AAW membership

[wolf creek knives]

I just joined the AAW after a lot of support from those members who also post here. Now that I'm a new member what are your suggestions for me i.e. what should I look into, is there any area on line that I should look at continually? Lots of questions and lots of info I'm needing to figure out. Any help is appreciated and welcomed.

 

[bsshog40]

Hey Tom, I've been a member there for over a year now myself. There are some very helpful members there and they have a lot of nice hands on videos. I'm Bobby Smith over there.

 

[MTViper]

The Woodturning Fundamentals are a great help. More of a "how to" than the monthly magazine. Also the video collection is great. Everything you can imagine. In case you're not a member of a local club, they have the master list there along with locations and meeting times. I drive 125 miles each way to the club I'm a member of, don't make it every month but always learn something when I do.

 

[Mr Vic]

I suggest looking online for local chapters. It's amazing what you can learn watching a demo or two. They may be turning a bowl or a vase but a lot of turning techniques cross over to pen turning and visa versa.

 

[jttheclockman]

I let my membership lapse. Great when I first started but now basically a pen and small items guy.

 

[mark james]

The Woodturning Fundamentals are a great help. Everything you can imagine.

It's amazing what you can learn watching a demo or two. They may be turning a bowl or a vase but a lot of turning techniques cross over to pen turning and visa versa.

I let my membership lapse.

Eek...

 

[duncsuss]

.. what should I look into, is there any area on line that I should look at continually?

I've been a member for as long as I've been turning; the archives of Woodturning magazine are wonderful for browsing, and I learn a lot from the online "member moderated forum". There are certain people who post regularly there I respect greatly - both for their solid turning knowledge and their ideas.

(Note that you have to sign up for the forum as a second step after creating your login on the AAW main site - www.aawforum.org - I've saved bookmarks to both sites.)

 

[Pen_man_ship]

I let my membership lapse. Great when I first started but now basically a pen and small items guy.

I too let my membership lapse. Timing had a lot to do with my decision. The October 2019 issue push me over the edge, I have no interest in sculptures like that and so Jerry owns a Gretch, good for him. Plus, in my opinion, they spend too much time/energy pimping their symposium, which may be out of reach for most members and self-serving. I apologize if I appear negative, just my 2¢.

 

[wolf creek knives]

Hey Tom, I've been a member there for over a year now myself. There are some very helpful members there and they have a lot of nice hands on videos. I'm Bobby Smith over there.

The Woodturning Fundamentals are a great help. More of a "how to" than the monthly magazine. Also the video collection is great. Everything you can imagine. In case you're not a member of a local club, they have the master list there along with locations and meeting times. I drive 125 miles each way to the club I'm a member of, don't make it every month but always learn something when I do.

I suggest looking online for local chapters. It's amazing what you can learn watching a demo or two. They may be turning a bowl or a vase but a lot of turning techniques cross over to pen turning and visa versa.

I let my membership lapse. Great when I first started but now basically a pen and small items guy.

Eek...

I've been a member for as long as I've been turning; the archives of Woodturning magazine are wonderful for browsing, and I learn a lot from the online "member moderated forum". There are certain people who post regularly there I respect greatly - both for their solid turning knowledge and their ideas.

(Note that you have to sign up for the forum as a second step after creating your login on the AAW main site - www.aawforum.org - I've saved bookmarks to both sites.)

I too let my membership lapse. Timing had a lot to do with my decision. The October 2019 issue push me over the edge, I have no interest in sculptures like that and so Jerry owns a Gretch, good for him. Plus, in my opinion, they spend too much time/energy pimping their symposium, which may be out of reach for most members and self-serving. I apologize if I appear negative, just my 2¢.

Thanks everyone for this discussion. I figure at worst I'll be a member for a year and see how it goes. I enjoyed the Pro's and Con's of joining and can respect each posters thoughts. I don't turn a lot of bowls or such but hope to learn more about the process. I might start, who knows. There is a local club in Great Falls that is on their list of clubs and due to where I live I can't really make it in the Winter months as the roads are way to unpredictable at best. And if it snows we don't leave until the roads are plowed. Thanks again.

 

[Woodchipper]

I joined before I started turning pens. There is a way to search for a local chapter plus the library , under Resources, is great. You have to be a member to access the library.