,
February 26, 2025
CALCARVER JANUARY 2025
,
February 26, 2025
CALCARVER JANUARY 2025
CALCARVER JANUARY 2025
Mary-Leigh Doyle on February 26, 2025 at 11:51 am
Farewell Old Friend
John Beamish
It’s always hard to say good-bye, but our dear friend John Beamish left this world on his own terms. Only a week prior to his death on Saturday January 11th, he reached out to the club with one of his notes of positivity. He spoke of the excellent in home palliative care he was receiving and how at peace he was in that. He also sent pictures of his current carving project. He will be most fondly remembered for his huge contribution to our club keeping us connected as members and the club thriving during COVID. You can find John’s obituary here.
Featured Carvings and Meet the Members
John B, unable to attend meetings for a long time due to his failing health had not stopped carving. His latest project of the old woodsman taking a rest during the first snow of the season. One short week before we lost him he shared his tip: The “trees” are made with Monel fishing line, an alloy made up of 66% nickel and 31.5% copper with traces of other elements making it easy to solder. The colour in the trees is either nail polish or acrylic paint held in place by surface tension. John prefers nail polish but finds it so smelly! You can get tons of colours at the Dollar Store, even sparkly! Monel fishing line is on Amazon and a small reel will last a lifetime. Your editor thinks it would be great for bird’s feet as well.
Neil S. and Darien W, already hard at work, these two are our first ever “step father and step son” team!
Darien W.
Ken K, never shy to try something new, ventures into the world of chip carving.
Despite seeing to all of our needs at meetings, Jerry M, remains one of our most prolific caevers. His outhouses a perennial favourite with friends and family but his penguins are also sure to please.
Greg I. continues to make historical recreations on both a monumental and miniature scale.
President’s Message
Another successful year of the Calgary Carvers has rolled around, projects have been started and some have been finished. Friends made and lost. Thanks to all those that attended and participated in and donated goodies for our Tuesday night meetings. Thanks to those that gave ideas and assistance to those who needed it and contributed to fun times had by all.
On the topic of fun times Genevieve was almost always in the center of it, giving and taking jokes. Smiling from ear to ear and giving out warm hugs to those who needed or wanted one. She has moved on to a new endeavor that doesn’t allow her to be with us each week but hopes to be able to pop in from time to time. I know we all look forward to her visits. Good luck Genevieve we all miss you but are rooting for you with your new challenges.
Early this year we lost our lifetime member John Beamish who was an inspiration to our members and a contributing member of tips and tricks for our club right up to the end. John was the glue that kept the club together and in touch with each other through Covid over the computer. A big thanks to John for everything he did for us.
We have a few new members and some looking to join and some young blood which is nice to see. Someone to keep our art form alive. I have seen members eagerly helping the new people out and I know they will continue to get the assistance they need as we have a great group.
By the time this gets out we will be about 4 months away from the summer party- June 3rd. We have.had pizza, fried chicken, BBQ dogs and hamburgers and Mexican last year.I would like your input for this year’s menu. We could have BBQ steak and baked potato with chicken option for those not into steak . Of course steak is more costly than other years and I don’t have cost yet but will get it for what ever option our members would like. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE ON MENU THIS YEAR. THE MAJORITY RULES AS ALWAYS.
I have had the opportunity to visit spouses of lost carvers and they all have unfinished items the Carvers left behind. In the club I hear all the time from people that they have drawers and shelves with unfinished items and I have my share also.
So to see what we can do about this for the Christmas carving challenge this year we will have a DUST IT OFF AND FINISH IT UP contest.
You can enter 3 items, I’m not sure of prizes so far it will at least be same as last year. We will accept any donations Someone may have to donate for a prize. There may be a change in how first place is judged and you can not win more than one prize.
If you are a new member or are someone that has all your projects finished do not worry we will accept up to 3 of your projects that you complete this year. And if you are a wood burner or multimedia artist and have incorporated wood somehow we are happy to have your projects entered.
Now onto finances as of today we have $1683.71 in the bank and cash float of $100.00.
JERRY MURPHY
Keep carving and keep your fingers out of the way
Dig ‘Em Out and Dust Them Off
PRESIDENTS CHALLENGE 2025
Let’s face it, when you’ve been carving for any time at all, you’ve got unfinished projects. This may be just the motivation we all need to get those all but forgotten projects back out and turned into the masterpieces we all thought they would be when we started them.
Name That Tool
Keep scrolling to find out the answer!
Something of Interest: Frank Rauscher
Brought to you by our new member, Phil J.
