The Southern Region Woodturners Inc.

June 2007

An affiliated association of the Sydney Woodturners Guild Inc. Cubby House, Oyster Bay Oval Como Road,
Oyster Bay NSW 2225. PO Box 128 Oyster Bay NSW 2225. Telephone (02) 9589 0648

Presidents Column

Editors Remarks

egotiating the new lease with the council is

continuing and my self and Fred Warr attended a meeting with The Land Management officer Denise Foes and The Building services manager Bob Connors on Tuesday June 5 to clarify
some of the terms in the lease. Generally the meeting was reassuring but we found that there are establishment costs associated with the lease of
approx $929.00 in addition to an increase of rent.
It was indicated at the meeting that the councils
budget for building maintenance has been under
constraints in the last few years so we cannot anticipate that they will be able to finance repairs etc.
As yet no decision has been made about annual
fees however I would like to point out that at a
fee$25.00 p/a this would be one of the cheapest organizations that I know of, fees generally being in
the order of $200.00 plus. However dont panic we
are not going to that level but a small increase in
fees is probably inevitable.
The term will be 5 years from 1 July 07 to 2012
which is the longest the Council will give.
Unfortunately the working with wood show Friday
15 to Sunday 17 coincides with our maxi day but if
you have not attended yet, you still have tomorrow.

elcome back for another musical day with

Burl. The Big Rock Candy Mountain, etc. etc.
Anyone not understanding this: a) is too young to
know Burl b) has no idea about todays theme c) has
a musical taste that is too narrow d) all, or some, of
the above. Take it from the top, Peter!
Wild weather means many fallen trees. Fallen trees
mean free wood. If you know of some that is awaiting
a worse fate than your turning. talk about it with
other members and arrange to collect some. If you
cant make anything good from it, sneak the
modified timber back onto the pile! Winter is coming anyway so you may be creating the best looking
firewood around and it is great to practice with.
Thanks to all who contributed to this edition, especially John Field, Alan Pentecost and Ken McEwen.
You can contact me on 9526 7930, 0409 311 830 or
drop me a line chnews@iinet.net.au.
Safe turning,
Alan

Will YOU be financial after 30 June?

RENEW your membership in June to maintain
your number and use of the equipment.
Non financial members
CANNOT use Club equipment.

Keep on making shavings,

El Supremo Ken McEwen .
If you have parked inside the Cubby gates,
please place a sign with your name on the
dash in case your car needs to be moved.

Inside this month.

These newsletters are available in full colour by e-mail.

Please request this by e-mail (see above) to avoid any address errors. They are also available to download from the
website: www.sydneywoodturners.com.au (then, follow the
Southern region link).

Item
Page
The Field Report ................................ 2
Show and Tell - Tools and Jigs.......... 3
Club Report: Ancient Region ............ 4
Committee Minutes ........................... 8
Dates to Remember ........................... 10
Function Calendar .............................. 11

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The opinions expressed in Cubby House News should not be taken to reflect those of The Southern Region Woodturners Inc.

The Cubby House Christmas Party

Sunday, 4 November, 2007
This year it is a lunch...12:00 noon for 12:30pm
To be held at the
Sylvania Bowling Club
Once finalised, the menu will be posted at The Cubby House.
For additional details, special dietary requirements and tickets,
please contact
Alan Shoebridge on 9522 0682.

Oyster Bay Public School

Arts and Craft Festival 25, 26 & 27 May 2007

The Field Report

Working Bee

he usual faces turned up on Friday morning at

Cubby House to load the equipment for this Festival. The work party arrived on site at the school at
9 00am and were first on the scene to position tables,
set up our display, all of which was completed by
midday.

he Working Bee held on Mini-Thursday saw a

large contingent of members, working both inside and outside of Cubby House.
Outside members were on the on the roof inspecting
where water had entered the kitchen and one of the
Dens, while others on the ground cleaned and raked
the whole area surrounding Cubby House.

The beautiful autumn sunny days drew large numbers

of visitors to the school festival. The Woodturners
demonstrating were busy throughout the weekend
trying to keep up with the demands of various items
for the young children.

The damage post holding the security chain at the

front entry was removed and a larger steel pipe was
inserted inside the original post and welded into position. The removal and installation of this post created
member participation, which resembled a Road Gang
where there were five supervisors and one worker.
The job was eventually completed with the aid of
some quick set cement resulting in the reinstallation
should overcome the idiot factor of a wilful damage
re-occurrence.

