Wood Chips
Newsletter for June 2026
Carving days: Wednesdays 10am-2pm at Art & Soul, Sebastopol
Second Saturday carving/potluck June 13th, 10-2p
Greetings Fellow Carvers! Summer is almost upon us, and some days it even seems like it might be
true. Entry books are out, electronically only, for the Sonoma County Fair. We’re once again in Adult Fine
Arts. There are several class options that we woodcarving types can enter, so let’s show the county what we can
do! I am strongly encouraging everyone to enter at least one piece! The entry fees are nominal ($5, and for the
first time you can be reimbursed by the club for up to three entries!) You even get a pass into the fair to see your
pieces, and the competition. This is a several dollar value, so if you enter a few things, you automatically break
even and have all kinds of fun, even if you don’t win a ribbon. And should you win…suffice it to say, there are
some cash prizes. Entries (on-line only) close June 30th, but you don’t have to turn in the pieces until July 22
& 23rd! noon-7pm. So, go ahead and enter something that you can finish in the meantime. Challenge
yourselves!!! Judy Hess reports that if you are unable to, or are uncomfortable with online entries, the Fair
office will help you out. Let’s have a good entry volume again this year so the fair knows how pleased we are
to be there! We will have a demonstration table inside the building which is lots of fun and has generated a few
new members. The fair runs from August 7-16th, so we’ll need lots of volunteers (who will also receive passes
to the fair). I started a signup sheet, so check your calendars and fill it as you can. Thanks!
Second Saturday in May was at my home. We were a smaller than usual, but cheerful, group – happily
chatting and carving in the backyard. Our friend Joanne Carrol had shared a picture of a flock of silly geese,
or maybe ducks, so I cut out ten of them, which most folk chose to carve. We were happy to welcome several
people we hadn’t seen for a while: Julie Thomason, Lynn & Leornard Riepenhoff, and Gabe Shain, who
also brought his mom, Jenny, to visit.
In June, we’ll gather at Judy Hess‘ place for our Second Saturday carving/potluck on June 13th 10am – 2pm. There is no project yet planned, so as always, bring your tools, something to carve and something tasty to share for the potluck.
July will be hosted by John Braschi and Nona Estabrook volunteered for August, but subsequent
Second Saturdays are still unclaimed.
Our Pyrography sub-group met as usual on the 4th Saturday of the month, which is always fun. There
are arbitrarily only eight spaces available, but they are rarely all taken, so if you’re interested in joining us, just
let me know. I have one of the club burners and my spare available for use if you are just starting.
What’s everyone been up to? Getting your Fair entries in, and the projects underway or finished, I hope!
Jo Broussard, in addition to her pyrography triumphs, is building a cabin on her property in Lake
County. She hopes to have us up for a Second Saturday when it’s done. Field trip!
Gabe Shain, happily finished with his studies at SSU for the summer, is back to carving with us and
shared his finished Ruddy duck. He carved it out of butternut and though he acknowledges that it might be
sacrilege, he decided to paint it, to good effect. It will be one of his many entries at the Fair, including his
Kestrel, which will be part of a sculpture.
John Braschi, who regularly serves as a docent at the Petaluma Adobe, recently participated in their
Living History program demonstrating carving. He had a great time talking to people and especially kids and
suggests that we may want to get involved as a club in the future.
I finished the two backscratchers that I had carved in Oakhurst. When I got around to putting my
collection of go-bys away, my frustration with the awkwardness of the display led me to totally reorganize the
gallery wall where they live, and I even created a rack for those carved horizontally. While I was in that mode,
I also made a rack to hang the various necklaces I’ve carved or otherwise created.
I carved one of the eagle faced feather blanks that Vicky Hopson had given Sharon & I at Oakhurst.
On one side I used a knife to make the feather feature, sort of like kolrosing, and on the other side I used my
wood burner, which worked out better in the face of paint. Vicky also gave us the one she had carved “way
back when” to use as a go-by and I made a pattern, so if anyone wants to do one, let me know. Otherwise, just a
few small projects this month and figuring out my Fair entries (6 so far..) one of which (the fair theme) exists
only on paper…
Our home base, Art & Soul Art Supply celebrated their 20th anniversary on May 30th and SCW
members Judy Hess, Gabe Shain and I were on hand to demontrate carving and pyrography outside on the
porch.We talked to people, passed out some flyers and generally had a fine time watching other demos and
taking in the art show that Nina’s students presented – our own Judy was especially well represented! The event
was very well attended, and featured generous sales on many items and there was a live broadcast by the
KRUSH, local radio station. All went well until I not so gracefully took a misstep off the platform and partially
dislocated my right shoulder and bonked my noggin…after hours at the ER, x-rays and scans I’m left with sling and a black eye and a involuntary hiatas from carving…Judy and Gabe and a host of other women were
wonderful, as were the lovely 1st responders…they must have been having a slow day because the seemed to be
a lot of them!
FYI: Many newer members might not know (and others of us might not remember…) that that we have
a rather vast supply of resources within our club. The SCW library is disbursed among several of us and
includes many carving books as well as general reference materials. I have the Ellie Nevin collection of bird
and animal patterns at my house, and there is an extensive collection of caricature patterns somewhere that were
donated to the club a few years back. The club’s wood supply is stored in my garage. If you have a project in
mind, ask! We’re happy to share and /or make suggestions.
