HomeTAW 2025 Symposium

TAW 2025 Woodturning Symposium

The Tennessee Association of Woodturners presents their 36th Annual Woodturning Symposium on January 31st and February 1st, 2025. Our 2025 Woodturning Symposium will again be located at the Marriott Hotel and Convention Center 700 Cool Springs Blvd Franklin, TN. Featured demonstrators include Donna Banfield, Trent Bosch, Matt Monaco & Laurent Niclot. Two days of jam-packed demonstrations by some of the best demonstrators, an Instant Gallery where participants and Demonstrators can display their work, A People's Choice Award Area, Saturday night auction and banquet are just a few of the many activities planned for 2025. Our vendor area will be stocked full of a wide variety of woodturning equipment, supplies and wood.

Tired of watching Zoom and IRD woodturning presentations? Register for the TAW 2025 Woodturning Symposium and have the opportunity to talk to the demonstrators and see their live woodturning presentations. Take time to interact with other woodturners and search out the vendor area to see, touch and feel the latest tools, wood and finishes specifically with woodturners in mind.

REGISTRATION OPENS SEPTEMBER 1st, 2024!!

TAW 2025 Woodturning Symposium

ON-LINE REGISTRATION: Online registration is easy and secure

		SYMPOSIUM FEES:

	Registration Fee	After 12/31/24	Walk-in Registration
Full 2-Day Symposium	$195.00*	$210.00*	$250.00*
One-Day Symposium	$150.00*	$165.00*	$200.00*
Spouse Registration	$120.00*	$135.00*	$150.00*
Youth(under 16)	Free**	Still Free**	Really! It's Free**
Banquet Only	$50.00	$50.00	$50.00

*Includes banquet/auction.
**Must be accompanied by Adult Full two day

There is a $3.00 Transaction fee for non-members

Cancellation Policy:
After December 31, 2024 a $75.00 processing fee will be deducted if registration is cancelled.
After January 15, 2025 the registration fee is not refundable.

Each year we have people who cannot attend the banquet ask us for a lower cost to offset the implied cost of them not attending the Banquet. The TAW is responsible for guaranteeing the Marriott a certain amount of revenue, room nights and for renting the space required to put on this event. The registration fee is the amount we have to have to cover the event based on our years of experience putting on this event. We do sell banquet tickets to guests who would like to join us for the Banquet/Auction and the ticket price covers the incremental cost of that meal. We hope that everyone would join us for the banquet but do understand that there are other obligations that some of our attendees have.

Symposium Schedule

To see the latest symposium schedule of information please click Here

Donna Banfield

It started with refinishing old furniture that I inherited from my grandfather. Despite working full-time until age 96 as a furniture finisher, he just slapped coats of paint on his own furniture. I could tell each decade by the color of the paint that I removed. One piece, an Armoire, had up to six coats of paint. I easily finessed a heat gun to strip away each layer of paint. A lawyer by day, I found myself rushing home from the office just to spend a few hours each night to work with the wood. Once there, my pace slowed as I worked patiently and methodically.

My husband recalled my fascination with a woodturning demonstration at the Annual Fair of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. He thought I might enjoy woodturning, and surprised me with my first lathe and turning tools in 2001.

Many people come to a crossroad at some point in their lives. This was mine and I made the leap. I closed my private law practice at the end of 2003 to turn full-time.

My creations today are a reflection of my life. I live a life less ordinary, as do the trees with which I began. Most of the wood that I harvest comes from trees that have fallen during storms or were subject to insect damage or urban development. I take what would have been the end of a majestic life in its natural state and give it new life – a life less ordinary.

Donna Banfield will do the following 4 rotations:

Create your Canvas

This demonstration will involve turning one or two of the forms (time permitting) that I use in my Soul Series body of work. They may include a plate/platter turned green to final thickness/thinness and a shallow bowl.

Key Points Covered:

What is ‘Good Form’ and why does it matter.
How to plan your form and wood selection to match the surface embellishment.
Techniques I use to achieve a good and pleasing form.
My preferred turning tools to achieve these goals.

