About Chesapeake Woodturners

The purpose of Chesapeake Woodturners is to promote woodturning as both a craft and an art form, to educate its members and the public, to provide a meeting place for local woodturners, and to share ideas and techniques.

Meetings are held usually on the third Saturday of each month (excluding July). There are numerous other special workshops and woodturning events throughout the year. Meetings include member demonstrations; trips to sawmills, museums, and private collections; harvesting turning blocks; sharing of ideas and techniques; tool trading; and group discussions of topics from rough cutting to finishing.

Join us, but beware - if you are not already a woodturner, woodturning can become addictive.

The Chesapeake Woodturners (CW) is a local chapter of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW). The club was formed and certified as a local chapter in February 1992. Sixteen founding members brought with them a wide range of experience from beginner to advanced – some with over 20 years of woodturning experience. Our purpose is to expand the knowledge of woodturning among ourselves and others in our community. CW has grown to approximately 70 members – mostly from the central Maryland area.

Our membership has a good blend of beginner, intermediate, and advanced turners – some having gained national recognition. We meet 11 times a year at Maryland Hall in Annapolis or at the home of one of our members. At these meetings we focus on sharing our experiences and ideas about woodturning. We try to educate ourselves through discussion and hands-on demonstrations of techniques by our local membership. We also have had week-long, hands-on workshops taught by professional woodturners. Many of our members have improved their skills during workshops taught in Annapolis by internationally known turners such as: Trent Bosch, Christian Burchard, Jimmy Clewes, Cindy Drozda, David Ellsworth, Clay Foster, Bill Grumbine, Michelle Holzapfel, Lyle Jamieson, John Jordan, Bonnie Klein, Johannes Michelsen, Liam O'Neill, Michael Peterson, Bob Rosand, Palmer Sharpless, Al Stirt, chip carver Wayne Barton, and pyrographer John Noffsinger. Club demonstrations also included presentations by Stuart Batty, Nancy Bennington, Giles Gilson, and Stoney Lamar.

We share our woodturning enthusiasm with local communities through organized club exhibitions and demonstrations. The Chesapeake Woodturners has been a host or a participant in many outreach activities. They include: the Mid-Atlantic Regional Symposium held at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in Annapolis; Maryland Federation of Art Gallery Shows in Annapolis and Baltimore; the International Turning Exchange; Savage Mill Gallery Show; Quiet Waters Park Gallery Shows in Annapolis; The Woodworking Show in Timonium; and the Montpelier Mansion Gallery shows and demonstrations in Laurel. Members contributed to the success of a national show, Turning Since 1930, at the Renwick Gallery in Washington, DC, by giving turning demonstrations for the gallery guests.

Community projects include donating Christmas ornaments turned by Chesapeake Woodturners for display at the Government House, the residence of the Governor of Maryland, during the holiday season. The ornaments were turned from native Maryland hardwoods including black walnut, spalted beech, holly, box elder, and oak. CW also donated turned stamp handles to be used in the souvenir passport documentation for the year-long Celebration of Annapolis. The stamps were used to help commemorate the 350th anniversary of the founding of Annapolis. CW has demonstrated turning techniques during Earth Day activities at Quiet Waters Park and members have also constructed birdhouse kits for the special day.

For those interested in woodturning classes held at Maryland Hall, contact Maryland Hall at http://www.mdhallarts.org/ or call 410-263-5544. Youth, basic, intermediate, and advanced classes are available throughout the year.