Text Box: About UsText Box: What We Do We regard woodworking not only a relaxing hobby but it is extremely satisfying to produce an attractive and useful article through your own efforts. Also there is a willingness for members to share their skills with fellow members and thus everyone grows in their knowledge base which further enhances their appreciation of the hobby. The Mason Dixon Woodworkers membership dues are a reasonable $20.00 a year. Skill levels run from novice to highly skilled. We try to have a workshop every other month where one of the more skilled club members, or a skilled woodworker outside the club, will help members who sign up to acquire hands-on experience in a new skill. The cost is nominal to cover the cost of materials and $5.00 fee to the club’s general operating budget. A very popular class that we have had for several years is a Shaker Box Workshop. It covers a Saturday and Sunday and you build a set of 5 nesting boxes. Other popular workshops includes building a spoke shave, learning to create box joints for boxes and drawers, building a shoulder plane, building a set of sanding blocks, learn to create a hand dovetail joint, learn sharpening techniques, build a wooden parallel clamp, create a hand scraper and learn to use it for fine finishing. These workshops usually are Saturday morning and occasionally run into the early afternoon. Just recently we have also scheduled workshops on Friday to provide an additional choice for those who cannot attend a Saturday session. In addition to the shaker box class which is a two day weekend affair, the workshop to build a shaker table covers two successive weekends. If someone has an idea of a project that is of interest, they can talk to Ed Nock or Pat Lemley who serve a Workshop Co-chairs and they will try to put a workshop together. Pictures from the workshops showing the items produced can be viewed on the Workshops page. Obviously, major projects which require major time commitments can not be accomplished on a weekend basis. However, there is a talent level and a willingness to help where you can get advice on virtually any woodworking project that is of interest. Pat Lemley, who has a fine shop, graciously allows the use of his shop for most of the workshops while Dick Bowen allows the use of his fine shop for the shaker box classes. The size of the class is limited by the shop size and the availability of the necessary tools. If one is interested, it is imperative that you that you sign up early by contacting Pat or Ed whose contact information is listed on the Executive Board page of this site. Membership Meetings The Club has a general membership bi-monthly meeting on the 3rd Thursday commencing in January. The July meeting is an outdoor picnic and the November meeting is the annual banquet. The membership meetings are devoted to a program conducted by a skilled craftsman on a variety of woodworking skills, The club has some members who have a lot of experience in a wide range of woodworking and willing to share their tips and secrets that they have acquired with others. Members are invited to bring in their projects for a show and tell session. They explain what they have built, some of the skills required to build it and any other information relating to their project. Frequently they explain their inspiration for the creation. Many times it is a gift for a family member, or in some cases a donation for a non profit organization to raffle off to raise funds. Examples of projects that have been displayed at one of the Show and Tell sessions can be viewed on the Show and Tell page of this site. We also have a drawing for door prizes as well as a 50/50 drawing. No business is conducted at this meeting unless there is an item that needs membership concurrence. Meetings generally start at 7:30 P. M . and are over by 9:00-9:15 PM. Picnic As noted above, the July meeting is a picnic in the City Park in Delmar with the club providing hamburgers, hot dogs and sodas. Bill Jefferson, our resident chef, does the cooking honors. Those attending bring a covered dish to compliment Bill’s offerings. It is a family type outing held on a Sunday afternoon close to the 3rd Thursday which is our normal meeting time. This event has proven to be a good mixer in a relaxed setting where you not only swap stories with fellow woodworkers, but get to meet their spouses as well. Banquet The annual banquet is held in November and is a reasonably priced sit-down dinner catered by the VFW auxiliary. In addition to spouses, invitations are extended to those organizations that provide contributions to the ongoing toys program. A display of the toys is offered along with the recognition of the toy builders by Don Connell, the Leader of the toys program, . A Show and Tell session allows members to present their latest woodworking efforts. There are also gifts provided for the ladies followed by a 50/50 drawing. It offers a time to celebrate another successful year of the Mason Dixon Woodworkers. Executive Board Meetings The Executive Board meets on the alternate months for planning and policy decisions. Pat Lemley has graciously hosted the Executive Club Meetings in his shop to the rear of his home on Robinhood Drive in the Avalon Development. Essentially the Board Meetings are designed to handle the business aspects of the club so as not contribute to a lengthy General Membership Meeting. Other Things We Do On occasions we schedule visits to skilled craftsman at their place of business or shops to observe first hand. We are able to learn tips from them and further enhance our knowledge of various aspects of woodworking. Frequently such a visit will pique one’s interest in a skill that had not previously been explored. We have had past visits to, or hope to visit in the near future the following skills, business operations, or shows to improve our knowledge base , or to further hone our skills: Local cabinet makers Counter top fabrication shops Wood turners Amish craftsman General lumber dealers Woodcraft store in New Castle , DE. Timonium Woodworkers Show, Timonium, MD Bartley Classic Reproductions, Denton, MD Darren Casto’s shop (Harp Building) Snow Hill, MD Hearne’s Hardwoods, Oxford, PA Chesapeake Woodworkers Store, Millsboro, DE Several members are active contributors to Lumberjocks (A Woodworkers Blog) Visit Warren’s Wood Works in Easton, MD Miller Metal Fabrication, Bridgeville, DE Dover Windows and Doors, Harrington, DE Text Box: Getting Organized The Mason Dixon Woodworkers was formed in 1987 primarily through the efforts of Bill Patterson, who was active in the hobby and the club until his death on November 12, 2010. Bill had been involved in woodworking clubs before arriving in the Salisbury area and was interested in getting a group of local hobbyists together to form a similar club. A small group including Ed Nock, Merle Culver, Don Connell, Stanley Bradley and Dick Gladding came together to form the nucleus of the new club. All of these individuals were accomplished woodworkers. Thus the Mason Dixon Woodworkers has been a resource for woodworking enthusiasts for over 20 years. Origin of our Name The name of the club, Mason Dixon Woodworkers, comes from the boundary line separating Maryland and Delaware. Our meeting location is in Delmar, which rests on this line and has a Delmar, MD side and a Delmar, DE. side. The meetings are held at the Delmar VFW located on the MD side of State Street. The primary area served by the club is four lower Eastern Shore of Maryland counties, Wicomico, Worcester, Somerset and Dorchester, and Sussex and Kent Counties in Delaware. Community Service There is a Community Service component of the club covered in detail on the Community Service page. The club has recently received 501C3 status as a non-profit organization. This status as an IRS certified non-profit organization should help in soliciting funds to purchase materials that are converted into toys for Christmas distribution. At some point we are hoping to secure a larger and dedicated facility to serve as the toy making shop. Meanwhile our toymakers continue to utilize the shop where the whole toy making effort got its start...the Aydelotte workshop. To say this group is dedicated is an understatement. They are quite passionate and devote many hours to the production of a wide array of lovely toys for Christmas distribution. Examples of the toys that are built for distribution are shown on the aforementioned Community Service page. .

History of the Mason Dixon Woodworkers
Text Box: Bill Patterson “He Got Us Started”

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