club member numbers and locality population

[Scott Hoefs]

Hi all, this post is inspired by Gabrial Hoff, who posted his club calendar. I am the president of the Southcoast Woodturners Club located in the Coos Bay/ North Bend South coast area of Oregon. The locality of my club is somewhat remote. The population of CB/NB is around 30,000. Our club has around 55 paying members and routinely has 30 or so members that come to our monthly meetings. We do not offer a virtual option to meetings. As president I want to develop our club into a club that has a schedule such as the Ohio Valley Woodturners, but maybe not quite that busy. My question is what is your local club member size and what is the population of your location, within 60 miles say? Thanks for your time. Scott

​

Gabriel Hoff​

Well, we always say we are the busiest and biggest club in America!! Here is the May calendar alone....
11 Open Shops (you can come and do any project you want---8 people come to most shops)
1 Turn and Learn bowl class
1 Woodburning class
1 Eccentric multi axis turning class
2 Beginners Open Shop classes for new turners
1 Monthly Meeting with pro turner Sammy Long and TWO all day hands on classes about his carving
1 Workshop Cleaning Day
2 day Appalachian Festival down in Coney Island--- vendors demos etc
1 Board Meeting
1 Introduction class to the OVWG and a couple of beginner projects for the BRAND new turners
and that's just May y'all!!

 

[Gabriel Hoff]

Hi all, this post is inspired by Gabriel Hoff, who posted his club calendar. I am the president of the Southcoast Woodturners Club located in the Coos Bay/ North Bend South coast area of Oregon. The locality of my club is somewhat remote. The population of CB/NB is around 30,000. Our club has around 55 paying members and routinely has 30 or so members that come to our monthly meetings. We do not offer a virtual option to meetings. As president I want to develop our club into a club that has a schedule such as the Ohio Valley Woodturners, but maybe not quite that busy. My question is what is your local club member size and what is the population of your location, within 60 miles say? Thanks for your time. Scott

​

Gabriel Hoff​

Well, we always say we are the busiest and biggest club in America!! Here is the May calendar alone....
11 Open Shops (you can come and do any project you want---8 people come to most shops)
1 Turn and Learn bowl class
1 Woodburning class
1 Eccentric multi axis turning class
2 Beginners Open Shop classes for new turners
1 Monthly Meeting with pro turner Sammy Long and TWO all day hands on classes about his carving
1 Workshop Cleaning Day
2 day Appalachian Festival down in Coney Island--- vendors demos etc
1 Board Meeting
1 Introduction class to the OVWG and a couple of beginner projects for the BRAND new turners
and that's just May y'all!!

Sure Scott, we have around 700 members who are paid, but only about 100 are really active. Also the population of the surrounding area including Cincinnati, Dayton, and some of Northern Kentucky is around 1,500,000 people! We have about 15 members from Kentucky at least 600 from Ohio and a few from Indiana. Hope this helps....

 

[Gabriel Hoff]

I would also add that having a dedicated building with some equipment has been what has really made our club get so big. Back around 1995-2014 the club just met in other shops or in a church basement and it was limited to once a month like most clubs. But in 2015 one of the lifelong members pushed for a Learning Center in the middle of the city, so they had meetings on where to locate it, equipment funding and of course a lot of people chipped in to help from making workbenches buying lathes epoxying and painting the floor and walls to even getting a fridge and microwave. Now I was not a member back then but I have seen the albums and documents the club has and it details the whole process.
Here is an inside photo of the learning center.....I blotted out faces BTW...

 

[Earl Recker]

Really really cool. Wish I wasn't over 2 hours away.

 

[Dean Center]

We have about 35 paid members and get 20 or so to our monthly meetings. We had somewhat stronger numbers pre-covid. Our local population is about 100,000 county wide, but we have members from as far as 90 miles away (just around the corner by Montana standards)

We have a monthly meeting during the school year (we meet in the high school shop), and monthly 'Shop Tours' in the summer. Once a year we have a picnic which is strictly social. In the past, we would have an expert turner come and give a workshop every couple of years, but haven't for quite a while.

