Home - Woodturners Guild of North Carolina

How to Get Better at Woodturning - Without Guesswork or Frustration with David Chapin

Thursday April 9^th
Hybrid: Live at NCSU Crafts Center and by Zoom Broadcast
Zoom call opens a 6:15 for socializing
Meeting begins at 6:45 PM
Demonstration begins at 7 PM

Most woodturners can learn to make a clean cut.

But there’s a real gap between a “nice” piece… and one that truly stands out.

This demonstration is about how to close that gap.

Instead of focusing on tools and technique, we’ll explore how your brain is wired—and how to use that to improve your work, one small step at a time.

What You’ll Get

If you’re newer to turning:

Why your work may not match your expectations (and why that’s normal)
A clear, low-pressure way to improve without getting discouraged
Simple rules of thumb that can immediately improve your forms

If you’ve been turning a while:

How to break through plateaus and improve more consistently
A better way to make design decisions (stop guessing—start choosing)
A simple system for learning from every piece you make

If you’re an experienced turner:

How to refine your eye and push your work to the next level
A more deliberate way to evolve your personal style
Tools for sharper self-critique—without losing enjoyment

You’ll also learn:

Why small, 1% improvements compound into big results
How to use comparison to make better design choices
Why separating creativity and judgment actually makes you more creative
How sketching can dramatically improve your turning

A small request:

Please bring a pencil and clipboard (or something to write on)—we’ll be doing a few quick, simple exercises to improve how you sketch and think through your designs.

The Key Question:

Have you ever asked yourself “Why isn’t my work quite where I want it to be?”—this talk will give you a new way to think about that question… and what to do next.

About our Presenter:

David Chapin is a woodturner, designer, and former CEO with a background in physics and product design.

He is the named inventor on nearly 50 patents and has spent his career helping teams solve complex problems and improve performance. He brings that same thinking to woodturning—focusing on how we learn, see, and get better over time.

Monthly Show & Tell Session

April 16th, 2026
Zoom session opens at 6:30 PM
Meeting begins at 7:00 PM

Please join us for the April Show and Tell Session

Thanks to all who joined the March Show & Tell. Great pieces submitted and lots of constructive discussions.

We like to remind everyone that the Show & Tell sessions are intended for all levels of woodturners and designed to be a safe and respectful place to solicit supportive input and advice, regardless of a woodturners experience level. It’s an opportunity for turners to engage in an informal and beneficial exchange of ideas and to foster further growth in woodturning.

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.

Please also keep in mind, you do not have to have a completed project to participate. These sessions are designed for the exploration of ideas, techniques, problems, designs and any other subjects pertaining to your woodturning experience. So, whether you have a completed piece, a practice piece, "idea boards", or something that challenges you, all are welcome for sharing and discussing with other members. If you don't have anything mentioned above, join us anyway. We always have a lot of fun, you can meet folks and like most of us, you just might learn something or be inspired to try something new. We look forward to seeing you soon!

To review the submission guidelines click here..

Upcoming Symposium Dates, Locations and Information

AAW 2026 Symposium
June 4-7, 2026
Raleigh, NC at the Raleigh Convention and
Performing Arts Center

The AAW has officially opened their website. Use the following button to be taken to the website where you can register, become a Symposium Volunteer, check out the Demonstration Schedule, and much more.
AAW Symposium Website

Don't forget to signup! Signup now for the AAW Symposium and use the WGNC Symposium Discount. To get the discount code, click the DISCOUNT button.

Not an AAW member? Interested in learning more about the AAW and becoming a member? Click here.

Symposium Volunteer Opportunities

If you are interested in being a volunteer at the AAW Symposium then click on the following link to find out how to go about signing up.
AAW Volunteer Sign Up Info

And in other news:

New Videos:
The March Demonstration and Show and Tell videos are now available for viewing. Click here

New Galleries:
The March Show and Tell Gallery photos are now available for viewing Click here

Breakout: Exploring Ebonizing with David Chapin

On Saturday, October 25, David Chapin lead a great breakout session at Ted Ross's shop where he explored ebonizing with participants. David discussed the basics first and then showed the many variables that can affect the final result on ebonizing.

This was a hands on session where participants experimented on their own pieces.

Thanks to David Chapin for this fascinating breakout and to Ted Ross who hosted the breakout in his shop..

Breakout: Women in Turning

Can you hear us now? The WIT breakout session was a "sound" event on Saturday, January 24th. This breakout, hosted by Ted Ross, encouraged the ladies to design and create their own "Cell Phone Speaker" turning. Another succesful breakout by the ladies!

Breakout: Comments

Below are a few comments regarding the "Let it Burn!" breakout:

Lars Nyland:

Great day yesterday watching all of you burn your pieces! The transformations were amazing!

I was shocked at the end of the day how much carbon had accumulated in the rinse water; I've never seen anything like it.

Here is a link to the slides I made. If you care to, you can take some time to look into each artist and the techniques they use.

Stephan Moll:

Thank you very much for having hosted such a wonderful breakout session. Not only was Lars” presentation great and relevant, but opening your workshop for us, the setup outside, the cookies and donuts - it all made for an educational, worthwhile, well organized, fun and peaceful day. The great weather, of course, helped, too.

David Chapin:

Today was a great day. Lars, it was wonderful to get the benefit of your experience, combined with a chance to experiment for ourselves.

Thanks so much!!

Karl Koch:

Thank you for sharing with us today Lars! I have been thinking about all the new ideas that I was exposed to today. And thank you Ted for hosting us in your shop and yard!

It was a good day! Which is never something to be taken for granted.

Much appreciated,