Taywood Woodturning Club announces June meeting, demo and hands-on practice

Taywood Woodturning Club lined up a June 6 meeting that put a named demonstrator, a hands-on turning session and a friendly club setting under one roof. For turners looking for a low-pressure way back in, the formula was simple: watch Colin Smith, then get to the lathe and try the ideas straight away.

The club described itself as welcoming and said it had around 50 members, meeting on the first Saturday of the month at the Boyack Scout Hall in Monifieth. The venue details pointed to the Boyack Centre, 15 Dick St, Monifieth, Dundee DD5 4EF, and the club said newcomers could come and have a look at no cost. That made the June gathering more than a date on a calendar; it was an open door into an established local turning circle.

The meeting ran from noon until 4 p.m., and Taywood’s format leaned hard into participation. Colin Smith was listed as the demonstrator, followed by hands-on practice, giving members a chance to move from watching to doing in the same session. The club also said each meeting included a show-and-tell table, where members could bring in problem pieces or items they wanted to discuss, turning the afternoon into a practical troubleshooting session as well as a demo.

Taywood’s 2026 program showed a club that kept its monthly rhythm lively. June carried a spheres theme for competition work, July moved on to captive rings, October brought a Halloween theme and December finished with a Christmas theme. Those topics, alongside the demo and practice format, gave the club a built-in mix of learning, challenge and social turning that suited a range of skill levels.

The club’s archive also showed that this structure was not improvised. A February 2024 newsletter recorded committee discussion about a tuition day for new and novice members, while also noting the hurdles of equipment, insurance and the cost of using the scout hall. That context made the June meeting’s practical, informal setup even more important: Taywood was trying to keep the craft accessible without losing the structure that helps members improve.

The club’s online pages, including a dedicated Colin Smith page, members’ galleries, instructional videos, newsletters and archived events, reinforced that sense of continuity. On June 6, the promise was not just a demonstration, but a familiar club day built around watching, trying, asking and turning alongside other members.