Home - Rochester Woodworkers Society

Welcome to Rochester Woodworkers Society!

We host many events to learn, share and connect; here's a few for 2022/23:

September 24 - Sharpening Bee

This is free and open to non-members but registration is required (click on Sharpening Bee to the right). Participants can bring woodworking tools that need sharpening and learn how. Members are asked to bring their favored sharpening method to show others. Help us get the word out!

November - Making tools with 01 Steel with David Gilbert

December - Instagram

Local social media woodworking legend and new member Logan Newman, will be hosting a workshop about Instagram. He is a talented woodworker and has thousands of Instagram followers, so he knows how. This workshop will be open to members only.

December, January, February, April - Handplanes 101, 201, 301, 401 with Alan VanDeMoere

April - Turning 101 with Mike Brawley

April - Ukuleles

We’ll have a Friday speaker from StewMac (a world leading supplier to makers and repair techs of guitars and other stringed instruments). In the Saturday workshop everybody will build a ukulele from a kit in one day. In addition to woodworkers, we will promote this at places where music lovers and musicians gather.

May - Spoon Carving with Bret Templar

Check back regularly to see the schedule and registration information to the right for:

- 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.

To join RWS please click: New Member Signup

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 St. John Fisher Campus 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.
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.