This Octobers meeting of the Watergap Woodturners wsa held as usual at the Wood Studio at Peters Valley Craft Center. Dan Moore was going to demonstrate how he turns an edged burl but the meeting conversation ended up being a talk about pricing our work and design. It was a very interesting meeting. Dan passed around some of his collected pieces of wood and burls and asked what we would make out of them.

The end product

Here is the end product. I sell these at galleries and gift stores. It's good practice to have a smaller wares you can put into production and sell at gift stores. It helps compensate your income.

Tea Lights

I

make these tea lights as a production porduct. The body is made out out mahogany, some are made out of Juniper and some cherry. The base is made out of Aluminum and the top is perforated steel. Here is a batch in production. They measure 4 inches square and are mitred on the corners. They are rabetted top and bottom to fit the screens and bases. I use 3 different jigs to make them.

Hand Plane

Each October the Blacksmith Department at Peters Valley Host a Pig Roast and Iron Fest.
There is an Auction of tools, etc where all the proceeds go the Blacksmith studio. This year I made a wooden hand plane and donated to the blacksmith studio for this event. The plane body is made out od hard maple.

Home sweet home

Sometimes during the winter it can be impossible to get up to the wood studio at Peters Valley due to the ice on Thunder Mountain road. This year I'm a little better prepared, I finally set up the garage and turned it into a small wood studio. Dick, the blacksmith Department Head at Peters Valley made me a small wood stove. It works very well and is a good way to get rid of small scraps.

Auction Tables

Each year in November Peters Valley host its annual Auction and dinner. Department Heads like myself usually submit some work. This benefits Peters Valley and ourselves as we get a percentage of the price. This year I am submitting some small teal lights I make as well as two shaker style end tables.
The tables are made out of walnut, have tapered legs and a curly maple drawer front. I tapered the legs on the jointer. I hope to finish the tables later this week.

Peters Vallley Craft Fair

Steve Antunucci of the Watergap Woodturners demonstrates some of his turning techniques for the crowd at the annual Peters Valley Craft Fair at the State fair grounds. This annual event is hosted by Peters Valley Craft Center and is one of their most important fundraisers. More than a hundred vendors participate in the two day event.
This years event went well, it only rained one day.
Steve is teaching a two day workshop in woodturning at Peters Valley in the summer of 2010. Full details will be available on line in December at www.petersvalley.org. Thanks for
the great demo Steve

End of the season.

Well- The summer workshop season came to a close on September 15th. All in all it wasn't a bad season. We were affected by the bad economy but it wasn't too bad. It is always good to see old friends and make new. Here is the wood studio cleaned up and ready for the next season. I always enjoy the view looking out from the wood studio.
Now the wood studio is available for me to make my work during the off season. My first project is to make a couple of traditional shaker style end tables for our annual benefit auction. Most of the proceed go to Peters Valley. We get a percentage of the sale so it is a good way to kick start the off season and make ends meat.
The tables are made out of walnut with curly maple drawer fronts. The table have tapered legs that I tapered on the jointer.

Opening

The opening of the exhibition was a great success. A lot of people came through the gallery that evening, unfortunately nothing sold but I did get a lot of press. Thanks again to Jennie at Traillworks for all of her help and effort in making the event possible.

Here are a few images from the evening. My son Quinn enjoyed all of the people. Here we are with my friend Bruce Dehnert. Bruce heads up the ceramics department at Peters Valley. The top image is of myself and gallery owner Jennie Traill Schaeffer who did a painting of the bread boxes.