FAQ

1) Where are we located?

The new location at the Broad Street Baptist Church at 3809 West Broad Street just west of Dale Mabry between the traffic light intersections of Hamilton (to the south) and Waters Ave. (to the north) will alleviate all these concerns. We will also have storage space were we will be able to keep our club items including the how to video tapes that members can check out.
Attached is a map of the new location. ----> MAP

2) How often do we meet?
Once a month on the 3rd Thursday of the Month

3) How much are the yearly dues?
Dues are currently $25 per year and include the member and a spouse. They are due the at the first meeting of the year.

4)What happens at a typical meeting?
Don’t know if we ever have a typical meeting but here goes. After the meeting is called to order the president goes over old business, financial information and any new business. Next is the “Show and Tell” section of the agenda where you get to show off your current work to the club.

This concludes the formal part of the meeting is over and we usually have some type of demonstration by one of the club members on a turning technique to help educate us on different projects and ideas.

Each meeting is different and we constantly look for new ideas or techniques to bring to the members....... do you have an idea or like to share with the others, just let us know............

5) How do I get started in Wood Working
The short answer is that it depends on what you want to do. Wood worker’s come in all shapes, sizes and ages and projects range from very small to huge, so there is no easy answer. Come to one of our meetings and we’ll be glad to answer your questions and get you started. The club is a place for beginners as well as experienced wood workers.

HISTORY OF THE WOODCRAFTERS CLUB

It all started outside the Bayshore Baptist Church one fine Florida morning in 1981. Lem Connelly, Bob Evans and Bob Bigby met together while working for the “Meals on Wheels” program. While out in the parking lot waiting on their meals for delivery, they realized in their discussions, that the three of them shared a common interest in woodworking. They agreed it would be fun to try to organize and meet with other amateur woodworkers for the purpose of sharing ideas and experiences in woodworking. Two weeks later the first Woodcrafters meeting was held at Lem Connelly's shop on a Thursday night. That first meeting Included a record turn out of six people. Present were Lem Connelly, Bob Evans, Bob Bigby, Dr. Louis Lubet and two other gentlemen. Lem Connelly was unanimously selected as the club's first president at that first meeting. The Woodcrafters have been meeting on Thursday night a month, usually the third Thursday, ever since.

Originally the Club was an informal association of a handful of amateur woodworkers taking turns meeting at each other's shop or house once a month. Annual dues were $5.00 per year to cover incidental expenses. But word of the Club soon got out, and the news spread quickly. Soon the Club had to limit Its membership to 30 people, as that was the maximum most of the home shops could accommodate for the meetings.

Then on a day in late 1982, Lem Connelly and Bob Bigby were in the Porter Cable store speaking with Lynn Keiter. Another gentlemen, Wayne Canady happened to be in the store and overheard their conversation. Wayne explained he was the shop teacher at Blake Junior High School and he would be happy to allow the Woodcrafters to use the school's woodworking shop one night a month for their meetings. The Woodcrafters accepted, and held their monthly meetings at Blake Junior High School every month for many years. It was the availability of the school's woodworking shop for the Woodcrafters meetings, which has allowed the Club to grow from its six original members to well over 100 members.

It was In 1985 when the Woodcrafters Club first became associated with the Florida State Fair. That year, two men from the Florida State Fair approached Bob Evans, then president of the Club, had inquired if the Woodcrafters would be interested in participating in the Fine Handcrafted Furniture exhibit at the Fair. Bob agreed, and thus was born a wonderful relationship, between the Florida State Fair and the Woodcrafters Club.

The Woodcrafters Club became incorporated in 1991 as a nonprofit corporation, and is now formally known as the Woodcrafters Club of Tampa, Inc.. In addition to the members personal woodworking, the Woodcrafters have became involved in charitable community work through their handmade toys program. In 1984, the first year the Woodcrafters made toys for charitable donation, 50 handmade wooden Christmas toys were donated to a local battered children's program This charitable work has continued to grow each year. In 1991, the Woodcrafters received local newspaper and television recognition for the more than 1,000 wooden Christmas toys that were handmade and distributed to the under privileged children of our community. In 1995, more than 2,500 toys were made and distributed to needy children and families. In January of 1998 the meeting location was changed to the David M. Barksdale Center at 214 North Blvd., Tampa, FL. 33606.

In May 1999, the Club was recognized nationally by "Woodshop News". A group of 10 to 15 stout hearted ambitious Club members, led by Steve McGee, is helping Tampa make a connection between its past and its future by restoring a 1923 Single Truck Birney Safety Car.

While the membership of the Woodcrafters Club has soared from six, at the first meeting in 1981, the purpose of the Club has remained unchanged. An organization of men and women with an interest in woodworking and a desire to share the common bond of friendship and knowledge.

The club currently meets at the West Broad Street Baptist Church in Tampa, 3809 W. Broad Street, on the third Thursday of the month. The new facility allows the group to grow and provides an additional opportunity to further the purpose of the club, that of education and giving to the community.