Raffle- a PC1010N Air Compressor.

Senco’s long history of tool making started back in 1935 - and is truly an American dream - building a company and growing its product line. 

You can read about  Senco here: https://www.senco.com/company/history

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.

Details about our Holiday Woodworking contest

Every year,  Sin City Woodworkers celebrate the holidays with a party and a contest - and this year's project is a special one. 

We've agreed to challenge ourselves and make wig stands to be donated to an amazing charity. These stands will find great homes.

Here are some details about the project... click here for a link.