Saturday, September 26, 2015

Toy Workshop 9-26-2015

Reminder - we will be having a Toymaking Workshop on Saturday 9-26-2015 from 9 am to noon at the SHOP at the CLUB FOR BOYS.  See you then.  Bob B

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Attendees (14):
Darwin and Lauree Buus, Richard and Margaret Rasmussen, Rollie Lynde, Lon Gose, Ed Pike, Al Oines, Harley Schmadeke, Bel Felix, Kathie and Bob Buchanan, Frank DiCesare, and Grant Coffin.

Rick Weisbeck, and Danny and Mary Green worked at Rick's Shop this morning - turning out parts for rockers on the CNC router.  Rick again this week provided another box of wheels and axles ready for assembly.

Stations today included Airplane Wheels Installations, Helicopter Building, Final Assembly of Busses, Crayon Vans, and Oldies, preparation of Cradle parts, and Locomotive Building.  As we did last week, we set up a router table for rounding over the edges of numerous vehicles and push toys, a RIGID edge belt oscillating sander for initial rough sanding and shaping, and a drill for preparing items for scroll sawing, and for drilling holes for installing axles and rotors.

PT Cruisers were sanded by Rollie on the oscillating sander.  Ed fired up the scroll saw and cut seats and backs for the rockers.  Several options for the Locomotive wheels were discussed and plans made to finish them.  Wheels were installed on crayon vans, airplanes, soccer vans, busses, and worms.

Toy Parts exchanges today:  Harley returned 3 boxes of completed critters that he had sanded and routered and are ready to put in the cloth bags.  Cradle bottoms were given to Frank for milling and sanding.

Toys packaged and ready for inventory today included 26 caterpillars, 89 buses, 95 airplanes, and 52 crayon vans.  Toys will be placed in inventory by Rick Weisbeck.

Items completed today - 262 toys packed and moved to storage. (9-26-2015)







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Saturday, September 19, 2015

Toy Workshop 9-19-2015

Starting September 19th, 2015, we began the first of our marathon workshops - being conducted every Saturday morning for the next two months.  We met at 9 am to noon at the Club for Boys Shop on Saturday morning Sept 19th..  We will have workshops each weekend until we meet our goal of  building and storing 2,000 toys.  We will pack and distribute the toys on Dec 5, 2015.

Attendees:
Danny and Mary Green, Darwin and Lauree Buus, Richard Rasmussen, Rollie Lynde, Lon Gose, Ed Pike, Al Oines, Harley Schmadeke, Bel Felix, Kathie and Bob Buchanan, Steve Larson, Frank DiCesare, Grant Coffin, and Julian Wigen.  Rick Weisbeck provided a ton of wheels and axles ready for assembly, as well as helicopter rotors, and airplane fuselages.

Stations today included Airplane Construction, Helicopter Building, Final Assembly of Busses, Crayon Vans, and Oldies, Cradle parts prepping, and Locomotive Building.  Other areas were set up with a router table for rounding over the edges of numerous vehicles and push toys, a RIGID edge belt oscillating sander for initial rough sanding and shaping, and a drill for preparing items for scroll sawing, and for drilling holes for installing axles and rotors.

Toy Parts exchanges today included receipt of 20 completed quilts for the cradles from Margaret Rasmussen, a large box of critters ready for the bags from Danny and Mary Green, five boxes of first cut critters and other vehicles from Darwin Buus, 1/4" stock for cradle bottoms from Rick Weisbeck.  Handed out to Steve Larson were 3 boxes of tugboat parts, 5 boxes of stock for making blocks for the blocks bags to Danny Green, Pre-cut bag material for 20 bags to Mary Green, 3 boxes of critters for sanding/routering to Harley Schmadeke.

Toys packaged and ready for inventory today included 18 oldies, 133 busses, and 36 helicopters. Toys will be placed in inventory by Rick Weisbeck.

So - good progress today - 187 toys packed for inventory.
Grant and Julian constructed over 125 airplanes today.

Mark Kline of the Club for Boys dropped by to welcome us to our first day of the marathon.

THE WHEEL INSTALLATION TEAM consisted of Laurie, Richard, Bel, Harley, Mary and Danny.

Al was prepping the locomotives for their stacks, Ed was scrolling a number of toy parts, and Lon was building helicopters.

Kathie was adding bags of crayons to the 100+ crayon vans.

Darwin was rough sanding toys, and Rollie was rounding the edges of a large number of toys.


For more information about the Toy Workshops, contact Bob Buchanan at (605) 348-2865 or Rick Weisbeck at (605) 431-7478.  Or go to our website at www.sdwoodworker.org.

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Click on the link below to learn more about the Rapid City Woodworkers Association activities on the main page of the website:




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Friday, September 18, 2015

Christmas Toy Making Begins this weekend!

Starting September 19th, 2015, we will begin holding workshops every Saturday morning for the next two months.  We will meet at 9 am to noon at the Club for Boys Shop each Saturday morning.  We will end when our goal of 2,000 toys have been built and finished and are ready to pack.  We will pack and distribute the toys on Dec 5, 2015.

