About Us - Atlantic Shore Woodturners

HomeAbout Us

About Us

The Atlantic Shore Woodturners is a New Jersey based turning club with a diverse group of people of all ages, genders, and skill sets who enjoy creating distinctive projects on the lathe. We focus on themes to help develop our skills, support charity projects, and just have fun! Our meetings are held the second Tuesday of every month, 7PM at The Howell Community Church, 1554 Maxim-Southard Road, Howell, NJ.

We are a local charter of the national American Association of Woodturners (AAW). We draw our membership from the central area of the state, as well as remote members from a number of states around the country.

Our club was founded in the mid-1980's by a relatively few amateur turners and has grown steadily to its current membership level of approximately 90 people. Our meetings have been held at a number of different host locations in the past, with our current facilities generously hosted by the Howell Community Church .

In 2023, we opened our new turning center which is a classroom environment for classes and socializing. Our turning center has 6 lathes set up for member use as well as a clean bright environment for holding classes. Our members teach a rotating schedule of different techniques, projects, or embellishments for classes in the turning center allowing us to grow our own knowledge of turning through sharing. All members can attend these classes which are typically no cost to the members.

What we do

Our membership prides itself on both having fun and advancing our turning knowledge. We hold regular monthly meetings the second Tuesday of every month where we provide members with an opportunity to experience and learn a new technique or skill. Demonstrations may be led by a club member who is proficient in one or more techniques, or we often reach out to professional turners from other clubs or areas to see what might be of interest to members. Members are encouraged to then use the remainder of the month to try their hand at creating an item using demonstrated skills, with a member show and tell the following month where they can show off what they made.

Our club also is dedicated to giving back to the community through various charity and outreach programs. We sponsor turn and learn sessions for kids and adults, like the Police Athletic League or Big Brothers and Sisters. Our members also help to create items of need for cancer care centers around our area, supporting Beads of Courage and the Breast Cancer Resource Center through our donation of wig stands and bowls. Members put a lot of time and effort into creating unique items to help people who can benefit from the skills we bring to the table.

Sound Interesting?

Our club welcomes new members throughout the year. We ask that if you are interested that you attend a monthly meeting as our guest. Make sure to introduce yourself to one of the membership coordinators at the sign in desk in the meeting room. Our meetings start at 7:00 PM, so please come a little earlier so we can take some time to introduce ourselves.

You might also see us at a number of community events in the area. We do turning demonstrations at both the Monmouth County Fair and for the annual Howell Day celebration. We also exhibit at a number of county libraries, so however you found out about us, please just introduce yourself, or if you prefer, send an email to njaswt@gmail.com and you will receive a prompt reply on ways to join us!

Membership is for one calendar year, starting January 1st of the year, so we pro-rate our already low membership fee based on the month you chose to join. We offer individual and family memberships. Guest passes can be used two times before we ask you to join as a member. Membership in the national AAW organization is desirable, but not required to be a member of the Atlantic Shore Woodturners.