 

[Dave Landers]

Rocky Mountain Woodturners meets in Loveland, CO and we have members from Denver, Boulder, Loveland, Fort Colins, Cheyenne and all surrounding areas - it's a large geographical area. Google says the population of Northern Colorado is about 600K but that doesn't include Boulder county (325K) or the Denver area. We have something like 120 - 150 members, depending on if they've paid their dues on time.
Our monthly schedule includes
- Meeting with demo - We meet at the Woodcraft store, and offer a virtual (Zoom) option. We usually have around 40 ~ 60 or so present (depending on the demo, weather, etc) and another ~10 online. Business meeting, wood raffle, instant gallery, and demo. We bring in 2 - 3 demonstrators from out of the area each year, often coordinating with the Denver club to share travel costs.
- Social meeting on zoom - show and tell and discussion - no agenda except there's some announced topic - These days, we're only getting around 8 or so attending - was much more popular when it started during covid.
- Open shop / shop tour - at some member's shop, usually with a topic, but really whatever the member and those who show up want to do. We just started it this year, and are getting around a dozen show up to each.
- Pen turner's meeting and demo - at Woodcraft. I think there's a dozen or so usually - in-person only no zoom
- Twirling Sisters (our Women In Turning group) meeting.
Also
- We host a hands-on class with the monthly demonstrator 4 to 6 times per year
- Annual summer picnic and a December holiday dinner w/auction
- Usually an annual wood lot cleanup day, often with chainsaw instruction/mentoring
- Annual symposium with demonstrators from around the country/world. About 200+ attendees from all over. There's also usually a few hands-on classes with a couple featured demonstrators before/after the symposium.

 

[Scott Hoefs]

I would also add that having a dedicated building with some equipment has been what has really made our club get so big. Back around 1995-2014 the club just met in other shops or in a church basement and it was limited to once a month like most clubs. But in 2015 one of the lifelong members pushed for a Learning Center in the middle of the city, so they had meetings on where to locate it, equipment funding and of course a lot of people chipped in to help from making workbenches buying lathes epoxying and painting the floor and walls to even getting a fridge and microwave. Now I was not a member back then but I have seen the albums and documents the club has and it details the whole process.
Here is an inside photo of the learning center.....I blotted out faces BTW...
View attachment 63153

Very impressive, thanks for the info. It puts things in perspective.

 

[Gabriel Hoff]

Rocky Mountain Woodturners meets in Loveland, CO and we have members from Denver, Boulder, Loveland, Fort Colins, Cheyenne and all surrounding areas - it's a large geographical area. Google says the population of Northern Colorado is about 600K but that doesn't include Boulder county (325K) or the Denver area. We have something like 120 - 150 members, depending on if they've paid their dues on time.
Our monthly schedule includes
- Meeting with demo - We meet at the Woodcraft store, and offer a virtual (Zoom) option. We usually have around 40 ~ 60 or so present (depending on the demo, weather, etc) and another ~10 online. Business meeting, wood raffle, instant gallery, and demo. We bring in 2 - 3 demonstrators from out of the area each year, often coordinating with the Denver club to share travel costs.
- Social meeting on zoom - show and tell and discussion - no agenda except there's some announced topic - These days, we're only getting around 8 or so attending - was much more popular when it started during covid.
- Open shop / shop tour - at some member's shop, usually with a topic, but really whatever the member and those who show up want to do. We just started it this year, and are getting around a dozen show up to each.
- Pen turner's meeting and demo - at Woodcraft. I think there's a dozen or so usually - in-person only no zoom
- Twirling Sisters (our Women In Turning group) meeting.
Also
- We host a hands-on class with the monthly demonstrator 4 to 6 times per year
- Annual summer picnic and a December holiday dinner w/auction
- Usually an annual wood lot cleanup day, often with chainsaw instruction/mentoring
- Annual symposium with demonstrators from around the country/world. About 200+ attendees from all over. There's also usually a few hands-on classes with a couple featured demonstrators before/after the symposium.

That sounds awesome!

 

[Isaac Fisher]

Mendocino Coast Woodturners in Northern California has about thirty members, and growing a little each year. Usually about a dozen at meetings, plus a few visitors. We also have a very well attended picnic every summer, and a few morning skill-building workshops each year. Still trying to work out the kinks on those.

