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How do I join?
What does it cost to join?
What do I get for joining?
What are the different types of memberships?
I've sent in my membership, what next?
Why did it take so long to process my application? Why should I give you my email address?
When are the meetings held? ...Where?
Do the meetings have any cost?
When are the workshops held?... Where?
What is the difference between a meeting and a workshop?
Do the workshops have any cost? Why?
Why do non-members pay more for workshops?
my membership information?
an upcoming meeting? ...speaker?
an upcoming workshop?
the mailing list?
volunteering?
a classified advertisement?
an unresolved problem?
not sure who to contact?
What are SIGs?
What do SIGs do?
Who runs the SIGs?
What do SIGs cost?
When and where do SIGs meet?
What if there isn’t a SIG to cover my interests?
How old is the RWS?
Why is it a corporation?
How is the RWS structured?
What does the Board of Directors do?
How is the Board of Directors selected?
What are the details of service on the Board of Directors?
How do I get considered for the Board of Directors?
How do I join?
Joining the Rochester Woodworkers Society is easy. You can go to the membership application, complete it, and mail it along with your dues to the address listed on the application. You are welcome to come to the next meeting and visit the Membership Director to take care of the details. Contact the Membership chair (member
rochesterwoodworkers.org) with any questions you might have.
What does it cost to join?
The individual membership dues are $30 per year. The family membership dues are $40 per year and a business membership costs $100 per year.
What do I get for joining?
Membership in the Rochester Woodworkers Society has many benefits. The RWS hosts five or six lectures each season. These lectures are given by major figures in the woodworking world and members attend these lectures for free. You may also join any of the Special Interest Groups that are part of the RWS family. As a member, you have the borrowing privileges from the RWS library. The library has an extensive collection of books, periodicals, and videos covering the various facets of woodworking. Many area woodworking related businesses offer special discounts to RWS members. You may, for an additional cost, attend the RWS hosted workshops. Most importantly, you will have access to and network with 300 plus area woodworkers ranging from novices to professionals.
What are the different types of memberships?
The RWS has 4 types of membership. The individual membership is for one member. The family membership is for multiple members of the same family living at the same address. There is a student membership which is an individual membership, offered at a reduced cost, for full-time students. The RWS also has a business membership for companies wishing to join.
I've sent in my membership, what next?
That's all there is to it. Your membership will be processed and a membership card will be issued. Since these are batch processed, it may be a bit of time until you receive it. Don't worry. You may begin to attend all RWS functions without your card. See the Membership Director when you get there. If you have any questions regarding your membership, feel free to contact the Membership chair (membership
Why did it take so long to process my application?
Currently, the applications are mailed to our PO Box. We use a PO Box for our mail because it provides a permanent, unchanging address for the organization. The PO Box is checked periodically and the mail is forwarded to the appropriate member of the organization. While we try to do this expeditiously, mail transit time to the PO Box, pick-up and subsequent forwarding, mail transit time to the respective Officer or Director, and then necessary processing, time does get added to the cycle. We have the capability to receive and process membership applications electronically. This would speed the process considerably. However, we do not currently have the mechanism to process credit cards, so a check through the mail still would be necessary to complete the transaction.
Why should I give you my e-mail address?
We use your email address, and all other personal information, for RWS business only. Our privacy policy prohibits any other use. We do use email as an "instant" communication technique with late breaking news as well as reminder messages that wouldn't be feasible in another method. Your personal information (phone, email, etc.) is available only to other RWS members, providing member to member communication. Ultimately, more and more of the organization's communications with the membership will take place through email. It will provide the benefits of faster, more accurate, and lower cost communications throughout the organization.
RWS meetings are Friday evenings during the year from September to April. They usually are a month or so apart, avoiding the holidays. The schedule is located on the events calendar.
The meetings begin at 7:00 PM with a member’s work display. The lecture portion of the meeting begins at 8:00 PM and concludes by 9:30.
The meetings are held at Basil Hall, St. John Fisher College. The schedules, speakers, and location (if different than the usual place) are planned and publicized well in advance.
Attendance at the meetings is free to RWS members. There is a modest charge for non-members.
