Friends Helping Friends Superior Association of Woodworkers Celebrates 25 Years

Whether as a career or a hobby, woodworking is a beautiful craft—one that involves many variables, including the type of wood, tools, and finishes used to successfully complete a project. A quarter of a century ago, three local professional woodworkers, Larry Watson, Lou Mazerolle, and

Vic Germaniuk, identified the need for a place for local woodworkers to get together, showcase their work, and share ideas and knowledge. They teamed up and formed the Superior Association of Woodworkers, which aptly creates the acronym SAW.

Twenty-five years later, the association, which welcomes both amateur and professional woodworkers alike, is still going strong with over 30 members. “Anyone who has a vague interest in woodworking would find coming to the meetings with this group a lot of fun, but also with the expertise that they have, a novice could save themselves so much time and trouble by learning through these meetings. I would say more than anything the club is a learning opportunity for people,” says Kelly McCormack, the association’s president. “It is also a networking club; members become friends and get together within their own workshops exclusive of the club. It’s friends helping friends.”

Under regular circumstances, the club meets once a month at the Monty Parks Centre, where they have guest speakers who are suppliers in the industry, ranging from tools to different types of finishes. This is beneficial with technology changing so rapidly. “It’s an evolving science particularly with finishes and there are new tools coming out almost monthly depending on what skill set you’re trying to develop. It has moved along really quickly with technology,” McCormack says.

Each meeting provides members with an opportunity to participate in “show and tell” where they share their latest project to

receive feedback and advice from other members. “If not for COVID, we would have had a big party with cake, but have put it off for now. The website is really the 25th anniversary gift though,“says longtime member Gord Earle, of their silver anniversary celebration and website they’ve recently developed.

For anyone looking to get involved, “What I would suggest they do is check out the website, check out meeting dates when they are up and running again [currently postponed due to COVID], come as a guest, and if they like what they hear they can continue coming,” Earle says. “Membership is cheap at $35 a year, there is also the membership perk of discounts at some local suppliers.”

For more information check out sawthunderbay.ca.