As the calendar years draws to an end I was wondering if any of you would share your clubs best program ideas from the last year?
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your Clubs best Turning Program of the last year
- Thread starter Dave Beringer
- Start date
Every February our club has tool making on it's agenda. It seems to be the best attended meeting each year. We've made lots of things: boreing bars, hook tools, scrapers and who knows what's on the list for the next tool making meeting. The club buys the materials and they are available at cost to the members who want to make the tool. Fortunately, our meeting area is right next to a metal working shop so we have access to that also for this event.
CAW - Washington DC area.
ALL of our programs are excellent.
The program this Saturday is the "Woodturners Ball" which is a lot of fun and a chance to share a turning with the other folks in the club.
In the Summer we have a picnic with loads of mini-lathes in use by club members.
Early spring we do a three day at the woodworkers show.
We have loads of professionals do demos throughout the year like Art Liestman, John Jordan, David Ellsworth, Esculon, Tom Crab to name a few.
We have a local symposium where the demos are done by club members.
We have around 100 members show up for each meeting. This is a terrific club. To single out one program would give a false sense that every meeting wasn't a treat to participate in.
ALL of our programs are excellent.
The program this Saturday is the "Woodturners Ball" which is a lot of fun and a chance to share a turning with the other folks in the club.
In the Summer we have a picnic with loads of mini-lathes in use by club members.
Early spring we do a three day at the woodworkers show.
We have loads of professionals do demos throughout the year like Art Liestman, John Jordan, David Ellsworth, Esculon, Tom Crab to name a few.
We have a local symposium where the demos are done by club members.
We have around 100 members show up for each meeting. This is a terrific club. To single out one program would give a false sense that every meeting wasn't a treat to participate in.
Richard:Well stated.
CA
john lucas
AAW Forum Expert
I think our best meeting was a get together of 2 clubs in our area at my shop. We had 4 lathes and everyone seemed to really enjoy the hands on experience. I think the ones who enjoyed it the most were the ones helping the new people. These people don't do demos for the club but really enjoyed sharing thier knowledge with the newer members.
This summer I'm going to try to come up with more lathes and possibly a carving and woodburning station.
This summer I'm going to try to come up with more lathes and possibly a carving and woodburning station.
woodturners ball?
Gynia:
Can you be more descriptive of what the wood turners ball is?
What I am interested in in what programs your club has done in the past year that was novel and appeal to the membership...
Gynia:
Can you be more descriptive of what the wood turners ball is?
What I am interested in in what programs your club has done in the past year that was novel and appeal to the membership...
As a first time president of the Central Illinois Woodturners I was looking for ways to add interest to the meetings. I started a president's challange where I turned something that was new to me. I then challenged the members to make the same thing and bring it to the next meeting. I have some killer spalted curly maple and all the members that participated in the challange were entered in a drawing for a piece of the maple. Our club also hosts a charity event where we turn tops for donations. Last months challange was 5 - 10 tops for the event. In addition we held a "long spin contest". The winner spun 1min 49 sec.
Terry Quiram
centralillinoiswoodturners.com
Terry Quiram
centralillinoiswoodturners.com
The CAW id fortunate to have Tom Boley as a member. For the last five years CAW has held a christmas party at the church which Tom belongs to. The party is a pot luck with spouses trying to out do each other al to the benifit of everyone. There is a Christmas Ornament contest where members are welcomed and encouraged to turn a Christmas ornament, The ornaments are all voted on by secreet balot with the top three gaining prizes. There is also a gift exchange we call a grab bag. These items are also displayed and voted on with simular prizes awarded to the top three. Each grab bag items is assigned a number and numbers are pulled out of a "hat". If you participate in the grab bag you walk away with something made by one of the other club members. Some of the most treasured items I own are items I have recieved from this grab bag over the past few years.
Workshops
I've been turning for 1 year.
Our normal meetings are 2 1/2 hours (Sat AM) and are business, show n tell; sometimes a bring back and a demo or two.
Quarterly, the meetings go 5 hours. Shortened front end, with about 4 hours devoted to individual choice. Instead of 1 or 2 lathes, we get out all 5, plus the sharpening station. Everyone is encouraged to bring his/her tools and projects for help. Each demonstrator has a project available to demo, if no one brings a problem. One of those projects last time was turning the Christmas Tree Topper from the Sept AAW mag.
Yes, we do take a half hour in there for a brown bag lunch.
The hands on has given me the confidence to go home and apply what I've watched and then practiced.
John Nicholas
South Kansas Woodturners
I've been turning for 1 year.
Our normal meetings are 2 1/2 hours (Sat AM) and are business, show n tell; sometimes a bring back and a demo or two.
Quarterly, the meetings go 5 hours. Shortened front end, with about 4 hours devoted to individual choice. Instead of 1 or 2 lathes, we get out all 5, plus the sharpening station. Everyone is encouraged to bring his/her tools and projects for help. Each demonstrator has a project available to demo, if no one brings a problem. One of those projects last time was turning the Christmas Tree Topper from the Sept AAW mag.
Yes, we do take a half hour in there for a brown bag lunch.
The hands on has given me the confidence to go home and apply what I've watched and then practiced.
John Nicholas
South Kansas Woodturners