About a year ago we started meeting at the same location every month (a professional woodworking shop run by one of the members), which has helped build some momentum. Membership is growing slowly, but enthusiasm, participation, and quality of show-and-tell work have all
seen noticeable improvement. We’re hoping to add a projector setup soon to help make demonstrations easier to see.

 

[Scott Hoefs]

Mendocino Coast Woodturners in Northern California has about thirty members, and growing a little each year. Usually about a dozen at meetings, plus a few visitors. We also have a very well attended picnic every summer, and a few morning skill-building workshops each year. Still trying to work out the kinks on those.

About a year ago we started meeting at the same location every month (a professional woodworking shop run by one of the members), which has helped build some momentum. Membership is growing slowly, but enthusiasm, participation, and quality of show-and-tell work have all
seen noticeable improvement. We’re hoping to add a projector setup soon to help make demonstrations easier to see.

Thanks Isaac, your club sounds similar to ours.

 

[Rusty Nesmith]

Mountaineer Woodturners Ripley, West Virginia. Around 100,000 people in a 60 mile radius. We have around 40 paid members. We have around 25 show up for the monthly meeting. We meet the second Saturday of every month. We have show and tell and two demo at every meeting. The 4th Saturday of every month we have open shop where people can bring wood and tools and get help from the more experienced. We have 8 lathes and usually get 6 or 7 at open shop. We had 4 join at the last meeting.

 

[Scott Hoefs]

Mountaineer Woodturners Ripley, West Virginia. Around 100,000 people in a 60 mile radius. We have around 40 paid members. We have around 25 show up for the monthly meeting. We meet the second Saturday of every month. We have show and tell and two demo at every meeting. The 4th Saturday of every month we have open shop where people can bring wood and tools and get help from the more experienced. We have 8 lathes and usually get 6 or 7 at open shop. We had 4 join at the last meeting.

Thanks for the info Rusty! Once covid hit, our numbers took a hit. As things opened up, we hosted a Learn to Turn series for anyone interested. The series consisted of turning 1. honey dipper 2. bud vase 3. small bowl and finished off the series with turning a pen. The series were held after our monthly meetings on the second Saturday of the month for 4 months. Members hung fliers around town, we got psa announcements on the radio and on line. This resulted in 13 new members last year for our efforts. We are currently doing the same programs again. After the first session, we got 5 new members. If things keep going, we should get another 10-15 new members this year.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Our club Magnolia Woodturners had the fortune to hook up with The MS Ag and Forestry Museum 5 years ago and we have began to have gains. Metro population is over 580,000 . We currently have 57 paid members and attendance at 31 average. Several members drive 90 miles to meetings.

We use 55 inch TVs to show the demo and record and publish demos . This was started when we moved and has been highly accepted by membership. We recently added a new PA system and probably more IT to come.

We have annual picnic in the spring with spouses invited. Demos are presented at each meeting with 2 to 3 out of state presenters each year. Recently a deal was worked out with the state Craftsmans Guild so all our members are limited member of the guild. We have raffles at least twice a year.

 

[hughie]

Hmm, well the club I'm in is The Kiama Craft group, membership is about 30 and slowly growing we meet once a month in the seaside village of Kaima situated on the south coast of New South Wales on the eastern seaboard of Australia, pop 7,700. The club is a mix of turners, box makers, carvers, luthiers and cabinet makers

 

[Rusty Nesmith]

Thanks for the info Rusty! Once covid hit, our numbers took a hit. As things opened up, we hosted a Learn to Turn series for anyone interested. The series consisted of turning 1. honey dipper 2. bud vase 3. small bowl and finished off the series with turning a pen. The series were held after our monthly meetings on the second Saturday of the month for 4 months. Members hung fliers around town, we got psa announcements on the radio and on line. This resulted in 13 new members last year for our efforts. We are currently doing the same programs again. After the first session, we got 5 new members. If things keep going, we should get another 10-15 new members this year.

We are fortunate to have a building at a State park. The park advertises and books week long classes. Two of our members teach those classes and recruit new members from there. They also teach day classes at Woodcraft and recruit from there. We have around 12 to 14 new people over the last three years.

 

[Dave Hulett]

Central Arkansas Woodturners currently has 50 paid members. attendance each month is 25-35. 90% of our members live within 30 miles and there are 100k people in our county.

