West Coast Roundup

September 10-12
The Greater Vancouver Woodturners' Guild is pleased to announce the West Coast Roundup, an International woodturning symposium, which will be held September 10 through 12 at the Sheraton Guildford hotel, Surrey, BC. This event will cater to all levels of turning enthusiasts. The presenters are Richard Raffan, David Ellsworth, Lyle Jamieson, Jacques Vesery, Michael Werner, Vernon Leibrant, Joe Fleming and Martin Thorne. For registration and information, please contact Marco Berera (604 274 7594) or visit them online.

"Our goal is to provide beautiful writing instruments for our military stationed in foreign countries who are in harm's way. Every Freedom Pen that is delivered serves as a constant reminder to our troops that they are not alone and will have our continued support until every one of them returns home."

How Can You Get Involved? A good place to start is to visit them online, or you can call Sawmill Creek at 757-591-5300.

The Freedom Pen project

We spoke with Aaron Koehl of Sawmill Creek during March and he told us that the Freedom Pen Project "is going stronger than ever, receiving corporate sponsors, official Dept. of Defense endorsements, national media attention, and tons of pens rolling in!"

This is an all volunteer effort spearheaded by the members of SawMill Creek Woodworkers Forums. It's goal is to provide custom hand crafted pens to American servicemen and women overseas. They welcome anyone who is interested in the project and willing to donate their time, talent or services

Who Makes The Pens?
Freedom Pens are being made by individual woodworkers everywhere. Amateur woodworkers are donating their time, talent and personal funds to create custom pens as a symbol of their support for our military men and women. This is not an endorsement of any political policy whatsoever: it's just a way of letting these magnificent young people know that we remember and cherish them.

Building a Woodturning Lathe
by George F. Farrell, Dollmaker
This article is reproduced, with the permission of the author, on the Web site of the Musical Instrument Makers Forum, an interactive forum for the discussion of musical instrument construction, design and repair.

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