Membership Questions
- Who can join the AAW?
- Anyone can join AAW who has an interest in woodturning. Membership
types are listed in the American Woodturner and the Resource
Directory as well as on the three applications listed on the Benefits
of Membership page. There are members world-wide. All levels
of woodturners are members as well as institutions, collectors,
and other people interested in our craft.
- Does my membership start on the anniversary date or is it annual?
- Membership is by calendar year running from January 1st until
December 31st. You have an option in the later part of a year
to receive journals for an entire current year or starting in
the next calendar year. For example, if it was October 2001 and
you wanted to join, you would have the option of paying the 2001
dues and getting all four of the 2001 journals and the 2001 Resource
Directory. You would need to send in year 2002 dues to continue
your membership. You could also join as a member starting on January
1st, 2002, but you would not receive any of the 2001 journals
and you would receive your first journal in the spring of 2002.
- How do I find out my AAW member number?
When does my membership expire?
What type of membership do I currently have?
- These questions are answered on the
Address Label Info page.
- What are the benefits of membership in the AAW? Why join
the AAW when I am a member of a local chapter?
- Benefits are listed on the this page. Several
significant benefits are the subscription to the quarterly American
Woodturner, member rates for publications, videos,
and symposium registration, the annual AAW
Resource Directory, and others. Local chapter membership is
very important. National membership connects you with the larger
audience of turners throughout North America as well as the world.
- What are the responsibilities of membership?
- Members receive a ballot in the Fall of each year for the
following year's board nominees. It is the responsibility of
the members to return the ballots with their choices for the
leadership of the AAW.
- Members also have the responsibility to ask questions and
provide suggestions for the national group. They should contact
the home office or any of the Directors
to provide information. Other information can be found in the
by-laws printed in the AAW Resource Directory.
- How do I know if I paid my dues?
- You bank or credit card statement should note the transaction. You should also begin receiving copies of the quarterly AW Journal magazine within three or four months, depending on when you register. And, you can always contact the AAW office if you have a question. You can also access the online Members Only area to review and renew your membership in AAW.
- How do I change my address?
- It is very important to provide your
change of address promptly since the post office will not automatically
forward the journal to your new address. Please contact the AAW main office to update your personal information. You can also update all of your personal information by accessing the online Members Only area.
- How long will it take to process my membership, and what will I receive?
- Most memberships are processed in 3-4 weeks.
If you join mid-year, you will also receive the AW Journals from the year to date.
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- Will I get a membership card?
- A membership card, with your unique membership number will be mailed to you.
- Is the website secure - for product ordering and
symposium registration?
- Yes, the website is secure. The online transactions are secured through SSL
based webpages. Those webpages encrypt the transactions both ways. The SSL
certificate used for the transactions is 128 bits. The certificate is from a
leading certificate provider Digicert. The certificate is renewed periodically. The
certificate information can be viewed at the top of the secure product order form
here .
AAW Organization Questions
- Who is on the Board of Directors?
- The list of board members are on the Staff
and Directors page as well as listed in the Resource Directory.
The list is also published quarterly on the contents page of the
American Woodturner.
- How are directors chosen?
- Each year, a list of nominations is received from the general
membership through a form in the American Woodturner.
The nominations committee takes the list of prospective directors
and creates a slate of nominees. The general membership then votes.
The nominees receiving the highest number of votes are elected
to the board. Answers to many questions are in the AAW by-laws
which are published each year in the AAW Resource Directory.
- What does the board of directors do? When do they meet? Why
should I care?
- The AAW board of directors is a working board where directors
are active participants in the work at hand. There are a variety
of committees which serve the membership including: Conference,
Chapters/Membership, Publications, Finance, Education, Nominations,
etc. Membership on the committee is made by choice of the directors.
(See By-Laws in the Resource Directory for more information).
The AAW directors meet face-to-face several times a year. Historically,
in Winter at the site of the future symposium (for example, in
January 1999, the board met in Charlotte, NC since the 2000 symposium
was there) and after the national symposium in the Summer. There
are also two telephone conferences held between the two main meetings.