Also, our club has a Koch sharpening system which lives in the cabinet and can be used whenever we’re
at the store. Please read the manual, solicit a demonstration and be checked out on the unit before flying solo. It
is much safer to carve with sharp tools! My tools will thank me if I heed that advice soon…
Thanks again to Joanne Carrol for sharing these with us!
Even small cuts need to be treated by Leslie Kantor
What carver has never suffered a cut in the pursuit of their work? It’s a small cut, no big
deal…or is it?
Cuts of all sizes, run the risk of infection. Cuts on the hand pose a higher risk of infection due to
the amount of bacteria that typically exists on the skin of our hands under normal conditions.
It is important to recognize that long-term complications from hand infections can occur,
ultimately leading to loss of function in the hand or
even sepsis. Some of the more common complications are described below:
Cellulitis — A skin infection that can cause skin redness, warmth, and pain. Patients with
cellulitis may have a fever, chills, or feel sick. Cellulitis usually happens around a break or cut
in the skin. The infection can spread rapidly throughout the limb or into the bloodstream, and
therefore prompt treatment is important.
Deep Space Infection — The hand is divided into many separate “compartments” or “deep
spaces.” One or more of these can become infected even from a small puncture wound. An abscess can form in the muscle area at the base of the thumb (thenar space), the palm (deep palmar space), or the web spaces between the fingers. These infections can spread to other areas, even to the wrist and forearm.
Tendon Sheath Infection — If a small cut or puncture wound occurs in a finger, especially near a joint on the palm side, the canal that the flexor tendon runs through can get infected. Prompt treatment is recommended, as this infection can cause severe stiffness or even destroy and injure the tendon. The tendon may rupture or become adhered to the bone or sheath, limiting or eliminating its movement.
These guidelines can help you care for minor cuts and scrapes:
- Wash your hands. This helps avoid infection.
- Stop the bleeding. Minor cuts and scrapes usually stop bleeding on their own. If needed, gently press the wound with a clean bandage or cloth. Raise the area above the heart until the bleeding stops.
- Clean the wound. Rinse the wound with water. Keeping the wound under running water will lower the risk of infection. Wash around the wound with soap, but don’t get soap in the wound. And don’t use hydrogen peroxide or iodine. Both can irritate wounds. Remove any dirt or debris with tweezers cleaned with alcohol. See a healthcare professional if you can’t remove all debris.
- Put on an antibiotic or petroleum jelly. Put on a thin layer of an antibiotic ointment or petroleum jelly to keep the surface moist and help prevent scarring. Ingredients in some antibiotic ointments can cause a mild rash in some people. If you get a rash, stop using the ointment.
- Cover the wound. Put on a bandage, rolled gauze or gauze held in place with paper tape. Covering the wound keeps it clean. If you have just a minor scrape or scratch, don’t cover it.
- Change the covering. Do this at least once a day or whenever the covering becomes wet or dirty.
- Seek medical care if:
- You see signs of infection on the skin or near the wound. These include expanding changes in color, increasing pain, drainage, warmth or swelling.
- The wound is deep, there is foreign material in the cut, you have trouble controlling the bleeding, or you have underlying conditions that would otherwise require medical care.
- You haven’t had a tetanus shot in the past five years and the wound is deep or dirty.
References
Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-cuts/basics/art-20056711
American Society for Surgery of the Hand; https://www.assh.org/handcare/condition/hand-infection
Happy June Birthdays to: Bert Flack, Kathie Stanley & Larry Woods
General invite: Should you find yourself at loose ends and in need of carving companionship of an
afternoon, give me a call – I am often out in the backyard or one of my carving spaces manufacturing
woodchips… T ( currently out of commission…)
Dates to remember:
Events
We’re on for a demonstration table at the Sonoma County Fair. I’m mentioning this now in the hopes
that you will look at your calendars and choose a volunteer slot (or two…) to fill in to support our fine club.
We have to cover at least 20 shifts in the course of the 10-day fair. It’s a lot of fun, plus you get a free pass
into the Fair. I’ll have the signup sheet with me until we fill it up – I hope not to resort to harassment as the
dates draw near…
July 22nd & 23rd turn in Fair entries noon – 7pm
July 11-12th – Pacific Flyways show in Sacramento at the Doubletree Hotel (www.pacificflyways.org)
August 7th – 16th Sonoma County Fair. Save the dates for shifts at our Demo table!
September 25-27th – 20th annual Bay Area Makers Faire on Mare Island. Big Fun!!!
Next year:
April 11-17th 2027 18th annual Oakhurst Woodcarvers Rendezvous
For more information contact: Dennis Ciccarelli #209-402-3583 or [email protected] or
Eric Jensen #559-580-7719 or [email protected]
Sonoma County Woodcarvers are Chapter 17 of the California Carvers Guild.
If you are not already a member, please consider joining the CCG, too. They support our club in many ways (insurance, grants, etc…) and certainly
appreciate any support we give in return.
Local Dates To Remember
June 13th second Saturday has been canceled
Saturday, July 25th Pyrography group. Rsvp required 1-3pm only 8 spaces.
As always, any comments, announcements, pictures, inclusions or classifieds should be directed to me at [email protected]
More Pictures From Theda’s
Happy Carving!!!, May the Grain be with you!
Past Issues
April 2026