Attendees will learn:

How to once-turn a plate/platter and/or shallow bowl from green wood to final ‘thinness’
Tips and tricks to success without going through a wall or the bottom of the form.
How to select your wood
What to look for if you wish to maximize warping and movement in your green wood turned pieces

Creating the Pattern

This demonstration will show attendees how to create patterns or designs. Using images created by me, I will show attendees how to create a form freehand, and how to create a template to use the same pattern repeatedly. Using a woodburning tip and the NSK pneumatic dental lab handpiece I will draw a series of patterns that will be textured in the signature style of my Soul Series.

Key Points Covered:

Preparing the turned surface for the pattern or image
Materials to use when laying down the pattern or image
Essential tools and equipment

Attendees will learn:

How to start the layout and pattern – which is harder than you’d think!!
Pay attention to the details before the pattern becomes permanent.
How to fix an ‘OOPS’ and avoid starting from the beginning again.
Discussing the concept of “Sometimes, less is more”.

Piercing and Negative Space

This demonstration will show attendees how to create negative space in your patterns. There’s more to it than simply cutting random holes in the wood. Which tools make the task easier, and why.

Key Points Covered:

Essential tools to accomplish the wood removal.
Why a Dremel doesn’t work for this.

Attendees will learn:

Deciding where to remove wood.
How to do it safely and under control
How to ‘see’ negative space before starting to cut.

Applying Color by hand or with an Airbrush

Either hand-painted or using an airbrush, a beautifully turned, carved, and textured form can become extraordinary by carefully and selectively adding color. This rotation will show attendees how to add color.

Key Points Covered:

Considerations in painting by hand, and when to use an airbrush.
How to successfully mask curved surfaces using frisket.
Materials used for color.

Attendees Will Learn:

When to decide to paint by hand or use an airbrush – and it’s not to save time.
How to choose the right airbrush
How to clean your airbrush

Trent Bosch

Trent started woodturning in late 80s and early 90s. Exploring all types of woodturning, he was fascinated by the processes and what could be made on the lathe. The speed at which products could be made was an immediate attraction for him. It wasn’t as if you had to spend months and months building a cabinet, or desk, etc. While pursuing his ideas in turning he was always looking to make the process faster, more efficient, better, modifying the tools he had to actually work the way he wanted them to.

Along the way he came up with ideas for completely different designs purchasing a small metal lathe, and metalworking mill allowed him to start turning his ideas into reality. Most of the products he was working on at the time had to do with hollowing, and carving on his turnings. The total access hollowing tools began with only the 3/4″ size and were forged rather than machined as they are today. The theme of making the process, faster, more efficient and better has been echoed in every product he has designed from simple hollowing tools to the more complex Stabilizers and Visualizer. He really enjoys helping other turners find the satisfaction and enjoyment that comes from the woodturning process.

Today, the manufacturing facility for Trent Bosch Tools is located in Fort Collins, Colorado instead of the small lathe and mill that he began with there are now several large CNC machines, manufacturing to tight tolerances the tools that Trent designed. An effort has been made to make everything possible in house. Using some of the latest technologies such as laser engraving and 3D printing has allowed us to keep most every part of the process in house. We are a small business that focuses on quality, innovative products for woodturners.

Trent Bosch will do the following 4 rotations:

Revelations in Hollowing

Over the past 30 years I have been pursuing the art of the hollow form -throughout this time I have used and developed some very unique techniques and equipment. in this demo I will go through all the techniques that in the creation of a hollow form with an emphasis on the latest technologies I have developed for hollowing making this much more than just a hollow form demo.

Vessels and Surfaces

In this demo participants will not only learn all the techniques that I go through in the creation of a hollow form but ways to make the surface outstanding! From textures to colors to sandblasting and beyond – making this much more than just a hollow form demo.

Decorative Utility Bowls

In this session I rough turn a bowl from green wood, discuss drying techniques including kiln drying and building your own kiln as well as very simple and basic techniques. Then I re-turn a dry bowl using specially ground tools to get as clean a cut as possible to cut down on sanding. I will then take that bowl and discuss and use lots of different decorative techniques including: carving techniques, bleaching, dying, painting, burning, sand blasting, and surface textures.

Sunburst Platter

In this session I turn a platter from green wood, from start to finish. I will then take that Platter and carve a sunburst pattern into the rim. Along the way we will discuss drying techniques, getting the cleanest cut possible to minimize sanding, how to develop new ideas and more.