The agenda for the meeting is made after a call for agenda items
via email or telephone. This agenda is usually extensive. Minutes
are kept by the secretary who is a member of the board.
Most contacts are between committee members and/or the staff who
actively oversee their responsibilities. These contacts are normally
by telephone and increasingly via email.
Other non-regular meetings can happen if planned in advance. Strategic
Planning Sessions have taken place where the board discusses long
range and very long range plans for the organization. Since travel
and room and board are expensive, meetings such as these are minimized.
- AAW Logo - Can AAW chapters and members use the AAW logo
on their business cards, stationery or web site?
- Yes, the AAW chapters and members use the AAW logo in any manner described here. The AAW logo and the AAW membership
logo are located here:
AAW Logo (different formats)
- How can chapter presidents effectively communicate with other chapter presidents
or demonstrators using bulk email?
- In order for one chapter president to get a message out to other chapter presidents,
one can compose the email that they wish sent to the other presidents, and send it to the
Membership and Chapter Liaison Committee Chair
listed here.
In this message, indicate which states you want to have included in your mailing.
The message will be sent to all of the presidents in the states that you indicate.
If you want to send an email to an individual president,
go to the Local Chapter List
and locate them. All replies will come back to the original sender.
The same procedure is used for a chapter president to communicate
with demonstrators. If you need a demonstrator and you want to communicate
with all of them in particular nearby states, send your message
as above. To find individual demonstrators go to the Demonstrator
Directory.
There is also a AAW forum dedicated to facilitating discussion between Chapter officers, located here.
- How can AAW demonstrators communicate with all chapters in a state or group of
states?
- Any demonstrator who is an AAW member and is registered with the POP
(Professional Outreach Program), may compose an email that they wish sent to chapter
presidents located in an area in which they would like to demonstrate, and send it to
Membership and Chapter Liaison Committee Chair
listed here.
In this message,
indicate which States you want to have included in your mailing. The message will be sent
to all of the local chapter Presidents in the States that you indicate. All replies will come back to the
original sender. To contact a specific individual local chapter president, go to
the Local Chapter List
and locate them.
- What is the AAW-Discussion email list?
- This is a general purpose email list open to all people interested
in woodturning. You can read more about the list on the
AAW-Discussion page.
- What is the coverage of the AAW insurance?
- The AAW Liability insurance is explained in the article written in December 2004 which is
located here
Local Chapters Questions
- Are all members of local chapters, members of the AAW?
- Not necessarily, these are separate organizations with separate
memberships. Some local chapters require membership in the AAW
and some do not. Chapters are separate legal entities and can
make their own by-laws. To be a chapter of AAW, the Officers and Directors must be members of the AAW.
- How do I form a local chapter in my area?
- You should check the
list of current chapters to see if there is a chapter in your
area. If not, please contact the home office to get a chapter
start-up kit. Use your AAW Resource Guide to find other AAW members
in your area or contact local woodworking businesses to see if
there is other interest in your area. You can contact the home
office to get a current list of people in your area.
- Can I use the AAW tax number for getting a chapter account?
- IRS rulings preclude the use of the AAW tax number to get
a local chapter bank account. You can get a tax number or use
a member's social security number to get an account.
- How can chapter presidents effectively communicate with other chapter presidents
or demonstrators using bulk email?
- This question and a similar question are answered above in AAW Organization Questions section.
- How can I get a demonstrator for my club?
- There is a list of demonstrators in the AAW
Demonstrator Directory. The Demonstrator
Directory contains a database of demonstrator contacts for
woodturning groups. Chapter leaders may also want to communicate
with other chapter leaders in their region to see if demonstrators
are coming to the area.
Woodturning Resources Questions
- How do I get information on parts for my lathe?
- You should look in the AAW Resource Directory under Woodturning
Resources for listing of tool manufacturers. If you find information
on old lathe parts, please contact the AAW
office to spread the news. We get many calls about people
with ancient lathes and where to get parts.