RWS workshops are held on Saturdays. Depending on the topic and the presenter, the workshop can last from 4 to 8 hours. Usually beginning at 9:30 AM, the half day workshops finish around 1PM and the all day workshops conclude between 4 and 5 PM.
The location of the workshops is Woodcraft on Jefferson Road, unless otherwise specified. Check the events calendar for this seasons workshop schedule and location.
Meetings are a Friday night function consisting of the featured speaker putting on an hour talk followed by a short question and answer session. It is held in an auditorium. Workshops are a half or whole day event held in a workshop environment. It is often hands on with individual attention by the speaker or demonstrator. This up close and personal environment not only caters to the group needs but often to your individual needs.
The workshops have a modest attendance fee which varies from workshop to workshop.
Workshops carry an additional cost to the attendees to cover the cost of materials, facilities, lunch, and presenters’ fees. These costs are borne by those attending. The costs are very reasonable for the caliber of presentation and the value provided.
The price difference between members workshop prices and non-members workshop prices are to offer an incentive to be a RWS member.
NOTE: To avoid propagating spam, we have started to depict e-mail addresses with an image for the '@' symbol. Make certain you substitute this when you copy an address into your e-mail program.
... my membership information? ... the mailing list?
Contact the Membership director (member
... an upcoming meeting, speaker or workshop?
Contact the Pre-Meeting/Tours (mtg-tr
... volunteering?
Contact the most appropriate director for your situation. If you are unsure who to contact, contact the Chair of the Board of Directors (chr
... a classified advertisement?
Classified advertisements run on the RWS website as a service for it's members. If you wish to list items of a woodworking interest in the Classified section, submit the pertinent information/photos to the Webmaster (web
... an unresolved problem?
If you have an unresolved problem after contacting the appropriate Director, contact the Chair of the Board of Directors (chr
... not sure who to contact?
If you are unsure as to who to contact, take your best guess or send it to the whole group (bod
SIG is an acronym for Special Interest Group. SIGs are small groups of RWS members with a common special interest, such as woodturning or carving. The members band together to further pursue their common interest. They hold SIG meetings and events in addition to the meetings and events that the RWS holds. They are a great way to further your interest in a particular facet of woodworking.
Currently there these SIGs: the Furniture SIG, the Turning SIG I and II, the Boat building SIG, the Chair & Period Furniture SIG, and the Carving SIG.
The SIGs hold their own meetings and events to further their members enjoyment and education in their respective area of woodworking.
The SIG members run their respective SIGs.
Most SIGs are free to the members of the SIG. Some do have small additional dues to offset their expenses. These are instituted and controlled by the SIG members.
The various SIGs all have their own meeting places and schedules. See the Contacts page and calendar for details regarding the SIGs
If there isn’t a SIG to cover your interests, consider starting one. Contact the Chair of the Board of Directors (chr
The Rochester Woodworkers Society celebrated its 20th anniversary in the 2004/2005 season. It was formed in Rochester to serve those interested in woodworking.
The RWS is a not-for-profit corporation incorporated in the State of New York. It is structured this way because this is how most educational non profit organizations are formed and chartered.
The RWS is a not-for-profit educational corporation. The Board of Directors is the governing body and operates the organization per the By-Laws established at the formation of the corporation.
The Board of Directors plans and executes the operation of the Rochester Woodworkers Society. There is a Director elected for every major function of the organization. Each of those Directors performs, or directs, that facet of the RWS activity.
Each member of the Board of Directors is elected from the membership at large during the Spring of each year.
Each Spring, there are nominations accepted for election to the Board of Directors. Each Director serves a term of 3 years with a staggered overlap. Every year, 1/3 of the Directors’ terms are over and nominations and elections for those vacating positions take place. Elections among the nominees are held at the last meeting of the season and the newly elected Directors join the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors selects it’s own Chairperson from it’s members and Board decides the various appointments from within.
If you have an interest in being considered, please let the existing Chairperson, or any of the existing Board members, know of your interest. You can contact the Chair of the Board of Directors (chr
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Rochester Woodworkers Society, Inc. Ó 2000-2007
This page last updated on
12/17/2007
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