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Election of Club Officers — November 8, 2025

At the November 8, 2025 meeting, the club elected the following officers and board members:

President: Ben Johnson
Vice President: Mike Skiba
Treasurer: Paul Moore
Secretary: David Wimberly

Board Members:

Tom Anderson
Joe Fernandez
Patrick McMahon

The Program Chair position remains vacant, and the club is seeking a volunteer to fill this important role. Members interested in serving are encouraged to contact a board member for more information.

Thank You to Our Outgoing Officers

The club extends its sincere appreciation to our outgoing officers for their time, leadership, and dedication. Your willingness to serve has helped strengthen our organization, support our members, and guide the club forward. The work you have done—often behind the scenes—has made a lasting impact, and we are grateful for your commitment and service.

Thank you for all you have given to the club.

President's Challenge for 2026

The President's Challenge is a club-wide monthly turning challenge. Each month will have a specific theme. To quality, you must bring the item to that month's show-n-tell. These do not have to be your best work, or even particularly good. The goal is to get you out in your shop and turn something, as well as to try things you might not normally turn. This year we are bringing back the “Iron Man” challenge. At the annual Christmas party in December all those who participate in the President's Challenge will be eligible for a prize in a random drawing. Those with the highest level of participation will be given special recognition and a special prize.

January 10, 2026 - “Leave the Sand at the Beach” - Make an item and present it having not sanded it. Smooth it with a sharp tool. Show off those smoothing final cuts

February 14, 2026 - “A Place to Keep My Heart” - make a lidded box to hold the treasures of someone special. Any shape, threaded or not, and size doesn't matter.

March 14, 2026 - “'Eggs'citing Eggs – Hey, it's Easter. “Lathe” an egg or two.

April 11, 2026 - “Going Out on a Limb” - yep, turn something from a limb and not the trunk. Wood movement? Deal with it. The greener the better, let's see what happens.

May 9, 2026 - “Be Captivating” - turn something with a captive ring. Come on, you know you've been wanting to try this.

June 13, 2026 - “How Thin Can You Spin?” = Take your cutting skills to the limit and turn it extra thin, whether it's a bowl, hollow form, platter, finial or what-have-you.

July 11, 2026 - “Platters Matter” - turn a plate, platter, saucer, plaque, etc. Flat and round is what counts.

August 8, 2026 - Have an “Off” Day – do some offset turning and show it off.

September 12, 2026 - “Membership Required” - Turn something based on an article in AAW's monthly magazine.

October 10, 2026 - “Cornucopia” - Thanksgiving is coming. Make some fruit to fill the horn of plenty.

November 14, 2026 - “Toys for Tots” - Get creative and make something for the children in your world, even if that child is you! Tops, kaleidoscopes, yo-yos, kendamas, or something with turned components. As long as we can play with it, it counts.

December 12, 2026 - Club Christmas Brunch and Gift Exchange

Congratulations to Larry Copas on Being Named AAW Turner of the Week!

We are pleased to congratulate Larry Copas on being selected as Turner of the Week by the American Association of Woodturners (AAW). This recognition highlights Larry’s exceptional craftsmanship, creativity, and attention to detail—qualities clearly demonstrated in his beautifully executed magnetic yarn spinner.

Larry designed and crafted this piece as a Christmas gift for his sister, a lifelong weaver. Inspired by a magnetic yarn spinner he encountered online, Larry set out to create a version that was both elegant and structurally sound. The spinner operates using rare earth magnets—one embedded in the top hoop and another in the hanging spindle—allowing the spindle to float smoothly beneath the stand. Larry sourced 5-pound-rated rare earth magnets and engineered the piece from there.

Rather than sawing the hoop from a flat board, a method he felt resulted in bulky forms and weaker grain orientation, Larry chose to steam bend the hoop. This approach not only improved strength but also gave the spinner a lighter, more refined appearance. The remaining components were turned with precision, resulting in a functional object that is both graceful and durable.

This project is a wonderful example of thoughtful design paired with skilled execution. Congratulations again to Larry Copas on this well-deserved honor and on creating a piece that so beautifully blends form, function, and personal meaning.

A PSA for classes at the Fayetteville Public Library. All kinds of interesting and free classes coming up at the library in October. Ones that I thought might interest folks in our group. Lasers, CNC milling, and 3D printing. All of these are short introductory courses but you must take the training before the library will allow you to use the machines in the Center For Innovation. I have taken the Laser training and will be taking the Adobe Illustrator Basic course to learn how to prepare a print for the machines. My goal is to embellish wood turnings with the laser.

Another thought, if you don’t like your mug shot on the Stateline Woodturners website, you can get a professional head shot at the library photo lab for free and it only takes a few minutes.

This is a link to the classes. Lots more classes than I described so be prepared to spend a few minutes reading. https://www.faylib.org/10978 Click on CFI Events to get to the course page. The courses I described are all in October so you will have to put in a date range. I subscribe to their newsletter and get all the courses in a neatly laid out email.

The Center for Innovation provides not only opportunities for the pursuit of artistic endeavors but also allows for technical and job skill-building. This space takes the library’s mission – empowering citizens through free and public access to knowledge – to the next level by connecting the community to technology and educational resources that may otherwise be out of reach for many. The space is open to all ages however, those under 13 must be accompanied by an adult.

Fayetteville Public Library

If you would like to volunteer to be a mentor, please fill out the form with your name, phone number, email address and list the kind of turning you can help with

Mentor Signup

If you would like to have a mentor, please fill out the form here.

Signup for a Mentor