Turners Anonymous is a group of woodturning enthusiasts from the Tri-State area surrounding Pittsburgh. We love all things about woodturning… 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.
When -> Meetings are 9am every 3rd Saturday of the Month. Check out the Calendar for all the dates & events.
Where -> Contemporary Crafts (Timmons Studio) 5688 Butler Street, Pittsburgh, Pa 15201 [ Google Map Link ]

The club is on break over the summer.

..... allowing plenty of time for this year's Summer Challenge!!

2026 Summer Challenge

This year's theme will be "Something from Nature". It could be something as simple as an egg (think basket of), or a flower (think vase of), a stump box, or a gnome (yes... gnomes are legal), or a mushroom, birdhouse, or.....the options are endless.

Craft your entry/entries over the summer break and bring them to our September 19th meeting where club members will have a chance to vote for their favorites.

The winner, along with fame and adoration from club members will get a 1 year free club membership.

Next Meeting - September 19th

Obliquity Segmented Bowl - Pace Nalbone
- What happens when a spherical form changes axes?

Utilizing standard segmented form practices, laminated boards are ripped and segmented to stage a roughly spherical bowl form. Depending on the final depth (and comfort of the turner), roughing out the object in halves can reduce tool loading. After smoothing, the halves are joined and gauged to match a target radii - the closer to spherical the less wobble. Using a jam chuck method, the form is tilted to form a new rotational axis, and levelled off both top and bottom. Additional layers are added to form a lip & foot, after which final shaping and polishing can commence. The resulting object yields a spiral illusion, without needing to dive into custom multi-bevel faceting..

Members, guests and visitors welcome

When -> 9am
Where -> Contemporary Crafts (Timmons Studio) 5688 Butler Street, Pittsburgh, Pa 15201 [ Google Map Link ]
What to expect
- 9:00am fellowship with coffee and donuts AND summer challenge voting
- 9:45am comments from the board
- 9:50am demonstration
- 11:45am raffle, instant gallery AND summer challenge winner
- Clean up

Tip of the month

There are lots of ways to embellish and accentuate your turning with burn marks, from high-end pyrography kits to dedicated wire burning kits. Just as effective are cheaper options like free Formica samples from your favorite local hardware store. Think a strip 1" x 12" held on the tool rest so that the 1" end is rubbing vertically against the spinning work creating friction and the burn mark, ideally in a established groove - Thanks Tom Shortall!

Remember - Just use common sense and be safe no matter what your approach.

May 9th Meeting

Kim Romanko gave a great and wide ranging demonstration of several things from nature in support of this years Summer challenge. Taking requests on the fly to create flowers, apples and acorns with tips, tricks and insights Kim picked up along the way.

What awaits the winner of the Summer Challenge? Fame, glory, and a 1 year club membership.

May Demo

May2026 Instant Gallery

March 21st Meeting

Our demonstrator Saturday, March 21st was Tom Olichiw, who turned a Roman flask from scratch. Tom is from the Ohio Valley Woodturners Guild (ovwg.org), you may know him from big bowl fame, and when we say big, we mean climb inside big. Tom did an excellent presentation that was both informative and engaging throughout, ending the presentation with encouraging words around primary tool selection doesn't need to be large (bowl gouge, spindle gouge and parting tool), repetition and making the tools and movements your own.

This was also the first meeting where our new AV system was deployed. A huge improvement for both the end recording and meeting participation. Moving from 2 static video feeds to 3 with pan, tilt, zoom and real time mixing capabilities was transformative. A huge shout out to the board for making this happen, volunteers for the significant setup time and effort, CW for the expertise and guidance, and the volunteers (Nick W, Ava V, and Marie T) learning the new system for club meetings. Thank you all! For a first pass it's not bad at all, check out Toms demo for proof in the members section.

Events

Sept 11-12 - A Fair in the Park - Mellon Park

A Fair in the Park is held in the lush surroundings of Pittsburgh’s Mellon Park. An estimated 20,000 dedicated visitors enjoy the opportunity to interact with approximately 85 regional and national artists working in a variety of mediums including clay, fiber, wood, jewelry, glass, leather, metal, mixed media, and two-dimensional art.

All members of The Craftsmen’s Guild of Pittsburgh are eligible to participate in AFIP. Each year approximately 60% of the artists at the Fair are members of The Craftsmen’s Guild of Pittsburgh. The remainder of the artists are selected by a jury from a large pool of national and international applicants.
This public event is free of charge, held rain or shine.

Turners Anonymous will have a demonstration booth throughout the festival.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!! This is a great way to promote your passion and fellow/mentorship with other club members.

Pat Carrol Demonstration & Workshops

October 25th & 26th we had guest lecturer Pat Carroll from Ireland to perform an all-day demo across three pieces on Saturday and an all-day hands-on class on Sunday. Materials were provided. If you went to the Ohio Valley Woodturners Guild symposium in Cincinnati you will got a preview of his demos. You can learn more about Pat at https://www.patcarrollwoodturning.com.

Example of Pat Carroll's Work

Oct 2025 Pat Carrol Demonstration Pictures

November 2025 Instant Gallery

Summer Challenge 2025 - Embellishing

Summer Challenge 2025 Winner
Eric Johnson

Turners Anonymous is proud to be a member Chapter of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW)

Turners Anonymous is proud to be one of 350+ worldwide chapters of the American Association of Woodturners. We encourage you to join this fine organization. Benefits can be found here -> AAW Membership Benefits 2026

The American Association of Woodturners(AAW) is an international, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. AAW's mission is to provide education, information, and organization to those interested in turning wood.

Turners Anonymous Inc﻿