Carving

Meetings of the AWA take place the third Saturday of the month and feature live workshops and demonstrations. Workshops begin at 9:30 AM.

September 19, 2026
CNC with the Shaper Origin
Mick Simon

The Shaper Origin is a hand-held CNC router.
How It Works
Visual Tracking: The tool uses an on-board camera to read a proprietary patterned tape called ShaperTape (which looks like dominoes) applied to your workpiece. This allows the machine to map out its exact location in real-time.
Automatic Cut Correction: You manually steer the machine by following a digital line on its integrated touchscreen. As you guide it, internal motors continuously auto-correct the router bit’s position up to 100 times per second, ensuring cuts are accurate within 1/100th of an inch.
Safety Retraction: If you steer too far outside your vector line boundaries, the spindle immediately retracts automatically to prevent any damage to your project workpiece.

Shaper Origin web page

October 17, 2026
An Overview of Finishing
Russell Smith

Confused by varnish vs. lacquer? Brush vs. wipe-on vs. spray? Russell will provide a practical overview on the science of wood finishing. He will attempt to pull back the veil of mystery surrounding what is in reality a very simple craft that involves little more than transferring a liquid from a container to wood using, rag, brush, or spray gun. "The secret of wood finishing is that there is no secret, and any woodworker who wants to can master this aspect of the craft."

November 21, 2026
Wood finish evaluation project
Neil Davie

Neil collected samples of favorite finishes from a number of AWA members. Each finish was applied to samples of maple, oak, and walnut using the member's preferred approach. Neil collected the samples and tested the finishes for properties that are important in finished projects. At this meeting Neil will share the results with us.

(order is subject to change)

Meetings begin at 9:30 AM.

CLICK HERE for a look at the September 2026 AWA newsletter to see what’s happening.