About Front Range Woodturners
We are the Denver area chapter of the AAW (American Association of Woodturners) serving Woodturners throughout Colorado's Front Range.
We help Woodturners gain experience by providing monthly demonstrations with Professional Turners, a library, mentoring, a Ladies group (Ladies of the Lathe) and Youth mentoring, etc.
Everyone is welcome to join us at one of our monthy meetings to see what we are all about.
Facebook Pages
FRWT Facebook Page
LotL Facebook Page
Our Next Meeting
Monthly Meeting
We meet on the first Tuesday of every month from 6:15 to 9:00 PM in the basement of Rockler Woodworking and Hardware.
Visitors and new members are always welcome.
Tuesday, June 6th
Our demonstrator for June is Kirk DeHeer from Provo, UT. and will be demo'ing surface enhancements at our meeting
Kirk is a Resident Instructor and works full time at Craft Supplies. He has an extensive knowledge of woodturning, tools, equipment, and techniques. He is a long-time colleague and personal friend to Dale Nish. Kirk is fortunate in his association with Dale to have worked and learned alongside many of the world’s best-known woodturners as they have passed through Provo in their association with Craft Supplies and the Utah Woodturning Symposium and in other venues. His email tag-line is “stay sharp” and exemplifies his industry expertise with tools and sharpening techniques. His vast experience and focus on products at Craft Supplies, has enforced his abilities to teach solid turning techniques as well as expand his creative abilities. Jerry Sambrook makes the observation that Kirk “does so much for the turning community, and he is also a great turner with a great teaching and demonstrating style.”
Kirk participates on the Utah Woodturning Symposium Board of Directors, is Vice President for the Timpanogos Woodturners club, and is active in demonstrations and symposiums nationally. He is well known, among other things, for his threaded boxes, natural edge bowls, and embellishment techniques.
Kirk DeHeer All-Day Class
Wednesday, June 7th
Kirk is teaching an all-day class the day following our June meeting. The class is Wednesday, June 7th, from 9am to 4pm at Rocklers. The topic for the all-day hands-on class is Calabash bowls.
Kirk has this to say about the class:
Calabash bowl class showing the tools and technique used to turn a green wood round bottom bowl. This is a good follow up to my Demystifying cuts and catches demo as it shows the cuts on face grain.
Each student will need two green wood blanks roughly 9"x9"x4" (without cracks, checks, knots, or bark inclusions). The 2nd blank is used as a jamb chuck, but it can then be turned into another bowl.
Students are encouraged to bring their own tools: a 1/2” bowl gouge, 3/8” bowl gouge, 1/2” bowl gouge with a traditional grind if they have one, screw center or screw center chuck, and a chuck with 4”-5” jaws.
The cost for the class is $100 per person. The class is limited to a maximum of 8 turners. If interested please email president@frontrangewoodturners.org
Cleanup
Many thanks to the May Clean Up Crew Volunteers: Scott Thomsen, Vern DeGroot (his 2nd time volunteering this year!), and Gary Starritt.
The June Clean Up Crew Volunteers are: John Chart, Dutch Van Maaren, and Ken Dunn.
New Members
There was one new member in May
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James Bolin
Newsletter
May
The May Newsletter is now avaliable.
Turning Challenge
The turning challenge for May was Boxes. The winners were:
Beginner: Robyn Herman - Aspen Box (her 2nd time winning this year!)
Intermediate: Scott Thomsen - Ironwood & Black Palm box
Advanced: Les Stern - 3 Boxes: (2) Boxelder, (1) Israeli Olive
May Raffle Wood Challenge:
Mike Skiba - Pecan Bowl
The turning challenge for June is Tools (Handles and self made).
Everyone is encouraged to bring in a turned piece to share in the Instant Gallery, regardless of the turning challenge for that month.
The form for entering a piece in the show and tell of challenge is available here.
Shop Tours
Scheduled Shop Tours
May 6th
Dave Hawley
Please contact Ken Rollins at ShopTourChair@frontrangewoodturners.org for directions.
Special Notice
June all day demo with Richard Raffan
Richard Raffan is coming to Colorado for a couple of days before going to Kansas City for the AAW symposium. He will be giving an all day demo on Saturday June 17th at the Woodcraft in Loveland, and has agreed to do another all day demo on June 18th (Fathers Day) at Rocklers in Denver. The cost is $30 per person which includes lunch. If you are interested, please email the FRW President at president@frontrangewoodturners.org
Richard Raffan
Richard Raffan has been turning wood professionally since 1970. During a day-long seminar Richard will turn a range of bowls, some spindles, a cross-grain box, a tray, and an endgrain box with a suction-fit lid. As he turns using standard gouges, chisels and scrapers, he'll explain in detail what is happening as work proceeds and why. He'll show you how to have a catch whenever you want. Working with less than perfect blanks so you'll see how Richard overcomes problems that confront all turners.
A signup sheet will be passed around at every meeting up to and including the June meeting. You can pay at a meeting, or fill out the payment form and send in payment to:
Front Range Woodturners
Raffan Demonstration
P.O. Box 620605
Littleton, CO 80162
Richard
A Collection of Richard's Work
Using a Skew
Calendar
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