# Wood turning club visit



## ibpdew (Nov 18, 2012)

The area I live in (Quad Cities) has a wood turning club that I've decide to attend. They have an hour and a half amateur time before the meeting to work with people interested in turning. I like turning mostly bowls of all types. My thought were to take along a couple gouges and ask the proper way to sharpen them as that is a critical task to good turning. All comments and suggestions will be appreciated.


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

Absolutely take your tools. Any club I've been to will be glad to talk to you about tools and sharpening. Depending on where they meet they may or may not have access to a grinder but I'll bet you can find someone who doesn't live too far from you who will help. Clubs are some of the best ways to learn to turn.


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

Kudos for seeking out a club in your area. Don't be shy when you go to the meetings and you'll make a lot of new friends. Our club promotes the use of name tags. We have a fellow that makes very nice ones for $6. We have a drawing every meeting for those that either wore their name tag or a monogrammed shirt with their name. Winner gets a $10 gift certificate from Craft Supplies.
Mike Hawkins


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## Gary Beasley (Jan 21, 2009)

Clubs are definitely a good resource for knowledge and new friends. Our club had meets every Saturday morning so if you wind up being busy one weekend you don't miss out on everything that month. That and the sigs once a month in the evenings for scrollsaw, turning, sketchup and some get togethers for Delta Cad by the scrollers.


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## ibpdew (Nov 18, 2012)

Well I attended my first meeting just to get a lay of the land. First off they took a look at my sharpening skills and thought they were presentable. I then spent about an hour watching an ole pro show a new guy how to keep from chipping out long grain on a bowl which I found pretty interesting. The club also has a Monday open turning session from 10 till 3 or 4. I also found interesting that many club members brought in different items for a silent auction for club procedes. Final item, they had one big Powermatic lathe that they would use for demonstration purposes (they would video and play on a large screen tv for all to see) and then in the actual shop they musta had (10) jet lathes. For $25 membership I will join next month.


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## duncsuss (Aug 21, 2009)

Wow -- that sounds like a great set up for a club. We've only got a couple of old Jet minis and one of the newer Jet 1221VS lathes. A weekly open turning opportunity on a Powermatic would have me applying for a change of shifts at work :laughing:

Consider joining the AAW also. Members get the magazine, American Woodturner, and *free* access to the back-library of magazines in PDF format. It's a terrific resource.


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## TomC (Oct 27, 2008)

ibpdew said:


> Well I attended my first meeting just to get a lay of the land. First off they took a look at my sharpening skills and thought they were presentable. I then spent about an hour watching an ole pro show a new guy how to keep from chipping out long grain on a bowl which I found pretty interesting. The club also has a Monday open turning session from 10 till 3 or 4. I also found interesting that many club members brought in different items for a silent auction for club procedes. Final item, they had one big Powermatic lathe that they would use for demonstration purposes (they would video and play on a large screen tv for all to see) and then in the actual shop they musta had (10) jet lathes. For $25 membership I will join next month.


That sounds great. At our club we never get the chance to turn and learn. We have a demonstrator at each meeting. I learn from doing not watching. However, with our membership dues of $50/year we get 10 percent off all items (excluding wood and anything with an electrical plug on it) from Klingspor. Our meetings are held at the Klingspor store and the 10 discount more than pays for my membership dues.
Tom


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

Having a club to learn from others is a great resource. I have been a member of the Woodturners of North Texas for ten years. For many years we have encouraged new turners to get together with experienced turners, but we have learned that new members are very reluctant to just call up a stranger and ask for help. As a result we changed the way we operate by having a mentor latch onto a newbie and offer to provide instruction on whatever the person is interested in learning. We have also instigated an open shop meeting quarterly where we have about ten lathes set up with mentors providing help to beginners. In addition to the regular program, we have bring-back drawings to encourage members to turn items and a monthly challenge to make a specific type of turning -- this month's challenge is to turn a functional birdhouse -- not a decorative or ornament birdhouse. Gift certificates are given to participants. Club members also get discounts at the local Rockler's and Woodcraft stores.


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