Volume VII Issue 3 - FALL 2009

NEWS

 

BHSW Opens New Gallery


Belle Fourche's mayor, David Snyder (right), holds one end of the ribbon and BHSW program director John English holds the other while Meg English wields the oversize scissors that opened the new art and furniture gallery on the School's campus. Also present were Teresa Schanzenbach (Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce, far right), Councilman Tim Bennett (Hawiian shirt), and several friends and area business owners.

  

Shown at left is the ribbon cutting for Gallery 97 which opened on the campus of the Black Hills School of Woodworking this August. While the sales floor features an eclectic mix of media including stained glass, fine art and sculpture, there is a strong emphasis on wood art, especially intarsia, carving, furniture and turning). The gallery has attracted work from across the country because the Black Hills plays host to almost five million tourists each year.

Current exhibits include work by Bruce Shinn (Montana), Mark Koons (Wyoming), Duane Taylor (Oregon), Bob Rosand (Pennsylvania), Joaz Hill (Maine), Bill Tarleton (California) and numerous regional and local artists. The gallery is open during regular business hours and also most weekends. Call 605-591-2947 for more info, or visit the gallery online.

Keep up with New Zealand's Woodturners

Chris White, editor of the South Auckland Woodturners Guild newsletter "Turning Talk", send greetings from cool South Auckland (it's winter down there). The monthly publication is called Turning Talk, and brings members and interested turners around the world up to date on the doings of the guild. To receive the newsletter online, simply let Chris know by e-mail that you'd like to be signed up. Or visit the Association's Web site to see galleries of the members' work, such as Mike Lewis's "Captured", from the 2009 Royal Easter Show (shown at right). You can also visit the South Auckland Woodturners Guild online.

  

General's Retro-Fit Riving Knife Kit

General Manufacturing has developed an industry first, an aftermarket conversion kit that allows owners of their two 10" saw models to install a riving knife. These splitters have become highly prized by woodworkers because they tilt, raise and lower with the blade, so there is no need to ever remove them from the saw. The kit works with General's Model 350 (Right tilt ) and 650 (left tilt ) 3HP cabinet saws. For 5 HP motors, modifications to the motor shaft will be required (contact General technical service or your local distributor for details).

The kits, named 350RNK or 650RNK respectively, will retail in the US for $599 and can be ordered through any stocking retail distributor of General/General International products. A complete list of distributors can be found on their website.
  Because of the major re-design of the saw that was required to incorporate a true riving knife that raises and lowers in tandem with the blade, this retro-fit does require a fairly complicated partial disassembly, swap out of some of the major internal components, and then re-assembly and re-alignment of the saw. Due to the technical nature of the work involved, it is recommended only for those who have a higher level of mechanical aptitude or a background that includes experience with machinery repair.

The kit will allow owners of older General 350 and 650 saws such as educational institutions and small to medium sized shops who either want or are required to upgrade their saw to include this latest safety device, to do so without having to buy an entirely new saw.

Innovative Cutter Rental Program Ends

L.R.H. ENTERPRISES, INC. is an American owned company manufacturing American made products in Chatsworth, California. The company makes cutting tools for serious, discriminating woodworkers, and one of its innovations this year was to test a pilot program called Rent-A-Cutter. The concept was sound, but the reality proved a bit bumpy and the program was not continued past its June deadline. However, this industry leader has probably inspired other manufacturers to explore the option, so we'll probably see more rental programs soon. The idea was that, when a shop needs to mill a specific profile for a single job, it would be a lot less expensive to lease a cutter than to buy one that might sit on the shelf for years. Instead, the company has decided to continue to help shops cut costs with their new insert tip tooling line. To learn more, visit LRH online.

  

 

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