Peace River Woodturners set May 7 meeting for demos, show-and-tell, fellowship

Peace River Woodturners used its May 7 daytime meeting to make a simple point: this club is about more than standing at a lathe and watching chips fly. The 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. session at the Price House Meeting Rooms in Punta Gorda History Park mixed a short business meeting, member show-and-tell and a demonstration or discussion, a format that fit retirees, shift workers and anyone who prefers daytime travel.

That structure gave the meeting a practical edge. Members could bring finished work, compare approaches and see how other turners handled the same problems at the lathe. The club said close-up details were shown on large monitors throughout the meeting room, so even small cuts, tool angles and finish choices were visible from across the room. Everyone was encouraged to ask questions and talk through techniques with the demonstrator, which turned the morning into instruction as much as fellowship.

The club’s own message backs up that tone. Peace River Woodturners says woodturning should be fun, and it goes one step further by calling mistakes “new design opportunities.” That mindset matters in a craft where a rough catch, a wall thickness that runs thin or a profile that looks awkward can stop newer turners cold. In this setting, the meeting format and the club’s attitude worked together: show the piece, talk through the process and keep moving.

Peace River Woodturners has been active in Charlotte County since 2007 and operates as a 501(c)(7) local chapter of the American Association of Woodturners. Its Price House Woodturning Gallery, established in May 2022, stays open to the public every Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Punta Gorda History Park, with items available for purchase in person. The larger park also runs a year-round Sunday Market during the same hours and houses other artisan groups, including SWFL Potters Guild and Visual Arts Center Fiber Arts.

The club’s calendar reaches beyond its own meetings. Peace River Woodturners is a collaborative partner in the Southwest Florida Wood Art Expo and Competition, billed as the 40th annual expo and held Jan. 9-10 in Punta Gorda. Put together, the meeting room demos, the Sunday gallery and the expo tie-ins show a club that treats woodturning as both a hands-on craft and a public-facing part of Punta Gorda’s arts scene.