Click here for meeting locations and directions

Community Involvement

Exhibit and Sales at the Erie County Fair
Benefiting WNY Make-A-Wish

Our members donate our time and materials throughout the year to make bowls, tops, toys, ornaments, goblets, cutting boards, and many other wooden items to be sold at the Erie County Fair. 100% of the proceeds goes to WNY Make-A-Wish.
We are located in the Woodcarvers exhibit in the Creative Arts building.

We partner with the Lockport Woodworkers Club, Pembroke Woodturners Club, and the WNY Scroll Saw Club.
During the ast fair we raised over $37,000 and to date we have donated over $300,000 for WNY Make-A Wish!

The 2022 fair was a great success and we hope to see you at the 2023 Fair!

Click here to meet the club officers

Our History

History of the "Turners 1"

The Western New York Woodturners, ultimately to become Western New York Woodturners 1, started with four members during the late 1980s. At first, the club met in a basement room of a church or at the members' homes or workshops. In the early 1990s, the club moved to a local high school wood shop and membership grew rapidly. It grew so rapidly, in fact, that membership had to be limited to 80 people, due to space limitations. The membership cap ultimately led to the formation of "Turners 2" club. However, there are currently openings and we welcome new members! Feel free to visit and join if it's a good fit for you! Presently, the Turners 1 meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month, at Maryvale High School in Cheektowaga, New York, a suburb of Buffalo.

History of the "Turners 2"

In the Fall of 1995, the original WNY Woodturners had a waiting list of about 25 people. Due to the space limitations of the Technology shop at Maryvale High School, a membership cap of 80 was placed on the roster. With a turn over of only 1- 5 members a year, it would have taken years for many of these applicants to join. However, there is no waiting list at the present time. Feel free to visit either club and join if it's a good fit!

At that time Lyle Foell, Tom Flamino and Jim Hilburger decided to form another local woodturners club. The first meeting was held at Dave Elberson's business, Buffalo Hardwoods. The newly formed group consisted of 20 people and was the foundation of the new woodturning club. At that meeting, Walt Tanski was elected as the first president, presiding until 1999.

The Turners 2 meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month. The club meets at the Hamburg Middle School. The meeting site has allowed for expanding the membership roster to accommodate the growing interest in woodturning in the local area. It also provides a large auditorium for holding larger demonstrations for both WNY Woodturners 1 & 2. The clubs annually host a world renowned guest demonstrator. There is a one or two day hands on activity as well as a demonstration in the schools auditorium. These events are open to members and non-members alike.

By doing demonstrations and participating at the wood working shows, the club has created a lot of interest from people all over Western New York. WNY Woodturners 2 has grown steadily over the past few years. While there is a membership cap of 80, there is currently room for a few new members.

In July of 1997 WNY Woodturners 2 became an affiliated chapter of the American Association Of Woodturners. Many members belong to this organization and go to the national symposium.