Benefits

MMWTC holds a general membership meeting every month. Members typically begin to arrive about 6:15. The meeting starts at 6:45 and, depending on the demonstration or program for the month, may run as late as 9:15-9:30. The meeting format includes a brief business meeting, introduction of new members and guests, show & tell, our "red cup" wood & tool raffle, refreshments and - for 9 or 10 months - a turning demonstration. We traditionally hold a major tool auction at one monthly meeting late in the year, and a holiday party.

MMWTC's Mentor Coordinator helps match experienced turners with members who would like to learn a new technique or tips for making a particular project. We have members skilled in all areas of woodturning ... bowls, spindles, segmented turnings, pens, ornaments, tool sharpening, and many other areas of interest. Mentoring can take place in either the mentor's shop, or the student's shop.

Our Skill-building Workshop Coordinator works diligently to schedule workshops almost every month in the very well-equipped shop of one of our members in Purcellville, VA. Class size is limited to 8 students. The cost of classes varies depending on the nature of the project, the species of wood chosen, and other factors but is typically in the $10-$30. Students can order lunch from a nearby restaurant or sandwich shop, or bring a brown-bag lunch.

MMWTC frequently arranges for a nationally-recognized professional wood turner to conduct an all-day or multi-day workshop. They are held at the 8-lathe shop of one of our members Purcellville, Va. Day-long workshops ate typically held on Saturdays. Multi-day workshops are usually scheduled to begin late in the week and run through Saturday or Sunday so that participants don't have to use many vacation days. In the past we have been fortunate to have had John Jordan, Stuart Batty, Jimmy Clewes, Mark Sfirri, Sally Ault, Rudy Lopez, Donna Ziles Banfield and others share their expertise with our members.

MMWTC provides live demonstrations at, typically, 9 or 10 of our monthly meetings. These demos may be conducted by members of MMWTC, or by members of another local club, such as Catoctin Area Turners, Apple Valley Woodturners, Montgomery County Woodturners and Chesapeake Woodturners Club. A couple of times a year we invite a turner with national or even world-wide recognition to present the monthly demonstration. To help defray these program costs, a mandatory fee of $5 or $10 is collected at the door.

If you have a website dedicated to your woodturning business or hobby, you can post a FREE link with logo and basic info on the MMWTC website. Click the Members' Websites tab in the Menu bar to see the current links.