 

[Scott Hoefs]

Central Arkansas Woodturners currently has 50 paid members. attendance each month is 25-35. 90% of our members live within 30 miles and there are 100k people in our county.

Thanks Dave! The general consensus is that most clubs are around the same in terms of community size and membership numbers.

 

[Dwayne Watt]

NorthEastern Oklahoma Wood Turners Association (NEOWTA) is in Tulsa, OK. Tulsa metro population is just over 1 million people. We have approximately 140 members of which roughly half to two thirds are active participants. We draw folks in from an approximately 60 mile radius to our monthly general meeting.
NEOWTA has its own building complete with a demonstration stage and 6 camera AV system. Our classroom has 9 workstations complete with all basic turning tools and full size Jet / Powermatic lathes. We hold open turning twice a month for members of the club. During the monthly meeting we have an instant gallery, a tool/gadget/wood raffle, glue & sandpaper sale, and anchor seal sales. The monthly general meetings have a skills presentation of some sort given by one of the members or we have club member "Show and Tell" which is on a quarterly basis, more or less. General meetings are also live streamed via Zoom.
NEOWTA has professional turners come in a couple times per year and hold an all day demonstration class followed by a separate 3 days of hands-on classes (Kirk DeHeer will be here in July for anyone interested in attending!). We hold Learn to Turn classes at our facility for 5-8 students 4 to 5 times per year. Typically we have one or two more advanced classes annually plus an occasional sharpening class as well as a Pens for Troops blitz a couple times per year. NEOWTA also sponsors one of the demonstration rooms at SWAT each year.

 

[Chris Fairbanks]

If any of the AAW Chapters need help with web hosting or email hosting/forwarding, please reach out to me. Depending on how big the requirement is, I should be able to host it for you on this server. We can also setup a forum dedicated for your chapter as well so you do not have to try managing forum software yourself.

 

[Gabriel Hoff]

Sure Scott, we have around 700 members who are paid, but only about 100 are really active. Also the population of the surrounding area including Cincinnati, Dayton, and some of Northern Kentucky is around 1,500,000 people! We have about 15 members from Kentucky at least 600 from Ohio and a few from Indiana. Hope this helps....

EDIT....we actually have only 300 members I was thinking about the Facebook group which is in the 700's. Whoops! It is still double the amount of some of the bigger cubs so that is what I was trying to say...

 

[Kevin Jesequel]

Our area is a little different. The first club to form in Portland was the Cascade Woodturners. As the club and the city grew it made sense for members on the west side to split off and form the Northwest Woodturners on the West side of Town. Cascade moved to the East side. As the number of members commuting accross the Columbia River from Vancouver, WA grew, they split off and formed the Southwest Washington Woodturners. As a result, the Portland metro area has three clubs with about 500 members and a metro population of about 2.5 million. One cool thing about the clubs is that as they split off, each took a different Thursday of the month for their meetings. If you are a member of all three, you can see three different demonstrations each month plus any associated hands on workshops and each club has a monthly open shop/sawdust session.

 

[Dave Hulett]

Thanks Dave! The general consensus is that most clubs are around the same in terms of community size and membership numbers.

I should ad that technically the 60 mile limit you specified for us would also include Little Rock in which our sister club the Diamond State Woodturners is located. Little Rock has a population of about 200k and I think there club has 35-40 members, about a half a dozen of which are members of our club also.

 

[Gabriel Hoff]

Our area is a little different. The first club to form in Portland was the Cascade Woodturners. As the club and the city grew it made sense for members on the west side to split off and form the Northwest Woodturners on the West side of Town. Cascade moved to the East side. As the number of members commuting accross the Columbia River from Vancouver, WA grew, they split off and formed the Southwest Washington Woodturners. As a result, the Portland metro area has three clubs with about 500 members and a metro population of about 2.5 million. One cool thing about the clubs is that as they split off, each took a different Thursday of the month for their meetings. If you are a member of all three, you can see three different demonstrations each month plus any associated hands on workshops and each club has a monthly open shop/sawdust session.

It seems like a lot of turners live in the Portland area probably because a lot of the wood suppliers and free wood are located there.