- Joined
- Apr 27, 2004
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- Location
- Lakeland, Florida
- Website
- www.hockenberywoodturning.com
Host a dream workshop in your town.
The economics are quite simple.
Going to a school like Arrowmont (which I highly reccommend) may cost $1000 to $2000 depending on travel, room and board and tuition. Tuition is usually the smallest of these fees.
Most turning clubs have the resources within their memberships to pull off a multiday workshop.
I'll add a few notes here: If you get serious about hosting a workshop feel free to contact me for more information.
Last January Sherry and I hosted Cindy Drozda in a 3 day workshop in our Studio. It work out so well that we decided to Host Jimmy Clewes for a 4 day workshop the end of this month.
We undertook this for a variety of reasons: We learned so much in the multi day workshops that we wanted to bring this experience to our new freinds in central Florida. Another big benifit is being able to spend time with freinds like Cindy and Jimmy.
It can take almost a 6-12 months to set up a class.
To run a class you will need
Students, Instructor, Class room, lathes, bandsaw, grinders, wood.
Expenses: Instructor will recieve their daily fee for each class day + travel expenses and room & Board. Negotiate a travel expense maximum you will need this for determining tuition.
Materials: We usually charge a separate materials fee based on the cost of the wood and a new bandsaw blade. Lot of cutting in a class.
Students: We set tuition based on the (instructor fee + travel costs + incidentals) divided by the number of students. The different instructors will each have a prefered number of students usually 4-5 . I get each student to pay a non-refundable deposite 2 months before the class. Wood turners are really honest but getting the deposite makes them check their calendar. I have had students drop out at deposite time because they discover their son is getting married that week or they are on a cruise.
Classroom and equipment: We have Large Shop with a Oneway 2436, General 260, 20" woodfast and we borrow club lathes to make a class set. Students volunteer to bring their lathe.
For masters classes it is well worth the effort to get big machines. Cindy's class could have been taught on the mini's but you get so much vibration it is difficult for students to do the delicate work. The big thing with finding a classroom is power to operate 4-5 lathes on 220. + a bandsaw.
The good instructor want a classroom set up and ready to go. They don't want to waste time fixing machines and truing tool rests.
Choose a workshop that matches the need of the potential students.
A worskhop on bowls and hollow forms will be easier to fill than one on piercing. Think skills - a Michelson worskhop is about advanced gouge techique, wood movement, and learning to turn thin - a hat is just the project.
We've meet most potential instructors at symposiums or art shows. When I've asked if they would be interested in teaching, Only 1 has ever said no.
It can be a lot of work setting up a class, particularly cutting the wood for all the bowls that you will never turn. But it is fun work. Its the sort of investment of time and energy that pays dividends you never expect.
Happy Turning,
Al
The economics are quite simple.
Going to a school like Arrowmont (which I highly reccommend) may cost $1000 to $2000 depending on travel, room and board and tuition. Tuition is usually the smallest of these fees.
Most turning clubs have the resources within their memberships to pull off a multiday workshop.
I'll add a few notes here: If you get serious about hosting a workshop feel free to contact me for more information.
Last January Sherry and I hosted Cindy Drozda in a 3 day workshop in our Studio. It work out so well that we decided to Host Jimmy Clewes for a 4 day workshop the end of this month.
We undertook this for a variety of reasons: We learned so much in the multi day workshops that we wanted to bring this experience to our new freinds in central Florida. Another big benifit is being able to spend time with freinds like Cindy and Jimmy.
It can take almost a 6-12 months to set up a class.
To run a class you will need
Students, Instructor, Class room, lathes, bandsaw, grinders, wood.
Expenses: Instructor will recieve their daily fee for each class day + travel expenses and room & Board. Negotiate a travel expense maximum you will need this for determining tuition.
Materials: We usually charge a separate materials fee based on the cost of the wood and a new bandsaw blade. Lot of cutting in a class.
Students: We set tuition based on the (instructor fee + travel costs + incidentals) divided by the number of students. The different instructors will each have a prefered number of students usually 4-5 . I get each student to pay a non-refundable deposite 2 months before the class. Wood turners are really honest but getting the deposite makes them check their calendar. I have had students drop out at deposite time because they discover their son is getting married that week or they are on a cruise.
Classroom and equipment: We have Large Shop with a Oneway 2436, General 260, 20" woodfast and we borrow club lathes to make a class set. Students volunteer to bring their lathe.
For masters classes it is well worth the effort to get big machines. Cindy's class could have been taught on the mini's but you get so much vibration it is difficult for students to do the delicate work. The big thing with finding a classroom is power to operate 4-5 lathes on 220. + a bandsaw.
The good instructor want a classroom set up and ready to go. They don't want to waste time fixing machines and truing tool rests.
Choose a workshop that matches the need of the potential students.
A worskhop on bowls and hollow forms will be easier to fill than one on piercing. Think skills - a Michelson worskhop is about advanced gouge techique, wood movement, and learning to turn thin - a hat is just the project.
We've meet most potential instructors at symposiums or art shows. When I've asked if they would be interested in teaching, Only 1 has ever said no.
It can be a lot of work setting up a class, particularly cutting the wood for all the bowls that you will never turn. But it is fun work. Its the sort of investment of time and energy that pays dividends you never expect.
Happy Turning,
Al
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