Thanks to Phil Newell who has been organising this

event for many years and his loyal support team.
Also, thanks to those members who visited the school
and gave moral support to our group during the
weekend.

Commission Work
Inside, three of our lady members, donned gloves and
scouring pads, removed all drinking cups from the
Tea Room walls washed the walls and every cup. The
kitchen cupboards received a similar work-out by the
ladies.

uring a committee meeting last year, it was decided that members who are interested or prepared to make items for the public, should register
their names so that any inquiries received at Southern
Region can be directed to interested members.

So next time those members who did not participate

in the Working Bee visit Cubby House they will be
pleasantly surprised by its cleanliness.

If you are interested in registering your name to do

work for the public please obtain a Registration Form
from the writer.

Thanks to all those members who participated in the

Working Bee.

Regards,
John Field

(See page 11 for a few photos...and some fun)

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Show and Tell - Tools and Jigs (a very small selection)

Centre Steadies
Routing

Holding
Screw Cutting

leather-worker. Although actual specimens have

not been found, it would appear almost certain that
the bow drill was used in the making of holes for
wooden nails. It is uncertain if some method of
turning was employed, for the accuracy of parts
of wooden furniture, circular in section, is such
that it sometimes appears to have been impossible of achievement by hand-work alone. But in the
absence of any evidence the question must be left
unanswered at present.
The bevelling and rounding of edges clearly show
the marks of a knife used in the manner of a spokeshave, and the application of a knife in this way
may explain the extraordinary smoothness of flat
surfaces which could not have been achieved entirely with stone rubbing.
Although in jointing the tenon and mortice, reinforced by a wooden peg, was nearly always used,
in the case of bed, chair, and table legs we frequently find the survival of older methods, such as
a binding with leather thongs, being still used even
when the joint has already been made by the former
method. While wooden pegs and dowels were
favoured, the use of big copper nails was
not unknown, as well as small copper tacks for attaching leather upholstery and copper fittings such
as the terminals on bed and chair rods. Inlay,
whether of wood, ivory, or faience, was always fastened with glue.

WOODWORK in ANCIENT EGYPT

Circa 3000 BC
(from Archaic Egypt by W.B. Emery)

he craft of the woodworker only effectively

came into existence at the end of the Predynastic period, when the manufacture of copper
tools was well established. This being the case, it is
astonishing that early in the First Dynasty, objects
of the carpenters' and joiners' crafts give ample evidence of an advanced knowledge of working in
wood. All the principles of jointing, such as both
stump and through tenon tongued, rebate, half lap,
and dovetail were known and used; moreover,
elaborate carving and inlay of mixed woods with
ivory and faience were a commonplace. Although
their tools were few in number, they nevertheless
fulfilled all. The essential functions of modern carpentry, with the exception of the plane, which remained an unknown implement in Egypt until Roman times. It is interesting to note that the form of
these tools remained, in general, the same throughout ancient Egypt's history and that the archaic
woodworker's favourite tool, the adze, often used
as a plane, is still the most important item of his
modern descendant's equipment The adzes vary
considerably in size: some have s copper blade 12
cm. in length attached to a wooden haft about 30
cm. long, while others have a blade 28 cm. long
and a heavy haft 78 cm, in length. The blade is attached to the haft with a binding of cord or leather
thongs. The saw also varies in size with a blade
from 13 to 40 cm. in length. Only one edge is serrated, but not always along its entire length; the
teeth, about I mm. long, begin a short distance from
the shoulder and end before the tip is reached. The
blade is socketed into a straight wooden handle.
Unlike the modern tool, the saw was pulled and not
pushed, so that the cutting edge of the teeth is set
towards the handle. There was a considerable variety of chisels ranging from a heavy type about 30
cm. long to small delicate engraving tools. The four
main types are shown. Obviously the chisels fitted
with rounded top handles were used for hand work
and the fiat topped for light hammer work. Although no carpenters' hammers of the Archaic Period have as yet been found, it is probable that they
were of the wooden club-like variety used in later
times. Heavy stone have been found at Helwan, but
these were probably used is masonry and not in
woodwork. Copper awls or piercers of the type
shown were used by both the carpenter and the

Continues on page 6 ...

Copper chisels, bodkins and needles from the tomb

of Zer at Sakkara

Faces in the Mob

If someone has a moment, I need a hand to

untangle the cord ...

