Left to right: Dave Bassham, Marshall Dougharty, Kelly Adams, Butch Willinger, Frank Hunter
Joni Matthiessen
As our Woodshop membership has hit an all-time high with over 250 members, it is more important than ever that all our new members attend a safety training class. Regardless of whether a person is a lifelong woodworker or someone who hasn’t ever been in a shop, we require all new members to attend this class.
Dave Bassham is currently our president but will be handing the reins over to Kathy Dial on Jan. 1, 2023. Dave usually starts the training sessions by giving an introduction, and then Frank Hunter takes over. Frank is one of the original homeowners who got our woodshop started way back when the Ranch was just beginning to grow. Our “Superman” Frank wears many hats in the woodshop, as he is also on our board of directors and handles all the financial business for the club, and besides the hats, he also has his very own “Superman” cape, thanks to Joey and Kitty Misiaszek! Frank leads this very important class often, as we continually have new members joining us.
This last class had three new members who spent a couple of hours with Frank going all around the shop and getting valuable safety information, as well as some hands-on training on all the equipment the shop has to offer. The group started with the planer to understand how to safely start prepping wood, then they went to the jointer to square off the sides. After that step, they learned about the table saws, the bandsaws, compound miter saw, and eventually getting to the various sanding equipment we have available. Throughout the class, they moved to each piece of machinery, so each new member got information on how to safely use the shop.
We also offer a mentor program to new members who need help along the way. If requested, they are paired with a club member who has experience in whatever the new member wants to make. If you haven’t been to the shop or have an interest in seeing what all is available to our residents, stop by and look for the person in the yellow safety vest. Whenever the shop is open, there must be a monitor on duty, and they are always available to answer any questions anyone might have. Stop by and see us. Lookers are always welcome to come see what all is going on there!