Home - Woodturners Guild of North Carolina

Basic Box Turning with Norm Cloutier

Thursday July 8^th
Zoom call opens at 6:15 PM for socializing
Meeting begins at 6:45 PM
Demonstration begins at 7 PM

At WGNC we sometimes get so caught-up with the latest trends & techniques in woodturning that we can skip over the basics, the things relative newcomers need to see and understand in order to join us in reveling in all the other good stuff.

To that end our July meeting will be a back-to-basics demonstration on turning a simple capsule box. Former president and current VP Norm Cloutier will share a video he's prepared based on beginner classes he's taught at both the Cary and NCSU craft centers.

The video is only about 40 minutes long and has no audio, but dozens of "supers" -- helpful text overlays with information about the steps, tools, and current speed of both the lathe and video playback.

Norm will speak through the video presentation and stop frequently to add depth and answer any questions as they arise, so feel free to interrupt.

"My methods certainly aren't the only or best ones out there, but I've found through in-person teaching that these are easier for new turners to grasp," Norm says. "I'm sure our WGNC members will be offering their own alternatives during the meeting, and I welcome that."

The presentation will focus on the basic steps, tools & techniques required to make any turned box. We will also talk about wood choice, moisture content, design considerations and the need for at least basic planning in order to complete the project with all parts intact.
We hope you will join us Thursday evening June 10^th for this informative demonstration of this unique technique.
Read More

Creating Personal Challenges from themes presented in recent Demonstrations:

In review of the first several months of 2021, demonstrations have covered subjects like turning burls, multi-axis turning, burning as a method of texturing and embellishing wood, and more. Within these topics there are a myriad of processes and techniques that can be further explored and experimented with by our members.

To encourage the broadening of our skills and the exploration into new areas introduced to us by our demonstrators, WGNC has made an addition to our monthly Show and Tell session. The addition is called "Personal Challenge" and it is designed to share member submissions that are targeted at a particular theme from a recent demonstration.

Personal Challenges will work in large part just like the regular Show and Tell. They will, however, have a specific time period allotted to them during the Show and Tell session. In addition, WGNC will occasionally ask a demonstrator to join the Personal Challenge session to offer ideas, guidance and to problem solve with members.

There is no better way to reinforce what you have recently seen demonstrated that to jump in an give it a go while also getting the opportunity to have the original demonstrator available to kick around ideas and be available for help.

We hope you will join us at our monthly Show and Tell sessions. Members have several ways to participate. You can submit one or two pieces to the regular Show and Tell session, or you can submit them to the Personal Challenge session. If you want to participate in both sessions, no problem, submit one piece to each session. And if you don't have a piece to submit this month, you are still welcome to come and spend an evening with your fellow woodturners. There is plenty to learn, plenty to see and we always have a lot of fun.

Read more here.

Show & Tell: Third Thursday of the Month
Zoom session opens about 6:30 pm, meeting begins at 7:00 pm

Join us each month, on the third Thursday, for our monthly virtual Show & Tell Gallery. All WGNC members and their guests are welcome to spend an evening with fellow woodturners as we explore and share members' projects, ideas, issues and yes, even those shop disasters.

The forum is intended for all levels of woodturners and is a safe and respectful place to solicit input and advice, regardless of your experience level. So, come join us for this enjoyable interactive session.

Part of the Show & Tell format is the addition of the Personal Challenge Theme. As part of our regular Show & Tell program, we will have time allotted to the Show and Tell session that is devoted to sharing and discussing a theme from one of our demonstrations.
You do not have to have a completed project to participate. This session is designed to explore the techniques presented, so whether you have a completed piece, a practice piece or simply "idea boards", all are welcome for sharing and discussing with other members.

Planned personal challenge themes for upcoming Show & Tell sessions are:

- July 15th Show and Tell - Whimsical Podlets as demonstrated by Greg Gallegos.
Review program here
- August 19th Show and Tell - Vacuum Stabilization and Casting Resins as demonstrated by Steve Criscenzo. Review program here.

Read more

And in other news:

2021 AAW Virtual Symposium
July 17-18, 2021
Support the AAW and plan to attend!

For more details and a link to the AAW website, click here!

Miss out on a Demonstration or Show & Tell?

Check out the WGNC video archives. Members can review and watch videos of many demonstrations and show & tell events.
Just go to the "Resources" menu item and select "Past Demos/Show & Tell".
By clicking on that menu item you will be taken to a new page where you will see all the available videos that you can choose from. As new material becomes available, the links will be posted.
So, check it out today and enjoy exploring the video archives. And don't forget to check back frequently to see if new material has been added.

WGNC and Covid -19

"WGNC exists to promote woodturning education and generate a better understanding of woodturning as an art form. We provide a meeting place to members and guests to share their ideas and techniques and to display their work."

An important benefit of membership is that of social interaction with our peers. For a couple of hours each month we gather to share ideas, learn new techniques, refine our skills, critique our work and most importantly socialize with our fellow artists. Who could have imagined at the start of 2020 that continuing this wonderful social interaction would become so incredibly challenging?

Read the full President's Message here.