As a keen new member of our club, Phil J, wanted to share a great tip with us and what a great tip it is. All our beginning and intermediate carvers are sure to enjoy and learn lots from Frank Rauscher. Frank readily admits to having switched to power carving for twenty years and has developed their use into a fine art. His in-depth videos walk viewers through specific and through instructions like no other. He teaches you how to use a Foredom Flex Shaft, Micro-grinders and woodburners alike. There is absolutely something for everyone in these videos. Well maybe not the chip carvers, You guys are a different breed altogether.
Most of us have followed step by step articles or videos at sometime and felt like “How did they get from here to there?” or “Did I miss something?” Not with this guy! Frank’s videos are in fact the most in depth you will ever find. He walks you through the selection of wood, drafting and transferring patterns to cut your blank all the way through to burning detail, sealing the project and then painting it.
As just one example of Frank’s readily available video series is his Goldfinch. In this series, which is 22 videos, yes, 22, ranging from 12 minutes to 54, he virtually holds your hand through the entire process.
Taking you all the way through to making feet and mounting the final project, Frank guides you through options and variations sharing his experience and the reasons for the choices he makes.
You can find this invaluable resource at his YouTube channel to find his videos in sequence.
Calcarver Family Album: A Random Sampling of Life in the Calgary Carver’s Club
Susie R’s owl and Kingfisher in progress. Patience is obviously a virtue when painting realistic feathers layer by painstaking layer
Natasha continues to impress as she further develops her woodburning skills. These little gems each only 3 inches in diameter:
Ted’s Golden Crown Kinglet making a friend and Gwen’s exotic wood fish.
Ken’s “firewood” maple bowl and elegant finials turned into art:
Carvings in progress and carvers sharing tips:
Genevieve H. left us for greener pastures or more accurately oceans, and her dream job working for the coast guard in Nova Scotia:
Chad M. carves traditionally but shares some very cool modern tools like his favourite saw with the finest teeth you could hope for. Howie C. ventures into the world of flat plaine carving:
Name that tool: universal square-framing tool, carpenter square for woodworking, smart square tool for carpenter, framing tool.
Help me serve you better
Send me your news and your photos! With your help, the newsletter will only get better. Please send me info on your events, news, and photos so that in upcoming issues, I can support you and keep the club updated.
If you have an idea for a story or a great article to share, send me those too.
Send your ads to create a classifieds section with woodworking supplies and equipment for sale.
I appreciate your help. Contact me here!
Mary-Leigh D.
CALCARVER JANUARY 2025
Mary-Leigh Doyle on February 26, 2025 at 11:51 amFarewell Old Friend
John Beamish
It’s always hard to say good-bye, but our dear friend John Beamish left this world on his own terms. Only a week prior to his death on Saturday January 11th, he reached out to the club with one of his notes of positivity. He spoke of the excellent in home palliative care he was receiving and how at peace he was in that. He also sent pictures of his current carving project. He will be most fondly remembered for his huge contribution to our club keeping us connected as members and the club thriving during COVID. You can find John’s obituary here.
Featured Carvings and Meet the Members
John B, unable to attend meetings for a long time due to his failing health had not stopped carving. His latest project of the old woodsman taking a rest during the first snow of the season. One short week before we lost him he shared his tip: The “trees” are made with Monel fishing line, an alloy made up of 66% nickel and 31.5% copper with traces of other elements making it easy to solder. The colour in the trees is either nail polish or acrylic paint held in place by surface tension. John prefers nail polish but finds it so smelly! You can get tons of colours at the Dollar Store, even sparkly! Monel fishing line is on Amazon and a small reel will last a lifetime. Your editor thinks it would be great for bird’s feet as well.
Neil S. and Darien W, already hard at work, these two are our first ever “step father and step son” team!
Darien W.
Ken K, never shy to try something new, ventures into the world of chip carving.
Despite seeing to all of our needs at meetings, Jerry M, remains one of our most prolific caevers. His outhouses a perennial favourite with friends and family but his penguins are also sure to please.
Greg I. continues to make historical recreations on both a monumental and miniature scale.
President’s Message
Another successful year of the Calgary Carvers has rolled around, projects have been started and some have been finished. Friends made and lost. Thanks to all those that attended and participated in and donated goodies for our Tuesday night meetings. Thanks to those that gave ideas and assistance to those who needed it and contributed to fun times had by all.
On the topic of fun times Genevieve was almost always in the center of it, giving and taking jokes. Smiling from ear to ear and giving out warm hugs to those who needed or wanted one. She has moved on to a new endeavor that doesn’t allow her to be with us each week but hopes to be able to pop in from time to time. I know we all look forward to her visits. Good luck Genevieve we all miss you but are rooting for you with your new challenges.
