Gold Coast Woodturners Inc. commenced operation in 1983 and is one of the oldest and largest specialist woodturning clubs in Australia. With over 100 members ranging in ages from 16 to 90+ the membership base spans four generations and has a liberal dose of members of all ages both male and female. The club is a voluntary not for profit organisation, its overall aim is to promote, instruct and disseminate the skills associated with the centuries old craft of woodturning. In order to achieve that aim the club runs 9 week beginner programmes 2 times a year. Beginners have a choice of 7 sessions per week (see Club Open Hours section of this website) learning from trained tutors (senior members of the club) who give their time voluntarily to help others. During the 9 weeks the beginner’s are treated as temporary members and at the completion of their 9 week programme are invited to join the club as full members if they wish. The costs associated with the beginner’s programme and the subsequent joining of the club are exceptionally cheap given what the beginner receives in return. For details about the beginner’s course, please contact the programme coordinator Mike JUDD through the online enquiry form. All machinery and associated tools are provided free of charge during the programme. After joining the club proper the new member will go on to learn more complex turning techniques thus enhancing their skills to the level they personally desire.
The club is very active in the community and provides free demonstrations at the Gold Coast Council’s Australia Day celebrations, the Mudgeeraba Street Party, to numerous aged care facilities on the coast, at events conducted by other organisations/clubs, throughout the Coast. The club’s two highlight events each year are its exhibits at both the Mudgeeraba and Gold Coast Shows.
The club has 13 lathes of the highest quality and other machinery associated with woodturning. New members are able to use club machinery and tools before outlaying their own money on purchasing such equipment. The management committee of the club has many aims for the benefit and positive welfare of the club and its members but three important ones are safety, never turning an appropriate new member away and keeping membership costs to an absolute minimum so the craft of woodturning is accessible to the vast majority of the community.
So, what is woodturning?
The best way for that question to be answered is for the reader to view the various photographs within this website.
Basically woodturning is the craft of shaping a piece of spinning wood with hand held chisels to shape the wood into the article desired which may include such things as pepper grinders, bowls, lamp stands, vases and very many other things that are basically round in shape. The breadth of woodturning possibilities is limited only by the individual’s imagination.
What does the club provide?
The club provides a forum for members to learn woodturning in a safe environment. Club premises have an an air conditioned meeting room and demonstration area where both club and visiting woodturners can demonstrate various techniques and skills with the aid of CCTV.
There is also a club ‘shop’ from which members can purchase woodturning related items. We stock a large variety of native and exotic timbers which are available for purchase by the public as timber species are often unattainable elsewhere. Enquiries welcome.
So come along, have a look at our facilities and what we do and get involved in a very rewarding and relaxing hobby/pastime by contacting the President on the Contact Form on this website.