I reached out to our OTOW contact for the new shop requesting an update on the status of the new shop after the bomb shell in the last OTOW newspaper. Their response was ...
“We are going over new options, once I hear we’ll let you know.” I hope you take this as continued good news as I do. I will keep you informed as I get new information.
As for new information; I’d like to address an ongoing issue within the shop; that being storage of material. Rule #9 is shown at the end of this email.
Unfortunately, there is an increasing number of club members that are not abiding by this simple rule. The rule is in place to maximize available bench/shop space for the maximum number or club members as possible. The intent of the rule is to only leave active projects in the shop that can’t be taken home daily due to glue drying or other such circumstances. An “active” project would be considered one that is being worked on a minimum of 3 hours per consecutive days for no more than one week (5 days). No project should occupy more than one half of a bench when the member is not in the shop. Any excess material should be taken home daily if not in a clamping situation to maximize available workspace for other members. Sheet goods and large boards should not be stored around the shop due to cluttering and limiting access to machinery (think about the large dust collector)
Large scale projects MUST follow the procedures.
I am asking the newly formed rules committee to review the wording of this rule and suggest changes. Please reach out to the Rules committee if you have comments or suggestions.
Your Board REALLY doesn't want to start implementing corrective actions…. Please work with us to make the shop an enjoyable place for everyone to enjoy their craft.
9. Woodshop Utilization and Large Scale Projects
Woodshop Utilization
a) Members must identify unfinished projects and materials stored in the shop with their name, phone number, and date. Projects and materials should be grouped and stored to cause minimal interference with the activities of other members. Only projects actively being worked on can be left in the shop for a limited time, typically, less than one week.
b) Projects, materials, or supplies that are not noted with a member’s name, date, and phone number or left in the Wood Shop for more than one week without authorization may be declared as abandoned and removed.
c) Members must be aware that excessive use of equipment may adversely affect other member's use of that equipment. Such activities should be limited to the hours before 9 AM or after 4 PM
d) Per the By-Laws, Article 5, Section 5, the Board may restrict a member's use of the facilities for failure to follow these practices or engaging in activities which the Board deems is "excessive use of Shop assets" or which otherwise adversely affects the ability of other member's use of the Shop.
Large Scale Projects
As the Wood Shop does not have space for long-term storage of projects and materials, a member who intends to occupy more than 1⁄2 a bench top for more than 3 days must obtain prior approval to do so from the Board, using the procedure presented in this Large Scale Project (LSP) section.
e) Existing projects - When a member finds that their regular, in process, project, due to any circumstance, will exceed the above time and space criteria, they must -
Immediately reduce their working space to 1⁄2 benchtop (or less)
ii) If they are unable to reduce their space, then they must immediately remove their materials from the shop until work is approved
iii) Fill out and submit a Large Scale Project Request form per process outlined in paragraph “g”. Note that a member may continue to work on the project as long as they utilize no more than the 1⁄2 benchtop until their project is reviewed.
f) Planned large scale projects - Members should submit an LSP Request at least one month prior to their anticipated start date to allow for Board approval and member notice.
g) Approval process
i) Member fills out “Large Scale Project Work Request”, leaving it in the club drop-box or scanning and emailing to the club President
(1) President conducts a review and approval process with the Board
(2) The Board will follow-up with the member if any additional information is needed
(3) The Board will endeavor to complete the review process within 7 days and respond withapproval or rejection
(4) If rejected, the member may re-submit the LSP as long as the rejection criteria has been addressed.
h) General Membership Notification
i) Once an LSP is approved, the general membership will be notified as follows: Entry placed on the Wood Shop calendar; general membership notice sent out; and a notice placed in Woodshop
i) Project start
i) The M-A-L contact will, prior to the project start date, assign and reserve bench space commensurate with the request.
ii) It is the responsibility of the member to adjust their work plan to the available space upon starting and during work on the project.
j) Monitoring On-Going Projects
i) A Member-At-Large will be assigned as the LSP Board point of contact and will directly monitor the project at the shop and via the video system or on-site inspection.
k) Approved Projects that exceed Approved Project End Date
i) When an LSP over-run becomes apparent, and prior to the end of the approved LSP period, the member may request, in writing, an extension from their M-A-L contact.
ii) The M-A-L may approve, in writing, the extension if they determine there are no other project conflicts
iii) If there are potential conflicts the M-A-L will present the request to the Board for approval.
iv) The Board may act in the following manner
(1) Approve the extension and inform the pending LSP that their project will be delayed
(2) Reject the extension and provide a project resume date, whereby the member must remove his project from the Wood Shop until the resume date.
l) Unapproved Projects
i) If a member starts an LSP without prior approval, they will be required to immediately remove all project materials from the Woodshop and submit a request for an LSP.
Date:1/10/26
New Education Classes Now Offered
By now you may have heard that the shop needs to incorporate proficiency standards in order to safely use the equipment in the new shop so...
it makes sense to take some time NOW to develop or refresh your skills and abilities. It takes time to learn and become proficient using the power equipment in the shop so we urge you to brush up on your power tool skills by attending our education classes on each of the pieces of equipment you want to use in the shop.
