With the growth of woodturning clubs throughout Florida, the idea of holding a Florida Woodturning Symposium (FWS) was hatched in late 2000 and early 2001. Three local chapter clubs of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW) joined together and provided 2 representatives each to serve as the original board members of FWS. With a $1,000 grant from AAW and $700 from each club, Hands on Woodturners, Florida Westcoast Woodturners and Woodturners of Polk County, the inaugural Symposium was held at Lake Yale Baptist Convention Center in November 2001. The event was staffed by the 6 board members and a host of volunteers from their woodturning clubs. The three-day event included a live turning competition between attending clubs, three featured demonstrators, a vendor trade floor, and an instant gallery of items turned by attendees and demonstrators. The event had planned for an attendance of 120 people and over 170 people attended. After all expenses the FWS was able to retain $1000 for the initial expenses of the next symposium and return the initial seed money, along with a nice bonus, to the three founding clubs in the form of education grants.

The Florida Woodturning Symposium, Inc a Florida nonprofit and IRS recognized 501 (c)(3) was incorporated on August 12th, 2002. The FWS, Inc was organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes.

The second Symposium was held in February 2003 due to shifting the event from fall to early spring. Over the next 17 years the event grew in attendance, vendors and number of demonstrators. This required increasing the number of supporting clubs to eight and a substantial increase in the number of volunteers needed to staff the event. Symposiums continued annually in the month of February at Lake Yale through 2020. Due to the Covid Virus, the event had to be cancelled for 2021 and 2022. The FWS returned in February 2023 with a new location at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland Florida.

In spring 2025 the Florida Woodturning Symposium, Inc adopted new bylaws removing the wording “member chapters” and allowing board participation by persons outside the 8 member chapters.

The February 2026 Symposium will be the 23rd hosting of this annual event and is shapi ng up to be another great event.

Click here to download a PDF version of a presentation showing the details of the initial 2001 Florida Woodturning Symposium. It also has individual photos of all Instant Gallery items.