2024 Schedule

January 17 – Hands-on – “Make a Pen” led by Charlie Crosby and others. Members will be guided on lathes to make a pen. Prepared blanks and pen kit hardware will be provided. Pens made may be kept by turners or donated to a charity like Pens for Troops.

February 21 – Phil Rose IRD – “Square Edge Wavy, Offset Bowl with Embellishments” – a remote demo making a winged bowl with waves using offset turning.

March 20 – Stan McGrew, Jack Higgins, and Steve Williamson – “Lasers for Woodturning and Other Methods for Signing Your Work” – a discussion and demo of using lasers and other hot tools in woodturning.

April 17 – Mike Peace IRD – “Manual and Jig-mediated Thread Chasing” – a remote detailed discussion of thread chasing tools, sharpening, wood characteristics, and a demo of thread chasing by hand and with a commercial jig.

May 15 – “What can I do with this Wood?” – members will bring in a challenging piece of wood and a Panel of Three Experts will solve the mystery of how to make something from it. Program will begin with a discussion by Dale Fort of how logs are cut and sold (quartersawn/flatsawn/ meaning of quarter thickness/board foot/kiln dried, etc.) and by Paul Kaplowitz of what different cuts of a log will look like finished.

June 19 – Hands-0n – “Finish a Cored Bowl” – using club-supplied small bowl blanks that have been cored from larger pieces, members will gain experience truing them up and hollowing with a bowl gouge or other tools.

July 17 – Rudy Lopez IRD – “Thin Stem Natural Edge Goblet from a Limb” – a remote demo on spindle turning very thin stem goblets and dealing with pith.

August 21 – Dale Fort – “Sputnik Christmas Ornament” – a demo using sea urchin shells and making fine finials and icicles. Club will supply free sputnik sea urchin shells for members who want to try this at home.

September 18 – Rich Williams – “Turning Cabochons on the Lathe” – a live demo by guest turner from Germantown, TN; Rich creates cabochons from artificial stone, artificial ivory, and fossil ivory and uses them as embellishments for his woodturnings.

October 16 – Trent Bosch IRD – “Vessels of Illusion” – a remote demo on hollowing a vessel inside a vessel!

November 20 – Jim Hills – a live presentation, “The Concept of the Elegant Form in Woodturning”

 December 18, 6:30-8:30 pm – Informal Open Lathe Time – A few seasoned turners will be at Hostetler from 6:30 – 9:00 with the club’s lathes. Everyone’s welcome to come in for some one-on-one instruction about issues of interest to them. Anyone with a specific issue that may require a special tool, please notify Dale or John in advance. Festive cookies and cider also provided.

2025 Schedule

January 15 – Live demonstration by professional Ashley Harwood – “Fundamentals of a Simple Push Cut Bowl”

February 19 – Hands-on – Bowl Gouge Instruction: structure, uses, sharpening, and practice. Organized by Paul Kaplowitz

March 19 – Live demonstration by Dug Almy, assisted by Steve Williamson – “Coring Multiple Bowls from a Single Piece of Wood”

April 16 – Live demonstration by Dug Almy and others – “How to Sharpen Different Tools Using Several Techniques”

May 21 – Interactive Remote Demonstration by professional Jim Echter – “The Sensational Skew”

June 18 – Live demonstration by Duane Dunning – “A Surprise Turning”

July 16 – Interactive Remote Demonstration by professional John Beaver – “Wave Bowls”

August 20 – Hands-on – Spindle Gouge Instruction: structure, uses, sharpening, and practice. Organized by Dale Fort

September 17 – Interactive Remote Demonstration by professional Dave Landers – “The German Art of Reifendrehen – Ring-Turned Christmas Trees”

October 15 – Hands-on – Carbide Tools Instruction: structure, uses, sharpening, and practice. Organized by John Leffler

November 19 – Live demonstration by Jim Hills – “Texturing and Carving on Simple Forms Using Common Tools”’ 

December 17 – Informal Open Lathe Time – A few seasoned turners will be at Hostetler from 6:30 – 9:00 with the club’s lathes. Everyone’s welcome to come in for some one-on-one instruction about issues of interest to them. Festive cookies and cider also provided.

Membership

Membership in the Charlestowne Woodturners Club is an excellent way for a diverse group of people at all levels to participate and grow in the tradition of woodturning through networking, instruction, information exchange, and camaraderie. As one member stated, “As a green novice, my first instructor urged me to join a woodturning club and it has made all the difference! Charlestowne Woodturners is the best investment I have made in woodturning”.

Benefits of Membership

• Learning skills, new techniques, and helpful information through live demonstrations by local members at monthly meetings.
• Learning skills, new techniques, and helpful information from prominent national professional turners through remote interactive demonstrations at several meetings throughout the year.
• Acquiring new design concepts and ideas as members share their work through “show-and-tell” at each meeting. Access to the Club’s online gallery of members’ work.
• Open discussions and friendly critique allow members to learn and grow at all skill levels.
• Special “hands-on” training sessions several times a year.
• Sharing among members of information regarding regional and national events, people, opportunities, publications, products, and items for sale.
• Networking with other members provides friendly mentoring opportunities, advising, and help with problems, often through invitations to each other’s home shops.
• Learning from accomplished turners within the Club how to market and sell your work.
• Email notifications to members of wood or equipment available. Invitations to participate with other members working to harvest wood from downed trees.
• Instructional materials and recommendations for supplies are available free through the Club’s online “CWT Repository”.
• Opportunities working with fellow members to offer demonstrations, display of members’ work, and sales of donated items at local craft shows and markets.
• Opportunities to develop and improve personal skills in leadership, management, public speaking, turning demonstrations, project management, and team skills through participation in club projects, event planning, and management.
• Low-cost wood and tool raffles and auctions are held at regular meetings.
• Opportunities for low-cost purchases of supplies through bulk purchasing by the Club.
• Assisting members or families with closing a home shop and selling equipment, tools, and wood. 
• Making new friends, sharing ideas, approaches, and problems, and networking with other local woodturners.
• Fellowship and interaction with other members occur not only at regularly scheduled meetings, but also through monthly lunches, pre-meeting dinners, and special events like oyster roasts and picnics.

Current Officers

President – Dale Fort

Vice President – William “Dug” Almy

Secretary – Steve Williamson

Treasurer – John Leffler

For more information about the club please contact

charlestonwoodturners@gmail.com

Mission Statement

The Charlestowne Woodturners, Inc.’s mission is to provide education and information to those who are interested in woodturning. Woodturning is defined as the shaping of wood using a lathe, which results in objects and images that range from the familiar to the profound. This includes everything from decorative and functional bowls, boxes, and vessels, to furniture, architectural spindles, toys, tools, musical instruments, and sculptural objects.

Purposes

The Charlestowne Woodturners, Inc. shall promote an interest in woodturning for persons of all levels of competence and experience, including beginners and advanced professionals; to provide up to date information, education, and guidance for all members; to stimulate creativity, and to explore new methods and techniques for advancing woodturning both as a craft and as an unique art form. The CWT shall promote awareness and appreciation of woodturning to the general public through public demonstrations and education. On occasion, the CWT will support philanthropic work through donations of woodturning art to programs such as Beads of Courage, Inc. or local charities. It shall also encourage membership in the Charleston Woodturners and the American Association of Woodturners.

Charlestowne Woodturners, Inc is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational and charitable organization.

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