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Speaking At Woodworkers Club

Started by deepsouth.us, June 05, 2016, 09:48:32 AM

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deepsouth.us

I've been invited to speak at a local woodworkers club. It seems prudent for me to reach out to the ff family for your thoughts on this.

I'd assume that some of yall have done something similar. What type of content did you share and how was it received? 

For those that haven't spoken to a group, what would you, as a sawyer, share with a woodworking group if given the opportunity?

I'd also assume that some of yall are infact woodworkers. As a woodworker, what type of content would appeal to you as presented by a sawyer?

Timberking 2000

Brad_S.

Most woodworkers are clueless regarding lumber. Most are amazed when they learn the best material come from the outside of a log and gets progressively worse as you get farther into the log. Most assume the opposite to be true.
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." J. Lennon

Percy

You could hold up your hand so only your thumb, index finger, and little finger are showing, and say "This is how folks in our line of work order five beer"  ;D

Then of course talk about safety....
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

VTwoodworker

I have never spoken at a woodworkers club function but I have done some speaking related to my engineering day job.  First I would ask the club some basic questions such as how long the presentation should be, what is the experience of the audience, what they may be interested in, and find out logistics of the presentation space.

My suggestions:

Keep the prentation around 30 minutes.
Don't try to make too many important points.  What are 3-4 things you want them to take away.
Just like this forum people love pics.  If you can use slides to reinforce your points the audience will be more engaged.
Leave time for questions.
I assume they want to know how you make lumber.  When you look at a log what do you see and how do decide what cuts to make.  A sawyer could be a real resource for a woodworker as opposed to the people who wear orange aprons at HD.  I would throw in a story or two about the best log ever, worst hardware hit.  I think you could also talk about your equipment and even your business model as it relates to the woodworking interests.

Sounds like a great opportunity.  Good luck.

Wayne

fishfighter

I would talk about the process of milling and storage/care of the finish product. Most people have no idea how long it takes to air dry lumber. :o

woodyone.john

I would take along a bunch of business cards and some wood samples freshly dressed.
Saw millers are just carpenters with bigger bits of wood

deepsouth.us

Thanks for the replies, guys. I'm having more business cards printed as I was low on stock anyway. I'll be taking a pack of ERC lumber for the club to give away as a door prize.

Any further suggestions are certainly welcome.
Timberking 2000

WV Sawmiller

   Over the years I have become more and more comfortable talking to folks so first and foremost I'd say "Be yourself." Ask the person who invited you if there are any particular topics the group would like to discuss or questions they want answered.

   I'd do a brief intro about why I bought my sawmill, then I would talk a little about my mill including the maximum size I can cut (Diameter, length, board width, etc). I'd talk about what how I set up my mill including space requirements, level, access needs, and stacking issues as the wood came off the mill (directly on to a trailer, flat stacked to be moved with a forklift, etc.) I'd discuss common support items I take with me such as cant hooks, chainsaw, tool kit, spare bands and maybe a brief discussion about the different kinds of bands I use for different woods, etc.

    I'd talk about the different kinds of logs I have cut and the different characteristics. What is hard to cut, what is easy and why (Hard, sap issues, cross-grained, etc.).

   I'd discuss common characteristics of logs such as sweep, heart checks, taper, knots, etc. then discuss the steps of how I would typically saw a log. I'd discuss the first slab cut, flitches, the cant, edging, etc. I'd address end coatings for woods prone to checking and cover in good detail how to tack and sticker for air drying.

   I would tell the group to think about their favorite wood and why they like it. I'd tell them if they were taking logs to be sawed to think about the best length, what they wanted cut from them, special cuts such as crotches or cookies or carving blanks, etc.
I'd discuss briefly air drying vs kiln drying.

   I suspect the above would likely have used up most of my allowed presentation time  then I'd open the floor for questions and hopefully get a good back and forth. If they were slow to ask questions I'd ask them about their woodworking projects and what was hard, what was easy and what they had learned about working with different kinds of woods, etc.

   Good luck. I hope and trust it will go well.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

warren46

I have made a presentation at my woodworkers club and I spent a bit of time discussing flatsawn, rift cut and flat sawn lumber and the differences between them.  This can include a bit about why flatsawn boards may cup as opposed to rift or quartersawn.  What parts of furniture should be flatsawn and where to use rift/quartersawn (panels vs rails and stiles for example).  Also include some drawings showing where the best lumber come from in the log.
Warren E. Johnson
Timber Harvester 36HTE25, John Deere 300b backhoe/loader.

GAB

All of the suggestions listed so far I consider good ones.
You said woodworkers, also remember that wood turners are also wood workers and their interests are different.
If you can bring samples and pass them around especially some flat sawn and Qsawn red oak showing the ray flecks I believe that would be very good.
Also, you may want to advertise that you will resaw pieces/slabs if someone desires (your option).
I've done some resawing, and I like the boss there so they can make the decisions as the process procedes.
I had one individual who brought two 4" thick cherry slabs thinking they were flat when in actuality they had 3/8 to a 1/2" of twist.
He made the decisions as to how to clamp it and then where to pass the blade.  He left with thinner pieces than he originally wanted but they were flat.
Unless you can make it very interesting a half hour may be long enough.  Make sure to stay and answer questions after the program or meeting is done.
Be prepared to politely answer some pretty !@#$%^&* questions,without belittling anyone as that could make a big difference in the future.
GAB
W-M LT40HDD34, SLR, JD 420, JD 950w/loader and Woods backhoe, V3507 Fransguard winch, Cordwood Saw, 18' flat bed trailer, and other toys.

opticsguy

I would bring a really nice board or two or three or a short slab and have a drawing at the end of the class.  Some one will walk away a very happy person and everyone in the class will remember............
TK 1220 band mill,  1952 Ford F-2, 1925 Dodge touring, too many telescopes.

deepsouth.us

Thanks to all above for chiming in on this. I believe the speaking event was indeed a success.

I kept the speach relatively short, and the format was as follows.
-brief history of sawmills(11th century to modern bandsaw mills)
-specs, capabilities, etc of my bandsaw mill
- 4 ways to saw lumber from a log and the advantages/disadvantages of the different techniques
- my products and services
-Q&A

The Q&A proved to be both fun and informative in that we touched on nearly everything that wasn't in the meat of the speach. While I didn't keep up with time, I believe the Q&A probably lasted twice as long as the meat.

Speaking of meat, the club bought dinner for both my wife and myself. My favorite kind of bbq is the free kind.

Prior to closing the meeting the club drew numbers from a hat for the well rounded array of prizes we brought.
-45 bf ERC lumber
-30 bf quarter sawn white oak
-live edge red oak plank
-poplar turning chunk
-white oak burl

A good time was had by all. However I doubt anyone at the meeting had more fun than I did. Such a joy it was to spend time with a group of highly engaged kindred spirits.
Timberking 2000

GAB

Glad to hear all went well.
Those are the types of events that you may or may not get business from.  You never can tell.
If you did a good job, you will be remembered for a long time.
Sometimes giving a little comes back to you and then some.
Gerald
W-M LT40HDD34, SLR, JD 420, JD 950w/loader and Woods backhoe, V3507 Fransguard winch, Cordwood Saw, 18' flat bed trailer, and other toys.

WV Sawmiller

   Congratulations on a successful outing. It had to be successful - you said you had fun. I hope it continues to pay big dividends and you continue to get invited to speak at other places.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Magicman

Sounds like you had a very successful evening, congrats!!
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

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