How did they do it in the old days?
Members conduct woodworking demonstrations in the Daniel Parrish Witter Agricultural Museum each year for all 13 days of the New York State Fair. The Museum was built in 1928. The displays and demos performed in the Museum represent what it might look like in those days. As such, the club's demonstrations use equipment and tools with no electric power, just human power! Our 300 square foot demo area is filled with a club-built spring-pole lathe, a club-built treadle lathe, an original Seneca Falls Manufacturing treadle scroll saw loaned to the club for the demos, a loaned homemade shaving horse, and a traditional workbench. Our members uses these tools plus other traditional tools like chisels, knives, and planes to show how woodworkers made items 100 years ago without electrified tools! Each year 45-60 members from the age of 11 to 85 participate in our demonstrations over the 13 days demonstrating a wide variety of skills.
Two separate initiatives also happen during each Fair. The first one is a sale of tops which are sold to the public ($4 each). The proceeds from those sales are then donated to two or more local community groups. Each year members make the tops, most are turned but they are also scrolled. The number of tops we need increases each year as more and more fair visitors stop by to purchase the tops, including many who've purchased the tops for upwards of 20 years. Of late, we need at least 600, preferably 700 tops.
The second initiative is our annual fine woodworking raffle. Members donate projects which are then raffled during the Fair. The number of prizes is dependent upon what is offered by the members but generally at least 10. For 2023 we had 13 and for 2024 14. The funds received from these sales is used by the club to fund a new scholarship program and other club educational programs.
Many thanks to all who step up to donate raffle items, make tops, setup our demonstration area, volunteer during the 13 days, and help clear out our area on the Tuesday after the Fair ends. Volunteers are always welcome!
Two separate initiatives also happen during each Fair. The first one is a sale of tops which are sold to the public ($4 each). The proceeds from those sales are then donated to two or more local community groups. Each year members make the tops, most are turned but they are also scrolled. The number of tops we need increases each year as more and more fair visitors stop by to purchase the tops, including many who've purchased the tops for upwards of 20 years. Of late, we need at least 600, preferably 700 tops.
The second initiative is our annual fine woodworking raffle. Members donate projects which are then raffled during the Fair. The number of prizes is dependent upon what is offered by the members but generally at least 10. For 2023 we had 13 and for 2024 14. The funds received from these sales is used by the club to fund a new scholarship program and other club educational programs.
Many thanks to all who step up to donate raffle items, make tops, setup our demonstration area, volunteer during the 13 days, and help clear out our area on the Tuesday after the Fair ends. Volunteers are always welcome!
Prizes in Our 2024 Fine Woodworking Raffle
Click on an Image to View it Larger
Click on an Image to View it Larger
Images from the 2023 NYS Fair!
Images from the 2023 NYS Fair
Daily Staff Photos from the 2023 NYS Fair
Prizes in our 2023 Raffle
|
|
Prizes in our 2022 Raffle