Early this year we lost our lifetime member John Beamish who was an inspiration to our members and a contributing member of tips and tricks for our club right up to the end. John was the glue that kept the club together and in touch with each other through Covid over the computer. A big thanks to John for everything he did for us.
We have a few new members and some looking to join and some young blood which is nice to see. Someone to keep our art form alive. I have seen members eagerly helping the new people out and I know they will continue to get the assistance they need as we have a great group.
By the time this gets out we will be about 4 months away from the summer party- June 3rd. We have.had pizza, fried chicken, BBQ dogs and hamburgers and Mexican last year.I would like your input for this year’s menu. We could have BBQ steak and baked potato with chicken option for those not into steak . Of course steak is more costly than other years and I don’t have cost yet but will get it for what ever option our members would like. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE ON MENU THIS YEAR. THE MAJORITY RULES AS ALWAYS.
I have had the opportunity to visit spouses of lost carvers and they all have unfinished items the Carvers left behind. In the club I hear all the time from people that they have drawers and shelves with unfinished items and I have my share also.
So to see what we can do about this for the Christmas carving challenge this year we will have a DUST IT OFF AND FINISH IT UP contest.
You can enter 3 items, I’m not sure of prizes so far it will at least be same as last year. We will accept any donations Someone may have to donate for a prize. There may be a change in how first place is judged and you can not win more than one prize.
If you are a new member or are someone that has all your projects finished do not worry we will accept up to 3 of your projects that you complete this year. And if you are a wood burner or multimedia artist and have incorporated wood somehow we are happy to have your projects entered.
Now onto finances as of today we have $1683.71 in the bank and cash float of $100.00.
JERRY MURPHY
Keep carving and keep your fingers out of the way
Dig ‘Em Out and Dust Them Off
PRESIDENTS CHALLENGE 2025
Let’s face it, when you’ve been carving for any time at all, you’ve got unfinished projects. This may be just the motivation we all need to get those all but forgotten projects back out and turned into the masterpieces we all thought they would be when we started them.
Name That Tool
Keep scrolling to find out the answer!
Something of Interest: Frank Rauscher
Brought to you by our new member, Phil J.
As a keen new member of our club, Phil J, wanted to share a great tip with us and what a great tip it is. All our beginning and intermediate carvers are sure to enjoy and learn lots from Frank Rauscher. Frank readily admits to having switched to power carving for twenty years and has developed their use into a fine art. His in-depth videos walk viewers through specific and through instructions like no other. He teaches you how to use a Foredom Flex Shaft, Micro-grinders and woodburners alike. There is absolutely something for everyone in these videos. Well maybe not the chip carvers, You guys are a different breed altogether.
Most of us have followed step by step articles or videos at sometime and felt like “How did they get from here to there?” or “Did I miss something?” Not with this guy! Frank’s videos are in fact the most in depth you will ever find. He walks you through the selection of wood, drafting and transferring patterns to cut your blank all the way through to burning detail, sealing the project and then painting it.
As just one example of Frank’s readily available video series is his Goldfinch. In this series, which is 22 videos, yes, 22, ranging from 12 minutes to 54, he virtually holds your hand through the entire process.
Taking you all the way through to making feet and mounting the final project, Frank guides you through options and variations sharing his experience and the reasons for the choices he makes.
You can find this invaluable resource at his YouTube channel to find his videos in sequence.
Calcarver Family Album: A Random Sampling of Life in the Calgary Carver’s Club
Susie R’s owl and Kingfisher in progress. Patience is obviously a virtue when painting realistic feathers layer by painstaking layer
Natasha continues to impress as she further develops her woodburning skills. These little gems each only 3 inches in diameter:
Ted’s Golden Crown Kinglet making a friend and Gwen’s exotic wood fish.
Ken’s “firewood” maple bowl and elegant finials turned into art:
Carvings in progress and carvers sharing tips:
Genevieve H. left us for greener pastures or more accurately oceans, and her dream job working for the coast guard in Nova Scotia:
Chad M. carves traditionally but shares some very cool modern tools like his favourite saw with the finest teeth you could hope for. Howie C. ventures into the world of flat plaine carving:
Name that tool: universal square-framing tool, carpenter square for woodworking, smart square tool for carpenter, framing tool.
Help me serve you better
Send me your news and your photos! With your help, the newsletter will only get better. Please send me info on your events, news, and photos so that in upcoming issues, I can support you and keep the club updated.
If you have an idea for a story or a great article to share, send me those too.
Send your ads to create a classifieds section with woodworking supplies and equipment for sale.
I appreciate your help. Contact me here!
Mary-Leigh D.