The education sessions for the first quarter of 2026 have been posted on the Calendar. Members can go to our Calendar and sign up for the sessions they wish to attend. The sessions have limits set for the number of participants. Sign up is on a first come first served basis. The sessions will be repeated quarterly. The next quarter will be posted about midway through the current quarter.
These sessions are conducted in our shop, on our equipment and are interactive. They are a good way to increase your knowledge and skills (proficiency) on the machines that you use in your woodshop activities. It makes sense to develop your skills so your work is easier and the results are better. It is satisfying to move beyond the "That's good enough" operational level. The details and signup for these sessions are posted on the Calendar.
Jan 20 Router Table Machine basics with hands on
Jan 27 SawStop Machine basics with some hands on
Jan 29 What About Wood Review of wood and trip to seller
Feb 3 Planer & Jointer Machine use to dress wood demonstrated
Feb 5 Joinery 101 Basic joints reviewed and demonstrated
Feb 10 Joinery 102 Advanced joints reviewed and demonstrated
Feb 12 Sanders and Drill Presses Machine basics demonstrated
Feb 17 Sign up date for a 6 session series to build skills and make a portable plywood tool box
Mar 12 SawStop Machine basics with some hands on
Mar 17 Bandsaw & Miter saw Machine basics, includes some hands on
Date: 12/31/25
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
By now many of you have read Ken Colen's article in the monthly OTOW newsletter and are assuming the new shop is dead....
Nothing could be further than the truth! As the article indicated, the project is being "suspended" due to costs for excavating the proposed site coming in considerably over budget. OTOW has not communicated with the club in any manner since the final design review on December 17. We had heard rumor prior to the publication that OTOW was looking to locate the new building in a different location, but didn't know for sure why. We choose not to act on rumors or propagate them. We respect OTOW's commitment to building the new shop and their effort to find a more cost effective place to locate the new building. The relocation may impact the completion date. We remain positive going forward and all committees will continue making progress until we hear that the project is canceled. Even so; the majority of the newly formed committees will still be utilized even if the new shop for some unforeseen reason is cancelled. Going forward I hope that OTOW will communicate with us before we read about it in the paper, but respect their need to keep design and construction details private.
Date: 12/17/25
New Shop Needs Volunteers
Our new shop will not operate unless we do a LOT of work to make the move successful. In order to do that...
we are forming committees to report to the board. All of our committees are listed on our COMMITTEES page now on the website. We need your help, so if your willing to help on
any of these committees, please volunteer some amount of your time. Contact Kevin McCardle our Secretary to sign up for a committee at secretary@otowwoodshop.com
Date:12/13/25
Results of Annual Meeting
Our 2025 annual meeting was held on 12/13/25 and several important items were voted on ...
First, a vast majority of the attending members voted to raise the annual dues to $70. Starting immediately, anyone who wishes to renew their membership or to join the woodshop must fill out a NEW Membership Form
and add a check or cash in the ammount of $70. All renewals must be in by February 18th or your membership will EXPIRE!
The membership also voted in 2 members to fill both the Vice President and a Director. Ray Baker was voted in as Vice President and Lee Robershaw was voted in as Member at Large. We now have a full slate of officers.
If you would like to see the full presentation of our annual meeting, click HERE!
There was a long discussion about the new woodshop and all the work required to move into this facility. This work requires many volunteers and members to lead committees.
There is a new COMMITTEES page now on the website that describes what these committees are, their charter, and who at this time is on each of the committees. If you are interested in helping any of these committees, please contact our Secretary at secretary@otowwoodshop.com
Date: 12/5/25
Annual Meeting
The woodshop will hold it's annual meeting Dec 13th at 10:00 am ...
in the ballroon of the Rec Center. This is a very important meeting as we will be voting on dues increases, election of officers, discussing the new shop, and much more that affects your membership in 2026.
You will also be able to pay your annual dues after the meeting. To see the AGENDA for the meeting, click HERE! See you there!
Date: 10/21/25
Title: Board elects to increase dues
At the September meeting, the board elected to increase dues to $70. This is because ...
of the expected budget increases for machinery that will go into the new shop in 2026. The membership will vote on this proposal at the annual meeting on December 13th at 10:00 AM in the Rec center Ballroom. Therefore no dues will be accepted prior to the annual meeting. You can pay your 2026 annual dues at the annual meeting or shortly after.
Date: 10/16/25
Title: Website Updated
The newly formed website committee has been working diligently to provide an updated website. ...
This website will provide a newer, fresh look, as well as to better organize the information from the woodshop. The HOME page now has no information on it. It is basically designed for non-members to learn about the shop and is given information about how to join. Once someone becomes a member, they can login to the MEMBERS ONLY section of the site where they can see all the various documents we have, current and past newsletters, educational information, board member contact lists, and all the woodshop news blasts via our blog. We hope this new site provides more visibility into what is going on in the woodshop and keeps you informed of the latest updates.