There is also an excellent lathe information and reference tool available by clicking here.
- Where can I get wood to turn?
- A large amount of green wood can be collected for free from your
local tree trimmers and arborists. You can also purchase a wide
range of turning stock from wood vendors listed in the AAW
Resource Directory. One of the best resources for finding
wood is to contact other turners in your area. Local chapters
usually have a number of people who are talented at scouting out
fallen timber. Many turners tend to gather more wood than they
can turn and will gladly share the excess.
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Annual Symposium Questions
- Who is responsible for the annual national symposium?
- The board of directors are responsible for deciding symposium
issues after the conference committee makes recommendations.
- How are the sites picked for the annual national symposium?
- The conference committee and coordinators are always on the
lookout for sites for future symposia. The sites are usually
picked from proposals sent in from local chapters or other interested
people. These sites are picked several years in advance and
rotate through regions. The Symposium page
has a map showing the locations future annual symposia.
We look for second tier cities where the rates are lower when
possible.
- How are demonstrators selected for a symposium?
- The board of directors selects featured national and international
demonstrators for a symposium. A call for proposals for other demonstrations
is made a year before the symposium. The proposals and demonstrators
are collected and judged by the conference committee. A list of
these proposed demonstrators is made to the board of directors who
vote on the list after discussion.
- Who sets the registration fee for a symposium?
- The board of directors sets the registration fees and other
costs during the January board meeting.
- Does AAW sponsor other symposia such as chapter and regional
symposia?
- The annual national symposium is the only regularly scheduled
event, but other events have been sponsored wholy or in part
by the AAW. Regional events sponsored and run by chapters have
been partially funded through educational grants. Anyone interested
in the subject should contact the home office or the education
committee chair as listed on the AAW Staff
and Directors page.
AAW Publications Questions
- How do I find old articles in American Woodturner?
- There is an index published in the journal periodically
as well as an on-line version.
- How often is the Journal, American Woodturner, published?
- Our journal is published four times a year: Spring, Summer,
Fall, and Winter. Copies are usually in the mail to members
at the first day of the quarter. Historically, this has been
March, June, September, and December.
- What do I do if I don't get my issue in the mail? My
American Woodturner was mangled in the post, what do I do?
- Email, telephone, or
mail the administrator's office in Minnesota. See the AAW
Staff and Directors page for contact information.
- Who is responsible for the American Woodturner?
- The editor is responsible for the production of American
Woodturner under the guidance of the Publications Committee
chair, the administrator, and the board of directors. The
current editor is Carl Voss of Des Moines, Iowa.
- Why is the journal so arty? Why is the journal so oriented
to beginning turners?
- Over time, a wide variety of articles of every level and
scope of woodturning has been published. The journal is our
main communication with members and the content is taken very
seriously by the board of directors. Many articles have a
variety of levels which are oriented to interest all the types
and levels of woodturners. The journal has articles covering
exhibitions of arty woodturnings as well as how-to articles
for the beginner.
- How much do writers get paid for articles?
- The AAW has long been blessed with talented and loyal members who submit articles and photos for publication in the journal. We are now able to pay members $100 per published page for how-to and techniques articless.
- How can I get my article in American Woodturner?
- Please send any copy with photographs or slides to the editor
as shown on the AAW staff and directors page. The editor will
judge the content and be in touch with you about your article.
You may wish to review the journal index to see what other
references are available for your idea. The editor has provided
a guidelines for writers and
photographers document which is available on-line or by
mail.
- Why do the same people get published?
- The authorship in the journal is wide and varied. It may
seem that the authors are the same, but a review of the tables
of content will reveal a wide range of authorship. Many people
are prolific writers and enjoy the craft of writing. Contributing
editors do get published since they are assigned features
to write and events to cover on request of the edititorial
staff.
- How do I get my calendar item listed in the American Woodturner?
