President's Message

Welcome to the Segmented Woodturners, an online chapter of the American Association of Woodturners, founded in 2009. Our community of more than 500 members is dedicated to advancing segmented woodturning through education, inspiration, and the exchange of ideas.

We strive to be the premier international organization supporting both the art and craft of segmented turning—for everyone from beginners to experienced studio artists. Our membership includes a rich mix of skill levels and creative perspectives.

Our mission is to provide a first-class online experience, including:

• A forum for asking questions and sharing techniques
• An extensive members’ gallery showcasing thousands of segmented pieces
• A growing archive of resources designed to inspire and educate

To learn more about what our chapter offers, visit the About page at the top of the screen. Membership is just $25 per year, giving you full access to our content and community. We invite you to join us—everyone is welcome!

Al Miotke

President, Segmented Woodturners

Photo of the Week

Zentangle

By Art Bodwell

My entry into the spring challenge. I went to the AAW symposium in Raleigh and went to a rotation titled Zentangle. Had no idea what it was but it was interesting. Turns out it uses 4 basic shapes to create anything you can think of using straight lines, dots, curved lines or S-curves. There are hundreds of ideas online, but you can create your own. The presenter was Mark Kielpinski and his thing was to turn small balls 2-3” in diameter and wood burn designs and then color them. I decided to try it out to enter the current challenge but used a box. The box is about 6” high, 5” in diameter. Ten rings, with ten segments of maple. All the designs are wood burned and painted with acrylic pens. C and C welcome.

Ll;oyd Johnson said "You never cease to amaze me Art! I've been your biggest fan for close to 20 years and your body of work has covered as many segmenting topics as I can imagine. I'm happy to pick this as the Photo of the Week for its creativity and presentation. Looking forward to your next piece!."

See replies in Gallery

Meet the Demonstrator

Al Miotke



Al is the current president of the Segmented Woodturner Chapter and has been a demonstrator at a number of Segmenting symposiums as well as the AAW symposiums. Al also enjoys teaching and is a part time woodturning instructor at the Chicago School of Woodworking. Al’s topics include:  Building a Segmented Vase A to Z and Bowl from a Board, from Basics to Fascinating.

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Segmenting News

1. The 8th Segmenting Symposium has been scheduled for September 18-20, 2026. Registration will open in early February.

2. The June Technical Guide has been posted. It is on Salt Pig Project. Members can find it in Resources under the Technical Guides Category.

3. The next SWT bi-monthly Zoom Meeting program for members will be July 14th. See the Upcoming Events below for details.