Sadly, RWS recently learned of the passing of Ray Feasey, one of the original members of RWS. Ray was 92, and enjoyed boatbuilding as one of his woodworking skills. Further details about Ray’s life can be found in the link to his obituary, below.
Welcome to Rochester Woodworkers Society!
We are a group in Upstate NY dedicated to the enjoyment of woodworking. Membership includes lectures and workshops by renowned woodworking personalities and local professionals as well as free access to our extensive lending library of books and videos. RWS Typically holds eight meetings a year between September and May. We meet on the Rochester Institute of Technology campus ( details here ) EXCEPT in January and February when our meetings are held virtually using zoom. These meetings begin at 7 PM and typically involves a series of announcements, updates and a raffle. A presentation by our visiting national speaker begins at 8 PM and usually lasts about an hour. Non-members are welcome to attend national meetings free of charge. RWS welcomes everyone interested in the craft whether professional or hobbyist. Join the company of hundreds of enthusiasts – carvers, turners, furniture makers, boat builders, and other skilled craftspeople and take your woodworking skills to a new level.
We host many events to learn, share and connect. Our newsletter (News) summarizes some events.
Our events are winding down as summer approaches but you can still:
- keep in touch with others using our forums for Special Interest Groups (SIGs). Ask questions, share projects, post classifieds.
- check back here regularly to see our fall schedule as it develops
- help out with community service projects. We're looking for woodworkers to help students learn at St. Michael's Woodshop this summer as we coach them through building Desks4Success. This is a great opportunity to pass on some lifelong skills to our youth with just a little bit of your time. Contact Mac at s_macintyre@yahoo.com
Several types of events are listed to the right including:
- National meetings: Held once/month with a prominent national speaker for 2 hours. Open to members and non-members
- National workshops: The prominent speaker runs a one-day workshop for members. Some of these have modest additional fees. Typically held once/month Sep-May.
- Local Workshops: A local woodworker hosts a 2–8-hour workshop for members for a specific skill or project type. Some of these have modest additional fees. Typically held once/month Sep-May.
- Show & Tell: A virtual zoom event for 1-2 hours in an evening in which members share projects, skills, tips and experiences. These are typically held once/month Sep-May. Members only.
- SIGs (Special Interest Groups) for Furniture, Luthiers, Turning and Community service. Meetings are smaller and 1-2 hours long for members interested in the subject. Typically held once/month Sep-May but some groups continue in the summer. Members can read and add to SIG (Special Interest Group) threads by clicking Resources, then Forums.
Upcoming events are listed to the right. For more information about meetings click: Meetings.
You can also learn more in our latest newsletter: April 2022 RWS Newsletter
To join RWS please click: New Member Signup
COVID NOTE: We are continually assessing our plans to best to protect members and guests. Please check our calendar or event listings regularly to see up-to-date plans.