The President's Corner - May 2011

 April’s meeting featured John White, (former manager of the Fine Woodworking Magazine shop) discussing wood movement as it relates to the proper setup of woodworking machinery. During the weekend workshop he presented on just how to adjust and fine-tune the tablesaw, planer, jointer & bandsaw.  It was a really good workshop, even though we were in the tornado zone and lost power for most of the time. Thankfully there was no damage to Mark Keglers’ shop, but it did add something to the experience to be deciding which of his machines each of us was going to hide under.  

At our last meeting, we recognized Jim McNeil for his monthly efforts in setting up the meeting area before most of us arrive. Like some of you, I expect, I never really gave a thought to the fact that the chairs and tables are in place when we arrive, but Jim and his team are there every month to be sure things are ready.

Since our last meeting, our Board met to handle a variety of matters. The most important to most members is a new dues structure. The issue that caused us to restructure is this: it takes 6 months or more to collect dues which are due for all memebers on August 1st. While we engage in a several month compaign to prepare our mebership for the renewal date, some members just forget or put off payment. Most do not realize that late payments create a great deal of work for our Membership Chairman, Treasurer, & Newsletter Editor. Reminders must be sent to those who are late, if one choses to renew with that notice membership lists must be revised and sent out to appropriate parties. As it stands now we have renewals coming in at various times during the year which creates repeats of notifications going out to several members to make sure your needs are met (receiving your newsletter, posting your payment, and renewing your badges).  

One option we considered was instituting a penalty for late payment, but we don’t like the sound of a penalty. What we decided is that we would rather give a benefit to those who pay on time, or at least by August 30th. However, we couldn’t afford to reduce the club’s income, so we had to increase dues by the amount of the benefit. Does this sound like a late payment penalty in sheep’s clothing? Well it is. We decided to raise the dues by $5 to $40/year and at the same time to give a $5 discount to people who pay by August 30th. So, if you always pay on time there is no change for you; you will still pay $35 ($40 - $5 = $35). If you have been late in paying, you have a chance to keep your payment the same by paying on time, and if you don’t pay by August 30th you will have to pay $40. Let’s think of this as an incentive to pay dues on time. It sounds nicer. And, it will help reduce the workload for some good unpaid club workers. 

In May, we have another particularly good workshop with Glen Huey, Senior editor of Popular Woodworking Magazine, on the subject of Router inlay. I am happy to say the workshop is a sellout. As you know, I think these workshops are one of the greatest beneits of TWA membership and it’s great to see them being utilized. Do not forget that this is a Friday meeting not Tuesday -- so mark your calendar. 

My last item for this month: I am asking members to invite people who would enjoy our club to come visit & join. We aren’t suggesting a hard sell, but I am sure we all know a few people who would enjoy the club and us a group, so please invite them to a meeting. To that end, we will have lyers available at the next meeting for you to give to your guests. 

Thanks, and I hope I will see you on Friday, May 20. 

President: Allan Campbell