Beads of courage boxes

Re: Beads of courage boxes

John K Jordan

I just got home from our club meeting (Smoky Mountain Woodturners) and the topic was making these boxes. This is a great project for someone who can make things and who also cares about children. Some of these kids go through SO much we probably can't begin to imagine.

They started by showing this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqfboMNNMWQ

The AAW is calling for turned boxes:

http://www.woodturner.org/default.asp?page=2015Charitable

I plan to start on my first box this week. Drue Hogland had a handout on these which will be on the club web site in a few days if anyone is interested. I'll post a link as soon as I get it.

Does anyone else turn boxes for this? I would love to see some photos for ideas.

Finding dry blanks big enough seems impossible. Those who have turned these: do you generally do segmented turning, rough turn green then dry? Drue had one he and made from a plywood glueup.

JKJ

I first learned about the Beads....... 

JamieDonaldson

..of Courage program while attending SWAT about 10 yrs. ago, and brought the program back to my 2 AAW chapters here in central Kentucky. My Lexington club had both a Dr. and RN who were members that assisted in getting the containers to the Univ. of KY Pediatric Oncology department, and we wholeheartedly believe in the efforts being great therapy for both turners and the patients. You really need to visit such a clinical facility to have your eyes opened about the value and need for this practice among turners. Here are 2 of the early containers I made.

And to really put a lump in your......

JamieDonaldson

...throat and a tear in your eye, just think how I took the news that 2 of my BOC bowls were used by the families as urns for the ashes of 2 children that didn't survive.

read and understood...

GaryG in MD

There's no other way to reply to your post...

except to encourage everyone to get out there and make some more. ...GG

along with Jamie...

GaryG in MD

...I would like to encourage everyone to consider getting involved with BoC.

Here's mine from last year -- a bit on the small side -- I'll do bigger this year.

The best one from our club was from a Beginner, Steve Haddix, but you'd certainly never know it from looking at it!

Re: And to really put a lump in your......

John K Jordan

One story related in the CBS/BoC video I linked (at about 5:17) was of a woman who lost her very young daughter - the beads continue to help, in this case to help the mother get through the day.

I can't watch that video without getting teary-eyed.

JKJ

Re: I first learned about the Beads.......

Sam Scalzo

The Nurse that started this progran lives here in Tucson,AZ. She has been to our club to talk to us.

Re: Beads of courage boxes

RPE1

The ceramic "Beads of Courage" button is available on their web site. 20 for $25, free shipping. I may start doing this.

RP

Re: Beads of courage boxes *LINK*

walta

We did not like the sound of the AAW/ BOC program from the wording I saw it sounded like some bowls would not meet there quality standard. Something else we wanted our bowls distributed in our local area. So we found a partnership with a local hospital and cut the AAW/BOC out of the loop.

The Woodturners of St Louis had a BOC challenge we made 25 that month and a few more over the few months.

Some hospitals use hand sewn cloth bag instead of bowl. My wife has made a few for a different hospital.

Walta


newletter

Re: Beads of courage boxes

Robert Lalonde

Thank you so much for all of these postings. They are very motivational.

We are interesting in encouraging our chapter members to get involved. Can anyone point me in the right direction to learn the process.

Re: Beads of courage boxes

Don Orr

Nice Sam-our club is starting with this project as well. I am an employee of the local participating hospital and have made the contacts to get our boxes to the kids. My wife is also making drawstring bags per the BoC pattern. These kids go through some terrible things fighting to survive, and they don't always. :-(

Beads of courage box - INFO

John K Jordan

Robert,

If you want to work with the AAW on this, here is some info:

http://www.woodturner.org/?page=2015Charitable

Our club is committing to 30 boxes - this is the first year we've done this. Most people, including me, had never heard of this effort. What a great way to use the talents and resources we are blessed with!

The way our club kicked it off might be an idea for you, maybe for next year if not this year: One guy did a demo this Tuesday evening on making the boxes, told everyone the specs, showed the videos, passed out a handout, etc. Making a BoC box is the object of our first quarterly challenge which provides a prize the following month for one entry picked by a judge. This served to kick some people into action who might otherwise put it off for a while and maybe never make one! I started mine today and already got a call from another member about some details so I know at least some are in progress.

The biggest thing is these need loose lids so kids don't have to struggle to open them. It was pointed out that spending a lot of time and money on a beautiful box from expensive wood with eye-popping figure might be a waste of time - some kids paint their boxes with their favorite colors!

INFORMATION VIDEOS:

This is the video they showed at the beginning of our club meeting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqfboMNNMWQ

They showed this one at the end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCD0OhVDUnY

If someone can watch both of these without being affected there might be something wrong with them!

HANDOUTS:

These are the handouts from the club meeting. The last one is about how to make a segmented bowl to use dry wood since big enough chunks of dry wood are rare.

http://files.ctctcdn.com/a1c41654201/74e6ac15-91ea-429c-8501-128f4975bca0.pdf

http://www.smwts.org/Documents/Demonstrators/Beads%20of%20Courage%202%20PDF.pdf

http://www.smwts.org/Documents/Demonstrators/Segments.pdf

TURNING VIDEOS:

The club sent out links to Harvey Meyer's three videos about turning a BoC bowl from 8/4 stock.

https://youtu.be/6G7j6KikTV4

https://youtu.be/UwPofNfkwS0

https://youtu.be/_dZJEIKZIMw

DIMENSIONS:

Also, the AAW said a rectangular box 4x4x6" is a sufficient size. Based on that volume, a quick calculation gives some INSIDE dimensions for turned boxes:

5" diameter, 5" deep

6" diameter, 4" deep

7" diameter, 2.5" deep

Of course, if you watch the first video you can see that a box with greater volume might be good too!

JKJ