I stand before
you today to
confess
I have a vice ...

I probably
shouldnt
have done
that.

No . I think that
needs to go around
this way hang
on ... no this way
OK, try it that way...
Thanks to Alan Pentecost for additional photographs for this page
5

WOODWORK
in ANCIENT EGYPT
(continued from page 4)

Construction details of a wooden bed

Adze
Types of First Dynasty Chisels

Maxi-day activities. Theme was

Hand Tools. Illustration from an
early edition of Cubby Pyramid News

Type of first Dynasty saw

Type of First Dynasty awl

Maxi-day lunch queue (from an early

edition of Cubby Pyramid News)

Special Warning and a Request

Dangerous!

Please remove all caps , corks, etc. from bottles

before putting them in the garbage bins as leaving them on can cause the bottle to violently shatter if bumped (due to pressure build up). Several
workers have suffered serious eye injuries when
a capped bottle has broken, one worker permanently losing the sight in one eye.
6

Training

outhern Region has woodturning classes for

our students and members, both of which must
be financial members of the Guild, with students
over 14 years of age.

Welfare

o you know of a sick member

or anyone who is unable to
attend our meetings, please telephone
Gunter Horstmann on 9521 2096 and
advise him of the details.

Both day and evening lessons are held at Cubby

House.
Day lessons are 3 days at 6 hours, while the evening lessons are 6 nights at 3 hours. The minimum
number of members is 5.
Cost is $100 total per member and includes loan of
tools, hand out notes, timber and of course a loan of
our trainer. It is preferable to have your own face
shield for the lessons.
If you are interested in this training course, discuss
with Pat Thorpe at The Cubby House or by telephone on 9524 2504.
Regards,
John Field

Cubby House Clothing

Cubby House Summer T Shirts ........ $32.00
(with name and badge)
As above with long sleeves............... $35.00
Cubby House Polar Fleece Jumpers . $37.00
(with badge, no name, zip)
As above but with full zip.................$40.00
Polar Fleece Vests............................. $31.00
(with badge, no name)
Cubby House Patch Badges..............$6.50
(same as used on Polar Fleeces)

Memorise the clues.....now start looking at

members a different way...good luck!

Club Caps (with Cubby emblem) ..... $14.00

Club Caps..........................................$18.00
(with Cubby emblem and name)
Contact Michael Bryant at the Cubby House or ring 9520
8885

Meanwhile, back in the 1500s.

Houses had thatched roofs; thick straw, piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place
for animals to get warm so dogs, cats and other small animals (mice and bugs) lived in the roof.
When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the
roof.hence the saying, its raining cats and dogs.
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the
middle, and guests got the top, or upper crust.

SOUTHERN REGION WOODTURNERS INC.

COMMITTEE MEETING MONDAY 12 June 2007
Ken McEwan opened the meeting at 9:30am
Present: Ken McEwan, Michael Bryant, Fred Warr, Val Lipping, John Field, Ken Phillips, Phil Newell,
Keith Warnock, Les Fisher, Alan Shoebridge, Pat Thorpe, Barry Belford, Trevor Nicholson, Jim Govan,
Gunter Horstmann, Bernie Richardson, Warren Rankin.
Apologies: Bruce Leadbeatter, Jan Westerhof, Trevor Simpson, Alan Faulds, Alan Cox, Ted Macquart.
Minutes: The minutes of the previous meeting on 14 May 2007 were read to the meeting. Moved
Gunter Horstmann, seconded John Field that the minutes of the previous meeting be accepted as read.
Carried.
Business arising from the minutes: Jim Govan requested that the minutes reflect that the Triton Group
requested permission to borrow a table for the WWW Show and did not just take a table.
Treasurers report: Moved Val Lipping, seconded Trevor Nicholson that the Treasurers report be accepted. Carried.
Correspondence:
Incoming Thank you letter and certificate from Oyster Bay Public School.
Newsletter from Tamworth Woodturners.
Letter from Joe Shanahan, Tamworth Woodturners.
Outgoing Promotional material for Craft Show to Open Road and The Australian Woodworker.
Letter to Dulux Australia seeking donation of paint for Friendship Day activities
Maintenance:
Equipment - Nil.
Building Jan Westerhof has repaired leaks in roof at front of building
Social: Stephen Hughes has been invited to demonstrate on Feb 22-24 2008.
Pat Thorpe has arranged for a small party to visit Lindsay Dunns workshop in Armidale on the last
weekend in September.
Publicity:
June maxi day host is Peter King and the theme is burl items.
July maxi day host is Bernie Richardson and the theme is Kids Stuff.
Dulux have donated 10 litres of paint for toy making.
Oyster Bay School Arts & Crafts festival was a success.
John Field is compiling a register for commission work references.
Library:
All books have now been catalogued and numbered.
DVDs are now available to be screened in main hall during mini days.
Cleaning:
Will be done on Thursday this week due to WWW Show.
Kitchen:
Catering for 100 at Maxi day Cold meats. Phil Newell to stand in for Val Lipping at
maxi day
Newsletter: OK
Training:
Pat Thorpe advised completion of course for 3 people.
Welfare:
Nil.
Craft Show: John Field has forwarded advertising for Craft Show to Open Road and The Australian
Woodworker.
Raffles:
Bob Bayles will replace Norm, if required, for the next maxi day.
Guild: Barry Belford advised that the following motions put to the Special General Meeting of the Guild
on 26 May 2007 were accepted and passed:
That the Guild support the RAS craft competitions for 2008 by donating $75 prize money for
the category of Turning Platters or Bowls and $75 for the category of Mostly Woodturning and the
Guild encourage all affiliated associations to urge their members to enter work in these competitions.
continued over page ...

