March 2010

Welcome to this issue of Creative Woodworks & Crafts! We've received many fine projects and Readers' Gallery presentations lately, and we continue to be amazed and grateful for the creativity flowing through all of our contributors.

It has always been our editorial policy to include in this publication only those projects which are new; i.e., not previously published in books or catalogs. However, we are making an exception to that rule of thumb in a small way. Recently, Joe Diveley and I were browsing through some early issues of Dirk Boelman's newsletter, Scroll Saw Chatter, and concluded that there were some real gems in there that we would like to "polish-up" and bring back via Creative Woodworks & Crafts; so, we pow-wowed with Dirk and agreed to do just that. In each of the next few issues of Creative Woodworks & Crafts, one Scroll Saw Chatter project will appear; however, we will supplement those presentations with more information, photos, etc., and we think you will find them worthwhile. The first such offering is on page 43 of this edition—three fretwork letter openers. Dirk obtained the patterns about 18 years ago from the late legendary fretworker, Carl Weckhorst, who had made tracings from the originals which are believed to be from Europe between the mid to late 1800s. Joe Diveley, who made the prototypes for us, has come up with an effective method for shaping the blades of the letter openers so that they work beautifully, and this process is shown in detail. We think these letter openers will make excellent gifts or craft show items and, of course, they are ideal for use in your home.

At Creative Woodworks & Crafts, we've often observed that "the pattern is just the starting point;" it's what you, the woodworker, do with it—how you bring it to life—which determines the beauty and impact of the finished project. Naturally, wood selection plays a vital role in this regard, and one of our contributors who has always emphasized this factor is Wayne Fowler. Look at Wayne and Jacob's "Pelican On A Pier" on page 16. Wayne chose to use a piece of Eastern Cottonwood crotchwood for this project and, when we received it, a big part of the "wow factor" was how the specific piece of wood Wayne used worked perfectly with Jacob's design. It's always you, the woodworker, who brings the pattern to life, ultimately making the difference between "that's a nice project" or "wow!"

It seems that Word Art has been quite popular these days, and this issue features two such projects: Paul Boer's "Bloom Where God Plants You" (page 6) demonstrates in a simple yet elegant way how a few well-chosen words can lift one's spirit, while Bob Valle's "Got Wood?" (page 10) is a just-for-fun project which is sure to elicit some smiles.

Another really good project which none of us has ever seen the likes of before is the Wilckens' miniature pool table (page 38). This one makes a great conversation piece, and should be a big hit at your local pool hall!

There's lots more in here, but I'm out of space, so let me simply wish you all health, happiness, and prosperity!

Sincerely,