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

July – Emily Ford (IRD-Interactive Remote Demo) – Captive Ring Baby Rattles and Spinning Tops

Emily Ford (better known as sheturnswood), has been captivated by captive rings since 2015. She took up turning specifically to learn to make captive ring baby rattles because she had just had a new baby boy, who she felt deserved a very special handmade toy that could last for years. Not long after she turned her first rattle she fell in love with the art and set out to become a well rounded turner.

She has demonstrated at the Utah Woodturning Symposium, Woodturners Worldwide Symposiums, and various Expos.  She has served several years as a board member of two local AAW sponsored turning clubs and is the President of the Timpanogous Turners club in Provo, Utah that meets at Craft Supplies USA where she has been known to teach courses from time to time.

She lives in Clearfield, Utah with her husband, 6 children, four dogs, one cat, and three lathes, and still puts just as much heart and soul into her projects as the day she gave that special first rattle that started it all to her son.

For her demo Emily will walk us through the process of turning  spinning tops and captive ring baby rattles. Learn proper spindle tool presentation and tool techniques while learning some easy and simple projects that are great warm-ups for a day at the lathe!

August – Elizabeth Weber – Carving a Wave/Leaf Motif 

Elizabeth is a woodturning instructor who lives in Seattle, WA. She began woodworking in 2015, and some of her first creations included several pieces of furniture in the Arts & Crafts style. She eventually turned to smaller objects and now specializes in bowls, spoons, and boxes. Her skills range from natural finish and simple forms to highly carved and painted forms that emulate natural motifs. Elizabeth serves as President for the Seattle Woodturners club, and she helps run the local spoon club chapter (the Seattle Spoon Club). She was awarded the American Association of Woodturner’s 2023 Professional Outreach Program’s Artist Showcase and demonstrated at the 2023 AAW Louisville Symposium.

In this presentation Elizabeth will discuss the story behind her carved piece (1st picture) and how to look at nature abstractly for inspiration. She will talk about the tools, tips, and tricks for creating the wave/leaf motifs on your turned objects. This consists of layout, and ways to highlight the wood or add additional textures to the piece through the use of rotary carvers, woodburners, and hand tools. We’ll explore various ways to add color to your finished work by using milk paint, and what finishes you can apply to your surface when you are done.

Elizabeth is also teaching a hands on class the day after our monthly meeting. A class sign up link was already emailed to members.

Demonstrators scheduled for 2024:

July 9th Special Class – Mark Gardner – Shrink Box (from the Rocky Mtn Symposium)
Sep – Raleigh Lockhart – Leaf Bowl
Oct – Matt Monaco – Advanced Skew Work
Nov – Bear Limvere, Two Handed Quaiche Bowl
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 – Each monthly meeting features 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.
• Wood Raffle – Members can bring some of their excess wood to a meeting to be raffled off.  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.