Spring has come early and I am sure you have all been out mowing and dodging the occasional frost and flying insects. The trees are budding, blooming and leafing out; those of us with allergies know spring is here.

In March, Randy Sanders showed us what is involved in getting trees down and cut. He showed us there is a lot more to harvesting wood than most of us knew. This month, at our May 12 meeting, we will hear from Jim Baumgardner about what is new in tools this year.

No matter if you’ve been in woodworking forever or have just started, learning about ways to save time, money or labor is interesting to all of us. Jim, the owner of our local Woodcraft store, will again bring us some inside information on the tools of our craft.

There is no time to lose; it will be Christmas again before we know it! Don’t forget to make the toys you vowed to make when you saw the great assortment of toys made by your fellow woodworkers at the Christmas party. The early spring low humidity and warm days are ideal for getting finishes to dry.

If you have something to show the group, please bring it for show and tell. This is a favorite part of every meeting and we all enjoy seeing what others are making.

Wow, here it is January, where did last year go? We had a great year in 2011. We turned in over 1800 toys at the Christmas party and I believe everyone had a great time.

Now we need to look ahead to 2012. We have our work cut out for the club. Those who make toys know that Christmas 2012 will be here before we know it, so start making those toys now. Avoid the rush and stress of waiting till the last minute.

Our members have volunteered to construct a podium for the church. We have been asked to help restore or conceal some damage caused by squirrels at our meeting site, the Spring Rd. Church of Christ. Several of our members are working weekly to construct dressers for the Furniture Bank. We have members making parts for the booth at the State Fair in the summer. I am sure more projects will surface so stay alert for something that may peak your interest. Get involved and support the club.

Speaking of the fair, soon it will be time for the booth at the fairgrounds during the February woodshow. I’m sure we will need volunteers for setup, operation and tear down. We are also looking for a chairperson to take over the coordination of the woodshow booth. If you are interested, please check with Jim Bossenbroek.

Oh, did I forget, we have a meeting soon! Yes, the first meeting of 2012. Man, it is hard to type 2012. We will have as our guest, Eric Matson, Director of the fine woodworking program at the University of Rio Grande in Rio Grande, Ohio. We will find out how this institution develops students into craftsman and artisans who create fine furniture. The program should be interesting and informative.

Hey, just because we are hosting a professional instructor from a noted institution, is no reason not to bring in your projects. Our members really enjoy seeing what you make. We all learn from and enjoy seeing what you are working on. So, please bring in a project that you have finished or are working on. Simple or complex, bring it in! You are among friends and you might be surprised how many others are interested in your project and the techniques used to make it.

WOCO Librarian John Herrel is working to update and maintain WOCO’s lending library – a wealth of resources for WOCO members. This is an enormous task.

If you have any books out or if you would like to donate items for the library, please see John at the January meeting so all book records can be verified. Thanks!