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

Apr – Pat Carroll – demo and class info coming

Bio:  Our demonstrator for April is Pat Carroll. Working as a builder and carpenter, woodturning was a craft Pat knew very little about before 2001. After some research, he was fortunate to find a woodturner in his nearest town — one of the finest turners in Ireland. Willie Stedmond, a founding member of the Irish Woodturners Guild, was giving night classes, and Pat attended several.

It is always Pat’s first advice to anyone interested in woodturning: take lessons and join a club. He did both, and along the way he met generous, talented people who helped and encouraged him enormously.

Over the years Pat’s turning has progressed through many areas of this wonderful craft. There were long periods when work and other commitments left little or no time for turning — but the draw was always there. The need to make shavings!

He is very proud of the recognition he has received from fellow turners and artists for his work, demonstrations, and award-winning pieces. He views it as a great honor to have his work included in collections around the world. 

When Mark Baker of GMC Woodturning magazine approached Pat to write for the publication, he was completely taken aback and initially declined. Thankfully, Mark persevered and offered his support. With Mark’s encouragement, Pat has since had many articles published. More recently, with the rise of virtual woodturning, he has embraced delivering IRDs (Interactive Remote Demonstrations). Pat also hosts “Meet the Woodturner,” an online series where he interviews artists from around the world, gaining fascinating insights into their woodturning lives and careers. A global audience can engage directly with guests through live chat, making the world feel smaller and bringing the woodturning community together for evenings of shared learning and enjoyment.

Demonstrators for 2026:

May – 
Jun – 
Jul – Rick Orr – Goblets
Aug – Michael Anderson – Spin Top on Coin Bearing
Sep – Steve Newberry (RMWT) – One Piece Teapots
Oct – J.Paul Fennel – Piercing
Nov – Patrick Crumpton – Sea Urchin Ornament w/Painted Interior
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!