Matt Monaco

Matt Monaco operates a full-time woodturning studio in the Ozark region of Missouri, making dedicated collections, signature series vessels, lidded containers, and spindle-turned items for industries of craft, interior design, and the high-end furniture trade. Matt is a Fine Woodworking Contributor & Ambassador, and is supportive of U.S. craft organizations & environments that carry desire to further integrate woodturning into wider demographics, and wish to see the craft thrive into the future.

As a full-time professional turner with 20-years experience, one of Matt’s missions is to make the highest quality products, that reflect both the mastery of the tools, and the functionality & timeless beauty of wooden decor in others' lives. Matt is one of very few young modern traditional woodturners in America having apprenticed & trained as a trade professional, and has worked closely within a high-end furniture production landscape -- Shackleton Thomas Furniture & Pottery as a full-time maker/item producer.

At center of Matt’s work is his understanding & mastery of tool control, sharpening and cutting execution as an expression of traditionally crafted design as fine art -- in producing forms & items that are made to be as tactile as they are sublime, and created with intent & purpose.

Laurent Niclot

Hi my name is Laurent Niclot, I am originally from Toulon in the south of France, but am currently living and working in Fort Collins, Colorado USA. I have always loved wood, so it was only natural for me to study woodworking, woodcarving, cabinet making, furniture making, and design. I discovered woodturning from Jean-François Escoulen, and I knew it was how I wanted to make a living. So, in 2015, at age 20, I took the six-month woodturning class at the Escoulen School in Aiguines, France, with Jean-François and Yann Marot. Then, the school hired me as an assistant and translator for 3 years, gave me a studio and a lathe to practice my passion, and the possibility to meet many other artists and woodturners who now inspire my work. I have had the opportunity to share my passion and teach woodturning to those in France, Belgium, Canada and all over the United States. I enjoy demonstrating (both remote and in-person), teaching short one-day through week long classes, and continuing to explore my own artistic practice. My current work ranges from traditional woodturning to woodburning, carving, multi-axis, coloring and texturing.

My Work:

My work is experimental: I like to play with the wood and try new textures and colors, new tools, and new techniques. I also enjoy giving a new life to a piece of wood. My job as an assistant gave me the opportunity to find and use interesting wood that may have too many cracks and knots for the students. I carve with rotary tools and gouges to create new shapes and textures. My aim is to make pieces that are sculptural, decorative, and designed with a strong message or a story to tell. I also enjoy collaborating with other artists, creating pieces with a strong story and with materials or techniques that I wouldn’t be able to make on my own. It allows me to see my work with a different eye and evolve, learn and share an experience with that person.

Laurent Niclot will do the following 4 rotations:

Mini Hollow Forms
In this demo, we will be turning and hollowing several miniature hollow forms (varying in size and shape) using my signature Niclot Mini Hollowers. I will use different tools for the outside shape focusing on getting a nice cut. We will talk about how to gauge the thickness and I will give the audience the opportunity to choose from a variety of textures to add another element to the form.

Ploc!: Multi-Axis Drop
Turning and turning off-center of a drop using a spindle gouge and a skew. Then carving of the top of the drop using gouges and rasps to make it thinner and have two different curves on the back and the front giving it an illusion of movement. And finally, texturing of the drop using a woodburner to create a Steampunk design, a combination of gears and metal plates, and coloring using Indian ink and gilding wax.

The Sphere
Roughing out and turning of a perfect sphere between centers and remounting for the finishing using a jam chuck made out of green wood. Hollowing the sphere using small hollowing tools in a homemade chuck for a precise and safe method of hollowing. The sphere is a very pure shape but is also one of the most complicated. It is a great canvas for carving and texturing as well as a pleasant shape that will put forward the beauty of the wood grain.

Spiral Carving
Using a previously turned form, drawing of a spiralling design, carving using power tools to make the design both concave and convex. Then, using a woodburner and rotary tools, texturing of the flutes and beads created. Then coloring the form with ink and gilding wax (optional). The techniques used in the presentation can be applied on a multitude of forms. The texturing possibilities presented will open the participants minds and encourage them to try these techniques with whatever tools they have available, without having to procure specific burrs.

36th Anniversary T-Shirts

Don't miss the opportunity to Pre-Order your 36th Anniversary T-Shirt!! These Shirts are available in Short or Long Sleeve and a variety of colors! You can pre-order as many as shirts as you need with your registration.

