Welcome to Turners Anonymous

Turners Anonymous is a group of about 100 wood turning enthusiasts from the area surrounding Pittsburgh. We love all things about wood turning... the satisfaction of a sharp clean cut; the smell of freshly sliced cherry shavings; an excuse to buy new, expensive tools; and most importantly, the chance to help others to explore and enjoy the hobby as much as we do.

Please feel free to explore these pages to learn more about Turners Anonymous, look at some photos, and consider coming to a meeting.

Are there any programs or turners you would like to see in our future featured presentations? The Board is currently planning these events for the next 12-18 months, so now is the time to be heard. Feel free to send me an email, and I will pass along your input.

Pat Griffin has taken videos of the January and February demonstrations as well as a number of photos of the February Instant Gallery. He has them shared on One Drive. Please take a look and if you appreciated his efforts, be sure to let him know!

Our September Meeting

On Saturday September 17th, James Finley is going to be our featured presenter. He is a professor at Penn State University in the Department of Agriculture and has been working with trees for over 40 years. Jim is going to share his experience on how to find wood, prep wood for turning, and the do's and don'ts of turning wood. He has recently written an article on this subject in the latest edition of the American Woodturner from AAW if you want to see more on the subject matter. Here is an intro into the article and the demo:

Wood is essential to our woodturning hobby. Our appetite for wood is nearly insatiable. We know grows on trees. And, finding turning wood, free or otherwise, is challenging, fun, and can provide opportunities to make new friends and to experiment with myriad species and unique cuts. In urban landscapes, shade and lawn tree removal, storm salvage, rights-of-way and develop clearing, are often good sources, and in rural landscapes add logging residue and fencerows. Regardless of where you live and practice your craft, there is much to learn about gathering wood. Sometimes, the most interesting finds are things you might overlook. We will talk about, which cuts to take for figure or interesting grain, unique species (common and uncommon), insects and diseases that create spectacular wood, and services you can offer to gain access to wood. As well, we will touch on safety. To expand our understanding, we will share ideas and experiences as they fit into the discussion.

October 15th, 2016 feature presentation with Mike Jackofsky

Mike specializes in hollow vessels, most of which are natural edge pieces made from unique burls, but he also turns bowls, including thin, natural edge open bowls, off balance asymmetrical pieces, hollow forms with "wings", and sculptural forms. Mike's work is represented in many private collections around the world and is on display in the permanent collections of the Sam Maloof Historical Residence Museum in Alta Loma, CA, the Mingei International Museum in San Diego, CA, and the AAW collection in Minneapolis, MN. He received "Best of Show" at the AAW sponsored "California Contours" show and he has won numerous awards at the San Diego international "Design in Wood Exhibition", including more than 10 first place awards.

Mike has perfected the art of freehand hollow form turning and is a great presenter. For more information on Mike, see his website at www.mikejackofsky.com.

The Saturday demo is an all-day affair with lunch included. Cost for the day has been held to $ 30.00 for this demo. Please get your reservations in by the September meeting because the meeting will be opened to area clubs after that. The October hands on class will be a little different than in the past. Mike will teaches a two day class which is different than the two-one day classes we have had in the past.

The cost of the class will be $200.00 total for both days which will be a Sunday & Monday. This class will emphasize the hollowing process, but will also include working on an open bowl, so you can see the hollowing process. Skills and techniques of using gouges, hollowing tools, chucks, etc. will be taught and used to produce finished pieces. Students will gain experience in the entire process, from wood selection, turning between centers and mounting the work in a chuck, to hollowing, sanding and reverse chucking to complete the piece. This course is designed to be flexible in allowing both advanced and beginning students to progress at their own pace and to choose the degree of difficulty of each project as we go. Therefore, it is not necessary to have hollowing experience to take this class, but it is helpful if students have the skills to make an open bowl.