Our Club
Founded in 1980, Western Pennsylvania Woodworkers is a non-profit organization dedicated to the purpose of education, safety, and techniques in all areas of woodworking. Our membership includes about 100 amateurs and professionals with interests in all areas of the woodworking crafts. Our mission is to educate, inform, and share woodworking skills, experiences, and ideas in an enjoyable environment.
Western Pennsylvania Woodworkers currently has about 100 members who enjoy woodworking and the products of woodworking. Some are professionals who exhibit in national shows, some simply enjoy the occasional building of a piece in their home workshop, and in either case, the result of your labor – an item of pride to be cherished, given as a gift or sold for a profit.
Monthly meetings are held generally on the second Saturday of each month where in addition to the main program, we exchange woodworking information, techniques, tips, designs, and ideas. The main program is a formal demonstration or presentation, usually by a member of the group. We suspend regular meetings for the summer months but sometimes hold a special meeting or field trip over the summer.
Become a Member
If you are thinking about becoming a member of Western Pennsylvania Woodworkers, we would love to have you join us. Memberships are based on our program year, September to July. Our annual dues are a very reasonable $25/year.
Your annual dues give you access to regular meetings including presentations by nationally-known professionals. Our presentations range from nuts and bolts demonstrations to hands-on workshops to discussions about design and history of the craft. Our annual Show-and-Tell meeting gives members the opportunity to show off their work.
Paid members have access to our extensive physical library of woodworking books and DVDs as well as our archive of past newsletters and videos of past meetings. Members also gain access to a range of discounts from area vendors and members-only classifieds.
Attend A Meeting
If you’re thinking about joining us, we encourage you to attend our next meeting. New and prospective members and visitors are always welcome at our meetings. Meetings are usually held on the second Saturday of each month from September to May. Arrive early and introduce yourself to other members to learn even more about the club.
Important COVID-19 Information
During the current public health crisis, our club is taking precautions to help lessen and prevent the spread of COVID-19 to our members, their families, and our guests. We have resumed in person meetings, but all attendees must follow our COVID-19 GUIDELINES accessible here. If you feel unsafe attending in person, or are unable to comply with the COVID-19 Guidelines, we are also continuing to provide simultaneous virtual meetings via Web Ex. Guests should email webmaster@wpwoodworkers.org for details regarding attending a WebEx Meeting.
Join Us For Our Next Meeting When We Present:
Hand Cut Dovetails
McKees Rocks, PA 15136
Sure, you own a premium cotton, two button-flap chest-pocket flannel shirt, but does that alone make you a woodworker? I say no. There are three basic skills that you have to master. Number one, you should be able to make a picture frame and have all four corners close with a minimum of wood putty; number two, you should be able to find and retrieve an arbor nut that you dropped in the sawdust that has accumulated in the base of your table saw; and number three, you should be proficient in cutting well-fitting hand-cut dovetail joints. This handsome joint is strong, durable and will be admired for generations. (I’ve never seen one of the Keno twins on the Antiques Roadshow pull out a drawer on a 200-year-old Philadelphia highboy and exclaim, “Look how those rabbets have held up all these years.”) Yes, hand-cut dovetail joints are the mark of a true craftsman.
Continue reading: Hand Cut Dovetails ...If you’re ready to join us a we learn about woodworking, improve our skills, share knowledge and passion for woodworking with others, there is no time like today to join Western Pennsylvania Woodworkers.