Woodturning Classes
Demonstrations & Workshops
We here at Hilton Handcraft of the Ozarks offer exciting, customized instruction in the craft and art of woodturning at many levels. From the very basic, never-before-turned novice to the experienced master woodturner looking to expand their skills or learn new techniques, we cover all of the needs of education in woodturning. Scheduled classes here in the Ozark Mountains near Aurora, MO are available throughout the year but so are classes, demos and workshops at your own location.
Our lead instructor, Andy Hilton, a woodturner of many years that excels at most forms of turning, is especially adept at teaching classes of children at schools, parks, or workshops. We even provide special courses for older adults, parents / children, and studies just for the ladies. Our group classes are kept fairly small, many times only 10 or less, in order to provide the most attention for the students. For even more individualized instruction, we offer classes designed just for you! You can sign up for our One -For- One class and get hands-on training that will have you throwing shavings all over the place with confidence in no time.
Can't come to us? Well then, let us come to you! We know that it's not always possible for you to travel so we regularly pack up our stuff and put classes on, big and small, where you are. It's all very reasonably priced and best of all, you can learn on your own equipment!
Are you a Woodturning Club? Boy, do we have what your club is needing! We setup and lead classes, workshops and studies for woodturning clubs all over the world. Whether it's just an afternoon hands-on workshop in sharpening or a weekend long mini-seminar on turning several projects for the holidays or maybe even a week-long hands-on class for your members, we can fill your every need! Oh, sure, we do demonstrations too! Just pick what you'd like to have demonstrated or let us tailor a demonstration for you and your members will never for it.
Take a look below for some of our most popular classes and workshops. Please feel free to come up with a combination of them or even a completely new format that you're needing to fit your schedule or turning experience. We're very flexible and will work with you so you can be sure to get what you want. We're here for you. Contact us for availability and pricing.
Group Classes
We regularly put on twice-yearly group classes usually with an "Introduction to Woodturning" in the Fall and a "Getting More from Turning" in the Spring / Early Summer here in the Ozarks area. Each group is limited to 10 students or 10 pairs of students as in the case of a parent / child class where each pair would share a lathe. These are 8- hour classes on Saturdays starting at 9 am to 6pm with a lunch break. We'll have a schedule listed here soon but contact us if you're interested and need the next upcoming class date. Pricing for these classes are $125 each or $150 per pair.
Custom group classes are most welcomed. Whether you need to setup a class for a school or are looking for an activity for an adult community or elderhostel-type of event or any other group class structure, we can work it out for you. We've even done college classes! Students of all skill levels can be easily accommodated
Individual Instruction ( "One -For- One")
In a nutshell, the individual class is designed just for you. What are your needs? What are you wanting to learn? Is there an area of woodturning that you're wanting to explore? Or are you just wanting to learn the basics? We ask a lot of questions before we even get up to the lathe, don't we? Well, that's because this class is all about you. We've tailor made individual classes from the very basics of learning about the lathe and what each tool does; up to master woodturners with decades of experience wanting to learn a new technique or create a unique form.
You may have already had a little experience in turning but are wanting more of a "Woodturning Sampler" class. We can certainly handle that! We'll start off with a bit of sharpening fundamentals and quickly be making shavings with some useful spindle projects like a rolling pin, weed pot, peppermill and limb-wood goblet. Then the student will switch gears into doing some bowls, both sidegrain and endgrain with and without natural edge. From there, we'll focus on basic hollowforms and the best methods for working the design from start to finishing. At the end of the class we'll go over a discussion of design and wood selection .. getting the best results by finding and selecting the wood you need with an eye for your final design.
Pricing for these classes are $20 per hour or $125 per day. Our workshop or yours (within 30 miles from our shop), the price is the same! Contact us for more details or to signup.
Hands-on Workshops
Hands-on Workshops are where the most learning happens for most people. There's absolutely nothing like actually doing it yourself ... with some expert guidance right beside you ... to get the most from your education. With lots of discussion and even more direction in how to hold the tools, cut the wood, or visualize the form, these crafts workshops are a big hit! If you're a crafts or arts club, why try to gather all of the equipment, wood, tools and other items needed for a workshop yourself? Contact us and we'll bring everything necessary, set it up, and lead the workshop for you! For larger workshops, if your club members would like to help out (which is always a good thing), then we can all work together to provide the audience their best woodturning educational experience yet. Pricing is variable depending on the workshop and how many attendees there will be. But, generally, you can expect it to cost between $25 to $75 per person attending. Check out our most requested workshops below....
- Tools & Techniques
- Tool Sharpening
- Pair Introduction to Woodturning (Parent/Child, Husband/Wife)
- 2 day Projects Workshop (bowl, hollowform, treen, holidays)
- Traditional Green Woodworking with the Pole Lathe - Making your own Turning Tools featuring the Hook Tool
- Woodturning For Kids !
- Wood Selection, Gathering and Preparation for the Lathe
Demonstrations
Andy is a very experienced and sought-out demonstrator by clubs, fairs, businesses and organizations throughout the midwest USA. His demonstrations are characterized by an easy-going style full of information and clearly presented. A wide variety of audiences have seen these demonstrations. Schools, colleges, hostels, woodworking / carving / woodturning clubs, fairs, galleries and many other organizations have been hosts over the years. Are you an Arts or Crafts Fair organizer? How about a State Fair? Nothing draws crowds and spices up an event better than a professionally performed demonstration. Entertainment, living history, and a view of outright craftsmanship is what sets our demonstrations apart. Choose modern woodturning or 1800's bodging or anything in between. Set your event apart with a knowledgeable, dynamic, down-home demonstrator. We can make toys to give away for the kids or create traditional "green-wood" furniture like they did for centuries. Your event-goers will be amazed that they are seeing it being done right in front of their eyes ... and without the noise or mess of other demonstrators.
Choose from the below list of most requested demonstrations; request your own topic; or let Andy come up with something entirely new. Either way, it'll be an experience that the audience will not soon forget! Call for demonstration fees. Contact us for details and scheduling.
Want your event to make front page news ? Hire a demonstrator! ...
Here are a few of the demonstrations geared especially for woodworking / woodturning clubs ...
- What is Woodturning All About?
- Basic Turned Bowls
- Woodturned Flowers - 3 Kinds straight from the lathe
- Turning Small ... Smaller ... Smallest!
- The Trembleur .. An Apprentice's Challenge
- Tools & Techniques
- Making Turned Toys, Tops, and Treen
- Peppermills
- Architectural and Furniture Woodturning
- Jigs and Fixtures for the Lathe
- Sharpening Turning Tools the EASY way. - The New American Bodger - Traditional Woodturning
- Your Friend, The Skew
- Turning for Profit / The Business Side of Woodturning
- Vases and Hollowforms
- The Wood Inside / Natures' Artist - In-depth look at wood
- Seasonal Turning Projects - Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall
- Advanced Turning Techniques
- Making your own Turning Tools
