About Front Range Woodturners

We are the Denver area chapter of the AAW (American Association of Woodturners) serving woodturners throughout Colorado’s Front Range.

Our Meetings

We meet on the first Tuesday of every month from 6:15 PM to 9:00 PM in the basement of Rockler Woodworking and Hardware, 2553 S Colorado Blvd, Denver, 80222.

Visitors are welcome to join us at one of our meetings to see what we are all about.

Upcoming Demonstrations

Nov – Laurent Niclot – Sphere Turning and Hollowing

Sphere Turning and Hollowing: Roughing out and turning a perfect sphere between centers and remounting for the finishing using a jam chuck made out of green wood. Hollowing the sphere using small hollowing tools in a homemade chuck for a precise and safe method of hollowing. The sphere is a very pure shape but is also one of the most complicated. It is a great canvas for carving and texturing as well as a pleasant shape that will put forward the beauty of the wood grain. LEVEL: something for everybody.

Originally from Toulon in the south of France, Laurent Niclot now lives and works in Fort Collins, CO, USA. Having always loved wood, it was natural for him to study woodworking, woodcarving, cabinetmaking, furniture making, and design. His passion for woodturning began when he discovered the craft through Jean-François Escoulen — and he instantly knew it was what he wanted to pursue as a career.

In 2015 at the age of 20, Laurent completed a six-month woodturning course at the Escoulen School in Aiguines, France, under the guidance of Jean-François Escoulen and Yann Marot. Following his studies he was hired by the school as an assistant and translator for three years. During that time he was provided with a studio and a lathe, allowing him to refine his craft, explore his artistic voice, and connect with many inspiring artists and woodturners.

Laurent has since shared his passion for woodturning by teaching and demonstrating in France, Belgium, Canada, and throughout the United States. He offers both in-person and remote demonstrations, as well as one-day to weeklong workshops, all while continuing to develop his own artistic practice. His work ranges from traditional woodturning to woodburning, carving, multi-axis forms, coloring, and texturing.

Laurent’s approach to woodturning is highly experimental. He enjoys exploring new textures, colors, tools, and techniques, often giving new life to wood that others might overlook due to cracks or imperfections. Using rotary tools and gouges, he creates sculptural, decorative pieces that carry strong messages or stories. Collaboration is also central to his practice—working with other artists allows him to blend materials, exchange ideas, and view his own work through new perspectives.

Follow Laurent on Instagram: @laurent_niclot

Demonstrators scheduled for 2025:
Dec – Holiday Party

Member Benefits

Library – The Front Range Woodturners has an extensive collection of books, magazines, and videos available for members to check out at no cost.
Demonstrations – Monthly meetings feature an exciting demo given by one of our club members or a professional turner. When available we also offer a full day hands-on class with these renowned turners at a nominal cost.
Brown Bag Demo – Bring your lunch and watch a free in-person mini demo on a variety of topics in a smaller, more relaxed setting.
Wood Drawing – Members can bring some of their excess (good) wood to a meeting so it can find a new home with a different member. You can never have too much wood!
Group Buy – Do you want to save money? We have vendor discounts with Internet suppliers, local suppliers, tool and steel suppliers and wood suppliers. Through our deals with these vendors our members can easily earn back the cost of membership!
Ladies of the Lathe – All female members of the FRW, aged 18 or older, are invited to join the Ladies of the Lathe. LOTL is intended to provide a comfortable, easy-paced, and non-threatening environment for women to learn and advance their skills in turning.
Mentoring – Members have access to several programs to help increase their woodturning skills. Group sessions are held monthly and one-on-one mentoring on various topics can be arranged with experienced FRW volunteers.
PHEOG – The Pete Holtus Educational Opportunity Grant program provides grant money to members through an application process. Applicants may request money for woodturning related classes, workshops, or symposium fees.
Workshop Tours – monthly tour of members workshop. Get ideas and get inspired!

Special Notices

2026 Officer and Chair elections will be here before you know it. We need a new President as Don is stepping down after 2 years, and we need a new VP since Jessica moved. Give thought to which position you would like to help with. You can nominate yourself or someone else, simply send an email to [email protected] with your nomination.
The FORMS tab (above) has all of our forms in one spot (Group Buy, Membership, Gallery, etc).
The Turning Challenge for the November meeting is an Ornament. You can use a banksia pod like Cindy Drozda did in her demo, but it is not required. Here’s your opportunity to create something for the holiday party ornament exchange!
Our last Brown Bag Demo (“view and chew” as Raleigh says) was on October 14th. Todd Bowen demoed Antler Pens.
Our last Group Buy for the year will be at the October meeting with pickup in November.
Membership Renewal: Use our online form if you want to pay with credit card or PayPal. If you want to pay with check you can fill out an eForm and mail it or bring to a meeting. Click on FRW Membership Info (top of the Home page), or the Forms tab and fill out the Current Member Renewal Online Form.

PHEOG Grant. Congratulations to the 2025 grant winners!
Marcee Morris
Don Sheffield
Brenda Blaesing
Rocky Mountain Folk School
(c/o Dennis Fanning)

Remember if you received an award you have 1 year to give your payback to the club.

Upcoming Events

Tool sale / Swap Meet
DATE CHANGE! Our annual Tool sale/swap meet has been rescheduled for Saturday, Nov. 8th from 11am-2pm.
Do you have tools you no longer need? Do you have too much wood? Do you like to buy tools or wood? Do you want to put some cash in your pocket? Do you like to haggle and make deals? Then you’ve come to the right place! You can do any or all of the above at our annual swap meet and sale!

Upcoming Symposiums!

Rocky Mountain Woodturning Symposium

What a great Symposium! Mark your calendars for next year:

September 18-20, 2026
Loveland, CO
rmwoodturningsymposium.com/