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2025/02/13 - Guild Meeting - Finial Box with Cindy Drozda

A Finial Box with Cindy Drozda
  • Thursday February 13th
  • IRD Broadcast via Zoom
  • Zoom call opens a 6:15 for socializing
  • Meeting begins at 6:45 PM
  • Demonstration begins at 7 PM

WGNC is happy to announce that we will be hosting Cindy Drozda for our February Demonstration.

Cindy will be demonstrating her signature style box with a finial, an in-fitting lid, and an inlayed decorative ring and foot made from constrasting wood.

The finial box is an intricate and interesting project, with lots of tips and techniques.  The presentation includes:
  - Boxmaking
  - Turning a finial
  - The design process
  - Creating and using a jam chuck



About our Demonstrator:

Cindy Drozda was fortuate to discover at an early age her love of working with wood and was able to cultivate it into a way of making a living. A t age 19 Cindy took a job at a player piano factory, where the owner of the factory gave her a valuable gift that changed her life's direction. The player piano factory was the hobby of a California lawyer who loved machinery. He had a large building full of 19th century woodworking machines driven by a working steam engine that he fired up once a year to put all of the antique machines through their paces. There were modern machines at the piano company as well, and I was encouraged to learn about any and all of them that inspired me.
The owner of the factory was always available to answer questions, and to suggest new projects for her to explore. During the 5 years that she worked there, Cindy got a good basic understanding of woodworking, metal machining, brazing, plastics, adhesives, fasteners, engineering, and manufacturing. Thanks to this man, I have been free to discover and pursue my own passion.
Working in small cabinet shops until 1992, Cindy then turned to full time self-employment. She explored several options, including making hang gliding equipment and building airplanes, before realizing that working with wood was her true passion. Cindy's first experience with turning wood was in 1984, when she made a pair of chairs with turned spindles.  Woodturning continued to be one of her many hobbies until she made it her full time occupation in 1998.  Dedicating herself completely to woodturning, Cindy grew as an artist and a person and was further encouraged by her life partner, David Nittmann, who offered a source of strength and inspiration, helping her grow further into the true artist she is today. 
Cindy's work continued to grow and has ultimately led to her work being chosen for exhibitions around the country, and her work has also appeared in several magazines and books. She is an active member of the American Association of Woodturners, and demonstrates her woodturning techniques at national symposiums and local clubs. Through her instructional DVD/videos, she is now able to share her passion for woodturning around the world.

For more information about Cindy's work, visit her websites at:
       https://www.cindydrozda.com/index.html