There will only be a limited number of sizes and colors available at the symposium so Pre-Order yours Today!!

Symposium Auction

2025 will see Jay Ehrlbacher return as our auctioneer! You are assured an enjoyable, laugh-filled evening. The auction will include donations of turned pieces, tools, supplies and wood donated by our attendees, Vendors and TAW members. In addition there will be demo pieces from each demonstrator in the auction. All proceeds from the auction support continuing education in woodturning through the TAW scholarship program and TAW outreach programs. Each attendee coming to the symposium is encouraged to donation a turned piece (or anything you choose) to the auction. Jeff Brockett will be the auction caller.

Please take time to review the Auction Pieces in the Instant Gallery room and on the front tables prior to the Auction at the Banquet.

This will give you an idea of size and color as the image on the screen at the Auction can be deceiving

TAW will accept Cash, Credit Card, Venmo and PayPal as forms of payment. The TAW is a 501 c(3) so all donations are tax deductible!

The TAW and Women In Turning

Women In Turning (WIT) is a committee of the AAW, bringing together women worldwide who share a passion for woodturning. WIT is dedicated to encouraging and assisting women in their pursuit of turning, to share ideas and processes to further member's skills and creativity, and to increase participation of women in the field of woodturning. The TAW is a proud supporter of WIT. The Slideshow to the left highlights some of the work of our WIT Members. The WIT is also helping the TAW to support the Wig Stand Project! TAW members turn wig stands which are donated to cancer victims in partnership with local hospitals.

Women In Turning Meeting

There will be a WIT luncheon meeting (bring your lunch) in the Arabian Room on Saturday, February 1st.

2024 People's Choice winner

SKIP WILBUR

Skip's Basket of Illusion Hollow Vessel

Peoples Choice Award

Each year participants may enter one piece, which is entirely their own work, into the People's Choice Award. Vendors and demonstrators are not eligible for the People's Choice Award. No collaborative efforts please. All Symposium participants will be asked to vote and select the best piece for the People's Choice Award.

People's Choice Award Winner:

$250.00 cash award, plaque and free registration to the TAW 2026 Woodturning Symposium

Instant Gallery

We invite every Symposium participant to display up to four pieces of their work for all others to enjoy during the Symposium. Each year we have an impressive display of turned pieces from the demonstrators as well as our talented attendees. Always a favorite, the instant gallery will be on display throughout the Symposium. This large exhibit of wood turned art provides a unique opportunity for collectors to become acquainted with both new and well-known artists. For "Turners", the gallery is a great way to see what others have been up to and provides many ideas and inspiration for you! Check out some highlights from our 2024 Instant Gallery to the right!

HOTEL RESERVATIONS

The 2025 TAW Woodturning Symposium will once again be held at the Marriott Hotel and Convention Center located at 700 Cool Springs Blvd in Franklin, TN. We have secured a special room rate of $139.00 per night for symposium attendees. There are a limited number of rooms available at this rate and we encourage symposium attendees to book their rooms early. To reserve a room at the Marriott please click HERE

THINGS TO DO & PLACES TO GO

The symposium location is directly across the interstate from the Cool Springs Galleria Mall and shopping area. Downtown Nashville is just a short drive up I-65. For a list of things to do and places to go in the immediate area click HERE

WIN A POWERMATIC LATHE!

Once Again, we will give away a Powermatic 2014 Lathe to one lucky turner. All Full, Spouse and One Day registrants will be entered in the drawing that will immediately follow the banquet and auction on Saturday Night. You must be present to win! The Winner is responsible for picking up the lathe. For more information on the lathe click HERE

Symposium Contacts

Have question about the symposium? Please contact the following for help:

General symposium questions - David Sapp symposium@tnwoodturners.org

Vendor information - Grant Hitt vendorinfo@tnwoodturners.org

Registration Questions - Gretchen Nieb treasurer@tnwoodturners.org

My Work:

36th Anniversary T-Shirts

Symposium Auction

The TAW and Women In Turning

﻿﻿﻿﻿Women In Turning Meeting

Peoples Choice Award

Instant Gallery

HOTEL RESERVATIONS

THINGS TO DO & PLACES TO GO

WIN A POWERMATIC LATHE!

Women In Turning Meeting