Join and Renew Online (PayPal)
Join and Renew by Cash or Check
Age for membership:
Minimum age for membership in the Guild is 16 years. A parent or legal guardian must sign a liability wavier for the young member. The young member may attend meetings, social activities, and SLWG classes without the parent. To use the shop during “open shop hours” the parent and the young member must both attend the Guild’s Safety Class and the parent must be present when the young member uses the shop. These requirements remain in place until the young member reaches the age of 18 at which time the young member must sign a liability waiver.
Though online payment is encouraged, the Guild provides two alternative methods in case PayPal is not your cup of tea:
- Join / Renew at a Guild Meeting
You may bring cash, check, or credit card to the next monthly Guild meeting, held the third Thursday of every month at 7pm at the Moolah Shrine. - Join / Renew via USPS mail
Mail a check to the P.O. box below along with a completed membership application form (only applicable to new members). Please include in the “Memo” field the type of membership you wish to acquire.
St. Louis Woodworkers Guild
P.O. Box 411766
St. Louis, MO 63141-9998
Renewal Policy
After successful completion of the guild Safety Class costing $20.00, members may take classes and use the Guild’s shop (4 times a year for Basic and unlimited for Shop memberships). Memberships are for a 1 year period with renewals completed at or before the anniversary date of initial membership. If a membership lapses, a former member can rejoin at any time being considered a new member and establishing a new renewal date. If this happens within 12 months of the initial membership lapsing, there is no need to retake the Safety class. If this occurs after 12 months has passed, the individual will be required to retake the safety class including paying the $20.00 fee again.
Membership Benefits
Basic Membership
Membership Card
Your SLWG membership card is good for a 10% discount at participating St. Louis and national woodworking retailers.
Woodworking Classes
Classes are offered in the Guild’s workshop most months – sometimes several in a single month – by various members. Workshops may be hands-on instruction and/or demonstration of a particular technique. Shop tours are also offered by guild members and local professionals, allowing a glimpse into the world of a commercial woodworking shop. Upcoming classes and other events may be found on our Events Calendar.
Field Trips
A couple times a year, the Guild sponsors a field trip. In the past, this has included trips to commercial shops in the area, historical houses containing period furniture, guided tours of area museums, etc. A recent trip brought us to Des Moines, Iowa where we visited the editorial offices and workshops of Woodsmith and Wood magazines. The most recent visit was to David Stine Furniture.
Guild Library
The Guild maintains a library of books, magazines, and videos related to woodworking. Members can checkout materials free of charge.
Mentoring & Advice
Whether you are new to woodworking or deciding to try your hand at something new like veneering or bending wood, there’s a member that can help you out. The Guild will seek to pair a new woodworker with a more experienced member to act as a mentor. Also, a lot of knowledge is shared between members at meetings, on the phone, via email or on our online forum.
Forum
As a member, you will be given secure access to the members section of the website and also be able to post and reply to questions on our online forum (mailing list) to solicit opinions/advice from multiple members at one time.
Woodworking Experts
Once a year, the Guild hosts a weekend seminar with a renowned expert in the field of woodworking. Recent guests have included Frank Klausz, Marc Adams, Graham Blackburn, and Jeff Jewitt. Often with a hands-on format, these events are exclusive to members who, for an additional fee, can meet and learn from the world’s best.
Limited Shop Access
With your Basic Membership 16 Years or older, you will have access to the Guild workshop up to four times per year during open shop hours. These four times are in addition to any classes held at the shop which are available to all Guild members.
Other Events
Each year, the Guild hosts a couple of events that are open to spouses and friends of members. We have an annual picnic in the fall. Also, in the spring we usually have a whole program dedicated to show and tell wherein members bring in samples of their work and answer questions related to design and construction. We also hold a tool auction each year for members to bring in tools that they would like to auction off to other members.
Shop Membership
All Basic Membership Benefits
With the Shop Membership, you will still have access to all of the Basic Membership benefits, like access to the woodworking classes, field trips, the Guild library, and a personal mentor.
Guild Workshop
You can join the Guild at the Workshop Level for $75 annually for 16 years or older, which will give you all the Basic Membership benefits plus you will gain access to the Guild’s Faust Park workshop, complete with most woodworking tools. The shop is open the 1st & 2nd weekend (Saturday and Sunday) each month 9:00 – 5:00pm and 10:00 am until 2:00 pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays of the first and second full weeks of each month. Always check the calendar to ensure shop hours have not changed or been postponed.
Guild membership must be current. You must have completed the safety class. The Guild must have a signed liability waiver from you on file.