Who the club fits
The club works well for people who want to keep learning in person, bring in work, compare approaches, and stay around other turners on a regular basis.
About
A club built around meetings, mentoring, and member work
Chicago Woodturners is for people who want regular demonstrations, instant gallery critique, mentors, and the chance to keep talking shop with other turners. Here is the short version of how the club works, how it grew, and where it fits in the wider AAW network.
That history still shows up in the meetings, classes, archive, and member work you see across the site.
Good fit for Beginners through experienced turners
People come for demonstrations, mentors, gallery critique, and a room full of shop talk.
Meeting rhythm Demonstration plus instant gallery
The regular meeting still centers on demonstrations, announcements, and member work.
AAW chapter Networked since day one
The club remains an AAW chapter with awards, recognitions, and shared programs.
Visitors Always welcome
Come to a meeting, send a note, or start with the first-visit details on Events.
Club overview
What has kept the club going year after year
Monthly meetings still set the tone
The monthly meeting is still the heart of the club: demonstrations, announcements, instant gallery critique, and plenty of shop talk before and after the program.
Member work gets seen and discussed
Members bring in work, compare approaches, and ask questions in person. The Gallery and newsletter archive help keep that record from disappearing after one meeting.
The chapter reaches beyond meeting night
Turn On! Chicago, chapter recognitions, Women in Turning, and recurring service projects all grow out of the same member energy that shows up at the regular meetings.
History
Milestones in club history
The short version is that the club began in members' shops, grew into larger venues, and kept the same core rhythm of demonstrations, mentoring, and member work.
Organizing started in 1987, the chapter was founded on March 28, 1988, and the name changed to Chicago Woodturners in 1991.
The club grew into larger venues without losing demonstrations, mentoring, and instant gallery critique.
Turn On! Chicago, service work, and the newsletter archive all grow out of the same in-person club life.
The dates matter, but the continuity matters too. The room changes, the projects change, and the club keeps the same habit of meeting in person, watching somebody work, and talking things through afterward.
Visiting demonstrators, classes, and open shop sessions keep extending what starts in the monthly room.
The club history is full of these practical conversations, not just the formal program.
The setting has changed over the years, but the club has kept its regular in-person life.
Early organizers including Tom Jesionowski and Dick Sing helped pull together a first group of local turners after interest sparked around the early AAW symposium years. Those first home meetings led to the formal March 28, 1988 founding of Northern Illinois Woodturners.
Hosts demonstrated in their own shops while other members brought questions, projects, and a willingness to learn.
The chapter adopted the Chicago Woodturners name to better reflect the area it serves and the broader membership it had already begun to draw.
By the mid-1990s, the chapter was regularly bringing in nationally known turners for demonstrations and classes. That helped extend what members had already been building through meetings, mentoring, and shared shop knowledge.
The club kept growing and moved through larger venues while keeping the same core mix of demonstrations, member work, mentoring, and regular conversation.
The club still turns on the same things: meeting in person, sharing work, learning from experienced turners, and giving newer members a way to shorten the learning curve.
AAW relationship
Part of the AAW chapter network, and active inside it
AAW chapter roots
Chicago Woodturners operates as a chapter of the American Association of Woodturners.
Programs, recognitions, and WIT connection
You can see that connection in chapter awards, symposium collaborative work, Women in Turning activity, newsletters, and the educational programs the club keeps bringing back.
Where to go next
Other club pages to keep handy
Events First visit, meeting dates, and locations
Meeting dates, locations, and what to know before you come by.
Contact Club inbox, leadership, and membership helpClub inbox, current leadership roles, and membership help.
Community Awards, Women in Turning, and service workAwards, local WIT activity, and service projects.
Learn Mentors, handouts, safety notes, and shop helpPractical help with tools, techniques, and projects.