FAQ

A:  Yes. Please come and be our guest during one of our regular in-person meetings.  First-time visitors enjoy free admission for demonstrations.  Come by and see us, enjoy some coffee and donuts, and see what we’re all about. Capital Area Woodturners meet at the Bryant Center, 2709 Popkins Lane, Alexandria, VA (MAP) on the second Saturday of each month at 8:00 am.  Gathering and setup before the official meeting starts begins at 8:00 am.  Half day sessions finish at 1:00 PM and full day sessions, 3:00 PM. Meeting schedule.

A:  Please fill out a membership form available on our website.  You can also fill out a membership form at one of our meetings when you come to visit us.  Our treasurer can accept your form, as well as any member of the board.  You may also use PAYPAL from the secure website.  (click the membership form link above)

A: Annual membership dues for CAW are $51.75 for Individual / Family and $31.75 for Dual Club Members. Dual Membership is only offered to fully paid members of other Woodturning clubs that reciprocate the discount to CAW members. Dues are payable by January first of each year and cover the current year.  Click here to see the dues schedule.   

A: The CAW strongly encourages (but does not require) members to join the American Association of Woodturners (AAW). CAW/AAW members are encouraged to attend the annual AAW Symposium, and to volunteer time at the Symposium to assist demonstrators. Here is a link to the AAW.

A:  Our Events<a page and Newsletter contains information on some educational opportunities each month.  It provides the type of turning taught along with contact information for local and out of state programs.

A: CAW membership is required (due to liability insurance requirements) for a CAW member to participate in “hands-on” at any CAW-sponsored functions, demonstrations and/or skill-enhancement workshops.  You do not have to be a CAW member if you just want to watch.

A:  Most regular meetings have woodturning demonstrations.  Demonstrations by members of our club are free.  The club typically sponsors several demonstrations by professional woodturners each year.  We collect a demonstration fee of $15 for these demonstrations. Non-member guests may attend the first demonstration and meeting for free. 

A: Sometimes, professional woodturners hold special workshops that are not part of a regular CAW meeting. These are called Pro Demonstration Workshops (PDW).  These workshops may be held on a weekday before or after our regular meeting.  The cost for attending these workshops will be split up among the attendees.  Fees typically vary around $75 – $125 for a full day session and there are generally only six to 10 slots available.  These opportunities will be announced on the website, at regular meetings and in the newsletter.  Contact us for more details. Workshop Schedule

A:  Generally, yes.  Our club sponsors a silent auction of donated wood, tools and other items at each club meeting.  Members are encouraged to donate items of interest to the silent auction.  Income from the silent auction goes to the general treasury fund of the CAW.

A:  The club often finds vendor discounts for members by buying popular items in bulk, coordinated by our group buy volunteer.  CAW does not maintain inventory for this program, so members are encouraged to pick up their items when they arrive or have someone pick their purchases up for them. Sometimes, we may also have live auctions for wood or tools at considerable savings.

A: Members can offer to sell surplus items by contacting us. Members may also sell or trade woodturning supplies at meetings on a space available basis.  The sales of these items cannot interfere with the meeting or demonstration.

A:  Members are invited to join us for the skills enhancement workshops (SEW) offered at least once a month.  Generally scheduled on the 1st Wednesday after our monthly meeting, unless otherwise stated in the newsletter.  See the workshops page for more details.   All participants must be current members of CAW.

A:  Our club also sponsors a Mentor program to assist members in a variety of woodturning techniques.  Our Mentor Program Coordinator maintains a list of experienced mentors and their specialties who are willing to provide assistance and training. You must be a member of CAW for this opportunity.

A: Yes. There is no rental fee for our videos. We prefer the video be returned at the next meeting, however, we understand things happen. Just try and get it back as soon as you can.  You can also send the video to our Club Librarian via US Priority Mail. Contact us to get in touch with the Librarian.

A:  Articles written by members are welcomed and encouraged! We endeavor to help others learn by our own trials of what works and what doesn’t.  If you have projects that have worked well or some things you think others should know, write it up and offer it to our newsletter editor.

A: There are a variety of ways members can help the club.  Officers of the club are nominated and elected each October.  Any member may seek nomination.  Volunteers are the heart and soul of our organization through giving of their time and effort on a regular and ongoing basis.  These programs benefit by have more than one person working each program.  Volunteer positons:

• Photographer
• Flickr
• Website
• Facebook
• Maintenance
• Group Purchase Program
• Librarian
• Mentor Program
• Name Tags
• Newsletter
• Proofreader
• Audio Visual
• Committee
• CAW Clothing
• Peer Recognition
• Coffee Setup
• Meeting/Event Organizers
• Setup Committee
• Demonstration
• Meeting Fee Collection
• Meeting Raffle

A:  The club supports a Peer Recognition Award.  Any member can nominate any other member who has been unusually helpful to the club.  Nominations must be in writing, include the nominee’s name, the reason that special recognition is appropriate, along with the nominator’s name. Nominations may be submitted to any CAW board member. At the next board meeting, the officers will discuss and vote on the nomination.  Upon a positive majority vote, we will prepare a Peer Recognition Certificate and present it to the recipient at the next regular meeting.

A: Any member who has questions about procedures not laid out in our Standard Operating Procedures can ask any CAW board member.  That board member will bring it up for consideration to the board to answer the member and the membership in general.

Smocks are all made to order and can be pre-purchased at in person meetings.