- Deadlines for Calendar Items are:
January 15th, Spring issue, events after March 10th;
April 15th, Summer issue, events after June 10th;
July 15th, Fall issue, events after September 10th;
October 15th, Winter issue, events after December 10th.
Please note: calendar items should be sent to the editor as
soon as possible rather than waiting until the deadline.
Items should include the event name, date, contact person,
telephone, email, URL, and/or a short notation.
AAW Education Grants
and Woodturning Education Questions
- Who can receive an AAW educational grant?
- Members are eligible for educational grants if they have not
received one before. Chapters are eligible if they have not
received one in the past year. Youth grants have a wide eligibility.
Please see the Educational Opportunity Grants page for more information about this topic. The EOG committee
members are listed on the AAW Staff and Directors
page.
- How are grant proposals judged?
- The education committee members all read each grant application
and grade them on a scale of 1-7. These grades are combined
into a combined score. The grants are then assigned until the
funding expires. Names of the individuals are not used in judging.
- Are education grants based on need for financial assistance?
- Historically, the education grants given by AAW have not been
based on the need for the funds. Information on the grants and
application forms are published in American Woodturner and on
the web page.
- Where does the AAW get the funds for the educational grants?
- There are two funds for grants, the general education fund
and the Daphne Osolnik Endowment Fund. Funds for the general
education fund come from the annual auction at the national
symposium. Funds for the Daphne Osolnik fund come from interest
on the endowment and donations.
- How can I contribute to the AAW Educational Grant Fund
or the Daphne Osolnik Endowment Fund?
- Donations can be made to either of these funds for grants
and to the Osolnik Endowment. Please contact the AAW office
at the address at left for information on how to contribute.
Donations of turned items for the annual auction are always
welcome. The auction is held at the annual symposium banquet
each year and all the proceeds of the auction flow into educational
grant for woodturners.
Woodturning Safety Questions
- Is woodturning a safe activity?
- Woodturning can be a safe activity if you follow safe practices.
The lathe is a power tool and can be dangerous if used improperly
or by individuals who do not respect the power of the tool and
the momentum of a spinning blank. Sometimes things happen that
can't be foreseen even if a person is very cautious. Many accidents
happen when the turner is tired. Take breaks and stay alert
while using any power tools. Never work in the shop under the
influence of drugs or alcohol.
- What safety precautions are paramount in woodturning?
- Eye protection and respiratory protection are the two paramount
issues in woodturning. General shop safety rules are also very
important as in any workshop activity. Safe mounting of turning
blanks on the lathe and vigilance in assuring the blank or pieces
don't fly off the lathe are extremely important.
- What precautions should you take when turning wood?
- Woodturning can be dangerous in many ways. You should read
the manuals from your equipment manufacturer and avoid modifications
to equipment which is not recommended by the manufacturer.
The AAW supplies safety warning information in each renewal
confirmation. You should take the precautions in your shop to
the extent that you feel comfortable, but be vigilant about
safety.
Using a lathe is dangerous in a number of ways including eyes,
skin, lungs, and other body parts and functions. You should
always wear eye protection. Wood dust can be very dangerous,
especially some woods which can be sensitizers and spalting
woods with biohazards (see below). You should wear filtering
equipment or have adequate ventilation in the shop. Sanding
and finishing at the lathe can produce extremely fine dust which
is suggested to lead to disease and/or disability.
- What woods are unsafe to use in woodturning?
- Click
here to view the Wood Toxicity page.
Miscellaneous Questions
- How do I get information on woodturning classes?
- You should contact your local craft institutions to get information
on classes. Also, many instructors have advertisements in the
American Woodturner. You may also want to check with local woodworking
businesses about local resources. There is also a list of schools
in the AAW Resources.
- Can AAW help me meet other woodturners in my area?
- The AAW Resource Directory contains addresses, telephone numbers,
and email addresses that is published for our membership. You can
use this information to search for other people in your area.
You should also contact a local chapter close to your area to
see if they have non-AAW members in their roster from your area.
Local craft galleries and markets may also be able to tell you
of woodturners who sell their pieces at the location.
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