Michelle Kouri
Our first Woodworkers Club meeting of 2026 on Jan. 6 had a great turnout. The meeting was held in the Turquoise Room of the SaddleBrooke TWO Arts and Crafts Activity Center. Because of the room size, our 24 members and first-time guests were a bit cramped, but it was still a spirited meeting.
After the business meeting, Michelle Kouri and Bob Hutton presented a short video for all members to learn how to navigate the club’s website sbwoodworkers.org. Michelle also noted that she has made many new entries under the website tabs to include an updated Club History, New Member and Service Projects in the SaddleBrooke community to include HOA requests, several articles published in both the Saddlebag Notes and SaddleBrooke Progress newspapers, numerous helpful articles in Safety Tips, and Calendar, Meetings, and Class updates. Members and non-members are encouraged to check them out.
Woodworkers and carvers Dan Williams, Charles Franz, John Hardin, and Phil Brackenbury were “Show and Tell” participants. Items on display were a segmented bowl, two jewelry boxes, a square bowl with drooping edges, two hand-carved wall plaques, walnut carved ducks, and segmented platter. Their talents demonstrate how an imagination can result in great creations. All club members are encouraged to share their work, ideas, and discoveries and to ask questions of other members via the website or during meetings.
Due to our club not having a dedicated shop area in which to gather, there remain at least two outstanding “service” projects which require a larger work space than a member’s garage shop. SaddleBrooke residents and Administration have asked if a club member would take on projects such as furniture repair or refurbishing or building a small wooden object that may make life a little easier for the owner, etc. In those instances, donations are always welcome to cover material and labor costs.
The Woodworkers Club meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 2 p.m. in the SaddleBrooke TWO MountainView Cactus Room. (A temporary change in location would be noted via member email and on the club calendar.)
Anyone from SaddleBrooke is welcome to sit in and consider if this is a club that is of interest to you. Experience in turning wood on a lathe or building a cabinet or box, etc., is not required. Members are eager to help newbies. Dues are only $10 a year.