Summary of Woodworkers Challenge November 1, 2012

Sawdust & Woodchips Woodworking Association
Summary of Woodworkers Challenge
November 1, 2012
Written by Barbara Raymond-LaPrease
Photos by John Meloling
F
or the seventh year, our November meeting was our annual Woodworker’s
Challenge. We had 39 projects entered, 11 more than last year! Participation
was up also with 28 members entering projects, 2 entered 3 projects, and 7
entered 2. Excellent the increased participation! If you entered inn 2012, you will
enter again next. If you did not enter, we hope you are inspired to enter next!
What a great group of projects were shown in all six categories – furniture, accessories, scrolled projects,
turned projects, toys, and what-not!! Thanks to everyone who participated. Here is a super-sized review of the
event with photos of entries and participants for each category!
Results for the What Not category were the first announced. Eight members participated. Bernd Krause’s
walnut, spruce, and bubinga dulcimer won first place. A sapele Asian-inspired candle holder created by Jason
Wrench received second place. A cherry and maple scrolled bun tray by Tony Baleno received third and a
cherry ornamental turned box by Jeffrey Cheramie won fourth. Receiving Honorable Mention awards were
Mic Jenkins for a cherry slab clock; Mike Shuron for a painted pumpkin; Stan Wiley for a walnut, cherry, and
birds-eye maple plane; and Jim Yonkers for his unique egg sculpture of pine, cherry, and ash.
What Not Category Participants
3rd – Tony Baleno
4th – Jeffrey
Cheramie
HM – Mic
Jenkins
1st – Bernd Krause
HM – Jim
Yonkers
2nd – Jason Wrench
HM – Mike
Shuron
HM – Stan
Wiley
The second
category
announced with
only 3 participants
was Toys. The
maple and walnut
front-end loader by
Bruce Meissner
won first place.
Second place was
won by Wilbur
Chatterton for his
cherry, non-tipping
rocking horse. An
old-fashioned toy,
the Will o’ Wisp,
created by Larry
Stoner won third
prize.
Toy Category Participants
2nd – Wilbur
Chatterton
3rd – Larry
Stoner
1st – Bruce Meissner
With six participants, the Turned category was announced next. A maple hollow vessel with a brown ebony
finial lid turned by Mel Taber won first prize. Jeffrey Cheramie’s Mopani ornamental turned small bowl won
second. Third prize went to Jim Yonkers for his poplar vessel with its woodburned iguana. 
Bob Norton’s cherry and walnut turned vase received fourth prize. Honorable Mention awards were
presented to Rod Castle for his rosewood and oak crush grind peppermill and Charlie LaPrease for his horse
chestnut bowl.
1st – Mel Taber
2nd – Jeffrey
Cheramie
Turned Category Participants
3rd – Jim
Yonkers
HM – Rod
Castle
HM – Charlie
LaPrease
4th – Bob
Norton
Our fourth category, Scrolled, had 7 entries. A painted and mounted floral fretwork of ash with approximately
900 cuts won first prize for Bob Henry. Second was received by Tim Basile for his mahogany floral bowl. A
pair of crotch walnut eagles by Barbara Raymond-LaPrease won third prize. The walnut piano music box by
Phyllis Eckenrode received fourth place. Honorable Mention ribbons were awarded to Sue Allen for her
painted scarecrow, Tony Baleno for his crotch walnut bear fishing plaque, and Jim Yonkers for his kinetic art
moon face piece.
Scrolled Category Participants
2nd – Tim
Basile
rd
3 – Barbara
RaymondLaPrease
1st – Bob Henry
4th – Phyllis
Eckenrode
HM – Tony
Baleno
HM – Jim
Yonkers
HM – Sue
Allen
The Accessories category contained 5 diverse entries Last year in the accessories category, Jason
Wrench won second prize for a very unique cherry and maple jewelry box. This year Jason presented another
unique jewelry box of maple and walnut and won first place. The lid is a 40 piece inlay of cherry blossoms
using black walnut, padauk, yellow heart and cherry and pivots on a dowel. The knobs are red rope. Jason
noted that he posts photos of his projects on the Lumberjocks woodworking showcase site (lumberjocks.com)
to obtain critiques from woodworkers outside of our area. Check it out!
The 4 other entries in the Accessories category
expressed a variety of skills, techniques, and concepts.
Jerry Sweeney presented a set of mixed hardwood
cutting boards and received second prize. A unique
clock constructed of maple and walnut using bent
lamination techniques was presented by Charles
Trabold and took third prize. As usual, Charlie’s initial
idea, generated at 6am, produced a second idea that we
will see produced in 2013. A spalted elm jewelry box by
Jerry Higby received fourth. Ron Frey received an
Honorable Mention award for his walnut and cherry flag
case he completed for a Korean War veteran.
Close-up of Inlay from Jason Wrench's Jewelry Box
2nd – Jerry
Sweeney
Accessories Category Participants
3rd – Charles
Trabold
4th – Jerry
Higby
1st – Jason Wrench
HM – Ron
Frey
The last category, Furniture, contained the most entries, ten. For the second time in three years, Terry Dote
entered a piece that received first place in this category. His half moon table of mahogany and veneers of
crotch mahogany and fiddleback maple includes carved legs that represent those of a prima ballerina. The
photo does not do justice to the beauty of this piece and its French polished finish.
Receiving second prize was a Sam Maloof inspired walnut and maple rocking chair constructed by Jason
Wrench. He added interest to the chair by inlaying a maple leaf in the walnut rocker back. Ron Frey presented
a walnut bench with 60 rungs in the back and patterned after George Nakashima’s Conoid Bench. The 125
year old walnut that Ron used was airdried. He received third for his entry. A butternut dry sink builte by Mike
Shuron received fourth prize. Six projects received Honorable Mention awards. John Anderson received
one for the oak cradle constructed for his niece. John is a new member and new woodworker. Tony Baleno
received one for his cherry candle stand constructed over 8-9 years. Richard Nelson, another new member,
received one for his walnut and maple roll around sewing cabinet constructed from plans found in Woodsmith.
A cherry candle stand used as a tool to learn thru mortise and tenon joinery garnered Larry Stoner his award.
The cherry Morris chair and accompanying footstool built by Jerry Sweeney earned him an award. Jerry
notes that if you want to fall asleep in 10 minutes, build one of these and use it! The last receipient was
Charles Trabold’s walnut and cherry dulcimer table constructed from walnut cut in 1960 from his property.
The piece was inspired by his wife, Rae, when she realigned two bent laminated magazine racks he built. The
drawer front conforms to the shape of the table top.
1st – Terry
Dote
Furniture Category Participants
4th – Mike
Shuron
2nd – Jason
Wrench
3rd – Ron Frey
HM – Jerry
Sweeney
HM –
Tony
Baleno
HM –
Richard
Nelson
HM –
Larry
Stoner
HM – John
Anderson
HM – Charles
Trabold
What an excellent collection of projects! You will note that we decided to expand our monthly newsletter to
allow display and a short discussion of each project presented during SWWA’s 2012 Woodworker’s
Challenge. Each year our December edition will be expanded as needed to highlight this wonderful event
since most receive their newsletter by email!
All rights reserved. No reproduction without permission.
Copyright, SWWA 2012