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Press Release for the RCWA Toymaking Workshops – September thru Dec 2015

The toymakers in the Rapid City Woodworking Association (RCWA) are gearing up for a series of workshops during September, October and November.  This will be the big push to build and finish wood toys for delivery at Christmas.  One of the purposes of the Rapid City Woodworking Association (RCWA) is to enhance the quality of life for underprivileged children of the Black Hills.  This is the purpose of this special year around Toy Program for making and distributing handmade holiday gifts and toys to charitable organizations in the local area.  Members work year around in their own garages as well as in bi-monthly Saturday Toy Workshops to produce quality wood toys.  Before Christmas, the toys are distributed to various organizations in the area.
Workshops will be held Saturday mornings in the Club for Boys Shop from 9 am to noon.  The Club for Boys is located near the Civic Center - at 320 N 4th Street, Rapid City, SD.  Phone number is (605) 343.3500.  Our point of contact is Mark Kline. 
We will be starting September 19th, 2015 and continue each Saturday thru the first week of December from 9 am to noon.  Call Bob Buchanan at (605) 348-2865 or Rick Weisbeck at (605) 431-7478 if you have questions.

This year we are planning to build and give approximately 2,000 wooden toys to The Club for Boys, Women Against Violence (WAVI), Youth and Family Services, Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity, The Hope Center, Love, Inc., all in Rapid City, the Airmen and Family Readiness Center at Ellsworth AFB, The Cheyenne River Youth Project in Eagle Butte, and Needs Free in the Sioux Falls area.

If you want to help build and assemble toys for the Toy Program, we can always use an extra hand.  If you have the skills for running a scroll saw, we can use your help as well.  If you can help between now and Christmas, call Bob Buchanan at 348-2865 or check our website http://www.sdwoodworker.org/ for more information:  If you want to help with donations, we can always use wheels and axles to make toy vehicles.  Monetary donations can be mailed to our RCWA Treasurer, Julian Wigen at 3010 Morningview Drive in Rapid City, 57702.  

The mission of the RCWA is to promote woodworking safety, skills and knowledge, for the amateur, professional and student craftsperson.  The RCWA was formed to meet the needs of the woodworkers in the Rapid City area.  We meet on the 2nd Monday of the month at 7:00 p.m. at the Our Redeemer Lutheran Church at 910 Wood Ave in Rapid City.  We cordially invite men and women of all ages who have an interest in woodworking to attend our meetings.  No experience is necessary for membership.  Membership dues are $25 a year.  Please come and share the experience, ideas, techniques and the mutual enjoyment of creating with wood.

The RCWA is a local chapter of the South Dakota Woodworkers Guild.  The RCWA exists for two main reasons: (1) To exchange information that will enhance the enjoyment and skills of woodworking; and (2) To promote woodworking as a hobby, as a profession, or anywhere in between.  This includes promoting woodworking safety, teaching and helping other members, enhancing the quality of life for underprivileged children of the Black Hills by making and distributing Wooden Toys to charitable organizations in the local area, and supporting community service organizations thru volunteer woodworking activities. 


For more information, contact Bob Buchanan at (605) 348-2865 or Rick Weisbeck at (605) 431-7478.  Or go to our website at www.sdwoodworker.org.

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Click on the link below to learn more about the Rapid City Woodworkers Association activities on the main page of the website:



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Scroll Saw Special Interest Group - Sept 17, 2015

Attendees:  Darwin Buus, Danny Green, Rick Weisbeck, Rollie Lynde, Bob and Kathie Buchanan

Topics of the Evening:  Discussion on cutting earrings from thin wood, and Christmas ornaments.
Conducted a TOY inventory prior to the meeting.





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Thursday, September 10, 2015

SHOP TOUR IS THURSDAY at Dakota Craft

The  week is going by quickly, so here is a quick reminder that we will be having a Shop Tour at Dakota Craft on sEPT 19TH, Thursday morning at 10:30 am. The address is 2135 Dakota Craft Dr, Rapid City, SD 57701.  (It is located near Cabella’s.)  Meet there for the tour. The tour of this truss-making company will last about a half hour and then there will be time to ask questions.  

Dakota Craft collects and donates scrap wood to us for our Toy Program - all the 2 x 4s and 2 x 6s used for the program comes from Dakota Craft.  At least 75% of the wood used for the toy program is 2x4s and 2x6s.  Julian Wigen has been coordinating the wood collecting and prepping for the Toy Program for the last several years.  The employees see him coming and they load up his vehicle very willingly and generously.   However, Julian will soon be re-locating to smaller living quarters, and will be donating his super-planer to the RCWA.  We will soon be needing someone to take over the role of wood collecting and/or prepping.  This is an important job, so think about this and keep this in mind as you go thru the tour.  Thanks.  See you Thursday morning!

Here's some more information about Dakota Craft from their website:

For three decades Dakota Craft has partnered with builders and delivered Lumber, Building Materials, and Structural Building Components across the Northern Plains Region.

We are proud to have served a strong, prospering area, alongside good people. Thanks to all of you we have worked with, and thanks to the great communities we are a part of. Our region continues to stay strong and the North Dakota oil boom is fueling growth. Dakota Craft is optimistic about the future, and plans to be a solid partner in the community for the years to come.

*As your partner we can supply your job with cabinets, windows, decking, shingles, siding, and everything in between. Serving North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, and Wyoming.






Photos from the Tour:



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Click on the link below to learn more about the Rapid City Woodworkers Association activities on the main page of the website:




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