According to Jerry Foster :
wrote in message
ups.com...
I have just recentally gotten started in metalworking (have a 7x12
mini-lathe and mini-mill) and was looking for anyone in the Mobile, AL
area to possibly get a club started, but at least to be able to share
ideas and good places to get metal and stuff locally. Thanks
We launched a club in the San Jose, CA, area a few years ago and it seems to
have worked out well. It's fairly simple to do. I started the ball rolling
by "advertising" on this newsgroup for prospective members. Ten or so
signed up. One had a good sized shop and offered it as a meeting place.
After some e-mail back and forth, we settled on a night (2nd Tuesday, 7:00
PM). About a half dozen showed up for the first meeting. Things settled
out at about 20 members, ten to fifteen of whom typically show up on a given
night.
Exactly what happened here in the Washington D.C. area.
Our meetings are pretty informal; no officers, no dues. Everyone gets a
chance to show what he's working on, ask about problems, etc. Sometimes
guys get together on their own to work on a project or to check out a piece
of equipment (one guy came over and spent a half hour with my welder before
deciding to buy a similar unit...). Occasionally, someone arranges a tour
of something, etc.
Our group got a bit larger, and split into two -- one meets in
Northern Virginia on the third Tuesday of odd months, and the other
meets in Southern Maryland, on the third Thursday of even months. (Or
is it backwards from that? :-) The Virginia meetings are in a
community/governmental center, and the Maryland meetings are in a
library. Both venues are free to local groups, so we don't *need* dues
or a strong organization. Essentially, membership and joining the
mailing list are equivalent. :-)
A third subgroup seems to be forming in Pennsylvania.
We share a mailing list, and the annual yard-sale/picnic. No
dues. Notification via e-mail on the list. One person volunteers to
coordinate our talks. Usually, we have several people who will either
talk about their current projects (think "show-and-tell"), or about some
subject which was brought up on the mailing list.
There is also a CNC subgroup which meets fairly regularly, and
which gets together a presentation for Cabin Fever and Iron Fever, as
they are within semi-reasonable driving distance.
So -- just post here looking for people who are willing to get
together and go from there.
Enjoy,
DoN.
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