 continued from page 8

That the Guild set up a small sub-committee to evaluate the WWW Show and commence early
planning for the 2008 show.
Warren Rankin advised that he would submit an article to By Hand and Eye on behalf of Southern Woodturners.
Volunteers are being called for an organising committee for Woodturn 2008.
Warren Rankin asked the meeting for ideas of what the duties of the Guild Education Officer should be. After discussion, it was agreed that it should be an overseer role covering:
Setting guidelines and curriculum for training
Safety correct use of tools and equipment as well as ancillary functions such as grinding, sharpening etc.
The Guild has supplied us with certificates of currency for insurance.
General Business:
Moved Barry Belford, seconded Les Fisher that a letter be sent to George Hatfield inviting him to be affiliated to Southern Region Woodturners Inc. Carried. Ken McEwan to send letter to George.
Moved Pat Thorpe, seconded Fred Warr that Sid Stephens membership application be accepted. Carried
Ken McEwan to gather information to be included on new membership application and renewal forms.
John Field presented a Draft Safety Guidelines document to the meeting. Copies to be distributed to committee members for review and discussion at July workshop committee meeting.
Fred Warr has approached Carbatec to accept our raffle vouchers and will follow up.
The lease document was discussed. Ken McEwan and Fred Warr have met with Council to clarify details
and reported back to the meeting. Moved Pat Thorpe, seconded Warren Rankin that the lease be accepted
and signed. Carried
Triton Group:
Jim Govan raised the Tritons Groups concerns regarding roof leaks, subsidence cracks in external wall and
interior painting and re-lining being carried out by Council before the lease is signed. Ken McEwan reported that as a result of the meeting with Council, noted above, it appears that Council is not responsible
for carrying out this work.
Jim reported that the Triton Group have some timber available for members.
Jim requested that, as previously agreed, Triton Group matters be reported as a separate item in our minutes
rather than under General Business.
The meeting closed at 11:30am

Get along to the Mini-days and make some toys, or assist with their assembly.
Friendship Day, 27 May 2007

he May Friendly Day saw some toys coming to fruition with cricket bats well underway and waiting for
some kind and generous person to turn some bails and stumps.

Positions Vacant: Woodturners, to participate in making some bails, stumps and dolls at our Friendly Days,
please contact the writer if you are able to assist.
Some racing cars and locomotives received their first coat of primer.
Positions Vacant:, Anyone who can use a roller or paintbrush at our Friendly Days, please contact the
writer if you can assist. BYO gear.
Next Friendly Day:
Tuesday, 26th June 2007.
See you amongst the shavings,
John Field
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Create Your Own Captions! -

Answers - Thinking Caps Can Now Be Off.

A. 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 16, ? What number replaces the question mark?
Answer: 20 (add 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4)

Share them at Show & Tell

Dates to remember ...

