A new woodworking school has started here in the valley. Recognizing that lack of a woodworking school in Arizona, this school was born out of the creative minds and the dedication to the woodworking craft, of members of the Arizona Association of Fine Woodworkers.

In collaboration with the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery the school held its inaugural class beginning on Feb. 19th, 2013. The class, Introduction to Woodworking I, filled up quickly upon its announcement which indicated that there were many aspiring woodworkers looking for this type of training. This class focuses on woodworking fundamentals and was followed by, Introduction to Woodworking II, which will go into more depth and builds on the skills taught in the first class. (more…)

We had over 15 members join us for the yearly shop tour this year.  The tour covered workshops in the East Valley and we stopped at three different locations.

The shop tour was setup by Joe Tripodi and as you can see, we all had a great time. (more…)

Here’s an article that Fine Woodworking Magazine published after attending our yearly Excellence in Woodworking show in February.

Arizona woodworkers put craft on display
By Stephen Scott, Associate Editor of Fine Woodworking Magazine

In a recent poll, the majority of AAFW members expressed the desire that AAFW offer woodworking classes presented by member instructors. As an initial initiative in this area, the Board of Directors is soliciting members to become instructors in the Introductory Fine Woodworking program. This program will be a series of presentations, in instructor home shops, in which the instructor demonstrates a specific topic to a small group (5-6) of participants. Once we gain experience in this sequence, then we intend to offer actual hands on programs where participants either master specific skills or produce specific products.

If you are interested in helping AAFW achieve its goals, by becoming an instructor in this initial program, please contact Bob Simmons (rlmlsimmons@cox.net or 602-920-1626) and let him know your name, contact information and area of instructional interests. At the present time this Introductory Fine Woodworking sequence is intended to include demonstrations of hand tool use, joinery, power tool use, project layout and finishing. In most of the anticipated topics, draft lesson plan materials are available from a similar program presented by the Guild of Oregon Woodworkers in Portland.

Announcement by Bob Simmons

In the February 2013 issue of Popular Woodworking, Marco Cecala, our Vice President and longtime member of AAFW provides an detailed look into applying shell, stone and metal inlays to accent your projects. (more…)