Southland ‘Wooders’ to Meet in Claremont

If you consider yourself a serious woodworker and you’re not spending at least part of the period Thursday through next Sunday at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, you’re not as serious as you thought you were.

The Southern California Woodworking Conference will be preceded by a 2-5 p.m. Wednesday artists reception in The Gallery on campus.

The list of artists and craftspeople--the line is very fine here, with lots of crossover--is really as “awesome” as Howard Lewin, one of the organizers, says it is.

Even non-woodworkers may recognize the name Sam Maloof of Alta Loma, one of the 23 participants. His furniture is in museums and private collections and the White House. He is the winner of last year’s MacArthur Prize, the first woodworker to be so honored.

Rude Osolnik of Berea, Ky., has an outstanding record as a woodworker and teacher. Max Krimmel of Boulder, Colo. has been a professional woodworker since the age of 17. Howard Lewin of Manhattan Beach is an outstanding woodturner who supevised the construction of rosewood (!!!) bridges in Southeast Asia.

Michael Dunbar, Ken Goldman, Todd Hoyer, Ron Ashby, Mike Chisham and Dave Reis, Clead Christiansen, Alan Dorr--the list goes on. Suffice it to say that this conference is the World Series and Super Bowl of woodworking.

The fee for the entire conference is $225, with one-day admissions at $80. California teachers who wish to earn continuing education credits should contact their local CITEC representative, Lewin said.

Housing is available on campus for $20 for a single room and $17.50 per person for a double.

Along with the demonstrations of proper usage power and hand tools by the 23 participating experts there will be a trade show featuring Ganahl Lumber; Craft Supplies; Glaser Engineering Co. (woodturning tools and chucks); Inca Injecta Machinery; Japan Woodworks; Liberon (cleaners, waxes, finishing products) and others chosen because their products are of “excellent quality,” Lewin added.

Video tapes of last year’s Woodturning Conference will be available for $25, he said. These feature Clead Christiansen, David Dempsey, Michael Hosaluk, Todd Hoyer, Dan Kvitka, Lewin, Rude Osolnik, Dennis Stewart and Alan Stirt.

Reservations should be made through Howard Lewin or Flo Bishop at Southern California Woodworking Conference, 264 Arbolada Drive, Arcadia 91006 or by contacting Lewin at his shop at 213/679-2485.