Guilio Marcolongo
22 June - Central Coast WoodturnersA
23 June - Southern HighlandsB
24 June - Western Blue MountainsC
25 June - Western Blue MountainsC
22 to 24 June are demonstrations and 25
June is a workshop limited to 8 places.
For bookings: A:4388 267 Ron
B:4684 3146 Bill C:9638 6995 Anna

B. Which number is the odd one out?

9678 4572 5261 5133 3527 6895 7768
Answer: 3527: in the others the sum of the first two
numbers is equal to the sum of the second two numbers, for
example 5+2 = 6+1
C. Identify two words (one from each set of brackets) that
have a connection (analogy) with the words in capitals and
relate to them in the same way.
GRAM (energy, weight, scales)
KNOT (water, rope, speed)
Answer: weight, speed

October Changes - Maxi-day

Our Annual Craft Fair will be held during
the third weekend in October (20th and
21st) and the Maxi-day will move to the
fourth Saturday (27th)

D. Which is the odd one out?

heptagon, triangle, hexagon, cube, pentagon
Answer: cube: it is a three-dimensional figure. The
rest are all two dimensional figures.
E. able, rot, son, king
Which word below shares a common feature with all the words
above?
line, sit, take, hope, night
Answer: take: all words can be prefixed with PAR to
form another word parable, parrot, parson, parking, partake

10

Christmas Party (Date Change)

Date: 4 November 2007 - Sunday
Venue; Sylvania Bowling Club
Time: Lunch 12.30pm
Contact: Alan Shoebridge, 9522 0682

Function Calendar

esulting from Workshop Committee Meetings, Cubby

House members are invited to attend the following
functions.
Should you wish to attend any of the extra functions listed,
please telephone the respective contact person/s.
Visitors and other Guild members most welcome to join
us! Just phone the President regarding attendance and catering.

July 26, 2007 Thursday Mini-Day

Venue: Cubby House
Theme: Hands-On Turning & Toys Day.
Contact: President.
August 1, 2007 Wednesday Mini-Day
Venue: Cubby House
Theme: Hands-On Turning & Toys Day.
Contact: President.

President, Ken McEwen: 9528 7571

August 8, 2007 Wednesday Mini-Night

Venue: Cubby House
Theme: Hands-On Turning Nite.
Contact: President.

The Committee meets from 9:30am on the days shown

as Workshop. All members are welcome, however,
there is no turning on that day. If you have something
to contribute, please come along.

August 13, 2007 - Workshop

Venue: Cubby House - Contact: President.
August 18, 2007 Saturday Maxi-Day (AGM
& Election of Officers)
Venue: Cubby House
Host: David Johnson
Theme: Miniatures

June 21, 2007 Thursday Mini-Day

Venue: Cubby House
Theme: Hands-On Turning & Toy Day.
Contact: President.
June 26, 2007 Tuesday
Friendship-Day
Venue: Cubby House
Theme: Hands-On Toy Making Day.
Contact: John Field, 9525 4653.

August 23, 2007 Thursday Mini-Day

Venue: Cubby House
Theme: Hands-On Turning & Toys Day.
Contact: President.

July 4, 2007 Wednesday Mini-Day

Venue: Cubby House
Theme: Hands-On Turning & Toys Day.
Contact: President.

August 28, 2007 Tuesday

Friendship-Day
Venue: Cubby House
Theme: Hands-On Toy Making Day.
Contact: John Field, 9525 4653.

July 11, 2007 Wednesday Mini-Night

Venue: Cubby House
Theme: Hands-On Turning Nite.
Contact: President.

September 5, 2007 Wednesday Mini-Day

Venue: Cubby House
Theme: Hands-On Turning & Toys Day.
Contact: President.

July 16, 2007 - Workshop

Venue: Cubby House - Contact: President.

September 10, 2007 - Workshop

Venue: Cubby House - Contact: President.
September 12, 2007 Wednesday Mini-Night
Venue: Cubby House
Theme: Hands-On Turning Nite.
Contact: President.

July 21, 2007 Saturday Maxi-Day

Venue: Cubby House
Host: Bernie Richardson
Theme: Kids Things
Contact: President.

September 15, 2007 Saturday Maxi-Day

Venue: Cubby House
Host: Adriane Dyt
Theme Annual Ladies Day
Contact: President.

July 24, 2007 Tuesday

Friendship-Day
Venue: Cubby House
Theme: Hands-On Toy Making Day.
Contact: John Field, 9525 4653.

Regards
Mal Function

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