A Message from our Prez,Thomas Scurto-Davis:
Keystone members,
In light of the extension of social distancing and stay-at-home policies put in place by Governor Wolf, we did not have an April meeting. However, we’ve come up with an alternative we want to try out.
On Wednesday, April 29th at 7pm, Keystone Woodturners will be holding its first, remote meeting. We will be using Zoom and the meeting will open 6:30 to give folks a chance to say “Hi†and work out any technical kinks. (We recently held a board meeting using Zoom and it worked well for the 9 participants.) The focus of this first meeting will be show and tell. Having recently implemented the “Crit Table†at our in-person meetings, we will be continuing that procedure for this meeting. Here’s how it will work:
– Please email me directly ([email protected]) by Monday April 27th to let me know that you have something you want to add to the show and tell.
– Show and tell will be done on first come/first serve basis, and your email notification to me will dictate the order.
– If you’d like to have your work critiqued please let me know that as well. If you want your work critiqued and can send pictures of it to me, please do that as well, (though this is not required).
– Each turner participating in the show and tell will have a few minutes to talk about their work and show it to the group (so make sure you have it with you when you sign into the meeting).
New to Zoom?
Don’t fear – it’s super simple to use! I’ve stolen a quick tutorial from Bucks Woodturners (of which I am also a member) to help those of you who may not be familiar with Zoom. (See How to use ZOOM at the bottom of this mail). The great thing about remote meetings is that, since we are all sitting around the house waiting for this thing to be over, we can meet whenever we want. So we’re gonna give Zoom a shot and if it works out, perhaps we will have more frequent get-togethers.
A Few Other Things…
Carol Hall and I have a bet going. She put out a challenge to club members to post to our Facebook page in the hopes of keeping you all engaged in the club and each other. So far about 5 folks have posted. I’m not going to tell you who bet what, with regard to how many people would post something, but either way, we both win, because in a strange twist on the idea of a personal bet, whichever one of us wins has to provide a gift to the loser (ensuring an Win-Win)!
Cross Club Collaboration – I am also investigating the possibility of a club exchange for the upcoming months. There are several ideas floating around, but basically I am looking for a club outside our area and perhaps outside of our country who would like to interact with us via Zoom and turning. This is a great time to reach out to the broader turning community and see how others participate in this crazy craft. I’ll keep you all posted on my progress, and if you have any brilliant ideas about who to reach out to, I welcome suggestions.
If our Zoom call on the 29th goes well, you can expect more of them and perhaps even a remote demo or two, so your feedback on our first call will be helpful.
Wood Auction – I don’t know if we’ll be back in time for the wood auction, but please squirrel away some nice pieces of something for when we do eventually hold the auction (just make sure its covered in Anchorseal to prevent checking as we wait).
President’s Challenge – Clearly, $20 isn’t inspiration enough to get you all to complete and submit an inside-out turning, so I’m upping the ante to $30! Create an inside out turning and post it to our FB page. Best turning as judged by me (Hey, it’s my 30 bucks!) gets 30 greenbacks from my pocket when next we meet in person!
Anchorseal – Finally, if you’ve swung by Joe’s to get Anchorseal during the shutdown, or if you grabbed some before the “troubles†and neglected to pay for it, please send an email to Gary Johnson ([email protected]) to let him know, so that we can collect on the back end. (BTW Gary, if you’re reading this, I owe the club for a gallon myself).
That’s all for me, for now. Don’t forget to check out the Zoom information below if you want some help figuring it out.
Thomas
How to use ZOOM
| Never Video Conferenced Before? Don’t worry, it’s easy. You just have to click in a link (underlined set of letters and numbers that make up a web address) that’s provided in the invitation and you are in the meeting. Thanks to Joe Nestlerode of First State Woodturners, here’s some background information you can use to familiarize yourself with Zoom. They held their first meeting last week, had about 38 attendees, and it went went off without a hitch. Their membership sat back, got comfortable and enjoyed the meeting from the safety of their homes! You will be able to join this meeting using a variety of devices: iPhone / Android smart phones,iPad / tablets,laptops, ordesktop computers.We recommend using the largest screen you have available. If your computer does not have a webcam, that’s fine – we won’t be able to see you, but you can still see all of us. If your computer doesn’t have a microphone, that’s fine, too. As long as you have speakers, you’ll be able to see and hear others. Also, there is a chat function, so you can type in comments and questions that everyone will see in the sidebar, or chat privately with one of your mates. If you want to join the meeting on a smart phone or tablet, that’s great. All modern smart phones and tablets have front-facing cameras and microphones, so you’re good to go, though a computer equipped with a camera will create the best experience for users. You do not have to have a Zoom account to attend a Zoom meeting. You will be prompted to download the software once you have clicked on the meeting link that will be sent to you. You may also wish to create an account, but that is not required to participate in a Zoom meeting. You can download the Zoom software prior to the meeting, if you wish. Also, you can view a one minute video on how to join a Zoom meeting. You can also join the meeting by phone if you don’t have speakers or a microphone with your computer. Instructions on how to do this will come with the invitation. |
| Want to Try Video Conferencing Before the Meeting? We encourage anyone who hasn’t used Zoom to try it out before the meeting. Click here to let us know you’d like to be part of a small group trial. That way you can test out your computer, camera, microphone and get familiar with the controls before the meeting. Rick Baker put together these Zoom Instructions that you might find helpful to have on hand. Once you get the hang of video conferencing, you may want to use the Zoom free application to talk with friends and family. |